Organ of St. Michael (Stadtsteinach)
| Organ of St. Michael (Stadtsteinach) | |
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| General | |
| place | Catholic parish church St. Michael Stadtsteinach |
| Organ builder | Organ building institute by Johannes Strebel |
| Construction year | 1911 |
| Last renovation / restoration | 1960 |
| epoch | 20th century |
| Organ landscape | Upper Franconia |
| Technical specifications | |
| Number of registers | 28 |
| Number of manuals | 2 |
| Wind chest | Pocket shop |
| Tone tract | electro-pneumatic |
| Register action | electro-pneumatic |
The organ described here from Johannes Strebel's Nuremberg organ building institute is located in the Catholic parish church of St. Michael in Stadtsteinach and is one of the four largest surviving organs of this family of organ builders. It is the only Strebel organ that can still be heard in a Catholic parish church and is a listed building.
Predecessor instruments
The following organs are documented:
Organ from an unknown hand
The oldest organ, of which a disposition has been handed down, was either rebuilt or restored around 1672 - probably by Matthias Tretzscher , Kulmbach. It had 9 labial registers and a mechanical action.
Disposition (documented by organ builder Johannes Michael Schott):
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New building from 1774
When the parish church was rebuilt in 1772, a somewhat larger organ was purchased. It was built in 1774 using parts of the previous instrument by Johannes Michael Schott, Bamberg. It had 12 labial registers and a mechanical action.
Disposition:
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New building from 1882
After the Schott organ was felt to be too small for the church interior and the repair work had increased more and more, Augustin Bittner was initially asked to build a larger organ. Since Bittner died in 1879 during the financing phase, the order to build the new organ was given to his nephew, Joseph Bittner , Nuremberg. In 1882 he built the instrument with 17 labial registers and a mechanical action. This organ was almost unusable after just a few months because the wood used for the mechanical action had warped a lot. For financial reasons it was not repaired until 1894 by organ builder Peter Rett, Bamberg.
Disposition (documented by organ builder Peter Rett):
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- Coupling : II / I, I / P, II / P
Building history of the Strebel organ
Occasion and conception time
The previous organ, built by Joseph Bittner in 1882 , and the parish church of St. Michael fell victim to a church fire on February 26, 1903. In 1906 the pastor of Stadtsteinach, Andreas Schmitt, got in touch with the organ building institute Johannes Strebel , located in Nuremberg , because the newly built parish church (head of the building: Josef Schmitz, Nuremberg) was to get an instrument with the latest achievements in organ building. (After the negative experience with the mechanical action of the immediately predecessor instrument, the new organ should be equipped with a tube-pneumatic action).
With the involvement of the organ expert of the Archdiocese of Bamberg, Valentin Höller, Wilhelm Strebel - eldest son of the organ builder Johannes Strebel - presented two alternative concepts in a letter dated September 1, 1906. After further planning, he submitted his cost estimate dated July 30, 1908. After other organ building companies had asked for suggestions (Georg Thierauf, Lichtenfels; Johann Wolf & Sohn, Bayreuth; Willibald Siemann & Co., Munich), various cost estimates had been submitted and evaluated, the Stadtsteinach church administration closed with the organ building institute on October 1, 1909 an organ building contract from Johannes Strebel. This happened regardless of the fact that at this point in time the financing of the new building was by no means secured. (A separate contract with the organ building institute von Strebel for the organ case to be built according to a design by the Munich architect Anton Bachmann, who was responsible for the entire interior of the new parish church, followed in August 1910).
Installation and acceptance
In July 1911 the installation of the organ began. Wilhelm Strebel and his colleague had to find out, however, that the case did not fit, it was a good 60 cm too high. Strebel rejected all responsibility; the organ building institute worked strictly according to the plan and dimensions of the architect Anton Bachmann. Bachmann and Strebel finally agreed to saw off the base of the case by 36 cm, thereby accepting that the original proportions of the organ case would be destroyed, in particular the prospectus did not achieve the intended effect and reached too close to the church vault.
On August 10, 1911, Valentin Höller carried out a preliminary test of the instrument, before he officially accepted it - after minor fine-tuning - in the presence of the church administration on September 15, 1911 and presented it for the first time at a festival concert. In his written report, Höller came to the following overall assessment:
“All in all, it must be said that all the work on and in the organ, wherever you look, bears witness to the greatest care and accuracy, and since the material from which all the parts are made is the best imaginable The undersigned hereby openly express his appreciation of the tested organ work to the extent that he declares it to be a masterpiece perfect in all respects, a masterpiece full of strength and mildness, full of power and beauty, full of flexibility, soulfulness and dignity of the tone, a contemporary ecclesiastical work of art, well suited to building and elevating, guiding and accompanying the community - a work that praises its master and honors the community that built it. "
The organ case, which was originally too high, was not mentioned in the acceptance report. It reads: "Finally the case with its richly gilded prospectus is solidly and artistically executed according to the style of the church, and forms an excellent ornament of the new church."
Original disposition
The Strebel organ originally had 27 labial registers and a tube-pneumatic action.
Disposition (Wilhelm Strebel and Valentin Höller):
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Pairing :
- Normal coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P
- Super octave coupling: II / I
- Sub-octave coupling: II / I
- Playing aids : 5 fixed combinations (p, mf, f, ff, tutti), 2 free combinations, automatic piano pedal, crescendo roller
In one of his layout drafts from 1906, Wilhelm Strebel had also considered two lingual parts: trumpet 8 ′ in the main work and trombone 16 ′ in the pedal work. However, he expressed concerns: lingual voices could be too strong for the acoustics of this church and would have to be intoned very cautiously if they were to be used. Ultimately, this was waived in the original planning that was implemented.
Another fate
Measures until 1960
A maintenance contract signed with Johannes Strebel's organ building institute at the beginning of January 1912 did not come into effect. Instead, various other organ builders were waiting for the instrument in the first half of the 20th century (Eusebius Dietmann, Emil Mann, Hans Dentler and Max Thierauf). After renovations to the interior of the church, major works were carried out in 1935 (by Eusebius Dietmann) and 1951 (by Hans Dentler).
Wilhelm Strebel had already proposed the installation of an electric fan to supply the organ with wind . One of these could only be added in 1935 for cost reasons. The mechanical scooping bellows (they were simply blocked) were retained along with the two scooping steps.
Technical change and sound modification 1960
Organ builder Max Thierauf (Eusebius Dietmann, Lichtenfels) carried out the following work in June 1960:
- Conversion to an electropneumatic action with the installation of an electric, mobile gaming table.
- Baroque sound modification:
- 8 registers moved up a whole octave each.
- Cornettino III 2 2 ⁄ 3 ′ in the swell in individual choirs .
- Double flute 8 ′ and Viola di Gamba 8 ′ (both in the main work) completely removed.
- new: Gemshorn 2 ′ (main work), Zimbel III 1 ⁄ 2 ′ (swell work), peasant flute 2 ′ (pedal), plus lingual register trumpet 8 ′ (swell work).
- Repair and maintenance work on the entire pipework and on the wind and bag stores.
Disposition since 1960
After the tonal and technical modification, the Strebel organ has 27 labial registers and 1 lingual register (swell mechanism) with an electro-pneumatic action.
Disposition (Peter Biller):
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Pairing :
- Normal coupling: II / I, I / P, II / P (pedal coupling expanded to f 1 )
- Coupling: II / I, II / P
- Lower coupling: II / I
- Playing aids : 2 fixed combinations (p, tutti), 2 free combinations, 1 free pedal combination, tongues off, crescendo roller
Measures since 1960
In 1964, as the successor to Max Thierauf, who died in 1964, the care and maintenance of the Strebel organ was entrusted to the organ building company Ludwig Eisenbarth (Passau) from 1972 to 2000. During this period, the electropneumatic action was completed, a new swell mechanism was installed to control the swell mechanism blinds, and the instrument, in addition to minor repairs, was subjected to a general cleaning twice (1972 and 1985).
After the Ludwig Eisenbarth company, the Bamberg organ builder Thomas Eichfelder was briefly involved with the Strebel organ. In the run-up to an interior renovation of the parish church that began in 2003, he packed the organ so that it was protected from dust and dirt during the construction work. After the completion of the renovation work in the church, the organ was unveiled again by him - but on this occasion he neglected to clean the organ and pipe work from building dust. In recent years, master organ builder Karsten Hörl (Helmbrechts) has always been active when minor emergency repairs to the organ are due.
Restoration project: return to the original condition
The last general cleaning and overhaul of the Strebel organ in St. Michael took place in 1985. Apart from a few inconsistencies and occasional failures of electrical relays or seasonal howling in some registers, one or the other pipe no longer speaks in some registers at all (sound failures at the game). The electrical installations (low power supply, wiring of the console and inside the organ case, fan motor) no longer comply with the applicable fire protection regulations. Wooden pipes, windchests, pipe sticks, bellows and other components are heavily affected by mold .
At the beginning of 2016, due to the critical condition of the instrument, the project of its repair started, which aimed at a comprehensive restoration and revision of the baroque sound modification from June 1960. The comparable instruments from Johannes Strebel's Orgelbau-Anstalt in Röthenbach ad Pegnitz , Lauscha and Gräfenthal played an important reference role with their respective dispositions in order to be able to fall back on original Strebel lengths in the reconstruction of lost registers in Stadtsteinach .
This comprehensive repair project was abandoned in spring 2020 for financial reasons. Instead, Orgelbau Hörl, Helmbrechts, carried out a thorough cleaning of the instrument in April 2020, which included repairing minor damage, removing mold from the housing, pipes and wind chests. In addition, the lighting inside the organ housing was refurbished by other craft firms and the plastering on the rear wall of the swell box was repaired.
References and comments
- ^ Konrad Klek: Strebel (family) . In: Hermann J. Busch, Matthias Geuting (Ed.): Lexicon of the organ . 3rd enlarged and corrected edition. Laaber, Köthen 2011, p. 763 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg eV (ed.): 153. Report of the Historischer Verein Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 187-210 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 187-188 .
- ↑ a b c Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael in Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 207 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 188-189 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 189-192 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 192-197 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 197-200 .
- ↑ Valentin Höller: Subject: The new organ in the parish church in Stadtsteinach . Bamberg 1911, p. 7 (The handwritten report is in the parish archives of the Catholic parish Stadtsteinach.).
- ↑ Valentin Höller: Subject: The new organ in the parish church in Stadtsteinach . Bamberg 1911, p. 6–7 (The handwritten report is in the parish archives of the Catholic parish Stadtsteinach.).
- ↑ a b Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael in Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 208-209 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg e. V. (Ed.): 153. Report of the Historical Association Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 200-202 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg eV (ed.): 153. Report of the Historischer Verein Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 202-204 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg eV (ed.): 153. Report of the Historischer Verein Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 204 .
- ↑ Jürgen Stapf: The Strebel organ in St. Michael zu Stadtsteinach. Prehistory, planning and setting up, following time, prospects. A contribution to the history of organ building in Upper Franconia . In: Historischer Verein Bamberg eV (ed.): 153. Report of the Historischer Verein Bamberg . Bamberg 2017, ISBN 978-3-87735-218-2 , pp. 204-206 .
- ↑ Once upon a time, several Strebel organs sounded in the vicinity of Stadtsteinach, for example in the Evangelical Lutheran. Churches of Trebgast (II / 17, built in 1898), of Kulmbach (II / 24, built in 1907), of Untersteinach (II / 16, built in 1900) or in the Bayreuth town church (with III / 60 the largest organ ever built by Strebel , Built in 1913, burnt down in 1918). Only a few are preserved today, for example in Bischofgrün (II / 18, built in 1890, restored in 1988) or in Rugendorf, just under 6 kilometers away (II / 13, built in 1906, restored in 2006). A list of works by Johannes Strebel's organ building institute can be found in: Hermann Fischer , Theodor Wohnhaas: The Nuremberg Organ Building in the 19th Century . In: Communications from the Association for the History of the City of Nuremberg. Volume 59, 1972, pp. 228-239, here: pp. 237-239.
- ↑ Bayerische Rundschau Kulmbach: The "voice of God" is documented. The organ of St. Michael in Stadtsteinach is currently being cleared of dust and mold. Kulmbach April 15, 2020, p. 13 .
