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ABOUT US

   We are a small, "Mom and Pop" company, pleased to receive quiries from all interested persons,  old friends, customers and former employees.

                                                                                                                             HISTORY

   Prior to 1960 Louis Rabalais was apprenticed to B.L. Gibson, Inc. and had some intallation and finishing experience with the Schantz Pipe Organ Company.  In 1961 he was accepted to the staff of Casavant Freres, Limitee as a Tonal Finisher when Laurence I. Phelps was Artistic Director.  By the late 1960's  the firm began to produce new organs of its own and was engaged in a little work with the John T. Fort and Steiner Organ Companies.  From that period until 1995 it produced organ parts and services under the subsidiary, El Dorado Organbuilders' Supply and custom keyboards for a New England Harpichord maker.  During much of this time the company was a regional representative for Casavant Freres, Limitee.

PHILOSOPHY

   Rabalais does not make genuine period instruments.   We take that which seems good to us relative to a particular situation.  Understanding that there are differences in liturgical traditions, we attempt to interpret these from a classical  perspective.  Except for practice organs or the smallest instruments we avoid unification in manual divisions.  Slider and pallet, with electric pull-downs and pitman chests are our preference for electric action, and we are  comfortable with mechanical action.  Tonally, organs may be reminiscent of the Phelps Casavant style, with principal stops which are  somewhat freer.  Principals are voiced open toe with little or no feathering.  We have a affinity for encasement but do make "Holtkamp"  configurations.

   We like to make as much of our organ in our own shops as possible. Consoles from scratch, including keyboards and individually turned drawknobs are typical as well pitman windchests.   Wooden stops are produced in house, and we have always had some capacity for metal pipe making.  Almost everything used in an organ ,with the exception of blowers, has at sometime been made in Rabalais shops.

REBUILDING

   Much of our experience is in rebuilding and restoration of historic organs and we have found that one must be judicious in deciding when rebuilding is a good choice.  Rebuilding frequently requires more time than antipicipated and is therefore not always the least expensive solution.  It  is very situation specific, except for historic or prized organs, however, it may the only option.

ADDITIONS AND CHANGES

   We frequently make additions or changes to an existing instrument, including revoicing.  Sometimes a good cleaning and/or releathering is all that an organ needs.  Through the years we have become adept at rescaling and reconfiguring pipework in organs or adding  casework to instruments.      

 Shop photo of a psudo-case for an organ which  was doubled in size and exposed by a hole in the west wall.          

MAINTENANCE AND TUNING

   A mainstay of our practice  had been in maintenance for over forty-five years in at least six or seven states and we have experience in all facets of the craft.  Normal tuning, for us, includes setting a temperament and tuning every pipe in the organ.  Historical temperaments such as Werkmeister-III, Kirnberger-III and Mean-tone as well as Equal Termperament are possible.

CONSULTATION

   One of the most challenging, exciting and fun aspects of what we do is counsuting for indiviauals or institutions. We are always ready to do this and our prices for simple consultation are very reasonable.

OUTSIDE WORK

   Schedule permitting, we are willing to assist other firms with anything that they may need.  One of our specialties is rebuilding wooden stops and have developed some unique techniques, as well as employing standard practices for making dramatic or sutle tonal changes.

PIANOS

   Our shops were located adjacent to Southwestern Piano Company for many years, a firm which specialized in high-end restoration of grand pianos.  A cooperative agreement allowed the sharing of facilities, equipment and personnel. With the closure of this business we absorbed some of their work and continue with it today.

AUDIO SAMPLES

   These are very much less than professionally recorded, consisting principally of tapes from live chruch services or spontaneous tapes from hand-held machines made on the job, some just after pipe installation and without finishing!  The improvised sample of the Hautbois had the tremulant's muffler off for adjustment!  A couple of tapes with choir are included to note the effect of the organs with choir.  To hear these please chick -

                                                                                                                  HERE:    http://www.box.net/shared/t75vg67ndy

PERSONNEL

     Andrea    Petrosh  has been on our staff  for a little over two years  as   Business  Manager.    No stranger   to organbuilding,   Andrea    arrived  with  a  diverse   background  and a  liberal  arts   education,  holding  a    Bachelor of   Arts degree  from  the   University  of    the   South   at  Sewanee,   Tennessee  where  she   is presently a member   of   the   Board   of   Trustees.     She  was  a  piano student of  Mark Williams,  studied violin with  Dr. Elaine Allen and voice with Suzan Rupert  at     the   University  of   the    South.       Andrea   was  a   violinist   with    the       South   Arkansas   Symphony   and    has    been   a   choirster   with   the   university    choir     and    several    church   choirs,     presently    with      the   Cathedral    Choir   o f     St.   Marks,      Shreveport,   Louisiana     where      she    may   be   occasionally  heard  as  soprano    soloist.     There    she   is   joined    by     husband,   Lt.   Colonel     Michael  Petrosh,    daughter      Lauren    and      son,     Michael III     the    Cathedral     Organ Squire.   Additionally,   she   works  with choirsters  in   the  Training  Program   of   the    Royal  College  of  Music  and  she  was involved in assessment and dismantling of a Katrina-damaged organ in New Orleans.

      Kathleen Rabalais was a sometime visitor during the late 1950's and 6o's at the Gibson Pipe Organ Company. She and Louis began working together  1n 1961 when they were both organ performance majors at Southern Arkansas University and co-organists at St. James Episcopal Church. During that year Kathleen was first place winner if the National Federation of Music Teacher's Regional Competition. Louis and Kathleen were married in 1962 and formed Rabalais and Company. She has served two churches as full-time organist and several as interim or part time. She is recognized for  skill in music, organ playing and organbuilding, especially for matchless wiring. Holding a graduate degree in Social Work Administration and an Arkansas L.C.S.W. as well as post graduate courses in music, law and accounting she handles the company's financial affairs.

     Louis Rabalais was a piano student from the age of seven through high school. In the 10th grade he became a student of Mattie Lee Pate at Louisiana College and remained her student as an organ major for three and a half years. When a freshman, he began working with B.L.Gibson, Inc., spending summers in the Gibson shops. During that period he studied violinmaking with William Curry, Phd. and played the violin in two symphony orchestras. A move to Southern Arkansas University, where he recived two degrees, was made to continue with the Gibson Company until leaving for Casavant Freres. In 1981 he began working at Southern Arkansas University part time and for a few years, full time at South Akansasas Community College as Choral Director, teaching music, electrical theory and building technology. In 2007 he left to spend full attention to Rabalais and Company.

   Louis is active in music as a chorister, occasionally writing an anthem, and singing with the South Arkansas Community College Choral society, which he and Kathleen had a hand in founding. Interests include amateur radio (KA5IAN) and sometimes making a violin.

    Louis Rabalais III was often present on organ installations, rebuilds and maintenance trips.  At the age of 10 he asked to tune a stop and we were surprised to see him do it perfectly. Later, he displayed the same level of skill with mechanical devices, often discovering the fault in a newly built pitman chest faster than anyone else. He has an excellent ear, and insists on perfect workmanship.

    Other industries discovered these abilities and after college he has been employed elsewhere. We hope that by 2010 he will be with us on an occassional, part-time basis.

    In junior high school he began singing in school choirs, playing the violin, double bass and french horn. He continued in high school choirs and was awarded a choir scholarship to college.  As a          sophomore he recieved the Outstanding Choral Student award.

Informal Musings

Principal Voicing:                        http://www.box.net/shared/k6hs8x4xzk

Tools, Voicing and others:    http://www.box.net/shared/1xs9mrkg84                           

Contact Information:                                            Thank You for Visiting!