Organs of the Aachen Cathedral

Prospectus of the main organ in the upper northern gallery

The organs of Aachen Cathedral date from 1939, but go back to an older instrument. Today's organ system has 89  registers and is supplemented with two small organs.

history

The first documented organ in the West was a Hydraulis , which the Eastern Roman Emperor Constantine V bequeathed to Pippin on the Middle Rhine in 757 as a diplomatic gift. It is not known whether this work was installed in Aachen Cathedral . A priest George from Venice is said to have built an organ for Ludwig the Pious in 826. Bernhard Spiring from Liège created a new organ in 1598/1599 after negotiations with M. Nicolaes von Mentz (= Mainz) in 1596 were unsuccessful. Around 1628 Johann Schaden from Westphalia built a new work on two red porphyry columns above the Königsstuhl, which had a richly designed prospectus and 24 registers. During the occupation by French troops in 1795 the organ was torn down and the columns were excavated. An organ was acquired from the imperial abbey of St. Maximin in Trier, which was placed between the choir and the octagon from 1807–1809. The unfinished work probably came from Peter Kemper and was completed by Arnold Graindorge.

The organ builder Wilhelm Korfmacher from Linnich created a new instrument from 1845–1847 using older material from the previous organ , which he set up in an octagon on both sides of the passage to the choir. The new organ behind a two-part neo-Gothic prospect had 60 registers, which were distributed over three works with 3850 pipes . As the long and complicated tracker action were stiff, built Franz Wilhelm Sonreck 1856 Barker machine , which was probably the first in Germany.

In 1939 Johannes Klais built today's organ system in Aachen Cathedral . The wind chests and part of the pipework were taken over from the previous organ from 1847, and the prospectus and technical system were redesigned. The disposition was expanded to 65 registers, which have now been distributed over five plants. In order to achieve an even sound in the cathedral, the works were distributed in the cathedral: the works of the main organ were located in the north-west and south-west yoke of the choir hall, and a swallow's nest organ was hung on each of the east pillars of the octagon .

Between 1991 and 1993 the organ system was restored by the Klais organ building company and expanded to a total of 89 registers. The swallow's nest organs were combined into a new, independent instrument that is now on the Hochmünster, between the octagon and the choir hall.

Main organ

The main organ still consists of two parts (northeast and southeast), both of which have their own pedal mechanism. The instrument has a total of 59  stops on three manuals and a pedal . The playing and register actions are electric.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3 (northeast organ) 01. Principal 16 ′ 02. Octave 08th' 03. Reed flute 08th' 04th Super octave 04 ′ 05. Coupling flute 04 ′ 06th Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 07th Duplicate 02 ′ 08th. Cornett V 08th' 09. Mixture VI 02 ′ 10. Cymbel III 01 ⁄ 2 ′ 11. Trumpet 16 ′ 12. Trumpet 08th' Carillon 0

II choral work C – g 3 (southeast organ) 13. Drone 16 ′ 14th Principal 08th' 15th Wooden flute 08th' 16. Gemshorn 08th' 17th Octave 04 ′ 18th Reed flute 04 ′ 19th Pointed fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 20th Super octave 0 02 ′ 21st Hollow flute 02 ′ 22nd third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 23. Mixture IV-VI 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 24. Cymbel IV 01 ⁄ 2 ′ 25th Dulcian 16 ′ 26th Trumpet 08th' 27. Head trumpet 04 ′ Tremulant

III Swell C-g 3 (southeast organ) 28. Gedacktpommer 16 ′ 29 Violin principal 08th' 30th Darling Dumped 08th' 31. Gamba 08th' 32. Vox coelestis 08th' 33. Principal 04 ′ 34. recorder 04 ′ 35. Octave 02 ′ 36. Nasard 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 37. Sesquialter II 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 38. Scharff IV 39. Basson 16 ′ 40. Trompette harmonique 0 08th' 41. Hautbois 08th' 42. Clairon 04 ′ Tremulant

Pedal I C – f 1 (northeast organ) 43. Open bass 16 ′ 44. Quintbass 10 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 45. Beard pipe 08th' 46. Venetian flute 0 04 ′ 47. Peasant flute 02 ′ 48. Backset VI 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 49. Bombard 32 ′ 50. Bombard 16 ′ 51. Trumpet 08th' 52. Clarine 04 ′

Pedal II C – f 1 (southeast organ) 53. Principal bass 16 ′ 54. Sub bass 16 ′ 55. Octavbass 08th' 56. Capstan whistle 08th' 57. Super octave 04 ′ 58. Glöckleinton II 0 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 59. Bass trumpet 08th'

• Coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P
• Playing aids : electric setter combination , register crescendo , swell step for the swell

Hochmünster organ

Hochmünster organ

The works of the original swallow's nest organs from 1939 now form the Hochmünster organ, as an independent instrument with 30 registers, divided into four works (three manuals and pedal). The organ has its own mechanical console with an electric stop action. The Hochmünster organ can be switched on to the main organ.

I Hauptwerk C – g 3 1. Praestant 08th' 2. Sing. Dacked 08th' 3. Principal 04 ′ 4th Playing flute 04 ′ 5. Forest flute 02 ′ 6th Spicy Mix IV 0 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 7th Trumpet 08th' 8th. Vox humana 08th'

II Positive C-g 3 09. Pointed flute 08th' 10. Quintad 08th' 11. Praestant 04 ′ 12. Wooden dacked 04 ′ 13. Octave 02 ′ 14th Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 15th Bell symbols III 0 02 ⁄ 3 ′ 16. Cromorne 08th' Tremulant

III echo C-g 3 17th Dumped 08th' 18th Tube bare 0 04 ′ 19th Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 20th Flat flute 02 ′ 21st third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 22nd Sifflet 01' Tremulant

Pedal C – f 1 23. Violon 16 ′ 24. Dumped 16 ′ 25th Principal bass 0 08th' 26th Dumped 08th' 27. flute 04 ′ 28. trombone 16 ′ 29 Trumpet 08th' 30th Trumpet 04 ′

• Coupling : II / I, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P

Zoboli organ

In addition to the large organs, the cathedral has a small organ, the so-called Zoboli organ with 16 stops. It was built by the northern Italian organ builder Cesare Zoboli from Modena , probably around 1850. The pipework, wind chests and music mechanisms have been preserved. The historical case no longer exists; it was later built in the classicist style, based on the model of Northern Italian cabinet organs. The instrument is arranged in the classic Italian style and has typical Romantic registers.

Manual CDEFGA – f 3 Principals B / D 08th' Voce Umana 08th' Flauto D 08th' Ottava B / D 04 ′ Viola B 04 ′ Flauto in VIII B / D 04 ′ Flauto in XXII D 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Decimaquinta 02 ′ Flauto in XV D 02 ′ Decimanona 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Vigesimaseconda 0 01' Vigesimasesta III 02 ⁄ 3 ′ Fagotto B 08th' Tromba D 08th'

CDEFGA – a 0 pedal Contrabassi 16 ′

• Pairing :
  • Normal coupling: I / P
  • Super octave coupler (Terza Mano)
• Playing aids : Ripieno on / off, tongues on / off

Scholz organ positive

A movable organ positive with six registers manufactured by the Martin Scholz Orgelbau company in Mönchengladbach has been used since 2004 , especially in the Nikolauskapelle and at cathedral concerts.

Manual C – f 3 Bordun B / D 0 08th' Flute D 08th' Reed flute 04 ′ Octave 04 ′ Nasard D 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Principal 02 ′

literature

• Joseph Buchkremer : The King's Chair of the Aachen Palatine Chapel and its surroundings. In: Journal of the Aachen History Association . Volume 21, Aachen 1899, pp. 135-194 ( archive.org ).
• Erik van der Heijden: Organ landscape between the Meuse and the Rhine (= publication by the Society of Organ Friends , 189). Society of Organ Friends, Mettlach 2005.
• The Zoboli organ in Aachen Cathedral. Karlsverein for the restoration of Aachen Cathedral, Aachen 1989.
• Franz-Josef Vogt: The Klais organ in Aachen Cathedral. Cathedral chapter; Karlsverein for the restoration of Aachen Cathedral, Aachen 1994.

Web links

Commons : Organs of Aachen Cathedral  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Cathedral Music Aachen - Organs. In: Cathedral Music Aachen. Aachen Cathedral Chapter, accessed on March 20, 2016 . 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Hans Martin Balz : Divine Music. Organs in Germany (=  230th publication by the Society of Organ Friends ). Konrad Theiss, Stuttgart 2008, ISBN 3-8062-2062-X , p. 12 .
2. ^ Maarten Albert Vente : The Brabant Organ. On the history of organ art in Belgium and Holland in the Gothic and Renaissance ages . HJ Paris, Amsterdam 1963, p. 93 .
3. ↑ Joseph Buchkremer: The king chair of the Aachen Palatine Chapel and its surroundings . In: Journal of the Aachen History Association . 21st volume. Aachen 1899, p. 152–156 ( archive.org [accessed August 24, 2015]).
4. ↑ Information on the organ database , accessed on July 29, 2016.
5. ↑ Klais organ on the pages of the cathedral music.
6. ^ Current dispositions on the Klais company website.
7. ^ Zoboli organ on the Aachen Cathedral Music website.
8. ^ Scholz organ positive on the Aachen Cathedral Music pages.