Main Organ
Commemorative Medal
After successful building of the choir organ we are immediately continuing in our efforts to build the main organ
for Svatá Hora.
You can also contribute to the building of the new organ by purchasing a bronze commemorative medal
minted for the purpose of supporting the building
of the new organ for
Svatá Hora. The price
of the commemorative
medal is CZK1000
(EUR40).
This instrument is to be sited on the gallery inside the
basilica. It is to have 1872 pipes and 30 stops distributed
over 3 manuals and a pedal.
As well as accompanying the liturgy, the organ is to be used
in the performance of baroque music, particularly the
works by Johann Sebastian Bach, and of early Romantic
compositions.
Including the expenditure on the static fixing of the
gallery, masonry, electrical works and joinery, the total
costs of the organ should equal c. CZK15,000,000, i.e.
EUR600,000.
We kindly ask you to make a donation to the building
of the main organ.
You can transfer your donation to the bank account
No. 19-523967309/0800,
IBAN CZ91 0800 0000 1905 2396 7309
(address of the bank: Česká spořitelna, a.s., Milínská 166,
CZ - 261 22 Příbram, SWIFT/BIC: GIBA CZ PX), or
you can hand it over in the sacristy in Svatá Hora.
Donors providing more than CZK100,000, i.e.
EUR4000, will receive a prospect pipe during the ceremony of the blessing the new organ. Those who make
a donation of more than CZK50,000, i.e. EUR2000,
will be given a silver commemorative medal. The names
of the donors providing more than CZK10,000, i.e.
EUR400, will be engraved on a board placed inside the
case to the memory of future generations.
We cordially thank you for your generosity.
You can buy it in the
shop in Svatá Hora,
or order it via e-mail
from
[email protected].
Matice Svatohorská
Matice Svatohorská is a civic association of friends
and benefactors of Svatá Hora. Their membership
reflects their effort to participate in whatever way
- praying, working or making donations -, so that
the place of pilgrimage flourishes, and everyone can
feel at home there. At present there are more than
one thousand persons from the Czech Republic and
abroad registered as the members of Matice Svatohorská. Matice Svatohorská invests the contributions
and donations of its members in some renovations in
Svatá Hora, in promotion of pilgrimages and cultural
events, and in carrying out the project of building the
new organ for the place of pilgrimage.
ew
N
Organ
for
Svatá
Hora
Matice Svatohorská
ID: 70829071
Svatá Hora 591, CZ - 261 80 Příbram
phone: +420 318 429 939, fax: +420 318 429 934
e-mail: [email protected]
http://www.svata-hora.cz
New Organ for Svatá Hora
Project of Building a New Organ
Svatá Hora is a beautiful and well-known place of pilgrimage. It consists of a number of separate small spaces. On
the one hand this fact makes its running difficult, on the
other hand more groups of pilgrims can have overlapping
programmes, independently of one another.
During the season of pilgrimage two spaces in particular are
used for liturgy: the basilica and the Coronation Altar,
which is situated opposite the main entrance. An organ is
needed in both these spaces.
Until now the organ built in 1948 has been played in the
basilica, but it is at the end of its working life. When the
Masses are celebrated out of doors, by the Coronation
Altar, an electric organ has been played. This has been
used for ten years, but it is no longer possible to use it for
technical reasons. A temporary solution has been found
thanks to the kindness of Jaroslav Tůma, the senior lecturer at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague, who loaned
his positive organ.
It is apparent that Svatá Hora needs two instruments. The
organ which is to be played out of doors has to be mobile, principally due to the fact that it has to be protected
against bad weather.
So, a project has been set up to build two organs. The civic
association Matice Svatohorská took charge of the project
in 2001. As the total costs of both instruments are estimated to be around CZK18,000,000, i.e. EUR720,000,
Matice Svatohorská decided to build the smaller, mobile
organ at first. This instrument is to be played in both
spaces for now. As the costs of this choir organ are lower, it
was assumed that it could be finished earlier. Additionally,
this fact might encourage the donors to provide money for
the second, more costly stage of the project, i.e. for the
building of the main organ which should be sited on the
gallery inside the basilica.
Matice Svatohorská chose the reputable Czech organ builder
Vladimír Šlajch to build both organs for Svatá Hora. His
workshop, situated in Borovany (Southern Bohemia), has
a range of experience both in the restoration of historic organs and in the building of new ones. Mr Šlajch’s instruments are to be found not only in the Czech Republic, but
also in Austria, Germany, the United States of America,
Japan and elsewhere. Šlajch’s organ building workshop follows the philosophy of retaining proven historic procedures
and manual craftsmanship, and at the same time of using
the most modern technologies and the best materials. Of
course, this fact is reflected not only in the quality and the
working life of an organ, but also in its price.
Choir Organ
Thanks to the generosity of the donors, the building of the
smaller mobile instrument, which cost CZK3,493,100
(VAT included), was able to be finished in 2007. The
choir organ was solemnly blessed on December 26, 2007.
The choir organ has a unique technical solution. It has eleven stops, and consists of two positive organs laid on each
other and of a pedal board. So, it is possible to use the
choir organ either as a 2-manual instrument with a pedal,
or as two single manual organs (the lower positive organ
is to be played with the pedal). The choir organ is sited in
the chancel inside the shrine. You can hear it during the
Masses and mainly also in the course of the concerts given
in Svatá Hora.
Description of the Main Organ
The proposal for the main organ, which is to be sited on the
western gallery inside the basilica, stems from both the tradition of Bohemian organ building at the end of the 17th
century and from the architectonic facts inside the shrine.
The aim is on no account to build a baroque replica. The
goal is to build an organ reflecting classical architectonic
and artistic elements in combination with accepted modern ones. The existing conditions inside the church make
extraordinary demands on the construction of the organ,
and require non traditional and very imaginative solutions
in a lot of ways.
The organ will have three manuals and a pedal and will use
tracker action for stop and key throughout. The great organ
will be sited into large towers along the central window. The
positive organ will be put into the case above the console,
between both towers of the great organ. The swell organ
will be located in the pedestal of the main casework, and it
will be divided into two parts. The pedal will be divided into
two parts as well, and located on two lofts under the vault.
Moreover, there will be the Kronwerk with the in-built Zimbelstern above the central window. The console will be built
into the pedestal, so that the organist will sit with his/her
back to the altar. Taking into account the acoustics of the
shrine, it is essential to keep this proposed structure of the
particular organs. Only in this way it is possible to achieve
the desired sound of the main organ.
The sound of the organ is conceptualised in the spirit of the
classical polyphonic music, so that in addition to accompanying the liturgy the organ will be able in particular to interpret authentically the works by Johann Sebastian Bach and
by early Romantic composers. The combination of varied
materials used for the manufacture of the pipes enables the
organ to reach optimal intonation of the particular voices.
All work is to be of the highest quality possible corresponding
to the significance of the shrine.
Specification
Great Organ (C – f´´´)
Principal
Octava
Quinta
Superoctava
Quinta
Mixtura
Cimbal
Bifara
Copl
Spitzflöte
Nassat
Trompeta
8´
4´
3´
2´
1 1/3´
3 x
3 x
8´
8´
4´
3´
8´
English tin, in the prospect
tin
tin
tin
tin
tin
tin
tin, from c´
tin, stopped
tin
tin, conical
reed
Copula major
Flauta minor
Principal
Flauta
Sesquialtera Sedecima
Vox Humana
8´ 4´
2´
2´
2 x
1´
8´
wood, stopped
wood, open
English tin, in the prospect
tin, stopped
tin
tin
reed
Gamba
Portunal
Fugara
Principal
Mixtura
Oboe
8´
8´
4´
4´
3 x
8´
tin, C-H wood
wood, C-H stopped, onward open
tin
tin
tin
reed
Positive Organ (C – f´´´)
Swell Organ (C – f´´´)
Pedal (C – f´)
Subbass
16´
wood, stopped
Octavbass
8´
wood, open
Superoctavbass
4´
tin, in the prospect
Kornetbass
3´ 2 x
tin
Posaunbass
16´
reed
Zimbelstern with eight bells c5-h5
Coupler: G-Sw (shove coupler), P-G, P-Sw
Tuning: a´= 440 Hz at 18 °C, unequal temperament
Material of the case: pine
Surface: waxed, polychromatic and gold-coated carvings
Guarantee: lifelong
Costs of the building of the main organ: CZK15,000,000 c.
(EUR600,000) of which the price of the instrument is
CZK13,852,735 (EUR554,110), VAT included