Deliberations

After enduring an excruciatingly long and troublesome process of getting the contractual details in place we are finally ready to go on the actual construction of the organ. Although we have spent much time making the business deal, there has also been time for investigation, reflection and deliberation.

We decided early on that an excursion to southern Germany had to be made, and headed by Tomaz Mocnik our little group undertook such a trip in August.

After making a rendez-vous in Munich our trans european team set out for fabled Silbermannland.

For me this was the first time to actually see, hear and play these legendary instruments, and I must admit that I was slightly overwhelmed. The sheer majesty of the 300 year old instruments does not land lightly on the shoulders of an ordinary organist in residence in a minor Swedish parish.

The instruments are of course not untouched by time. They have been used, repaired, remodeled and sometimes restored over the years. This in itself inspires awe but also caution and apprehension. What is the true goal of our project? The instruments restored to original state were not automatically the ones most appealing to us. And is there even such a thing as an original state?

Our first stop was the charming village of Ponitz, where lodging was provided by Frau Eva in her Landpension. The small church holds a Gottfried Silbermann organ which, of the organs we encountered, in our assessment was the one closest to its original state.

Next on our list was of course the village of Rötha, which has not one but two Silbermannorgans. The organ of the S:t Georgskirche is especially interesting to us since it's prospekt is to be the model of our own new organ. This organ has been modified in voicing and tuning but was nonetheless the most charming of the instruments in my opinion. It is not difficult to imagine Felix Mendelssohn playing and enjoying the instrument.

The city of Freiberg of course holds the queen of instruments in it's cathedral. Frighteningly beautiful in tone it is of course the ultimate organ of the era.

The S:t Petri organ has undergone a major, very skilled restoration which is interesting in itself, but it is hard to assess since the room has been cut in half by a hideous wall. Incomprehensible.

The second half of the trip took us to Ottobeuren, Neresheim and of course Weingarten. These legendary instruments represent the generation succeeding Silbermann and give a slightly new direction when it comes to voicing. The scale of these organs is of course that of the cathedral, they are huge, but even so they demonstrate a subtle and almost discreet voicing well suited for a smaller room.

So what is the conclusion?

The overall aim of our project is to provide Höör parish with a new organ. It is not intended to be a replica, but an organ built with a technique for maximum endurance and the possibility of a meaningful approach to historically informed playing and interpretation. The organs of Southern Germany preserved in the works of Gottfried Silbermann and his successors provide us with the ideal point of origin for such a task. Having experienced the original organs has made us even more convinced of this.