Krzysztof Urbaniak

Another interesting organ - Olkusz, Poland. The instrument was built by Hans Hummel and Georg Nitrowski between 1611 and 1634. Rückpositiv C,D,E,F,G,A,B-g'',a'' Quintadena 8' [1611/1634] Principal 4' [1611/1634] Rohrflöite 4' [1611/1634] Octava 2' [1611/1634] Rohrflöite 2' [1611/1634, soldered caps] Quinta 1 1/2' [1992] Scharp 3fach [1992] Cimbel ("Polish") 3fach [partly 1611/1634] Krummhorn 8' [1992] Zincken Discant 8' [1992] Manual C,D,E,F,G,A,B-g'',a'' Principal 8' [1611/1634] Rohrflöite 8' [1611/1634, soldered caps] Salicinal 8' [1611/1634, inverted conical pipes (!)] Octava 4' [1611/1634] Rohrflöite 4' [1611/1634, soldered caps] Spitzflöite 4' [1611/1634] Quinta 3' [1611/1634] Super Octava 2' [1611/1634] Spitzflöite 2' [1611/1634] Mixtur 6fach [most pipes from 1611/1634] Cimbel („Polish“) 5fach [most pipes from 1611/1634] Trompeten 8' [1992, "Zungenblock" from 1611/1634] Cymbelstern [1611/1634] Pedal C,D,E,F,G,A,B-d',e' (!) Principal Bass 16' [1611/1634] Octava 8' [1611/1634] Rohrflöite 8' [1611/1634, soldered caps] Quinta 6' [most pipes from 1611/1634] Rohrflöite 4' [1611/1634, soldered caps] Super Octava 2' [partly from 1611/1634] Mixtur 6fach [1992] Pomortt 16' [1992, "Zungenblock" from 1611/1634] Cornet 2' [1992, en façade (!), "Zungenblock" from 1611/1634] Tympan 16' [1611/1634, two open 16' pipes tuned to C and D] ------------------------------------------------------- Some sound samples from the Lublin Tablature: Preambulum: http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/music/preambulum.mp3 Carmen Magistri Pauli (RP Quintadena 8' + Rohrflöte 2'): http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/mu...istri.pauli.mp3 Con lacrime e sospir (HW Rohrflöte 8'): http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/mu...me.e.sospir.mp3 Sincerely, Krzysztof Urbaniak.

There was surely an organ in Torun/Thorn - then in Prussia, now in Poland - built in 1343 by Magister Paulus Wenchen, who was later active in Italy. The organ is known to have had 22 pipes (=22 claves/palmulas). Another object from 1395 was preserved in parts till 1944/45 in Bartoszyce/Bartenstein. The organ was built by Magister Paul, whose wife - "die Orgelmecheryne" - was already noted as a widow in 1400. The instrument had a manual of 27 keys (F-G-A-a' ?), pedals of unknown compass and the following stops: 1. Principal 12' (facade) 2. Oktave 6' + 3' 3. Hintersatz VI-XVIII There were 12 bellows. Pedal had no own pipes, it was coupled to the manual and played probably the tonic + upper quint or lower fourth. There were 4 possibilities of registration: 2. alone 2.+1. 2.+3. 2.+1.+3. No. 2. was always on. 1. and 3. had sliders ("Muschelschleifen"). The organ was discovered and described by Werner Renkewitz, son of the former pastor of the church. 1944/45 the Gothic organ and another one from 1649/53 were both destroyed. For details see: Karl Bormann, "Die gotische Orgel von bartenstein vom Jahr 1395", Ars Organi 1966/29 Krzysztof.

For details about Jan of Lublin visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jan_of_Lublin The tablature from Lublin (the largest European tablature) was published in six volumes in Corpus of Early Keyboard Music 6-1 to 6-6 http://www.corpusmusicae.com/cekm.htm At the end of his tablature Jan of Lublin placed a small treatise "Ad faciendam corecturam" in which he describes how to tune a clavichord in a way "that all modi sound well". For more information see: Adamczyk, Sebastian: Das Stimmungssystem des Johannes von Lublin (1540). Ars Organi 51, 2003, 224-227. and Grönewald, Jürgen: Eine Stimmanweisung - zwei Meinungen, oder: Was bedeutet "tertia perfecta acuta"? Ars Organi 52, 2004, 104 f. Krzysztof

It would not be fair for the topic, not to mention some of the German companies active in Silesia till 1945. Several hundreds of large romantic instruments (some with influences of the Alsatian reform) survive intact in Silesia, as funds for the eventual modernization have never been there. Since ca. 1990 they are being restored. The most important builders would be: 1. Gebr. Rieger - Jägerndorf, the largest surviving instruments of the company are preserved in the evangelical cathedral in Lodz ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=157 ) built in 1928, 60/III+P, and Katowice ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=568 ) built 1927, 75/III+P. Rieger built a number of smaller tracker organs with the Multiplex system - Octaves are transmitted from the Principal 8', Dolce 4' from Salicional 8', Flöte 4' from Liebl. Gedeckt 8'. ( http://www.organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=857 ) ---------------- 2. Emil Sauer - Franfurt/Oder the largest organs survive in Wroclaw ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=21 )built 1925-1926, 46/III+P, Katowice ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=9 ) built 1922, 52/III+Principal and Strzegom ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=347 ) built 1927, 52/III+P - the stoplist was designed by dr. Oscar Walcker. Bytom ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=510 ) 1897 Schlag & Söhne / 1928 Sauer, 44/III+P the console used by Sauer was second-hand and came from the Leipzig conservatory, where it was played by no other than Max Reger. NB. Walcker built a number of organs for Warsaw and a very interesting one for the Kozlowka palace chapel ( http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=830 ) ---------------- 3. Schlag & Söhne - Schweidnitz probably the most interesting of all, having built ca. 1200 instruments in Germany, Poland, Norway, Mexico... For a brief history of the company visit http://www.orgellandschaftbrandenburg.de/Orgelbauer.htm Schlag was known for his sympathy for old pipework, that he often reused on a large scale. E.F. Richter ("Katechismus der Orgel.", ?Verlagsbuchhandlung von J.J. Weber, Leipzig 1896) wrote: "Aus der 1831 eröffneten Orgelbauanstalt Schlag & Söhne (Schlesien) gingen bis jetzt ungefähr 400 neue Werke hervor, unter denen die gleichgroßen Orgelum- bz. Neubauten zu St. Marien in Berlin und zu St. Peter und Paul in Liegnitz um so rühmender genannt werden müssen, als leider nicht alle großen Orgelbauer altes Material mit gleicher Pietät zu behandeln wissen." In St. Marien, Berlin, it was of course the former Wagner organ rebuilt by Schlag. For stoplist as it was after work carried out by Schlag visit my website http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/be....st.marien.html - of Wagner 2231 pipes only 241 were not reused (some six stops), which is an unusually high number for standards odf the time. The organ, as you probably know, was later modified by Sauer and recently restored to its form from the time of Wagner. A similar case was the large organ of St. Peter und Paul in Legnica/Liegnitz. Of 34 baroque stops about 20 were reused. For stoplist of the Schlag organ visit http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/li...r.und.paul.html The organ was slightly rebuilt in style of Orgelbewegung by Gustav Heinze in 1928, and it is preserved in this state. For details visit http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=387 (on some photographs whole ranks of wooden 1734 pipes by Ignatius Mentzel are visible). A very beautiful instrument - similar to Bergen ( http://johanneskirken.worldofchurches.com/...b5f251732ca9e03 ) is preserved in catholic church in Walbrzych (46/III+P) - for details visit http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/wa...ch.aniolow.html The evangelical church in Walbrzych houses another large Schlag; the stoplist was consulted with Albert Schweitzer http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/wa...wangelicki.html Of larger organs are preserved - Swidnica, evangelical church (which has a second, smaller, altar organ from the edn of 17th c.) - http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=104 60/III+P And probably the most spectacular Schlag in Jelenia Gora. http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=59 (70/III+P) Stops Schlag reused from the former Michael Röver organ (1729) are marked with an asterix. Krzysztof.

And, of course, Engler did build a number of smaller organs. There are some nice photographs of the Engler organ in Leczyca (central Poland) here: http://www.leczyca.pl/php/?modules=galery&..._pages_4613.jpg (for a larger version of the photo, clikc on the image) and here http://shw.fotopages.com/15441439/czyca-ko...-Ewy-Urygi.html The organ was replaced around 1960 by a modern instrument - the case with facade principals (and maybe some other ranks inside?) is preserved though. Krzysztof.

The story of the restored small organ by Adam Horatio Casparini - you refer to - starts in 1976 with the great fire of St. Elisabeth in Wroclaw when the large Engler organ (at the time already having been heavily altered by Schlag & Söhne and by Sauer) burnt out. The small organ of the church, that did not attract any attention till then, survived. After investigation of the organ it turned out to be an original instrument by Adam Horatio Casparini. The small organ was restored and moved to Oratorium Marianum of the Wroclaw University (for details visit: http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=491 ) unfortunately with little chance for going back to St. Elisabeth in the future. After restoration of the church itself a new initiative - "Opus Organi" -, to reconstruct the large Engler organ in its 18th century form, appeared. Some founds have already been raised. The project itself seems to be very similar to Stiftung-Johann-Sebastian-Bach at St. Katharinen in Hamburg. The reconstruction shall be based on Olomouc and Krzeszow, with some documents with detailed description of the organ dating from the time of its completion as a basis. For interesting photographs of all three Englers in Wroclaw, Krzeszow and Olomouc visit the foundation's page: http://www.opusorgani.wroclaw.pl/album/ipage00001.htm Here you can see the large Engler at St. Elisabeth as it was after modifications by Schlag & Söhne - when the double Rückpositiv was removed ( http://www.opusorgani.wroclaw.pl/album/ipage00001.htm ), after restoration in style of Orgelbewegung by Wilhelm Sauer in 1941 - when Rückpositiv was recreated in a modified form ( http://www.opusorgani.wroclaw.pl/album/ipage00003.htm ), and as it probably was at the time of Engler ( http://www.opusorgani.wroclaw.pl/album/ipage00029.htm ). Photos no. 24. - 27. and and 21. are from Krzeszow. Photos no. 10. - 20. are from Olomouc - the keyboards are of later date and were built by Rieger-Kloss. -------------------- In some 5-10 years we will probably have 3 large organ by Michael Engler. -------------------- In Krzeszow there are actually two churches belonging to the same monastery. The convent was so rich that when the smaller church became to little for the needs, a second one was built in a distance of ca. 50 m. This small St. Joseph church houses a very beautiful organ from the 17th century recently restored by Wieland Rühle. Some photos of this small organ are on my website (I made them some two years ago, when I played a recital there) are here: http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/krzeszow.html I also found a sound sample of this organ somewhere on my computer: - Preambulum in F by Jan of Lublin (ca. 1540) - http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/music/Preambulum.mp3 (note the stunning effect of the mixture at ca. 0:47) -------------------- Krzysztof.

As for the Casparinis, I believe that ideas of Adam Gottlob Casparini (builder of the Vilnius organ) were actually a mixture of a small dose of Italian, and a large dose of Central-German and North-German style. After his Gesellenzeit by Trost, Adam Gottlob came to Königsberg and mixed his ideas with the Prussian style of Mosengel. Mosengel - a pupil of Martin Vater, father of the more famous Christian Vater from Hannover - on the other hand mixed some newer North-German ideas with style of the Zickermann family from Cammin/Kamien Pomorski that emmigrated to Königsberg in late 16th century ( http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/zickermann.html for more details see Jan Jancas book). In his stoplists Mosengel incorporated older registers (Spielflöte, Zincke) with relatively new sounds of the time (Viola da Gamba, Violone). Some time ago I made a compilation of all stoplists and organ photographs of instruments by Johann Josua Mosengel known to me - http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/jo...hotographs.html Those have not been widely known so far. Of Mosengel's organs two survive in more or less altered state, as do other three organ cases with later instruments inside. A trace of Georg Sigismund Caspari's influence could be the "Jula 8'" already present in the large organ of the Königsberg cathedral built by Mosengel, his son and Caspari in 1721. Mosengel reused most pipes from the fromer Zickermann organ. After deaths of Mosengel and later Caspari we reach the point when Adam Gottlob Casparini arrived in Königsberg. The line would be then Zickermann - Mosengel - Georg Sigismund Caspari - Adam Gottlob Casparini. -------------- Actually with the restoration of Vilnius organ there have been some problems. The Holy Spirit church in Vilnius (where the Casparini stays) is still used by a Polish parish that did not leave Vilnius when the city became Lithuanian after IIWW - the first problem was of political matter, as there came to the cooperation of Lithuanian authorities and the Polish parish. The second problem - much more serious - was, and is, so that while money for the Rochester copy of the Casparini was being collected (the copy is actually ready), the original Casparini was still in parts and there was in fact NO real progress in its restoration. Those organ parts were stored in a way, I would describe as "ein wirres Durcheinander". Furthermore, the documentation of the organ is in Swedish only and not especially useful for the restoration of this really complete organ. There are also some not very clear statements by the Lithuanian side and, unfortunately, these are repeated by GOArt. For instance here http://www.esm.rochester.edu/organ/PDF/Resonance4.pdf you can read about the "Lithuanian queen Bona Sforza", and "Lithuanian" musicians "Marco Scacchi" and "Diomedes Cato". The story with Polish-Lithuanian political union is not cited in this scientific text. In fact when queen Bona Sforza was informed that her son was not going to stay in Krakow but planned to move to Vilnius, she went back to Bari in Italy leaving both Poland and Lithuania. Marco Scacchi was the Warsaw Kapellmeister - really nothing to do with Lithuania. (very interesting is the musical "fight" between Scacchi and the Paul Siefert - a pupil of Sweelinck active in Königsberg, Danzig/Gdansk and in Warsaw - that resulted in several volumes of vocal publications by both composers). Finally, Diomedes Cato was a lutenist whose pieces are preserved in one of the Olive Tablatures from Danzig/Gdansk. -------------- There are two smaller organs by Adam Gottlob Casparini in Poland - one in Barciany (with later facade pipes and without Trompet 8) and one in Mlynary (windchests and action original - most pipes new). Both towns were Prussian before IIWW. Kind regards, Krzysztof.

Which Casparini do you mean: Eugenio Casparini Adam Horatio Casparini Adam Gottlob Casparini or maybe Georg Sigismund Caspari? Krzysztof

This is the only large and rather complete Engler (the other Engler in Olomouc is altered). There are however at least three smaller, two-manual, instruments by M. Engler the Younger in central Poland. All in a more or less rebuilt state. Krzysztof.

Dear List, I believe I can provide some interesting information, as I am currently writing a larger dissertation about preserved Polish organs with Rückpositiv from the 1st. half of the 17th century. The Le?ajsk organ - although not being the subject of my work - might be regarded as the a continuation of that early tradition. The organ in Lezajsk, built originally between ca. 1680 and 1693 by Stanislaw Studzinski from Przeworsk and jan Glowinski from Krakow, was drastically rebuilt in 1903-05 by Aleksander Zebrowski. Windchest and pipes of Rückpositiv were removed and a new three manual console was placed on their place. Of the former Rückpositiv only the case with - now silent - facade pipes was reused (to see those richly ornamented pipes one has to visit and fast-forward the film to ca. 7:16) Of the old pipes only about 50% were reused - including the Cymbal VII-X, prospect principals. New cone windchests and action (with Barker lever for HW)were built. In 1963 the organ was restored by Robert Polcyn from Poznan. The romantic stoplist of Zebrowski was then modified to something what we would call "Neobaroque" today. Rückpositiv was not restored, Zebrowski's windchests were reused. --------------------- In Krakow, in the Holy Cross church, there is a small and newly reconstructed organ (with Cymbal XI) built probably by Glowinski that might give some idea of the tonal revelations of the original Lezajsk organ. For photographs visit: http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=343 --------------------- The earliest example of the Polish Cymbal is known to be in the oldest larger Polish organ preserved in original state - Olkusz (built by Hans Hummel and Georgius Nitrowski between 1611 and 1633), for details visit my website: http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/olkusz.html Here the Cymbal has a more intimate tone. The Cymbal pipes are located behind the facade Principal and are not tuned. Normally the Polish Cymbal is a multi-rank mixture with extremely small pipes placed on a common toe and playing a cluster of 3-11 notes up from about 1/10'. Each key of the manual- vs. pedalboard has a separate Cymbal pipe (of multiple small pipes). --------------------- The Polish Cymbal was probably intended to be used in Plenum - there are several contracts from early 17th c. that mention "Mixtura z Cymbalem" ("a mixture with cymbel") that are to be operated with one stop. Such Cymbel-Mixtur is preserved in Wachock (ca. 1650) - here the HW mixture has six normal quint-octave ranks and a seventh rank being a Polish Cymbal III-V (summa summarum: a HW mixture IX-XI). --------------------- The tradition of the Polish Cymbal seems to have been a long lasting one - one of the later examples is preserved in the 1745-54 organ in Jedrzejow (the organ waiting for its restoration). Here the pipes of the 6-rank Polish Cymbal stand between large pipes of HW Quintadena 16'. For a photograph visit my website: http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/jedrzejow.html and http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/Je...ges/Image8.html Kind regards, Krzysztof Urbaniak www.organist-harpsichordist.com PS. There are some good news - the large organ in Krzeszow built 1732-1736 (50, III/P) by Michael Engler is currently being restored by Jehmlich: http://www.jehmlich-orgelbau.de/deutsch/re...el_gruessau.htm

There are several facts that need some explanation in this topic: 1. J.S. Bach indeed applied for a post at St. Marien, Gdansk, he did not succeed though. As far as I know, he was given his Kappelmeister title there posthumously in late 1980' or 1990'. 2. 1727-30 there were still four organs at St. Marien. (for details see: http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/ma...he.danzig.html) Main organ with nearly 60 stops (built 1585 by Julio Anthoni Friese) was redesigned by Jerzy Nitrowski 1672/73. Nitrowski's pupil Johann Balthasar Held was later to become "ein Geselle" of Arp Schntiger. Schnitger was probably made accustomed with Salicional by Held (the stop occurs quite often in Schntiger's stoplist up from ca. 1690). Schnitger wrote of Held: "Herr Held kann es ebenso guht thun, als wenn ich selber da were, denn wir stehen beyde vor einen und einer vor beyde." The organ at St. Marien in Gdansk remodeled later several times existed till the end of IIWW and was believed to have burnt 1944. However some 80% of the organ case (with elements going back to 1585) were discovered in 2005. The reconstruction howewer seems hardly possible as St. Marien houses today another organ (Merten Friese 1629 and Gebr. Hillbrand 1985) rescued from the 1944 ruined neighbourhood St. Johann. 3. The Michael Engler organ mentioned by MusingMuso was indeed destroyed by fire in 1976 but stayed in Wroclaw - some 600 km South from Gdansk and belonged to a totally different tradition. (nearer to Silbermann and Zacharias Hildebrandt than to Nitrowski NB. There was another member of the Hildebrandt family, Andreas, active in Gdansk. He is known to use Pedalrückpositiven and create the Gdansk prospect type (different from the Hamburg prospect or the Prussian prospect) for the first time. His best preserved organ stays in Pruszcz Gdanski - for photographs and stoplist visit http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=113 Currently there are plans to reconstruct the organ with the equally large and excellently preserved Engler organs in Krzeszow and Olmouc serving as models. Fro photographs and stoplist of the organ in Krzeszow visit: http://organy.art.pl/instrumenty.php?instr_id=274 NB. There is a second church in Krzeszow with a wonderful organ by Jacob Ulisch (17th c.), for details visit: http://paxel1677.republika.pl/forqueray/krzeszow.html For details visit: http://www.opusorgani.wroclaw.pl/polski/glowna2.html (in Polish only...) Kind regards, Krzysztof Urbaniak www.organist-harpsichordist.com