Organ Works

München, St. Gertrud

Renovierung der Gebr. Späth-Orgel (1979) | II/26 | 2018

The parish church of St. Gertrud was built in 1956 for the growing community in the Harthof district of Munich. Although plain and in style of its time, it is nevertheless an interesting three-aisled building. Inside, rows of pillars divide the side aisles with their rounded windows from the main nave, which then terminates in a narrow choir extension. The dark, saddle-roof ceiling contrasts with the light, white-painted space below.

In 1979 the Späth Brothers of Ennetach built a two-manual organ with simple rectangular case in the middle of the gallery. The pipes of the HW Prinzipal 4, arranged irregularly in front, give it a restrained, unobtrusive appearance.

Apart from the usual cleaning and overhaul, our comprehensive renovation included the following:

- Partial renewal of the electrics to assure safety and functional reliability

- Removal of the separate, free-standing registration panel and replacement by new stop tablets over the second manual. Also, completely new cabling within the console and a new setter/combination system

- Overhaul of the reservoirs and changes to regulator mechanisms to ensure stability of wind

- Changes to specification: replacement of HW Quintade 8 by a new Salicional 8, reusing bass pipes from the Quintade: exchange of 2ft stops - Superoktave now HW and Waldflöte now SW: new, prompt-speaking Bordun in HW

- Complete re-working of former unbalanced, thin and keen sound. Re-regulation to give greater colour, fullness, volume and blend.

organ view
case detail
console before renovation

Disposition

I. Hauptwerk C-g3

  1. Bordun 16’ (neu)
  2. Prinzipal 8'
  3. Rohrflöte 8’
  4. Oktave 4’
  5. Koppelflöte 4’
  6. Nasatquinte 2 2/3’
  7. Oktave 2’ (ursprünglich im Schwellwerk)
  8. Mixtur V 1 1/3’
  9. Trompete 8’
    Tremulant

II. Schwellwerk C-g3

  1. Holzgedackt 8’
  2. Salicional 8’ (neu, ursprünglich Quintade)
  3. Prinzipal 4’
  4. Spitzflöte 4’
  5. Waldflöte 2’ (ursprünglich im Hauptwerk)
  6. Terzlein 1 3/5’
  7. Quintflöte 1 1/3’
  8. Scharff IV  1’
  9. Oboe 8’
    Tremulant

Pedal C-f1

  1. Subbaß 16’
  2. Prinzipal 8’
  3. Pommer 8’
  4. Oktave 4’
  5. Nachthorn 2’
  6. Mixtur IV  2 2/3’
  7. Posaune 16’
  8. Trompete 8’
    Tremolo