In the year 1772 the famous rococo church of the 14 saints (Vierzehnheiligen), home and centre for the worship of the Nothelfer ("helpers in times of need"), was ceremoniously assigned its function. At the same time, due to the available resources, two organs were commissioned: a large one which was most likely to have its place on the west gallery, and a small one to be positioned on the corner over the small vestry. Investigations carried out by the organ experts Hermann Fischer and Theodor Wohnhaas revealed that the small organ was most probably built by Ludwig Kramer from Bamberg. The existing information regarding the large organ is sparse. Following the secularisation, the large organ no longer appeared to exist because we know in 1816 that the organ builder Anton Dressel from Hollfeld moved the small organ from the corner over the small vestry to the arch within the large church doors, and expanded it with 5 new registers, especially bases, which were to "fill the wide halls of the church building".
On Kunigunda day in the year 1835, a storm destroyed a large part of the pilgrimage church. A bolt of lightening struck the southern tower and ultimately both towers burnt down as well as the roof trusses. The bells melted and the organ went up in flames. Ten years after the fire it was possible to think about rebuilding the main organ. In 1848 Augustin Bittner from Nuremberg was commissioned to build the new organ with 2 manuals and a pedal. However, it only took 19 years before the church administration requested permission from the district office to build a "bombard" into the organ "as the absence of a large low bass was very noticeable". Long before the turn of the century the organ had become completely unusable.
At the beginning of 1893 the company Steinmeyer from Oettingen presented an expert opinion in which it was described that the organ was in a piteous condition. It could hardly be used without disturbing the service! In 1905 the rebuilding and extension of the organ to three manuals was allowed to be commissioned. This was carried out by the company Steinmeyer who used the technique of pneumatic traction which had at that time come into fashion. In 1951 it was decided that the romantic sound of the organ, which was now considered as outdated, should be "brightened up" in a new baroque manner. Thereby the pneumatic traction was replaced by an electrical one and the disposition was increased to 60 registers. In 1976 all the pipes were revoiced to a lower wind pressure. During the intensive internal restoration in 1982-1990, dust, plaster residue and dirt collected inside the organ and it once again became nearly unusable in addition to its general susceptibility to failure. As a replacement and temporary solution, the church administration acquired a mobile choral organ with 13 registers divided between 2 manuals and a pedal from the company Eisenbarth in Passau.
In 1993, five renowned organ construction companies from Germany, Holland and Austria were asked to provide a quote for the building of a new organ in Vierzehnheiligen. According to governmental specification, the historical organcase from 1848 had to be reused for the new organ. In 1994, the contract for building the new symphonic organ with 4 manuals, which was to be capable of filling the enormous room volume of the basilica, was given to the company Rieger from Schwarzach in Austria. In 1998 the old organ was carefully dismantled and taken to an organ museum near Munich. The historical case from Bittner was completed and reconditioned in an assembly room before the new diagonal bracing and pipes were fitted in. In early 1999 it finally ready: the basilica organist Georg Hagel drove in person one of the heavy articulated lorries up the hill leading to the basilica with the first parts of the new organ, where they were unloaded the next day. The work on the intonation of the organ could mainly take place at night due to the large amount of pilgrimages arriving at the church and the number of tourists. On the 26th of September the new instrument was sanctified by the Archbishop of Bamberg, Dr. Karl Braun, in a celebratory service. During the service the mass for choir and two organs by Louis Vierne (1870-1937) was played. In the evening the renowned organist from Notré Dame Paris, Professor Oliver Latry, played the first concert on the new organ to a packed out church with pieces from Bach, Vierne, Eschaich and an impressive improvisation on the theme of the "Vierzehnheiligen" song - "Freundlich grüßt ins Maintal nieder vom Berg dies mächtig Gotteshaus". Prof. Edgar Krapp followed a week later with a further concert again to a sold-out house. The final concert in this "organ-autumn" was played by the basilica organist Georg Hagel with pieces from Bach, Vierne, Mozart and Messiaen.
The organ is played nearly every day during the regular church services. The specially initiated concert series "organ concerts to Friday chimes" each Friday from 3pm to 3.30pm (May until October) offers with its free entry a further opportunity to experience the 5000 pipes of the new main organ in their full colourful opulence. The guided tours of the organ, which were introduced by Georg Hagel for interested parties, include an introduction into the registers on the console as well as a look inside the organ. These tours are growing in their popularity and should make the public more aware of the existence of the organ and increase general interest. Numerous CDs recorded with renowned organists can be purchased. A DVD-production about the organ with an insight into the technology, the mechanics, the different pipes as well as an explanation of the register family is being planned.
Composition
The diagonal bracing and pipes of the main instrument are located directly in the middle of the organ above the console and are enclosed by the pedal towers. Behind the main instrument the swell box (III.Manual) "Recit expressiv" is located. What is notable is that the swell and swell box are not as usual made of solid wood, but rather are filled with quartz sand in order to achieve an increased cushioning effect. The organ has a typical french swell which is abundant in reed stops. The bombarde-manual (IV.) was built onto the swell box as the crowning glory. The horizontal chamades 16', 8 ' and 4' are positioned directly opposite on the high alter together with the hand made iron bells of the chimes. Behind the pedal towers are the swell boxes of the divided Positiv (II. Manual). The smallest pipe, the high C (1'), is only five millimetres long.
On the left and right of the swell are the largest pipes of the untersatz 32' and contrabombarde 32' which are partly furled (the deepest pipes are approximately 10 meters long and with 16 hertz nearly reach the lowest limits of hearing). Next to the swell system is the divided swell box of the positiv which can also be modulated by the swell. The prospect of the organ is still original however the case together with the complete technology were newly installed. The earlier organ bellows sucked in damp and cold air from the northern tower which led to the fact that the material of the old organ was unusable. In order to prevent this in the future, the wind supply in the new organ was installed under the Rècit. The console has in total 89 stops (68 for the registers, 3 for tremulant and for the chimes, and 18 for the electronic coupling). In addition, a second console can be connected using magnetic coupling.
Translation: Anna Wolf
