Muhleisen Pels-Dhondt (Herselt, Belgium). Jean-Baptiste D’Hondt founded a small organ building firm in 1892 near Brussels. In the middle of the XXth century, his firm merged with the firm of Bernard Pels, a descendant of a dynasty of organ builders (founded by Bernard Pels I in 1870), located at Alkmaar, Netherlands. Since 1987, the firm is led by Gerard Pels. He is the fourth generation of both families. After the construction of a number of new organs, the firm specialized itself towards restoration of organs from the XVIth to XXth century. He worked on the organs of Eglise du coeur eucharistique de Jésus (1947) and rebuilded the organ of Saint-Joseph-des-épinettes (2014) Rieger Jean Ruche ( 1870-1940) and his son Edouard (1902- 1952) from Lyon established themselves as organ builders in Lyon in 1920. In 1932, the late brothers created a cooperative with the organbuilders A. Dunand, Durand, Guironnet which led to the creation of a SARL Ruche in 1932. Charles Meslé (1914-2011), uncle of the organbuilder Jean-Marc Cicchero, was then the harmonizer of this company and it was he who took over the firm after Edouard's death in 1952. The firm closed in 1979. He built the organ of Chapelle des Franciscaines réparatrices de Jésus Hostie (1973). Pierre Sarelot Georges Schwenkedel (1885-1958) first worked for the Maison Roethinger, then for the short-lived Maison Zann located in Strasbourg-Bischheim. In 1924, he set up his own factory in Strasbourg-Koenigshoffen. He acquired a very personal vision of "neo-classicism". Aware of the aesthetic arguments put forward by the Alsatian Organ Reform (Emile Rupp, promoted by Albert Schweitzer and put into practice by Roethinger), he asserted his style from the first opuses, by practicing a very personal evolution of romanticism. His son Curt joined the company, which he took over in 1957 where he quickly evolved into the Nordic style, practicing "full-wind" harmonization. Schwenkedel closed its doors in 1974, due to serious financial difficulties, after having delivered about 200 opuses (160 in 1960). A new organ built by Kurt Schwenkedel is located in Eglise Protestante Unie de Passy Annonciation (1973). More information (in French) Yves Sévère (1929-2004) was the son-in-law and pupil of Pierre Chéron, whose studio he took over in 1963. Resolutely turned towards contemporary techniques of organ building, he put into practice innovative ideas that make these organs very original instruments. Chapelle des pères Franciscains ( 19xx). Xavier Silbermann worked at Schwenkedel until 1958 and continued his activities on his own. He made 42 organs and restored or enlarged another 23 instruments. He worked on the organ of the Chapelle du couvent des Dominicains (1985). The brothers Steinmetz (??-2001) learned their skills at the Schwenkedel firm. They started their own firm in 1968. They maintained many instrument built by Kurt Schwenkedel. In Paris they built the organ of Saint- Gabriel (1982). Chrétien Steinmetz (1938-2023) was born in Weitbruch in Alsace. At the age of 14, he joined Curt Schwenkedel. Very gifted for voicing, he was voicer of this house after his apprenticeship and then went to perfect his skills with Muhleisen, before setting up his own business with his brothers Laurent and Antoine in Herrlisheim.

Jean-Pierre Korwin-Swiderski (1940-2023) showed himself to be passionate about organs and railways at a very early age, and all these mechanisms that exacerbated the curiosity of real technicians. At the tribune of Notre-Dame d'Auteuil, he regularly meets organist and composer Henri Veyssere. At the one at Saint-Vincent-de-Paul, it was Robert Camus, a passionate organ builder, who brought him to Kurt Swenkedel in Strasbourg in 1965. He took, as a voicer, an interest in the revival of the organ of the cathedral of Saint-Pierre in Saint-Flour, the reconstruction of the organ of Sainte-Marie de Saint-Bertrand in Comminges and the organ of the Abbey of Sainte-Scholastique in Dourgne (Tarn). In 1994 he was subcontracted to contract the harmony for the restoration of the great Saint-Roch organs. He maintained, as an independent craftsman, several Parisian organs and he took over the clientele of the organ builder Jacques Barbéris. He gradually ceased operations between 2010 and 2015. He was made a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres on March 12, 2019. In Paris, he worked on the organs of Chapelle de l’Hôpital Lariboisière , Chapelle du Lycée Jacques-Decour , Chapelle Notre-Dame du bon conseil , Eglise Protestante Unie de Pentemont Luxembourg - Chapelle du Luxembourg , Notre-Dame d’Auteuil , Saint-Eloi , Saint- Jean-Baptiste de Belleville , Saint-Roch (Chapelle de la Vierge) , Saint-Sulpice . L’abbé Victor Joseph Henri Tronchet (1861-1945) was priest and as organ builder probably autodidact. He created his firm in Nogent-le-Rotrou in 1887. He played a significant role in the organ building of Sarthe and the surrounding region. His nephew André (??-1969) continued the firm from 1928 onwards. He built the organ of N otre-Dame du Liban (1910) Henry Willis & Son was founded in 1845 by Henry Willis, who was nicknamed "Father Willis" because of his contribution to the art and science of organ building and to distinguish him from his younger relatives working in the firm. Five generations of the Willis family served as principals of the firm until 1997 when Henry Willis IV retired and David Wyld was appointed as managing director. The Willis firm is regarded as the leading organ builder of the Victorian era. During the Industrial Revolution many towns equipped themselves with imposing town halls and churches, preferably with a Willis instrument in a symphonic style. Henry Willis IV built many ‘Junior Development Plan Organs’ which he designed to be economical initially, but with scope for expansion as funds became available. He worked on the organ of Saint-Joseph's Catholic Church.