The Stahlhuth/Jann organ in Dudelange (Luxembourg) is a grand romantic organ, with influences from Germany, France and England. This organ is very versatile, boasting two swell divisions, a full string choir, a Chamade division, two 32 foot pedal stops and many solo voices. Since 2002, over 100 CDs have been released from this instrument.
- Two stereo channels of chromatically sampled stop-by-stop pipes, including recorded tremulants for select reed stops, are available.- The console has been implemented as a virtual screen.- The jambs have been optimized for single and dual touchscreens in both landscape and portrait orientations.- Implementation of a simple screen for both landscape and portrait orientation.- Implementation of modeled tremulants for Hauptwerk, Positiv and Schwellwerk, as well as recorded tremulants for four reed stops. - Basson Hautbois 8' (Schwell) - Oboe 8' (Schwell) - Vox Humana 8' (Schwell) - Clarinette (Positiv)- A user-programmable crescendo has been implemented, eliminating the need for the Hauptwerk Internal crescendo.- The tonal mute piston can be used to alter the brightness of the Chamade stops.- Implementation of a switch to limit the maximum volume of the Schwellwerk from 32 to 25.- Implementation of an acoustic control slider to enable smooth transitions between perspectives.
Note: Dudelange Surround requires Hauptwerk™ VII or higher. Dudelange Surround does not work with Hauptwerk™ V and VI!
For existing customers of the Dudelange Professional (2-channel stereo sampleset), the upgrade is available as a free download. An additional ilok licence for this is not required.
The organ in St. Martin’s church was built in 1912 by the organbuilder Georg Stahlhuth (1830-1913) and his son Eduard Stahlhuth (1862-1916). As Germans, installed at Aachen, Georg and Eduard Stahlhuth had all the basic knowledge of German romantic organbuilding. As disciples and close friends of Joseph Merklin at Brussels and Lyon, they had a share in the development of French symphonic organbuilding. Their contracts in England and Ireland provided them with good knowledge of English romantic organbuilding. Thus, they were among the rare organbuilders able to incorporate both French and English characteristics into German romantic organbuilding, defending in this way Albert Schweitzer’s «European» ideas in matter of organbuilding, ideas on which the project founded in 1912.
The three-manual organ of 1912 had 45 stops (and 3 transmissions under expression in the pedal) on cone-valve chests with pneumatic note and stop action. Wind was supplied by three English water engines. A further borrowing from English organbuilding was the high-pressure Tuba mirabilis 8‘ in the Positiv-Swell division, voiced on 300 mm. Typical French faetures were the overblowing stops (typical of Stahlhuth’s organs) and the reeds of French-style construction (with tin-plated shallots), of which at least three were supplied by the Paris firm Veuve Jules Sézerie: Vox humana 8', Tuba 8' and Posaune 16' «octave grave de bombarde 16', grosse taille». Basically, however, the organ was attuned to German romantic style, with plentiful foundation 8‘-stops, differentiation in the manuals according to the various scalings (wide, normal, narrow) and their dynamic gradation (f, mf, p). Besides the high-pressure Tuba mirabilis, the organ had two further „Starkton-Register“ (strong and expressive in tonal design): Seraphon Gedackt 8‘ and Seraphon Flöte 8‘, each with two mouths. With theese three loud toned stops, the numerous foundation stops and the two expressive divisions with their sub and superoctave couplers, the organ had an exceptionally broad dynamic spectrum.
In 1962, in accordance with the then predominant neobaroque tonal aesthetic, the organ suffered far reaching modifications in total negligence of its stylistic specificity: reduction of the wind pressure, replacement of the pneumatic action by electric action, removal of the original console, changes to the pipework, transfer of stops onto other windchests, addition of high-pitched mixtures and mutations, as well as a fourth manual of neobaroque conception and removal of characteristic Stahlhuth stops.
After the organ had become nearly unplayable in the middle of the 1990s, a renovation of the organ had become inescapable. From 2001 to 2002, the following items were carried out by organbuilder Thomas Jann, Laberweinting (Germany) and his craftsmen:
- restoration and reconstruction of the Stahlhuth pipes and windchests from 1912 - renewal of the swell boxes and the wind supply system - removal of the additonal stops from 1962 and reverse of the transfers carried out in 1962 - addition of a Bombarde division in place of the neobaroque Positiv - harmonious extension of the organ up to 78 speaking stops with both German romantic and French symphonic tone colors, notably by : - further development of the string chorus (full-fledged chorus from 16’ through Terzgamba 1 3/5’) - numerous orchestral solo stops, constructed and voiced in both German and French style - extension and differentiation of the numerous reed chorus (23 stops in all) of both German romantic and French symphonic style on all manuals - a strong fundamental tone based on 32’ (Untersatz 32’ from CC, full-length Contrabombarde 32’) - octave mutations 5 1/3’ and 3 1/5’ and low-pitched, partly progressive mixtures - revoicing of the whole organ, carried out without compromise according to romantic voicing techniques - new four-manual console with electronic combination action, MIDI-interface and replay system.
Thus, since 2002, the most significant trait of the organ is the stylistically authentic performance not only of German but also of French and English repertoire from the romantic-symphonic era.
* = restored or reconstructed stops from 1912
Couplers:P/I; I/P; II/P; III/P; IV/P; Super I/P; Super II/P; Super III/PII/I; III/I; IV/I; Sub II/I; Super II/I; Sub III/I; Super III/I; III/II; IV/II; Sub III/II; Super III/II; Sub II/II; Super III/III; IV/III
Cone-valve chests; electropneumatic action
Tremolo: I, II, III; 4995 combinations; MIDI interface with replay-system
5261 pipes; 72 stops (94 ranks); 6 extensions; 4 transmissons
Organ renovation: Thomas Jann Orgelbau GmbH, Allkofen
Conception: Thomas Jann, Pierre Nimax jr.Construction: Markus LeipoldVoicing: Andreas Utz, Markus Schanze
System requirements for the current surround-version:
Hauptwerk Advanced V7 or higher16bit multi loops compressed: 31.9 GB RAM20bit multi loops compressed: 58.8 GB RAM24bit multi loops compressed: 62.2 GB RAM