Organ of St. Sebastian (Augsburg)

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Organ of St. Sebastian (Augsburg)
Organ StSebastian Augsburg.jpg
General
place St. Sebastian Monastery (Augsburg)
Organ builder Heinrich Koulen & Son
Construction year 1912
Last renovation / restoration 1965 Change of disposition and construction of a new gaming table by Max Offner
epoch 20th century
Organ landscape Upper Swabia
Technical specifications
Number of registers 43
Number of manuals 3
Wind chest Cone shop
Tone tract electro-pneumatic
Register action electro-pneumatic
Others
Eminent organists

Marius Beckmann (since 2019)

The Koulen organ of the former St. Sebastian monastery church in Augsburg is the largest preserved and at the same time playable instrument made by Heinrich Koulen & Sohn .

description

In 1912 the instrument built by Heinrich Koulen & Sohn was used with pieces by Alexandre Guilmant , Josef Gabriel Rheinberger , Johann Sebastian Bach , and many more. inaugurated. Despite its German register designations, the organ's sound is in the tradition of the late French symphonic in the style of the Mutin-Cavaillé-Coll and Joseph Merklin companies . Heinrich Koulen learned the trade of organ building from the latter. French influences can be seen in the cast of the tongues, e.g. B. the design of the oboe in the swell as a French Hautbois or in the arrangement of a 7th 1 1 ⁄ 7  ′ in the swell, which was unusual for German organs of that time and which has little in common with the aliquot registers of the same name from the organ movement of the 1960s. German influences, on the other hand, are evident in the choice of the pneumatic action and the construction of two resounding reed registers (bassoon 16 'in the swell and trombone 16' in the pedal). Other tonal features of the organ are the numerous overblowing registers, including two flutes in the main work, one in the substation and, last but not least, the sonorous overblowing main work principal 8 ′ corresponding to the French register Montre 8 ′. The organ also has the relatively rare Cor anglais 8 ′ reed part with full bell length.

The Koulen organ is thus one of the few original French symphonic instruments on German soil and is therefore of supraregional importance. It is also the largest playable organ made by the Alsatian-German organ building company Heinrich Koulen & Sohn. The largest preserved Koulen organ of the Martinskirche Landshut with 70 registers has been stored in the Valley Organ Center since 1984 . The largest Koulen organ at all, which was in the St. Ulrich and Afra basilica in Augsburg and had 73 registers, has not been preserved.

Remodeling in 1965

Gaming table from 1965

In 1965, the organ was converted by the Offner company from nearby Kissing . From today's perspective, the intervention can be classified as relatively cautious compared to other renovations of the time. The disposition was changed by changing some of the registers within the organ or moving them to registers with a higher pitch range. For reasons that have not yet been explained, the number of registers has been reduced by a total of two registers. The corresponding pipe sticks on the windchest in the main and substation are still available, but vacant. In some cases, registers that were left unchanged in terms of sound were renamed in order to follow a less romantic reading. So behind the register in the Hauptwerk, which is now labeled as Hollow Flute 4 ', still hides the overblowing harmony flute 4' from 1912. Despite these disposition changes, the intonation of all stops was not affected in 1965, which is why the original sound has been preserved unchanged to this day. Technically the organ was electrified and received a new Eisenschmid console . The original Koulen gaming table was left without function on the gallery and is therefore also preserved.

  • Augsburg, St. Sebastian (Koulen organ) (console) (3) .jpg
  • Augsburg, St. Sebastian (Koulen organ) (console) (2) .jpg
  • Augsburg, St. Sebastian (Koulen organ) (console) (4) .jpg

Current situation and further outlook

Due to the location of the church somewhat away from Augsburg city center in the immediate vicinity of the MAN company premises and after the Capuchin monastery was closed in 2008, the Koulen organ and its importance fell out of view. The church and the instrument are still actively used for church services by the German and Croatian congregations. In 2019 Marius Beckmann took up the position as organist in the parishes of St. Georg and St. Sebastian and recognized the historical and sonic value of the Koulen organ. In the near future the original Koulen console will be restored, electrified and reconnected to the organ. A restoration of the organ is being planned. Organ concerts and CD recordings are also planned.

Disposition since 1965

The disposition since the renovation in 1965 is:

I Hauptwerk C – g 3
1. Bourdon 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Lull major 8th'
4th viola 8th'
5. Octave 4 ′
6th Hollow flute 4 ′
7th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
8th. Principal 2 ′
9. flute 2 ′
10. Mixture V 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
11. Cornet V 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
12. Trumpet 8th'
II substation C – g 3
13. Reed flute 8th'
14th Quintad 8th'
15th Principal 4 ′
16. Flute 4 ′
17th Octave 2 ′
18th Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′
19th Cymbel  1 ⁄ 2 ′
20th Cor anglais 8th'
III Swell C – g 3
21st Horn principal 8th'
22nd Covered 8th'
23. Salicional 8th'
24. Vox celeste 8th'
25th Principal 4 ′
26th Gemshorn 4 ′
27. Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
28. Flageolet 2 ′
29 third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
30th Seventh 1 1 ⁄ 7  ′
31. Scharff III 1'
32. bassoon 16 ′
33. Hautbois 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C – f 1
34. Principal bass 16 ′
35. Violon bass 16 ′
36. Sub bass 16 ′
37. Covered 16 ′
38. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
39. Octavbass 8th'
40. Covered bass 8th'
41. Choral bass 4 ′
42. Mixturbass III 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
43. trombone 16 ′
  • Pairing :
    • Normal coupling: II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
    • Super octave coupling: III / I, I / P
  • Playing aids : hand register, 2 free combinations, crescendo roller, automatic pedal, tongue holder, general tutti

Remarks:

  1. ↑ a b c d Overblowing.
  2. ↑ a b Resounding tongue register.
  3. ↑ Neither transmission nor weakening of the wind, but an independent register!

Original disposition 1912–1965

The disposition until 1965 was:

I main work C–
1. Bourdon 16 ′
2. Principal 8th'
3. Lull major 8th'
4th Gamba 8th'
5. Dolce 8th'
6th Covered 8th'
7th Quintatön 8th'
8th. Octave 4 ′
9. Harmony flute 4 ′
10. Gemshorn 4 ′
11. Principal 2 ′
12. mixture 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
13. Cornet 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
14th Trumpet 8th'
II substation C–
15th Dolce covered 16 ′
16. Violin principal 8th'
17th Distance flute 8th'
18th Reed flute 8th'
19th Salicional 8th'
20th Aeoline 8th'
21st Transverse flute 4 ′
22nd Flageolet 2 ′
23. Harmonia aetheria 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
24. Cor anglais 8th'
III Swell C–
25th Lovely covered 16 ′
26th Horn principal 8th'
27. Concert flute 8th'
28. Viola d'amour 8th'
29 Vox coelestis 8th'
30th violin 4 ′
31. Hollow flute 4 ′
32. Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′
33. Piccolo 2 ′
34. Third flute 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′
35. Seventh 1 1 ⁄ 7  ′
36. bassoon 16 ′
37. oboe 8th'
Tremulant
Pedal C–
38. Principal bass 16 ′
39. Violon bass 16 ′
40. Sub bass 16 ′
41. Covered 16 ′
42. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′
43. Octavbass 8th'
43. Covered bass 8th'
44. cello 8th'
45. trombone 16 ′

Remarks:

  1. ↑ a b c d Overblowing.
  2. ↑ a b Resounding tongue register.
  3. ↑ Neither transmission nor weakening of the wind, but an independent register!

Picture gallery

  • brochure

  • brochure

  • Main work

  • Main and pedal work

  • Vacant pipe rod of the covered 8 ′ (center)

  • Cor anglais 8 ′ (full length)

  • Cor anglais 8 ′ (serving)

  • Trumpet 16 ′ (resounding)

  • Tongue block of the bassoon 16 ′ (striking)

  • Meidinger blower from 1912

Web links

Commons : Koulen organ from St. Sebastian (Augsburg)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Information from the church music website .
  2. ↑ a b c d Inspection of the organ on site.
  3. ↑ a b Information from the original organ building contract from Koulen (viewed on site).
  4. ^ Koulen organ of the Martinskirche Landshut in Valley .
  5. ^ Organ database Bavaria (2009).
  6. ↑ Information from the organist Marius Beckmann (as of March 2020).
  7. ↑ Heinz J. Koulen: The organ builder Koulen - pioneers in a time of upheaval . Schloßverlag Valley, Valley 2006, ISBN 3-932055-02-0 , p. 227 .