Organ - Trier Dom

Source of image: https://www.trierer-orgelpunkt.de/orgelbauer/nollet

Organ of Trier: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4XFEXIgoX5I

Tour of the Dom on U-Tube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zr7Pjo_lvpk

In four articles organist Josef Still in 1996 summed up the history of the Dom organ in the diocese Journal Paulinus.

Turbulent times Organ 1307-1830 

Blowing angels, drums and three organs second hand 

Luckily the Trier Cathedral Chapter has always conscientiously carrying out of its receipts and expenditures: Otherwise we would know little about the first organs in the Cathedral of Trier. A statement from the year 1381 who has one long time attributed to the first mention of a cathedral organ in Trier, reports a repair to an organ with two bellows. A Benedictine from Khajuraho in 1965 in a London library an even older document, as he (a Meßordnungs-book) examined a "Liber ordinarius" of the Trier Cathedral from the years 1305/1307. In it he found the rule that "alternating organ and choirs" should recite a hymn and the Magnificat at Vespers on the eve of Domweihefestes. Who had built this organ and what sounds they uttered, is completely in the dark. That they - like today's main organ - as so-called "Swallow's Nest" on the north wall hanging over the pulpit, is assumed to be safe because this construction was common back then. Accurate reports in Latin secures the State Archives in Koblenz to an organ expansion in the years 1387 and 1388: The present organ was increased and got a top plant with the beautiful name "Angelus". At the same time there were two additional bellows, iron Register trains, large painted double doors made ​​of wood and canvas, and another row of keys to do so. For the last time this organ was enlarged in 1464. They now had eight bellows that could be operated by a sophisticated mechanism of a single bellows-blower and 14 organ stops. 

"Durchdryngendt unnd woellgestimpt" 

1537 closed the chapter with a native of Saffig at Koblenz Peter Bryssiger a contract for the construction of a new organ. Bryssiger, who had worked in the Netherlands, was only three years before falling by a large, successful organ remodeling in the Koblenz Florin Church. The Trier contract - written in German - and a corresponding original registration statement are for the musicology of great value, since they also describe a complicated mechanism for combining the different sounds in addition to the register name. So they not only provide information about the high art of organ building of the 16th century, but also to play the organ and the performance practice of music this time. We know that the organ had 18 stops on two manuals and pedal, a "birdsong" and also a "fife with the drum". Given in the contract: "Item eyn durchdryngendt, werkmessig thrombogenic to trumpet, schalmeyen, swegeln or zwerchpieffen dynstbaer unnd woellgestimpt". We know how much the individual keys had keyboards and were even the order in which arranged the organ stops. 

New organ wishes 

In the Cologne Cathedral organ was finished in 1573, the three manuals and a whole host registers had more than the Trier Bryssiger organ. It was the organ builder, a Dutchman named Arndt of Lampeler, and shortly thereafter the Cologne cathedral organist come and eagerly studied the contract Cologne to Trier. Soon, a new concept was developed and adopted. But because they could not agree on the payment of an advance and the organ builder had now been given the task to an even larger organ in the cathedral of Münster, this increasingly lost interest in Trier. To the new building it was not for the time being. 

Only in 1590 the Chapter made ​​a new advance and gave the organ builder Florentius Hocque Brabant from the order for a new organ. Hocque had long worked in Cologne and knew the local cathedral organ, which had done so of Trier, of course, good. So it is not surprising that the 1593 completed organ with 25 registers came the Cologne model on three manuals and pedal pretty close. We know about this new organ well informed, not least because of a quite vivid shortcomings report of 1617 you had so luxurious ingredients such as tremulants two, "bird cries, Nachtengall and Brumer (drum)", also two Zimbelsterne. If you could play the "two-blowing angels" really elicit sounds, or whether they were just decoration, but can not be determined. Hocque was "the pipes, and other Materialia in the itzigen old organ, be as good as new which" re-use in the construction. The Bryssiger organ was indeed only been a good fifty years old.

The organ of Hocque stood - or rather hung - 130 years in the cathedral and might even stay longer in use, would have caused a fire in 1717 not great damage to the cathedral. 

Although neither the main organ, nor the choir organ was taken directly from the flames; the damages were so great that the Trier organ builder Jean Nollet was commissioned with a new building. Nollet predisposed the organ in the French Baroque style and let her scope to grow to 35 registers. In the course of organ building and the organ case, including the "foliage" "All Angels Undt wing factory" was also newly painted, gilded and silvered. An organ playing Trier Carmelite priest, in 1727 the decrease undertook, however, was hardly a good hair on the instrument: many pipes are in it "patched zusahmen" also were "whistle vielle" found that "their right Lauth nit had".

n the wake of the revolution and the cathedral during the invasion of the French army in 1794 was badly damaged inside. The looting were the main and choir organ victim as well as lost as all metal pipes. From all Nollet plant only 11 or 12 whole pipe and 14 bell of the former trombone should be left. The case, however, seems to have weathered the storm unscathed. 

End of 1802 the newly appointed bishop Mannay asked the prefect of the Saar departments around the great organ of the repealed monastery Himmerod. Just one day later agreed with this and shortly after the instrument was passed. With almost thirty wagons, the organ was collected in June 1803; the diocese archives knows to report that also happen to be the "broken very beautiful altar-pieces" with booted. The budget for the transfer still has three hundredweight of straw for packaging the organ parts, as well as an honorarium and a jug of wine for two gendarmes who guarded the wagons in Himmerod after loading. In Trier were stored the parts initially and instructed until 1807 the Cochem organ builder Kemp, install the organ in the old Swallow housing. 

It was found, however, that important parts had been damaged by the absence of the organ probably improper and long storage. Therefore, although some had to be replaced and additional bellows were installed from the organ which also secularized and subsequently aborted Trier Dominican church, after all, nobody seems to have been happy with the result. As the famous organ builder Unmute Rhaunen in the Hunsrück 1812 were asked for an opinion, they came to the devastating judgment that "from the 

Could stop working nothing but the housing "and the organ had to be rebuilt. At the same time, they submitted an offer for the new building. As fast but nothing came of it. 

Eighteen years later, in 1830, the Prussian king presented the Bishop of Trier by Hommer the 30 registers large Stumm organ of the Franciscan monastery also repealed in Wetzlar. This created a new situation, and what the location was concerned. Voices were raised to put the organ in the west choir. One end of the Schwalbennestes became apparent. 

The new space in the West choir is the subject of the next chapter.

http://www.trierer-orgelpunkt.de/domorgel1.htm

The baroque organ Nollet 

130 years was the work of the Master Florentius in Trier Cathedral; then it was replaced by a new organ by Jean Nollet / Trier, with the agreement the chapter on the June 7, 1724 following disposition: 

The pedal is not mentioned, so obviously attached without their own register. 

Nollet is clearly the forerunner of the great Rhenish organ farming families silent and King. This Nollet Mute Königsche organ type is a simplified synthesis of central Germany and the French organ type. The German guy knows masterpiece, Rückpositiv and Brustwerk: So do you choose the French five "works" Grand Orgue, positive and Echo, the German guy has in each work a principal chorus to the concoctions up, deep Gedackte and flutes and tongues: the principal choruses are interspersed with fifths and thirds, as they call the French dispositions - there, however, they are designed as components of a developed, versatile wide flute choir as tongues the usual French organ building are selected: Bombard, trumpet, vox humana, Krummhorn Finally.. yet the cornet used, whose home is the way Südbrabant. Vox angelica is only me at the above Rhenish families met. 

Nollets organ exceeds the Early Netherlandish instruments to register number by far, however, no way to tonal richness. Nollet has fifths and thirds in principal choir and the cornet; the Brabant instead have a few wide flutes to 2 2/3 ', 2', 1 1/3 'and 1' and thus achieve almost more: the high Flötenaliquoten almost replace the cornet and give the organ, moreover, as a counterpart to the principal choir a separable wide flute choir; and if we think of the Rauschzimbel, the Quinta Those and the pedal trumpet, it becomes apparent that the ingenious Dutch organ builder with 25 registers actually a richer sound made ​​when the future champion with 35 registers. The type of North Brabant organ builder, the organ and their projects at the Cathedral of Trier represented, is history; terms of stylistic maturity, however, and the sound economics those instruments were no longer exceeded and rarely equaled. They were worthy and called to be the mediator of the Toccatas, fantasias and variations of the largest Early Netherlandish organist, of the Amsterdam Master Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck. 

Source: Hans Klotz, Dutch organ builder at the Cathedral of Trier (in journal "Music Research" II, 1949 p 36-49)