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Füssen, ehem. Benediktinerabtei St. Magnus, Choir organ

Füssen, ehem. Benediktinerabtei St. Magnus, Chororgel
Füssen, ehem. Benediktinerabtei St. Magnus, Chororgel

Andreas Jäger c.1750

State of preservation: case, wind chest and partly pipes original; reconstructed by Josef Maier in 1996


The choir organ of Füssen St. Mang is a masterwork of space economy. The original wind chest is designed to allow the manual stops standing while the pedal Subbaß is horizontal within the rear part of the case, and cranked to bend upwards at the back wall leaving a passage for the leather straps used to pull the bellows stored beneath the organ.

The organ's use as accompaniment to chorale singing but also for polyphonic church music with orchestra is visible in details of the case design. The case lids can be opened to form long music stands, supplemented by small stands to the right and left of the organist. Foldable hooks and a small water basin at the left side wall probably were intended for keeping instrument parts like crooks for brass instruments or oboe and bassoon reeds. These details even reveal the positioning of the St. Mang church orchestra in about 1750: right and left of the organist the basso continuo players (like violoncello, double bass, bassoon), on the left oboes and brass (horns or trumpets) and maybe one or two violas, on the right close to the higher pipes the violins with the calcant at the end, allowing enough space for about 10 to 12 musicians.

 

Music sample:
Gottlieb Muffat: Toccata secunda in g
(from 72 Versetl sammt 12 Toccaten)
played by Wolfgang Baumgratz

Specification:

I+P
Prinzipal     8’ (wood)
Copl             8’
Gamba        8’
Flaut            4’
Superoctav  2’
Quint            1 1/3
Mixtur
P:
Subbaß      16’

Coupler M/P

 
 
 
 

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