Kuhn Organ Builders Ltd, 2011
New organ
www.orgelbau.ch/ope=114430
III/P/30
Switzerland, Fribourg
Abbaye d'Hauterive
The new organ of Hauterive Abbey
Hauterive Abbey lies in picturesque surroundings south-west of Fribourg and is the oldest monastery still inhabited by monks in western Switzerland. Founded in 1131 the abbey has remained even today a place of peace and has a very special atmosphere.
Organ music has belonged to the traditions of the Cistercian monks since the 14th century. During the 17th century Hauterive Abbey was even in possession of two organs.
In 1954 the Mooser organ, built in 1826, was removed for reasons of historical preservation and re-erected in the Collegiate Church of St-Michael in Fribourg. As a replacement for this instrument a small organ was built in Hauterive in 1956 and was intended primarily for accompaniment purposes.
Due to the pronounced musical development of the monastery community this small organ proved insufficient in meeting the demands of the abbey and its numerous visitors.
A committee was established with the aim of acquiring the necessary finances for a new organ which would be more suited to the room in which it stands and the needs of the monastery community. The new organ, a modern instrument carefully designed to suit the room, stands in the left transept of the church. It has 30 sounding stops which are distributed between two manuals and pedal.
The new instrument is not visible from the main nave. However, its versatile sound fills the whole church and thus begins a new chapter in the tradition of organ music at Hauterive Abbey.
Translation: SJR 2011
