OSTRIHOM, BASILICA

  

The construction of the present-day Basilica according to the Pál Kűhnel´s plans began in 1822. János Packh took over the construction works after his death. Finally in 1838 Józef Hild was authorised to alter the plans and to conduct building works. On the 31st of August 1856 the consecration of the Basilica - a sumptuous ceremony - took place at the presence of the emperor Franz Joseph I. Then it was the first time when the Ostrihom Mass (composed for this occasion) sounded and it was conducted by Franz Liszt. The construction of the narthes and the tower was finished in 1869.The Basilica is a historical monument.

 

The history of the organ

 

To the occasion of the consecration of the Basilica also a three-manual, 49-register organ (with 3530 pipes) was created by the Salzbur organ builder Ludwig Mooser. Its price was 20 000 Ft. The unique about the organ was that the 3rd manual of the organ was constructed by a cone-shaped wind chest and he placed it in the jalousie console. According to the existing data, it was probably the first cone-shaped chest wind and jalousie console in Hungary.

 

1918: 76 prospect pipes, the total weight of which was 700 kilograms, were requisited for military purposes

 

1924: Józef Angster and son (Pécs) replaced the prospect pipes by tin pipes

 

1945: As a consequence of the war rampage, the organ console, mechanical tracture and one part of the pipes were damaged.

 

1947: The Budapest organ factory Rieger installed (instead of reparation of the organ for a transitional usage) one 2-manual, pneumatic instrument with a cone-shaped chest wind into the organ. Then the original playing table, wind chests and one part of the tracture were lifted away and destroyed.

 

Since 1975, based on the István Bróti´s suggestion (the organ player and choirmaster of Ostrihom Basilica, concert artist), under the active cooperation and support of the highest competent church dignitaries (Dr. Lászlo Lékai a Dr. Lörinc Bartl), the reconstruction of the organ has been taking place. The reconstruction of the instrument began by the searching and reconstructing of old pipes. Gyula Vági , János Farkas a Lajos Perlaky, later János Szucsák carried on the works. The works on the reconstruction of the organ began in 1978. The works were not continual; they slowed down very often and also stopped. A new playing table is the work of Ostrihom Organ Factory from 1980. According to the Istvan Bároti´s planned 147 registers on 5 manuals is currently 75 registers in operation.

Ludwig Mooser was the most important organ builder in the central Europe in the 19th century. He was born in Vienna in 1807. His father taught him how to build organs. But only until he was 16 when his father died. Shortly after that he went wandering, at that time he obtained a lot of experience with building and repairing of organs, pianos and clavichords. He married after the 10-year military service which finished in 1840.

 

Out of his three children, Karl and Joseph continued in the father’s profession. Around the year 1853 he received several orders from Hungary. The first organ on the territory of Hungary he handed in the town of Fót in 1854, after that a monumental, classicistic instrument in the Ostrihom Basilica followed. In the same year he received an invitation from the Eger Basilica to build an organ. During the local works he decided to open the branch in Hungary because of numerous orders. He settled in Eger and became an honorary citizen of the town. He died there in 1881, in insolid financial conditions. In his factory, he built about 140 organs, besides this he dealt with the manufacturing of organs. The synergy of classicism and romanticism is felt on the dispositions of Moser’s organs. The effort for monumentality and a considerable increase of 16 and 8 trace registers is reflected in his works. Tongue plays found their place in his dispositions. Moser built his organs mostly with mechanical drawer wind chests. His famous organs are to be found in Hungary in the following churches: 1854: Fót, cath.. (II/16), 1864: Eger, Basilica (III/52), 1871:Sárospatak, ref. (II/24). Most of his biggest organs are presently in a rebuilt or supplemented form.  

 

The size and the construction of the organ: Electrical drawer wind chests with electric register tracture, 3 rows of traditional combinations, 100x999 row setzer combination.

 

Tongue registers were supplied by the companies Aug. Laukhuff (D-Weikersheim) and Carl Giesecke (D-Göttingen). At the same time old registers were built in. These registers came from Angster and Rieger organs. V/75(0+14+16+6+24+15)   

Designed by: 1981- Istaván Baróti

 

The organ console: built by Ludwig Moser in 1856; 1982: Ostrihom Organ Company installed a jalousie console behind the highest pipe field and it built new tin pipes into the prospect.

 

Ladislav Kurucz from Diakovice described the history of the organ.