Because there was no money, so they did not "improve" the instruments and so it was possible to recover them almost all its original parts.
JV: Exactly according to the original instrument identity.
But this only happened to some organs, in this case of Mafra, but can also be said for the other such instruments at national level?
JV: Most organs in Portugal has not undergone transformations in the nineteenth century. In Madeira this happened, there was a nineteenth century of music here, because there was a great English influence, it turns out that on the island there were several religious temples which have been endowed with organs that time, the church of St. Martin, St. Peter and the local Church in Porto da Cruz, are all English instruments of the nineteenth century and it became the ideal sound, so little by little, the oldest instruments that still survived were transformed to approach this nineteenth-century sound of the English organs, was the case of the Santa Clara instrument in Funchal and in the Machico Matrix Church and then yes, in the restauration was necessary to remove the additions, to try to reverse the instrument to its original form. In the case of the mainland, what happened is that most of the organs were speechless for a century and a half, and we find them just like they were.
In the Azores happened the same?
JV: It's a completely different situation, the Azores has a curious thing, is the only place in the country where organ builders continued to be after 1934. I do not know if the laws of liberalism came more slowly, what I know is that there remains organs built in the archipelago in the nineteenth century, after 1850, just as was done in Lisbon fifty years earlier. It is the only place in the country where there was organ artisans after liberalism, as if it were an extension of the old regime before the liberals.
And it's an activity which continued until when?
JV: Until the early twentieth century, but these islands organs are quite in its original state.
And there are many musicians who write for organs in Portugal now?
JV: No, there was that time in the nineteenth century, but nowadays there are some but not many composers that write for the organ.
And how this teaching organ music in our country?
JV: It has been growing over the years, there is great interest among young people in relation to the organ, we even have some organists of great quality.
How are they seen the Portuguese composers for organ abroad?
JV: I'll tell you something, I had to study music in several countries, especially Bach, German music, French and some Portuguese compositions. When I started ten years or more to play I realize abroad that foreigners wanted to hear Portuguese music, I gradually introduce it in my repertoire and now is even more present, because it was something that aroused a huge public interest. I now have mostly a Portuguese program, because it really in all the places where I played curiosity is huge, people tell me that they really like it and even the organists ask me scores because they want to play it well, the foreigners look with great appreciation at Portuguese music for organ and the organists themselves who come to Portugal play are fascinated by the heritage we have in this area. In the specific case of Madeira, I want to show my appreciation not only for the quality of the organ festival, whose organization must say it is excellent, flawless, rare times I've been involved with such an efficient group, all organized, the printed program without errors and the all the instruments such access to very old organs and in good condition and all this also arouses much interest from foreign musicians to come to Portugal to play.
