Organs of the St. Paulus Cathedral

Organs of the St. Paulus Cathedral
General
place	St. Paul Cathedral
Organ builder	Hans Klais
Construction year	1956 (main organ) 2002 (tower)
Last renovation / restoration	1987 (main organ) 2014 (tower)
epoch	20th century
Technical specifications
Number of pipes	5889 (main organ) 1330 (tower)
Number of registers	74 (main organ) 19 (tower)
Number of manuals	4th
Tone tract	mechanical (HO) electrical (TW)
Register action	electric
Number of 32 'registers	2

The St. Paulus Cathedral in Münster in Westphalia has three organs : The main organ is in the Johanneschor. It is connected to a tower (auxiliary work), which is housed in a chapel chamber in the north tower and is used in particular to provide sound to the rear of the church (west work). In the west choir there is a mobile organ positive from the 17th century, which is used to accompany the sung Vespers .

History of the organs

The history of the organs goes back to the 12th century. Initially there were smaller, portable instruments in the cathedral. At the beginning of the 16th century there were probably two organs - one was in the Stephan choir, the other in the Johanneschor.

In 1588 the Lampeler brothers built an organ with 28 registers and hung it as a swallow's nest opposite the pulpit (the so-called Catherine organ , as it was hung above the statue of St. Catherine). This instrument was later moved to the newly built organ gallery in the old choir .

In addition, there was a small positive organ on the former rood screen, which served as a figured bass instrument for the accompaniment of the choirs or cathedral orchestra, which made music from the rood screen. This instrument is in the west choir today.

In the years 1752–1755, the Katharinen organ was replaced by a new, larger organ, which was built by Johann Patroclus Möller . In the middle of the 19th century this instrument was placed in an organ chamber above the chapter house, i. H. offset above the Stephanschore (north transept). The Möller organ had 53 registers on three manuals and a pedal. The instrument was destroyed in the Second World War.

Main organ

Organ prospectus

The main organ is in the south transept. It goes back to an instrument that was built in 1956 by the organ builder Hans Klais (Bonn). Until 1987 the organ was housed in the Stephanuschor; the instrument was located in an organ niche open to the choir and chancel above the chapter house.

In the course of the renovation of the cathedral in 1987, the instrument was installed by the organ construction company Klais (Bonn) in a new case in front of the south window of the east transept, in the Johanneschor, on a stone platform with steps. The housing was designed by the Cologne sculptors Elmar Hillebrand and Theo Heiermann , its shape contrasts with the pointed arch window behind it and exposes a floral motif on the veil boards. While the pipe inventory was largely taken over unchanged in the new organ (disposition: Ekkehard Stier and Hans Gerd Klais), the entire playing technique was rebuilt. The copper prospect pipes were plated with tin using a special process for the new location . The pedal whistles are housed in the outer pipe towers and on the rear wall of the instrument. In the three-tower central building is the main work above, and below the positive. The recit (right) and the swell (left) are located between the pedal towers and the central building. The play area is located in the foot of the organ case - the organist sits with his back to the chancel. Based on organs by the organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll , the stop and coupling slides of the console were arranged in a terraced semicircle. From a small, mobile gaming table with electronic tracker action , the positive (1st manual work) can be driven.

In 2002 the organ was renovated and its layout was slightly modified and supplemented. In addition, the ten bells of the astronomical clock (tone sequence of ¹ –f ² ) were made playable from the 1st manual; up to now they could be played on a makeshift electronic system on a separate small keyboard. The registers of the auxiliary work in the west work were placed on a separate register panel to the left of the gaming table. In summer 2014 the organ was thoroughly cleaned and re-intoned. On the occasion of the expansion of the auxiliary work in the north tower of the cathedral, the console of the main organ was reorganized, whereby the registers of the current tower work are included in the system on the console. The previous manubrias were replaced by rocker registers. The slider chest instrument has 74 registers (5,889 pipes) on four manuals (two swell works) and a pedal. The game actions are mechanical, the stop actions are electric.

I Positive C – a 3 01. Praestant (Pr.) 8th' (N) 02. Coupling flute 8th' 03. Lovely Gedackt 0 8th' 04th Quintadena 8th' 05. Principal 4 ′ 06th recorder 4 ′ 07th Nasard 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 08th. Principal 2 ′ 09. Reed flute 2 ′ 10. third 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ 11. Sif flute 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 12. Seventh 1 1 ⁄ 7  ′ 13. Octave 1' 14th Mixture IV-VI 15th Cromorne 8th' (E) 16. Trumpet 8th' (E) Tremulant Carillon

II main work C – a 3 17th Principal (Pr.) 16 ′ 18th Metal octave 08th' (N) 19th Wood octave 08th' 20th Coarse 08th' 21st Major fifth 0 05 1 ⁄ 3  ′ 22nd Octave 04 ′ 23. Capstan flute 04 ′ 24. Major third 03 1 ⁄ 5  ′ 25th Fifth 02 2 ⁄ 3  ′ 26th Super octave 02 ′ 27. Mixture VI – VIII (N) 28. Acuta IV 29 Cornet V (N) 30th Trumpet 16 ′ 31. Trumpet 08th' (N) 32. Trumpet 04 ′ (N)

III Récit (swellable) C – a 3 33. Principal 08th' 34. Flute 08th' 35. Pointed 08th' 36. Principal 04 ′ 37. Flute 04 ′ 38. Schwegel 02 ′ 39. Rauschpfeife II – III 40. Mixture V-VI 41. bassoon 16 ′ 42. Trompette harmonique 08th' 43. Hautbois 08th' 44. Clairon 04 ′ (E) Tremulant

IV Swell C – a 3 45. Gedacktpommer 16 ′ 46. Wooden principal 08th' 47. Reed flute 08th' 48. Gamba 08th' (E) 49. Vox coelestis 08th' (N) 50. Octave 04 ′ 51. Quintadena 04 ′ 52. Hollow flute 02 ′ 53. Sesquialter II 54. Mixture IV 55. Terzcymbel III – IV 0 56. shelf 16 ′ 57. Rohrschalmey 08th' 58. Vox humana 08th' Tremulant

Pedal C – g 1 59. Pedestal 32 ′ 60. Open flute (pr.) 16 ′ 61. Principal bass 16 ′ 62. Sub bass 16 ′ 63. Octavbass 08th' 64. Tube bare 08th' 65. Tenor octave 04 ′ 66. Pointed flute 04 ′ 67. Octave 02 ′ 68. Mixture VI 69. Back set IV 70. Contraposaune 0 32 ′ 71. trombone 16 ′ (N) 72. Bombard 16 ′ 73. Trumpet 08th' 74. Clarine 04 ′

• Coupling : I / II, III / II, IV / II, III / I, IV / I, IV / III, I / P, II / P, III / P, IV / P.
• Playing aids : electronic typesetting combinations (1987), register crescendo
• Effect register: cuckoo call
• Remarks

(N) = Change in the disposition by Klais in the course of relocating the location (1987)

(E) = Addition or change to the disposition by Klais in 2002

(Pr.) = Visible in the prospectus

Tower (auxiliary)

Prospectus of the tower

The location of the main organ in the south transept turned out to be unsatisfactory, as the rear area of ​​the cathedral hardly received any sound. This is why the organ is sometimes mockingly referred to as the largest harmonium in the world . A change in their location, i.e. H. Relocation to the westwork was probably out of the question for structural reasons. Another argument against moving there was that the bishop's tombs are in the westwork.

To improve the sound in the rear area of ​​the cathedral, an auxiliary unit with 14 registers was set up in the upper tower chapel in the north tower of the cathedral. This aid organization was also built by the organ building company Klais ; it does not have its own play system, but is controlled from the console of the cathedral organ in the Johannischor. The outside of the instrument is simple; it has a kind of free pipe prospectus, consisting of the principal 8 '(register no. 1). From a technical point of view, the auxiliary work consisted of the "actual" aid organization, which was / is planned similarly to a main work (with pedal registers), and a high-pressure work (Tuba episcopalis) in 8 'position, with extensions in 16' and 4 'positions.

In the summer of 2014, the Klais organ building company expanded or converted the auxiliary work into a tower. The instrument now has 3 manuals, each of which can be independently linked to manuals I, II and III and the pedal of the main organ. In addition to the main work and the tube work, a swellable solo work with 5 registers (three rows of pipes with extensions) was set up. The registers of the high pressure plant (Tuba episcopalis) were also housed in the swell plant, but are still independent as a tube plant. The organ system grew to a total of 93 registers. In the course of this addition, the console of the organ in the Johanneschor was rebuilt.

Tower main work C – a 3 1. Principal 8th' 2. Gamba 8th' 3. Flute 8th' 4th Octave 4 ′ 5. Reed flute 4 ′ 6th Super octave 2 ′ 7th Cornet V 8th' 8th. Mixture V 9. Trumpet 8th'

Tower swell C – a 3 10. Double flute (ext. No.11) 16 ′ 11. Double flute 08th' 12. Solo lamb (ext. No. 13) 0 16 ′ 13. Solo viol 08th' 14th clarinet 08th' Tremulant

Tube plant C – a 3 15th Tuba episcopalis (ext No. 16) 0 16 ′ 16. Tuba episcopalis 08th' 17th Tuba episcopalis (ext. No. 16) 04 ′

Tower pedals C – g 1 18th Sub bass 16 ′ 19th trombone 16 ′

• Coupling to the main organ
  • Tower main work: at I, at II, at III, at P (each as normal, sub- and super-octave coupling)
  • Tower swell: at I, at II, at III, at P
  • Tubular system: at I, at II, at III, at P

(Rood screen) positive

There is a positive organ in the west choir , which was built around 1650. The builder is unknown. The instrument stood on the rood screen of the cathedral for a long time . After its dismantling, it was given new locations. Today it is used to accompany the sung Vespers, which take place on weekdays in the west choir.

The positive is closed all around with (grid) fillings and has no pipe brochure. A case filling can be opened on the side facing away from the player in order to enable better sound radiation.

The instrument has been rebuilt several times over the years and in some cases has been changed significantly. In 2009 it was restored or renewed by the master organ builder Johannes Rohlf : The historical substance (organ case, manual keyboard) as well as the two historical wooden registers were restored, the wind supply and the action were renewed. The positive has 7 registers on one manual. The wedge bellows and the fan are integrated in the housing; they are located below the wind chest. All registers are divided between the tones h ⁰ and c ¹ (loop division). The wind pressure is 54 mm water column; According to Andreas Werckmeister (1691), the positive is in tune.

Manual CD – c 3 Dumped 8th' Salicional 8th'

(Continuation) Wooden principal 0 4 ′ Reed flute 4 ′

(Continuation) Nasard 0 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Octave 2 ′

(Continuation) Trumpet shelf 0 8th'

• Remarks

1. ↑ ^{a b} historical inventory, oak wood.
2. ↑ treble.

Other instruments

In the Marienkapelle of the cathedral there is a positive organ made by the organ builder Breil (Dorsten). It has three registers (Gedackt 8 ', Rohrflöte 4', Gemshorn 2 ') on one manual.

literature

• Bernd Haunfelder , Edda Baußmann, Axel Schollmeier: “A wonderful work”. The celebrations for the reconstruction of the cathedral in Münster in 1956 . Aschendorff, Münster 2006 ( ISBN 978-3-402-00428-9 )
• Cathedral chapter of the cathedral church in Münster: Experience the cathedral in Münster virtually , 1200 years of religious history in buildings, in art treasures, in church services - DVD with 8-page booklet, Dialogverlag Münster 2005 ( ISBN 3-937961-07-0 )
• Simone Epking, Christoph Hellbrügge, Uwe Lobbedey, Juliane Moser, Kristin Püttmann-Engel, Ulrike Rülander, Ulrich Schäfer and Peter Schmitt: Der Dom zu Münster 793-1945-1993. The equipment (monument preservation and research in Westphalia vol. 26, 2), Mainz 2004 ( ISBN 3-8053-3416-8 )
• Uwe Lobbedey: The Cathedral of Münster 793-1945-1993. The building (monument preservation and research in Westphalia vol. 26, 1), Bonn 1993 ( ISBN 3-7749-2571-2 )
• Max Geisberg : The architectural and art monuments of Westphalia , Volume 41: The city of Münster, part 5: The cathedral. Münster 1977 ( ISBN 3-402-05094-3 )

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} organs. In: paulusdom.de. Münster Cathedral Administration, accessed on August 16, 2019 . 
2. ^ Joseph Anthony: About the cathedral organ in Münster in Westphalia. In: Historical representation of the origin and improvement of the organ. February 1, 1832, p. 185 , accessed August 16, 2019 . 
3. ↑ Tobias Schrörs: The rood screen in the cathedral of Münster. (PDF; 4.5 MB) In: Forschungsungen zur Volkskunde, Jeft 50. February 9, 2005, p. 63f. , accessed on August 16, 2019 . 
4. ↑ Bernhard Dirk Meier, Hans Gerd Klais: Münster cathedral. Built in 1957. Converted and changed in 1987. Information: February 1989, o. S. (PDF; 1.1 MB) In: orgelbau-klais.com. Johannes Klais Orgelbau GmbH & Co. KG, accessed on August 16, 2019 . 
5. ↑ Ibid., O. P.
6. ↑ ^{a b} Cleaning and renovation at St. Paulus Cathedral. The cathedral organ is silent for three months ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
7. ↑ Münster / Westphalia. The rood screen positive in the west choir of St. Paulus Cathedral. Opus 176 / 2009. In: orgelbau-rohlf.de. Orgelbau Johannes Rohlf eK, accessed on August 16, 2019 . 

Web links

Commons : Organs of St. Paul's Cathedral (Münster)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Church music in St. Paulus Cathedral
• Organs in St. Paulus Cathedral

Coordinates: 51 ° 57 ′ 47 "  N , 7 ° 37 ′ 32"  E