Organ landscapes

The Choice of instruments

This presentation encompasses short descriptions of about 160 organs of the 17th and 18th centuries. It is determined not by any desire of any  completeness but by the aim to offer some insights in the multitude of varied instruments and the history of ideas forming the principles of these complex technical and poetic masterworks. Structural analysis, technology and the circuit of wind direction are transformed into a pure sound symbolising celestial glory and evoking the gospels.

Organ landscapes

Introduction

In the15th and 16th centuries in certain regions differing organ styles originated  in a variety of technical details, the preferences for certain organ stops, organ case designs, placement within the church room asf. and developped notable differences. These organ landscapes were more often determined by topography or church history rather than by political borders. The reformation caused liturgical reforms specifying the participation of the organ. In consequence the participation of the organ was regulated differently in the reformed Netherlands, anglican England, lutheran northern or central Germany or catholic southern Europe and involved different liturgical functions and specific requiremanents. And also within the different denominations there were variations. So in the northern alpine and pre-alpine regions the old dioceses Constance, Chur, Brixen and Augsburg constituted a fairly consistent organ landscape within the territories of modern Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Italy (surrounding the Lake of Constance and the Old Tyrol, with notable differences to the eastern neighbouring dioceses Freising, Passau, Salzburg or within old Austria.

A strong forming element could be a territorial privilegue for a single organ maker granted by a monarch, like the saxon privilegues for Gottfried Silbermann in Saxony or for Heinrich Gottlieb Trost in the duchy of Sachsen-Gotha-Altenburg; since these enjoyed the exclusive right to build any new organ in „their“ territory their personal styles soon became widespread. Such tendencies encouraged the establishments of organ makers' dynasties like the  families Egedacher in Passau and Salzburg, Silbermann in Saxony and the Alsace or Schnitger along the northern sea coast. Some prominent very creative organ maker personalities like Joseph Gabler became famous all over Europe in the 18th century.

Some specific organs, in some examples amalgamating diverse organ traditions attracted public attention. So Eugen Casparini (1623-1706) from Sorau in Silesia who usually worked until his sixtieth year in northern Italy (arias of Venice and Padua), built after 1697 an organ in Görlitz (called „Sun-Organ“ because of its designs), an extraordinary  synthesis of  italian and southern Germanic organ traditions and influencing organ building in all old Austria (Silesia was Austrian then). Karl Joseph Riepp created a comparable synthesis of French and south German Organ designs in his choir organ in Ottobeuren. Even during the18th century certain organs acquired a reputation as  „touristic“ points of interest for a cultivated public as well as professional musicians! Such famous organs like in Augsburg Barfüßerkirche by Johann Andreas Stein, visited by Mozart and maybe Beethoven were subsequently copied as a whole or in parts to establish similar attractions – another shaping element for a region, but also in further distance.