The Johanneskirken
Perhaps the single greatest discovery among the fine organs in Bergen is the powerful testament of a relatively unsung organbuilder from Silesian Schweidnitz (in modern-day Poland known as Świdnica) whose output spanned from 1831 (right around the nascence of the German romantic organ as we know it) to just beyond the First World War. From 1869 to 1923 they would be known as Schlag & Söhne Schweindnitz, and in 1893 they built a masterpiece for the Johanneskirken in Bergen, Norway. Today it remains one of the most important documents of a remarkable firm – one who built over 1,000 instruments and many of them in very prestigious venues - and was celebrated in their day for instruments of the most remarkable tonal quality and finishing, much thanks to the fine ear of Oskar Schalg. Performing on it proved to be an extremely rewarding experience in every way!
For some context, in addition to his training in his father’s firm, Oskar Schalg traveled from Germany to England to observe and work in the workshop of Henry Willis. There he came in contact with the high-pressure reed stops, the particular tradition of English reed voicing, and many technical innovations. Shortly after his arrival back in Germany, Schlag & Söhne would build the important 3-manual, 50-stop organ for the Berlin Philharmonie in 1888, incorporating seven high-pressure stops, an electropneumatic action, cone chests, and eight (!) “free combinations.” Quite extraordinary for the time, indeed! It’s an organ that would have been well known to Heinrich Reimann and Karl Straube in the 1880s, and of course, it was tragically destroyed in 1945. In 1890 Oskar Schlag founded the Association of German Organbuilders, and a year later became the Royal Organbuilder to Prince Albrecht of Prussia. In short, the 1893 Bergen organ of 43 stops is about as elegant as organs come from this period. And thanks to the recent, sympathetic restoration by the brilliant Christian Scheffler, these rarefied sounds can still be appreciated fully today.
The foundation stops of the instrument are luxurious and diverse. Manual I has no fewer than six 8-foot stops beginning with a luminous, harmonically-charged Gemshorn in the piano/mezzo-piano range, and then two mezzo-piano/mezzo-forte stops: a cheerful, speechy Doppelflöte, and an intense, relatively keen Gamba. A broad, relatively dark and cloaked Hohlflöte gives great density and breadth to the entire sound of this division; the 8’ Principal directness and point. To this 8’ basis, three 4’ stops gives presence, warmth, and sizzle: a 4’ Octave, 4’ Flöte (wood, open), and 4’ Violine. The 4’ Violine, in particular, is worth its weight in gold as a bridge to the upperwork and through the vitality which it gives the bass. Three mixtures crown the chorus: a 2-rank Rauschquinte (2 2/3’, 2’), 2-rank Kornett, and 5-rank Mixture. Depending on what ensemble of foundations are drawn beneath these various crowning agents, the Manual I “Pleno” can sound surprisingly classical (in a Mendelssohnian sense), whereas taking only the Rauschquinte and Kornett above a wider mass of foundations can give more of the impression of monster post 1900 Reger machine. The 8’ Trompete is indeed dark, throaty, and cast-iron; the influence of Oskar Schlag’s time in England really shines through here. It’s not loud, but it’s something between a Cornopean and Tromba, with just a little more variation and hesitancy than an actual English reed.
Manual II has an ensemble of four 8’ stops: Principal, Portunalflöte, Salicional, and Rohrflöte. The Portunalflöte – a stop I didn’t get to see inside the organ, but would have loved to (!) – sounds somewhere between a Konzertflöte and Hohlflöte and a Hook & Hastings Melodia, but with a signature onset of tone which almost evokes a French Horn. There’s a moment of ‘settling’ and then a pure, calm vowel. The Principal Salicional and Rohrflöte have diminutive reference points to their parent stops in Manual I. A transparent and relatively stringy 4’ Spitzflöte correspondents to Manual I’s Violine as the ‘third 4’ stop’ in Manual II, whereas the 4’ Rohrflöte is one of the purest, and again, classical sounds in the instrument. The only 2’ stop in the entire organ is a Piccolo in Manual II of wide scale and really quite orchestral – it’s not a relatively narrow “Flautino” type stop. This makes is a little odd in relationship to the 3-rank Mixture in this division, but depending on the context they can certainly be used together (I did, however, often omit it). Again, the Clarinette (not a free-reed), to my ears, sounds incredibly English. It’s a spectacular soloist, but melds in beautifully with the foundations and in the “Full Manual II” sound, helping to prepare (along with the Kornett) the 8’ Trompete in Manual I. It’s helpful to know that these were the ONLY two manual reeds in the original organ (the Oboe was only stop kept from a mid-20th-century rebuild).
In Manual III, one characteristically finds the softest stops, but this is no simple “Echo” or “Farbwerk.” It also sports a fully (well, in 1890s terms) developed chorus: 16’ Lieblich, 8’ Geigenprincipal, 4’ Principal, II-III Progressiv. harm. These ensemble ingredients are still telling in large registrations played on Manual I or II. The Geigen Principal, for example, still rings more present in the room than the combination of Portunalflöte, Salicional, Rohrflöte of Manual II; it’s no shrinking violet in other words. The Lieblich Gedeckt, Aeoline, and Voix celeste, however, are truly on a lower dynamic spectrum as the organ’s softest three stops. This relationship of Diapason to Flute and String (i.e. with a considerable dynamic leap between the Flute/String pair to the Diapason) reminds me in a certain way also of the same relationship of those three stops in a Willis Swell Organ: only the Swell Box can create the bridge. The 4’ Flauto Traverso also deserves mention. It’s possibly the most charming flute in the organ – clear, pure, with the special characteristic speech in the treble, and amazingly agile. As mentioned before, the nice Oboe stop, added later, was kept in the restoration and offers yet another color, or chorus element to this otherwise relatively small division.
The Pedal boasts not one, but two marvelous 16’ string stops, completely independent to the pedal: 16’ Violone (mezzo-forte) and 16’ Gamba (piano) with a beautiful bowed intonation. The 16’ Principal is somewhat moderate but grounding, and the 16’ Subbass is really well regulated (no coughing, thank the Lord!). The Posaune and Trompete sound here like typical German stops that you’d expect to find in such an organ – rich, full, lots of harmonics – so it doesn’t seem that Oskar Schlag was trying to imitate Willis Ophicleides here! A fine 10 2/3’ Nasard draws the whole division together.
The new console pays respects to the original by reproducing, presumably, the original hardware that was available in 1893 (piano, mezzo-forte, forte, tutti, walze, etc.), but also includes a modern sequencer. It has a very large, and rather light pedalbaord which facilitates easy sliding from one note to the next, and owing to its pneumatic action, it’s also easy to play a ‘fake legato’ thanks to the semi-slow speech and slow release of the pedal stops – something which is often very helpful in single-foot pedal lines in Reger, etc., while the other foot is manipulating the Walze or Swell.
The church, too, is spectacular – a marvelous Norwegian Gothic Revival church paying homage to the old Stave churches in its richly carved wooden interior. It’s a perfect marriage of organ, acoustic, and architectural ambience.
So, after three very memorable and interesting concerts on fine instruments, it’s sad to leave Bergen tomorrow, but I’m also looking forward to the next concert in Sankt Peter in the Schwarzwald on Sunday. Congratulations to the Bergen International Organ Festival for putting together a splendid and extensive program, and I’m very grateful for the hospitality and really altogether great time had with Sigurd Melvær Øgaard, Karstein Askeland, Asbjørn Myksvoll, and Mariko Takei Myksvoll. Thank you for this first wonderful experience in Bergen!
Best to all!
Nathan
