His knowledge of organ building goes far beyond that of most of his colleagues. From the extremity of the key to the mouth of the pipes, by way of the soundboards, the action, and the wind pressure, Isoir knows his instrument like the back of his hand. This pragmatic approach to touch enables him to establish connections with the styles specific to each national school, each period, each region, and any composer he tackles. Hence he is equally at home with Franck, Attaignant, Alain, Roberday, or Bach! In the course of recording his Bach set, he sometimes found himself regretting, on famous instruments, the absence of a special timbre on the pedalboard or elsewhere. No matter: he would remove the necessary number of pipes from a manual, lay them out on the pedalboard, and play a cantus firmus en taille or en basse – as if by magic! In his workshop, Isoir handles the saw and the pliers as assiduously as he immerses himself in the music. His exceptional manual skill made it possible for him to build instruments from scratch, including bird organs, a chest organ, a harpsichord, and the restoration of a nineteenth-century pianoforte. 34 BACH ∙ THE ORGAN WORKS
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