After 800 years of silence, the pipes from the oldest organ in Christendom played again at Jerusalem’s Franciscan Monastery of St Saviour, showcasing the unique sound of an 11th-century liturgical chant. Source: Catholic Review.
Benedicamus Domino Flos Filius was performed by Spanish researcher and organist David Catalunya, marking the highlight of a five-year international research project sparked by his discovery of 222 ancient bronze pipes.
Sounding unlike any modern organ, the notes elicited from the 16 selected pipes – six of which were original – displayed on a wind-chest constructed specifically for them by master organ maker Winold van der Putten, were a rich combination of three different registers at Catalunya’s performance during a press presentation of the organ pipes on September 9.
“It’s very, very like celestial music,” Mr Catalunya said. “The emotion I felt when I heard the sound revealing itself after 800 years of silence was like … opening the tomb of a pharaoh. It came to us as a surprise indeed. The following days, myself and my team were like floating inside a dream.
“We couldn’t really believe it. I spent the following nights without sleeping,” he added. “It is the oldest organ in Christendom, possibly the oldest musical instrument in the world maintaining its original sound.”
Dubbed the Bethlehem Organ, it is believed to have been located in the chancel of the Nativity Church in Bethlehem, an area now under the jurisdiction of the Armenian Church, he said.
It consists of 18 pipes for every note, something very different from modern organs, which normally have only five or six pipes for every note, he said. To experience the full sound of the entire instrument, a replica needs to be built, which is the next stage of the project, Mr Catalunya added.
The research project is supported by the Complutense Institute of Musical Sciences of Madrid, in collaboration with the Franciscan Terra Sancta Museum and the Custody of the Holy Land.
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Oldest organ in Christendom sounded for first time in 800 years, leaving organist speechless (By Judith Sudilovsky, OSV News via Catholic Review)
