HISTORIC ORGANS IN RUSSIA

The organ in Russia dates from the eleventh century; a fresco of that century in St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev shows a folk musician with a positive organ. In the fifteenth century, Moscow became the main city of Russia, and organs were built in Poteshny (Amusement) Palace and in the main ceremonial palace of Moscow Kremlin Granovitaya Chamber. Russian organ culture was influenced by German, Dutch, Italian and British organ-builders and musicians. The Orthodox Church banned organ music, but the organ flourished, characterised by secular music on relatively small instruments.
   Czar Peter moved Russia's capital to St Petersburg; c.1700, he ordered two organs from Schnitger. The organ became a church instrument as many western churches were founded in St Petersburg; this development lasted until the revolution in 1917. Important organ-builders in Russia were Franz Kirsnik (1741-1802), Karl Wirth (1794-1862), and Georg Maelzel (1807-66) followed by German organ-builders like Ladegast, Walcker, and Sauer. Several organs were built by British organ-builders (BIOSRep XXVI,1, 29-33).
   After 1917, organs and organ music were neglected; most organs were destroyed or removed from the churches; a few organs were moved to concert halls in the 1920s-30s. A revival took place under Khruschev in the period 1955-70. Organ-builders from Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia (Sauer, Eule, A. Schuke, Rieger-Kloss) built dozens of instruments in concert halls and conservatories.
   The situation since 1991 is bad. Nevertheless, there are signs of hope: during recent years several new organs have been built by Flentrop, Beckerath, W. Sauer, A. Schuke, and the Russian organ-builder Pavel Tchilin of St Petersburg.
   Below are short descriptions of some historic organs and a list of historic organs in Russia. (Readers who wish to peruse the full specifications of these organs can find them on the Reporter Website.)

Moscow, M.I. Glinka Central State Musical Culture Museum
Friedrich Ladegast, 1868, Op. 50. Restored by Vilniaus Vargonu Dirbtuve (Vilnius Organ Workshop), 1996-8.
The oldest organ in Moscow, built for the Moscow merchant and philanthropist Vasily Khludov. In 1886 he gave it to the newly opened Moscow Conservatory organ class. In 1901 the instrument was installed in the Conservatory Small Hall. In 1959 a new instrument by Alexander Schuke was installed; Ladegast's organ was moved to the S. Prokofiev Music School, Moscow. The organ was installed in the Trinity Church of Kozhevniky in Moscow in 1988.

Moscow, Evangelical Baptist Church
Ernst Roever, 1898, Op.73
There was an organ here in 1805 (when it was a Reformed Church); after the conflagration of 1812, there was no organ until 1838. Riesenwetter repaired the organ in 1854-5, with further repairs by W. Muelverstedt, of Dorpat, Estonia in 1865. The organ was heavily damaged by fire shortly after, and Friedrich Ladegast built a new instrument (Op. 59, II/P/18) in 1871. That was replaced in 1898 by Ernst Roever of Hausneindorf-on-Hartz, Saxony. Roever's instrument is in its original state and is used in public worships and concerts.

Moscow, the Great Hall of P.I. Tchaikovsky Conservatory
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, 1899, repaired by: H. Lahmann, 1959 (alterations); W. Sauer, 1968; Michel, Merklin & Kuehn, 1975 and others.

The instrument, Cavaillé-Coll's final work, was completed in the spring of 1899. In 1900 it was exhibited at the Russian section of the Paris World Exhibition where Widor, Guilmant, Gigout, and Vierne played the organ. Widor gave two concerts at the opening in Moscow (11 and 15 April 1901). The organ was received coldly at first and little used. It was restored in 1959, 1968 and 1975. During the repair in 1959, about a quarter of the stops was replaced, partly by stops with different scaling. The Michel, Merklin & Kuehn firm partially completed the last repair; other specialists finished it.

St Petersburg, Academic State Capella Concert Hall
E.F. Walcker, 1891, Op. 604, rebuilt by Rieger-Kloss, 1967-8
Built for the Dutch Reformed Church, the organ preserved the case of the 1832 organ (organ-builder Georg Ludwig Friedrich, architect Paul Jacot). In 1927 it was moved to the Academic State Capella Concert Hall; in 1928 the instrument received a certificate of preservation as being a museum-piece. In 1967-8 the organ was rebuilt and enlarged by Rieger-Kloss. The organ case is the oldest in present-day Russia and is considered to be a monument of applied decorative art.

Pushkin (near St Petersburg), Tsarskoselskaya School of Fine Arts
W. Sauer, 1884, Op.432
Built for the St Petersburg Conservatory, the organ was moved to the new Conservatory building on the Theatre Square in 1896-7. It was used as the main educational instrument of the organ class for almost ninety years until it was dismantled (a new organ by the same builder was installed). Sergey Prokofiev, and many of the future musical figures of Baltic countries, were among the students who played it. At the end of the 1980s it was installed in the Hall of the Tsarskoselskaya High School of Fine Arts in Pushkin after repairs.

St Petersburg, Virgin Mary Catholic Church
E.F. Walcker, 1910, Op.1544
The organ was initially installed in the Church of the Evangelic Hospital, but was moved to this church in 1957. It is in near original state, and is used regularly in public worship; it is in need of restoration.

HISTORIC ORGANS IN RUSSIA
(the number of stops is given without taking the transmissions into account)
Moscow
The M. I. Glinka Musical Culture Museum, F. Ladegast, 1868, II/P/16
The Conservatory Great Hall, A. Cavaillé-Coll, 1899, III/P/50
The St Peter and Paul Lutheran Church, W. Sauer, 1898, III/P/33 (dismantled)
The Baptist (former Reformed) Church, E. Roever, 1898, III/P/38
The Russian Music Academy. Unknown British organ-builder (H. Jones?) II/P/10 (BIOSRep, XXVI,1,29-33)

St Petersburg and suburbs
The Museum of Theatrical and Musical Arts: the regals of 1740 built by Montbrun of Toulouse, and two positive organs by unknown builders (the instruments are not in working condition).
The Menshikov Palace: the positive organ by unknown British organ-builder, after 1750, I/4 + flute-playing musical clock with four stops (BIOSRep, XXVI,1, 1, 29-33).

Pushkin (near St Petersburg). The High School of Fine Arts Concert Hall, W. Sauer, 1884, II/P/8
(Detailed stop-lists and photographs of the St Petersburg organs may be found in Kravchun, P. and Shlyapnikov V., Organs of St Petersburg and Leningrad Region (Moscow, 1998)).

Pskov region.
Pechory, The Lutheran Church: Gebrueder Kriisa (Estonia) 1928, II/P/21

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