Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG, 1994

Restoration

Organ built by
Max Klingler, 1887
Gebr. Späth, 1921
Windchests
membrane chests
Key action
mechanical-pneumatic
Stop action
pneumatic
Inauguration
20.11.1994
Expert
Rudolf Brulin
Voicing
H.-J. Schacht

Stop list


www.orgelbau.ch/ope=800990

Eggenwil

II/P/12

Switzerland, Argovia
Kath. Kirche St. Laurentius

© pictures Orgelbau Kuhn AG, Männedorf

Orgelbau Th. Kuhn AG, 1994

Restoration

Organ built by
Max Klingler, 1887
Gebr. Späth, 1921
Windchests
membrane chests
Key action
mechanical-pneumatic
Stop action
pneumatic
Inauguration
20.11.1994
Expert
Rudolf Brulin
Voicing
H.-J. Schacht

The mechanisation of the pneumatic action

The original organ in the Catholic Church of St. Laurentius was built as opus 33 by the brothers Maximilian and Titus Klingler of Rorschach in 1887 (II/P/8). This instrument was modified and enlarged (II/P/12) in 1921 by Späth brothers from Rapperswil, Canton St. Gallen. The old mechanical cone-chests for the Hauptwerk were altered to work pneumatically and new membrane chests with horizontal membranes were built for the Echowerk and the Pedal organ. Because the complete instrument was limited to the breadth of the façade, access proved problematic.

On redesigning the organ during a full restoration of the church itself in 1992/94 a number of problems concerning the organ became apparent. The case, finished in blue, which dated from 1887 was required, by the authority for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments, to be preserved. The seven-part façade with two outer sections of dummy pipes and an empty middle section containing a statue of the Blessed Virgin were not to be altered. Furthermore, the romantic tone colour of the organ was also determined as being worth preserving. However, it was necessary to improve the access for servicing if the instrument were to be saved.

According to the usual methods, in such a case new slider windchests would normally be built and upon these would be placed the existing pipework, voiced accordingly. However, we were of the opinion that to really preserve the instrument's original sound it was not only necessary to use stop channel chests, but also to retain the pneumatic tone production. Here we were conscious of the fact that pneumatic windchests themselves work very precisely and that much of the justifiably criticised imprecision of the pneumatic system was not due to the windchest itself but stemmed from the pneumatic action. Therefore we decided, in agreement with the authority for the Preservation of Ancient Monuments and the committee which had commissioned the work on the instrument, to build new stop channel chests (puffer chests) but in conjunction with a new mechanical action reaching from the free-standing console to directly beneath the windchests (with normal squares, backfalls, trackers and rollerboards). Small windchests with mechanical hinged pallets take over the role of the pneumatic reduction gear at this point. From here to the main windchest is a short stretch of pneumatic tubing using traditional lead tubing. It is possible for this system to function with both influx or outflow of air pressure in the pneumatic tubing.

This «mechanisation» of a pneumatic organ was developed and applied for the first time here in Eggenwil. The results have proved so convincing that this technique has since been applied in other places too (e.g. Ulm, Catholic Church of St. George, 2004). Admittedly it is not always possible and requires the fulfilment of certain conditions.

Friedrich Jakob, 2006

Translation: SJR

Further Literature:

Friedrich Jakob: Mechanische Trakturen für pneumatische Orgeln? («Mechanical actions for pneumatic organs?»), in: Acta organologica, Bd. 25, Kassel 1997, S. 249-254


Stop list


www.orgelbau.ch/ope=800990