Stručni rad
https://doi.org/10.17018/portal.2025.15
Earthquakes and the Pipe Organs of the Zagreb Cathedral
Emin Armano
; red. prof. u miru
Sažetak
This paper provides chronological data illustrating the interconnected fates of the Zagreb cathedral and its organs. New instruments have been added to the cathedral on six occasions. Over time, they were expanded to reflect changes in musical tastes and advancements in organbuilding technology. Newly-constructed organs always embraced the stylistic and technical features of instruments from more musically advanced environments.
The first organ (c. 1420) likely had a block wind chest, characteristic of Gothic organs. The second organ (1502) featured slider wind chests, representing Renaissance organs, probably of Venetian origin. These organs were destroyed in a fire in 1645 and the collapse of the vault in 1646. The third organ was built in 1649 by Grga Štrugl, the cathedral’s organist and organ builder, as a reconstruction of the earlier Renaissance organ commissioned by the church. The fourth organ was installed in 1689 when Ioannes Faller of Ljubljana expanded Štrugl's existing organ by adding six new registers. Previously, the third organ had a Renaissance register disposition dominated by principal stops. With Faller’s intervention, the organ acquired new, colourful registers including aviculas and cucu duplex and adopting Baroque stylistic features. The fifth organ was built by Ferenc Focht of Pécs in 1834. This instrument had 40 registers distributed across two manuals, and a pedal. The wind chests used tone chambers and sliders. The manual range was C-c3and the pedal range was C-h0, reflecting Classical stylistic characteristics.
However, due to poor construction of the air supply system, the organ was sold in 1854.
The current, sixth organ was constructed by the Walcker company in 1855. Since then, it has been rebuilt and expanded three times by the same company, retaining its original wind-chest type and tonal materials, and preserving its authentic sound characteristics. The organ is listed in the Register of Cultural Heritage of the Republic of Croatia as a protected cultural property (No. Z-009) and is an important cultural asset of international significance.
During the earthquakes in March and December 2020, the cathedral sustained significant damage, but the organ emerged without major harm. In collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Media of the Republic of Croatia, construction experts, structural engineers, organ builders, organologists and church authorities have planned protective measures for the organ, documented in written reports. These measures aimed to protect the organ from (1) potential mechanical damage, (2) penetration of large amounts of dust into the interior, (3) water condensation, (4) cracking of wooden components such as wind chests, air channels and wooden pipes due to sudden extreme changes in relative humidity, (5) mould growth and (6) stiffening of leather on bellows and membranes.
Ključne riječi
Zagreb cathedral; pipe organ; Walcker organs; E.F. Walcker; organ preservation
Hrčak ID:
342560
URI
Datum izdavanja:
15.12.2025.
Posjeta: 358 *