Organ Works

After the Steinmeyer gallery organ was decommissioned in 1983, the Albiez workshop built a new organ with 45 stops in the chancel by 1985, which has since served as the main organ of St. Ursula Church. The instrument flanks the altar area on both sides, divided into two cases that match the northern Italian Renaissance style of the church and are architecturally integrated into the historic ensemble. The right-hand section of the organ contains the Hauptwerk and pedal, while the left-hand section houses the two swell divisions.

As part of the reactivation of the old Steinmeyer organ, we will also clean and overhaul the pipe work and technical parts of the Albiez organ. Additional sound outlets will be installed on the rear panels of the Hauptwerk section to improve sound projection. The wind supply, which previously suffered from pressure drops, requires modifications to stabilize the independent systems in both cases.

The electrical system will be adapted to current safety regulations, which will require the replacement of control boards, among other things. To ensure that the organ can also be played from the old gallery organ console and the new mobile central console that is to be built, we are adding electric magnets to each valve. Tracker relief rockers will be installed under the tone valve magnets to decouple the mechanical parts, which will prevent the trackers from moving and the associated noise generation during electrical control. The swell control will also be electrified.

Previously, a wooden platform between the two organ cases covered a large area of the chancel. This will be dismantled together with the mechanical tracker connection and the existing console on the right. A new free-standing console with new mechanical actions for the Positive and Récit will be installed in front of the left case with the swell divisions. The opposite part (HW and Ped.) will be fully electrically controlled. Furthermore, the choir organ will be integrated into the new setter system of the Steinmeyer organ. The stops of the Steinmeyer organ can then also be controlled via a pull-out touch display in the choir organ console.

The organ installed in the chancel could only partially fulfill its original purpose of replacing the gallery organ and providing sound for the entire church. Due to its design, many of the stops sound very forced. In its new location, the instrument will be able to function more like a choir organ in the future. As part of this process, the volume will be reduced and the balance between the stops and sections will be revised. In the necessary re-voicing, all pipes will be aligned to produce a relaxed and vocal tone, and the sound characteristics of the individual voices will be clearly defined. This will make the intended organ landscapes more clearly perceptible: vocal principals in the Italian Great, rich and round reeds in the French swell, and colorful, mixable aliquots in the German Positive.

Read more about the planned renovation of the Steinmeyer main organ here.

The church community provides information about the project on its own website: https://schwabinger-dom-orgel.de/