cahmen.kristine-church.falun.-.se.1724.1978

cahman.kristine-church.falun.-.sweden.1724.1978 CAH-KRI6.FAL

Subject: Organ specification
Date:    15-May-96 at 16:04
From:    INTERNET:wdavis@electrotex.com, INTERNET:wdavis@electrotex.com

TO: 70771,1047



                       KRISTINE CHURCH, FALUN, SWEDEN
                     Builder: Johan Niclas Cahman, 1724
                      Reconstructed: A. Magnusson, 1978

The Kristine Church in Falun is one of Sweden's most magnificent
churches. The interior is particularly striking in blue and gold.
In 1724 Johan Niclas Cahman built an organ of 32 stops in the
church. The contract between the builder and the parish was signed
as early as 16th October 1720, but a fire in Cahman's workshop in
Stockholm in 1723 destroyed the Kristine organ which was almost
complete and Cahman had to start all over again. The church
council contributed a further 1,200 daler to the 2,400 they had
already paid out so that the organ could be completed and on the
second Sunday after Easter, on 18th April 1724, the organ was
inaugurated.

Johan Niclas Cahman (1675/80-1737) has been called "The Father of
Swedish Organ Building." He built notable organs for the
cathedrals of Uppsala, Harnosand and Linkoping. These instruments
have all disappeared. The only larger Cahmen organ extant is at
Leufsta bruk in Uppland, built in 1726-28.

The Cahman organ in the Kristine Church was in use until 1852 but
had by then become so worn-out that it had to be pulled down.
Parts of it were sold to the neighboring parish of Bjursas and
were incorporated in an organ built there  by Gustaf Andersson in
1856.  The Kristine Church also acquired an organ by Gustaf
Andersson but this was replaced in 1905-06 by a Setterqvist
instrument of 30 stops.  This organ remains on the west balcony.

When the Kristine Church again discussed the question of a new
organ in 1975 an unusual but exciting solution offered itself: to
try to reconstruct the Cahman organ of 1724.  Copies of baroque
organs had been built for some time in Holland and Switzerland;
this would be the first attempt in Sweden.

What then was known about Cahman's 1724 organ? The original
specification existed in Hulpher's Historisk Afhandling..(1773)
but that was all that was available. Bellows, windchests,
keyboards, pipes -- everything was believed lost.  Not even the
facade, as in many other churches including Harnosand, Linkoping
and Fellingsbro, was left in the Kristine Church.  This would not
have helped much since the 1724 organ was positioned on the
balcony and had a separate choir organ while the new organ was to
be placed in the chancel with an Oberwerk incorporated.

Apart from a couple of minor adjustments the new organ has the
same specification as Cahman's original.

The work of construction was entrusted to the firm of A. Magnusson
in Molnlycke.

 Architect and consultant was Carl-Gustaf Lewenhaupt, who had also
participated in promoting the idea of building a stylistic copy.
The contract was signed on 15th June 1978 and the working
description from Magnusson's contains the following:

--The organ to be built in a manner as close as possible to that
employed by Johnan Niclas Cahman in his organs. -- The
construction of the various organs which are to serve as models
shows little uniformity partly from differences in size and partly
because they date from different periods. Materials and
construction of the organ are to accord with the best of Cahman's
solutions. -- The construction and function of the bellows are of
great importance to the sound of the organ. --  The dimensions of
the pipes and the voicing of the organ are, as far as possible, to
be done in the manner of Cahman.  the tuning of the organ, both as
to pitch and temperament, is to be given much consideration.

An extensive research project was put in hand.  Much of the
inspiration came from Leuftsa bruk but the Cahman organs at
Drottningholm and at Arsunda (which Magnusson's had recently
restored) also served as models.  Bellows, windchests, action,
keyboards, cases and pipes were studied in great detail.  When
work on the organ was well under way it was decided to see how
much of Cahman's material remained at Bjurdsas.  All expectations
were exceeded. Besides a single keyboard there were some 300 pipes
in fairly good condition! These were naturally of the utmost
importance in dimensioning and voicing the new organ.

There is only room here to point out some of the important details
of the Kristine organ which show the influence of 18th century
(especially Cahman) organ-building:

The bellows consists of four large wedge-bellows which can be
operated by tramping (but are also driven by an electric fan.)
The bellows are housed in a separate room behind the organ.

The windchests  are made of solid spruce but have separate pallet
grooves. There are no regulators.  The pallets are covered with
two layers of leather (not felt.)

The action is not felt-damped.  Backfalls, trackers, stickers and
squares are of spruce. The draw-stops are copies of those at
Leufsta (great organ) and have been turned in birch.

The manual has a range from C - f3.  Suspended key action is
employed. The naturals are veneered with ebony and the sharps with
bone.  The manuals can be coupled mechanically.

The pedal ranges from C - d1. The design of the pedal-board and
the material used (oak) are copied from Leufsta bruk.  There is no
coupler to the pedal.

The facade was designed by Carl-Gustaf Lewenhaupt.

The carved work  was designed and executed by Bertin Gustafson,
Ostervala.  The wood is lime which has been gilded and there are
areas of English madder.

The paintwork consists of three coats of oil paint and was done by
Sands in Falun.

The pipework, both as regards dimensions and materials, is based
principally on the remaining pipes of the 1724 organ.  These are
divided among the following stops: Great organ: Qvintadena 16,
Salzinal 8 (all except 2 pipes!), Octava 4, Qvinta 3, Octava 2.
Oberwerk: Gedact 8, Qvintadena 8, Fleut 4, Qvinta 3, Octava 2.
Pedal: Qvinta 6, Octava 4. Measurements have also been carried out
on the Cahman pipes at Leufsta bruk. Arsunda, Drottningholm and
Kolingared. The voicer, Herwin Troje, has done a formidable job of
work in this connection. The tin content of the pipes is 31.8%.
The front pipes (85% tin) have been finished by hand to the
correct thickness and surface while the other pipes retain their
untreated grey finish.  the metal is thicker at the bottom and
thinner towards the open end of the pipe. Arvid Fluges, who made
the pipes, deserves special mention.

The mixtures are as detailed later.

Temperament  has been devised by Herwin Troje following
measurement of the Cahman positive organ in the royal chapel at
Drottningholm and of the front pipes in Arsunda and Linkoping.  Of
definitive importance was a letter from Johan Niclas Cahman to the
bishop of Linkoping. It is dated 15th April 1732 and states, among
other things: "Thus just to divide the twelve intervals which make
up an octave on a keyboard like a clock which counts out the day's
twelve hours equally, for that I can find no reasonable excuse or
reason, for the harmonies would be just as true, or rather just as
false in one key as in another, and thus just as wrong whatever
note the composer wished to use and the musician played;  this is
by no means a new idea but an ancient custom.. For my part I think
it has gone far enough when all the twelve intervals of the octave
can be so tempered and equalized that all the fifths are almost
true and all the thirds are more or less acceptable so that one
can readily play in all keys, equally in C sharp, F sharp and D
sharp major as well as in C, D, and F major, when the formerly
excessively sharp and abominable third in the key of B major is as
acceptable as any of the others.  But from this it does not follow
and should not be maintained that while all fifths and all thirds
are equally disposed, which can be appreciated by a good ear..."
Cahman thus repudiates both meantone and equal temperament and
comes down somewhere in between. The Falun organ can be said to be
in a fairly modern way "well-tempered" containing six so-called
"Silberman fifths" (-1/6 pyth. comma: -2 cent.) Pitch: A= 440.
Wind pressure:  78 mm.

The tremolo  is a canal-tremolo and is placed in the main
wind-canal immediately proximate to the Oberwerk.

The wind-pallet  is in the main wind-canal and affects the whole
organ.

More and more people are realizing the importance of an authentic
tonal picture for a proper understanding of older music.  The
Falun organ is a part of this development, a development which has
seen the birth of so many ensembles devoted to renaissance and
baroque music and which has aroused interest in historical
instruments which can really draw from older music a living
reality. ----Mats Alberg


DISPOSITION

HM               OV               PED
1724             1982             1724 & 1982       1724          1982
Qvintadena 16    Qvintadena 16    Gedact 8          Principal 16   -----
Principal 8      Principal 8      Qvintadena 8      Untersatz 16  Untersatz 16
Spitzfleut 8     Spitzfleut 8     Principal 4       Octava 8      Principal 8
Salzinal 8       Salzinal 8       Fleut 4           ---           Gedact 8
Qvinta 6         ---              Qvinta 3          Qvinta 6      Qvinta 6
Octava 4         Octava 4         Octava 2          Octava 4      Octava 4
Rohrfleut 4      Rohrfleut 4      Gemshorn 2        Rauschqv 2 ch Rauschqvint-
Qvinta 3         Qvinta 3         Sexqvialtera 2 ch Mixtur 4 ch     mixtur 5 ch
Octava 2         Octava 2         Scharf 3 ch       Bassun 16     Bassun 16
Mixtur 4 ch      Mixtur 4 ch      Vox Humana 8      Trompett 8    Trompett 8
Scharf 3 ch      Scharf 3 ch      Tremulant         Trompett 4    Trompett 4
Trompett 8       Trompett 8


MIXTURES
HM Mixtur 4 ch:             OV Scharf 3 chor:    P Rauschqvintmixtur 5 chor:
C: 1 1/3+4/5+2/3            C: 1 1/3+1+2/3       C: 2 2/3+2 1 3/5+1
c1: 2 2/3+2+1 3/5+1 1/3     fis1: 2 2/3+2+1 1/3
cis2: 5 1/3+4+3 1/5+2 2/3   fis2: 5 1/3+4+2 2/3

HGM Scharf 3 chor:          OV Sexqvialtera 2 chor:
C: 1+2/3+1/2                C: 1 1/3+4/5
c1: 2+1 1/3+1               co: 2 2/3+1 3/5
cis2: 5 1/3+4+3 1/5+ 2 2/3  cis3: 3 1/5+2 2/3