Würzburg

The Würzburg music world will soon have a treasure richer. One of the most modern concert organs in the world is currently being built at the University of Music. The new construction of the Würzburg university organ will be completed at the beginning of the new year 2024. Then, apart from concerts, the instrument will primarily be used for studying. And organ professor Christoph Bossert’s dream is coming true that international colleagues can offer master classes in Würzburg without having to come to the city on the Main. Because you will also be able to play the Würzburg organ from Tokyo, Paris or New York. Provided that your instrument is just as digitally networked as the new Klais organ at the local University of Music.

Harmonious interplay of music and craftsmanship

In the interview, Bossert raves about the technical possibilities that the new instrument opens up for students. The organ can be controlled via several keyboards at the same time. Six-handed or even eight-handed organ music would theoretically be possible, something that has so far seemed unthinkable simply for reasons of space on the organ bench. But also the game alternates without changing places. And of course the fusion of mechanical and digital music worlds.

The organ builders are also enthusiastic. Their craft, which has its roots in pre-Christian times, has continued to develop ever since. Five employees of the Bonn organ building company are currently busy putting the finishing touches on the new organ. Literally. Because here and there the metal plates of the reed pipes are worked on or the air openings of the lip pipes are bent with sensitivity. The stage in the university’s concert hall serves as a workshop.

High-tech organ with a baroque core

Andreas Saage’s most important tool is his ear. Because he is the chief intonator of the Klais company. He determines how each individual pipe should sound so that it fits into its group of voices as well as the overall acoustics of the room.

The ambitious project began six years ago. In the first construction phase, the music college in Würzburg got a kind of sounding single-family house placed on the stage of the large concert hall. The organ tradition of Johann Sebastian Bach lives there with almost all the registers that also sound in Arnstadt. Bach himself played on the organ there and created some of his organ works. To this day, anyone who learns to play the organ cannot ignore Bach. That’s why it makes sense to get as close as possible to the master’s sound ideal, explains Andreas Saage.

Fine-tuning through intonation

The second construction phase is now nearing completion. The sounds of 19th and 20th century music have moved into the organ house extension. Every single one of the 5,049 pipes went first across Andreas Saage’s desk and then through his ear. The final phase of intonation lasts until January. It’s not just about the correct pitch, the individual pipes are also coordinated in terms of sound and optimized for the room acoustics.

To do this, the expert sits at the console in the gallery of the concert hall, hits individual notes and calls out something to his colleague in the organ. Some pipes respond too late, sound too breathy, others are too loud. All of this can be fixed by hand by the organ builder widening or narrowing the relevant components. A musical game of patience that pays off in the end.

High-tech should enliven scientific discourse

From a purely external point of view, the Würzburg instrument does not differ from other high-quality new organs. Its electronic and digital inner workings are revolutionary. For the first time in the history of organ building, each individual pipe can be continuously supplied with air via two electromagnets. This creates completely new sounds, explains Andreas Saage, which are used in contemporary music. The system was developed specifically for Würzburg and has since been installed in only a handful of organs worldwide.

The Würzburg organ professor describes it as an absolute unique selling point. Christoph Bossert but the digital networking of the concert organ. This secures Würzburg a good place in the international discourse of the entire organ world.

2023-12-29 11:35:59
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