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When Physics meets Music

After obtaining his degree in Physics in 1996 and having spent five years of research in non-linear optics at the University of Insubria, Como, Walter Chinaglia started his workshop Organa in 2001.

He is internationally renowned for building historically-informed pipe organs and harpsichords, using traditional materials and techniques. Driven by his spirit of research, he conceives every single instrument based on the study of numerous historical sources, in particular when rebuilding Medieval portative organs.

At the light of his knowledge on Medieval portative organs, he provided a new interpretation of the sketch by Leonardo da Vinci on the Folio 75r, Madrid Codices II, and he re-created the “Organo di Leonardo da Vinci" in 2012.

Highly stimulated by the literature on Italian wooden organs, in 2017 Walter Chinaglia conducted the research project “Duoi Organi per Monteverdi”, resulting in the construction of two Renaissance-style organs with open wooden pipes.

Between 2018 and 2020 he participated as Research Fellow in the Leibniz Society-funded project “Building of a new organo di legno” within the research group “Materiality of musical instruments” led by Dr. Rebecca Wolf, at the Deutsches Museum of Munich.
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Walter Chinaglia is often invited by relevant institutions to give lectures on his own research: the 47th Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference 2019 in Basel; the Göteborg International Organ Academy, the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera di Milano, the Fondation Académie D'Orgue de Fribourg, among others.

Since 2005 he has regularly held courses on historical temperaments and tuning techniques.

He is author and co-author of several papers on Physics and organ building.

References

Walter has built many instruments for important ensembles and schools, such as:

  • Tasto Solo - Guillermo Perez, FR
  • Magister Petrus, ES
  • La Reverdie, IT
  • Capella Bambergensis, DE
  • Camerata Aboensis, FIN
  • Viaartis, DK
  • In Illo Tempore, CH
  • Laterna Magica, RU
  • ArtePsalentes, ES
  • Artefactum, ES
  • Schola Cantorum Basiliensis, CH
  • Civiche scuole di Musica di Milano, IT
  • Haute école de musique de Genève, CH
He has given lectures at many international symposiums:

  • Moissac (CIRMA, M. Péréz), "La reconstruction de l'orgue du Leonardo da Vinci", FR (Apr. 2012)
  • Spello PG (centro studi A. Broegg), lecture on portative organs, IT (Jul. 2012)
  • Amsterdam (International Symposium on Medieval Organs), "The re-creation of the Gothic organ painted by Hugo van der Goes", NL (June 2012)
  • Rhede EMS (Symposium on Gothic organs), DE (Sept. 2012)
  • Besalù (International Course on Medieval Music Performance), ES and Pamplona, ES (Jul. 2013, Jul. 2015)
  • Mendrisio, (masterclass ATO), CH (Sept. 2013)
  • Academia de Órgano Julián de la Orden, Cuenca, ES (Sept. 2013, Oct. 2016)
  • University of Wuerzburg, DE (Oct. 2013)
  • Fondazione Accademia di Musica Italiana Per Organo Pistoia, IT (Sept. 2014)
  • S. Colombano c/o "Collezione Tagliavini”, "Gli organi portativi medievali, iconografia e ricostruzione", Bologna, IT (May 2015)
  • Calolziocorte (LC), “L’organo a canne di Andrea de’ Servi di Maria”, IT (Sept. 2016)
  • Como, Teatro Sociale, talk within the project “Aspettando Majorana”, IT (Sept. 2017)
  • Genova, Palazzo Ducale, “Duoi organi per Monteverdi”, IT (Oct. 2017)
  • Castello S. Pietro (Ticino), “L’organo tardo medievale dipito da Hugo van Der Goes”, CH (June 2018)
  • Lecco, S. Marta, conference-concert “Duoi organi per Monteverdi”, within "Giornate della Musica Antica", IT (Sept 2018)
  • 47th Medieval and Renaissance Music Conference 2019, "The physical origins of a sweet sound: the timbre of the 'canna di legno' ", Basel, CH, (Jul. 2019)
  • Göteborg International Organ Academy, "Duoi organi per Monteverdi, the physical origins of a sweet sound", Göteborg, (SE), (Oct. 2019)
  • Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera di Milano, "L'organo a canne di Leonardo da Vinci: un'ingegnosa macchina al servizio della musica", Milano, IT (Nov. 2019)
  • Fondation Académie D'Orgue de Fribourg, "Recovering the sweet sound of the 'organo di legno'", Fribourg, CH, (Sept. 2021)
  • Fondazione Morandini, "La ricostruzione dell'organo a canne di Leonardo da Vinci", talk within the conference "La Musica di Leonardo", Varese, IT (Jun. 2022)

Publications

IN PRESS
Walter Chinaglia, "The Recreation of the Harding Bible Organ"
The Galpin Society Journal LXXVIII (2025)
 Harding Bible Organ

Walter Chinaglia, "Des sons ondulants dans l’orgue portatif médiéval ?",
Orgues Nouvelles 63 (December 2023)
 Orgues Nouvelles - L'Organetto

Walter Chinaglia, "An ingenious musical machine from the imagination of Leonardo da Vinci",
Early Music (November 2023)
 Oxford University Press

Walter Chinaglia, “Recreating a large Italian Renaissance–style ‘organo di legno’ modelled on the sole extant original organ at the Silberne Kapelle of Innsbruck"
The Organ Yearbook, vol. 50 (2021)
  Laaber Verlag

Walter Chinaglia, “A new hypothesis on the origin of the undulating sound known as the “Voce Umana" stop"
ISO Journal, issue 71 (2022)
  ISO Journal

Walter Chinaglia, "The Medieval portative organ, its undulating sound and double-button board: a new iconographic investigation and three re-constructions"
ISO Journal, issue 70 (2022)
  ISO Journal

Walter Chinaglia, “Duoi organi per Monteverdi": Re-creating a Pair of organi di legno"
The Organ Yearbook, vol. 49 (2020)
  Laaber Verlag

Walter Chinaglia, “Towards the Rebuilding of an Italian Renaissance-Style Wooden Organ”
München: Deutsches Museum, 2020 (Deutsches Museum Studies 5)
  Read publication

Walter Chinaglia, “Deux orgues pour Monteverdi”
La Tribune de l’Orgue, Décembre 2018, 70/4
  Read publication

Press

Amadeus 9/2018, Massimo Rolando Zegna (italian)
  Read article

Arte Organaria e Organistica 1/2017, Bruno Silini (italian)
  Read article

Eco di Bergamo, Alessandro Bottelli
August 2017 (italian)
  Read article

La Provincia, Stefano Lamon
April 2013 (italian)
  Read article

La Provincia, Stefano Lamon
August 2012 (italian)
  Read article

Dismamusica, Cristiano Cameroni “Questione di Fisica” (italian)
  Read article

Concordia, Angelo Porro
“L’Organaro” (italian)
  Read article

Reviews / Testimonies

David Rumsey, organist and expert on medieval organ culture about the Chest organ with principal.
Magazine "The Diapason":
  Read article
Andrew Benson Wilson, organ recitalist, concert and organ CD reviewer for early music and organ magazines, about the Chest organ with principal:
“Regensburg Tage Alter Musik 2017”
  Read article
(scroll to June 3 pragraph)
Andrew Benson Wilson, organ recitalist, concert and organ CD reviewer for early music and organ magazines, about the Chest organ with principal:
“Echoes of Venice”
  Read article

Discography

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MILANO SPAGNOLA
ARCANA / Outhere Music 2020
Maurizio Croci (organo)
Listen to track 14 'Fantasia': Organo di Monteverdi 8'
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GIOVANNI CROCE:
MOTETTI & SACRAE CANTIONES
ARCANA / Outhere Music 2017
Concerto Scirocco & Voces Suaves
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STEFANO BERNARDI:
Lux Æterna - ein Salzburger Requiem
ARCANA / Outhere Music 2019
Concerto Scirocco & Voces Suaves
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PAOLO DA FIRENZE:
AMOR, TU SOLO’L SAI
Ballate e Madrigali
ClubMediéval, Thomas Baeté
AllMusic
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ARMONIA ECCLESIASTICA
Tactus TC 621801, Sisto Reina
Opera Quinta, 1653
Concentus Vocum
Michelangelo Gabbrielli
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CLUBMEDIÉVAL
Musica Ficta
Thomas Baeté: Artistic direction
Guillermo Pérez: Organetto and gothic organ
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TESORI DI NAPOLI
Hänssler Classic
Luca Quintavalle: Harpsichord
Daniel Rothert: Recorder
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LA MUSICA DEL GIUBILEO
Classic Voice Antiqua
Giovanni Acciai, Ivana Valotti, Nova ars cantandi
Chest organ with Principal
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G.F. HÄNDEL: MICROCOSM CONCERTO
Glossa Music
Mara Galassi: Harp
Antonio Togni: Organ, Harpsichord, Fortepiano
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IL GIARDINO ARMONICO & JULIA LEZHNEVA - HÄNDEL
Decca
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LA VOCE DEL VIOLINO
Imaginarium - Enrico Onofri
Zig Zag Territories
and more
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© ORGANA di Walter Chinaglia
Via Montebello 10, 22072 Cermenate (CO) Italy, tel/fax +39 031 772776, mob. + 39 340 966 78 03
walter.chinaglia@gmail.com