​JORDI BOSCH I BERNAT

1739-1801

 

Jordi Bosch was born in Palma (Majorca), within the boundaries of the Parish of Sant Miquel, in the cradle of the best organ-making tradition. His father, Mateu Bosch, was the creator of the famous Monestir de Sant Jeroni organ in Palma.

 

Sadly we do not have much biographical information on this individual who was to become one of the greatest organ builders in the world. He lost his parents when he was very young and was brought up under the guardianship of his uncle Pere Josep Bosch, also an organ builder.

 

The young Bosch had an almost stellar career from then on. Owing to his evident talent he was sent by the Bishop of Majorca to study with the Master Leonardo Fernández Dávila in Granada.

 

He is considered one of the most important figures in the history of the island. Some of the most notable milestones in his work include:

 

1762: The inauguration of the organ in the Monastery of Sant Domingo in Palma.

1771: Planning and building the new organ for Sant Francesc in Palma.

1772: He was summoned to the Royal Palace in Madrid by the architect Sabatini, with the order to finish the organ that his Master Fernández Dávila had begun.

1778: After finishing the organ of the Royal Palace in Madrid he received the title of Royal Organ Builder.

1779: He designed the project and started building the monumental organ for Seville Cathedral.

1793: He finished the organ for Seville Cathedral.

 

Jordi Bosch was a revolutionary organ builder who was innovative, bold and ahead of his time, attaining sublime results. He was most likely little understood by his contemporaries (with the exception of his own apprentices) meaning some innovations took years to be implemented at a general level.

 

However, the admiration of organ builders such as Julian de la Orden, who built the organs in the Cathedrals of Cuenca and Malaga, should be mentioned, who, upon discovering the organ of Jordi Bosch at the Royal Palace said, “If only I could burn my own work to start anew.”

 

His constructions were of exceptional quality yet sometimes putting his ideas into practice was to the detriment of his own financial gain. A clear example of this is the Santanyí organ that reveals to us a young Master Bosch of 23 years of age with ideas on both sound and technique that were revolutionary and several generations ahead of their time.

 

For more details see:

https://www.grenzing.com/pdf/jordi_bosch_iso.pdf

 

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