Carl Hesse style  Organ from Zalaegerszeg (Hungary)

The Mary Magdalene parish church was built between 1747-1757. The huge, single-nave church is one of the most important buildings of the Hungarian Baroque. The frescoes of the church were made by the Viennese painter Johann Ignaz Cimbal. The parish priest of the church was József Mindszenty, Cardinal of Hungary, who suffered communist persecution.

The church's first organ was an 8-register baroque positive, built in 1764 by Johann Roth, a master organ maker from Sopron. This organ turned out to be too small for the huge church. The new organ was made in 1865 by Carl Hesse, a famous master organ builder from Vienna. This organ is two-manual and pedal-operated, with 26 registers. This organ served the liturgy for almost 100 years, but in II. it was irreparably damaged in World War II. The construction of a three-manual, 47-register Angster organ was planned, but this plan was thwarted by the communist takeover. A small harmonium was used, and a 9-register organ was made in 1956 from the remaining parts of the Carl Hesse organ. A small harmonium was used, and a 9-register organ was made in 1956 from the remaining parts of the Carl Hesse organ. From the 1960s, the 2-manual, 16-register Angster organ of the Zalaegerszeg synagogue, built in 1904, was used in the church. (The city's Jewish community of several thousand was deported in 1944 and exterminated in Auschwitz.) This organ required constant repairs, so it was sold and an electric organ was used from 1998. Finally, a new organ was built in the church by 2022. This two-manual mechanical instrument with 38 registers and three auxiliary registers (Tambur, Nachtigall, Zilbelstern) was built by the Pécs Organ Manufactory, based on the designs of Judit Hajdók. The organ was built in the style of Carl Hesse, paying tribute to the memory of the great Viennese organ builder, with the aim of restoring the wonderful sound of the church's Carl Hesse organ.

I owe special thanks to my friend Dezső Papp, cantor from Zalalövő. He obtained the permission to record the organ in Egerszeg, and I owe it to his intervention to obtain the permission for all my samples from Vas County and Zala County. Without his help, 2/3 of my samples could not have been made.

The following friends helped me to make and publish the sample set (in alphabetical order): Dominique Dantand, Gérard Lefranc, Nagy István and Jean-Pierre Silvestre. If something's done well, it's thanks to them. Thank you for their work. 

How do you configure the four-channel surround mode? 

Pedal  (original and virtual 30 keys) - 9 stops Principalbass 16’, Violon 16’, Subbass 16', Nasardt 10 2/3’, Principalbass 8’, Cello 8’, Octavbass 4’ Posaune 16’, Trompete 8’

I. Hauptwerk (original and virtual 58 keys) – 13 stops Bourdon 16', Principal 8’, Salicional 8', Hohfloete 8’, Gedackt 8',  Octav 4', Nachthorn 4', Flauto 4', Tercia 3 1/4', Superoctav 2', Cornett 3f, Mixtura 2' 4f, Trompete 8’

II. Schwell (original and virtual 58 keys) – 16 stops Geigen principal 8’, Viola di Gamba 8’, Flauta traversa 8’, Lieblich Gedackt 8’, Unda Maris 8’, Octav 4’, Fugara 4’, Flauto 4’, Flauto 2 2/3’, Violini 2’, Terz 1 3/5’, Quinta 1 1/3’, Octavina 1’ Fagott 16’, Fagott-Oboe 8’, Clarinet 8’

Auxiliary registers Tambur, Nachtigall, Zimbelstern

Couplers original: I/P, II/P, II/I virtual extension: II sub, II II super, II uni off Tremulant Original: II Extension: I Enclosure original: II

Playing Dominique Dantand, Nagy István, and Jean-Pierre Silvestre