Aldo J. Baggia
George Sand, one of the most prolific French writers in the 19th century, toured Switzerland in the company of Franz Liszt in 1836. She described their visit to the Cathedral in Fribourg in her "Lettres d'un Voyageur."1 Sand begins by writing that they had entered in order to hear the "most beautiful organ that had been built up to that point."2 She describes the magical impression that this instrument had on Liszt. Aloys Mooser, the builder, was apparently there when she and Liszt entered, and yet he kept his distance and observed everything with a somber and distrusting look. The organist of the Cathedral, who is not mentioned by name but who undoubtedly must have been Jacques Vogt, titulaire at the time, gave an example of what in French is referred to as the orage or storm. Sand describes his using his feet and hands, his elbow, his fist and she believed even his knees to give the impression of a complete storm: i.e., rain, wind, hail, distant shouts, dogs in distress, the pleading of a traveler, disaster in the chalet, the whimpering of frightened children, the ringing of the bells of lost cows, the roar of lightning, the buckling of the pine trees and finally the devastation of potatoes.3
She goes on to indicate the marvelous feeling she had when the great Liszt put his hands on the manuals and played a fragment of Mozart's "Dies Irae." It was at this point that they understood the superiority of this organ to all the others they had heard. They had earlier gone to Bulle, a town between Fribourg and Gruyere, to hear the organ of St. Pierre-aux-Liens, an instrument also built by Mooser. They were charmed by its sounds, but found the organ at Fribourg to be an improvement and to have unique qualities. Sand had the feeling that Liszt was transfixed in some sort of mystical and religious sadness that made the words "quantus tremor" stand out.4
This masterpiece of organ building is still to be found in the Cathedral of Saint-Nicolas in the city of Fribourg. This organ (IV/61), built over the span of ten years (1824-34), made Aloys Mooser (1770-1839) internationally famous. In effect, his reputation is based primarily on the attributes of this one instrument, even though he produced others in Switzerland that have had a great deal of success. Mooser is recognized in the field as one of the great European organ builders of the nineteenth century, and yet seasoned organ aficionados might not recognize his status because he never profited from publicity, as did other great organ builders such as Arp Schnitger, Gott-fried Silbermann, Friedrich Ladegast and Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.
The identification of this organ with the concept of storm (orage or Orgelgewitter in German), is quite fascinating. One gets the sense of this by listening to the recording that the current titulaire, François Seydoux, made in 1991.5 The last piece on the recording is Jacques Vogt's "Scène champêtre--Orage" in a version by Paul Haas. It develops in a fashion that shows the fire and power of the orage and lasts some thirteen minutes. Vogt's version represented some fragments, and Haas was able to put everything together to form a total piece. Sand had the impression that, insofar as Mooser was concerned, "the storm, it would seem, is his ideal"(l'orage est, à ce qu'il paraît, son idéal).6 She further went on to write that with respect to special ideas, "the good fellow has his bit of madness" (le brave homme a son grain de folie).7
One has to question why the storm would be more associated with the organ in Fribourg, as though that instrument had a particular stop called "Orage." It is noteworthy that there were those who actually believed that the organ had a stop marked "Foudre" (lightning).8 Vogt felt that any organist could produce the same illusion because such a stop did not exist, but "these are effects that an organist can produce on any organ with a 32' or even a 16' stop" (ce sont des effets qu'un organiste peut produire sur chaque orgue de 32 ou même de 16).9 The general description of the organ, by countless visitors in the nineteenth century, was that it was a most "beautiful" instrument.10 Jane Miriam Crane compared the organ at Fribourg to that of the Hofkirche of St. Leodegar in Lucerne, which had also produced the storm effect. She wrote:
But, to go back to the organ [of Fribourg; yes, it was thrilling and singular in effect. A fugue of Bach's [!], and then that delicious minuet in Handel's Samson was succeeded by the "The Invocation." In this the "vox humana" seems to accompany in most human tones. I never heard anything that so gave me the idea of ceaseless, pitying intercession, pleading with depth of love that would not be denied. Ah! one hardly fathoms that Jesus is ever living, is ever interceding. The "Tempest" was very curious, but not quite so delusive as at Lucerne, where I involuntarily said, "it really is raining!" and we both preferred the distant chords and voices singing a hymn tune after the lightning and thunder. But both the organ and organist at Fribourg seemed infinitely superior to those at Lucerne.11
It is clear that the beauty of the configuration and the sounds produced in a cathedral of warm and spacious acoustics really tell the story of the organ at Fribourg and what Mooser represented as an organ builder.
Seydoux points out in the liner notes of his CD that among Mooser's most famous organs are those of St. Pierre-aux-Liens of Bulle (Canton of Fribourg), the Heiliggeistkirche of Bern, and the Collégiale of Estavayer-le-Lac. The last, a picturesque medieval town in the Canton of Fribourg, stands on the perimeter of the canton, directly on the southern shore of the Lac de Neuch?¢tel. While the organ at Fribourg has been considered Mooser's magnum opus, it is interesting to note that Mooser worked in these cities which are in close proximity to one another. Fribourg (Freiburg in German) is the capital of the Canton of Fribourg and is known for its Catholic University. Although primarily a French-speaking area, it is, in fact, bilingual; German is used freely in the city as well as for many masses at the Cathedral.
Mooser's native language was German and he was a native of the area, beginning his studies in the fields of cabinet making, organ and fortepiano building as a teen-ager with his father, Joseph Anton. At age eighteen he went to Strasbourg to study with one of the Silbermann brothers of the Andreas Silbermann wing of the family, and then continued his studies in Mannheim and Cologne in Germany. He studied piano building with the famous Anton Walter in Vienna before returning to Fribourg to make his mark locally. With his reputation assured, he was invited by the French piano builder, Erard, to join him in Paris to work with him, and Felix Mendelssohn himself had expressed great interest in his piano-building abilities. Erard was willing to offer Mooser a very good salary but on one condition: all pianos from his factory would bear Erard's name and none would have Mooser's, even if he were the actual builder.12 This may explain why Mooser took up his task as an organ-builder in Fribourg instead and remained in the area until his death.
Louis Veuillot, the author of Pélerinages de Suisse felt that Mooser did not have the good luck to have the right person with him who would be able to show off the great qualities of his instrument.13 One of the messages that comes through in reading about Mooser is that he was such a perfectionist that he was never truly satisfied with any of his work. He received offers to build organs in other countries, but like Gottfried Silbermann, he stayed close to home and about a third of his total of some thirty instruments are in Fribourg itself.
François Seydoux, the organist at the Cathedral since 1983, has written a monumental work on Mooser which earned him a doctorate from the University of Fribourg. It was written under the mentorship of Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini and presented in 1984, with the current edition having been published in 1996. The first two volumes of text are massive, running to some 1600 pages, and give minute details on all of the organs that Mooser built as well as interesting information on his background and character. The third volume contains a very complete gallery of photographs, including close-ups of pipes, consoles, details of casework, complete casings, the interior of divisions, and windchests as well as some of the pianos that have been attributed to Mooser. The dissertation itself is a fitting reflection of this bilingual area in Switzerland, given the title, Der Orgelbauer Aloys Mooser (1770-1839), and the fact that most of it is written in German, with a good part of the text in French because of the documents presented.
In volume II of his book (Anmerkungsband), Seydoux quotes various visitors, including English and American writers, who have commented on the organ of St. Nicolas, all using similar terms of praise: "It is one of the finest organs in Europe;" "one of the best in Europe;" "one of the finest in Europe;" "one of the finest in the world;" "said to be the finest-toned instrument in Europe," etc.14 French commentary was just as effusive. Again George Sand was quoted as writing, "Mooser is not happy with his work and he is wrong. I swear that if he has not yet achieved perfection, he has made something that represents the most perfect of its genre." And Louis Veuillot (Pèlerinages de Suisse) wrote in 1839 that "It is an organ, the largest, the most beautiful that has probably been made in the entire world, and the strange thing about it, it is completely new."15 It was compared to the famous Christian Müler organ of St. Bavo's in Haarlem by several writers; Elizabeth Strutt wrote: "It (the organ) is larger than that at Haarlem, and is said, by those who have heard both, fully to equal it in power and sweetness of tone."16
Mooser's work at Bulle, Bern, and Estavayer-le-Lac
Let us now look at more indications of the value of Mooser's work by looking at the organs at Bulle, Bern (Heiliggeistkirche) and Estavayer-le-Lac. Originally all of these organs were instruments of two manuals with about twenty stops, but much work was done, here and there, from the time of their original dates of installation. At some point, a decision was made to pay closer attention to Mooser's original ideas. This was in keeping with the spirit of the Organ Reform movement (Orgelbewegung) which took place in the first part of the twentieth century and which encouraged restorations of many organs that had undergone a variety of rebuilds and tonal changes over the years. Here we are talking about three early nineteenth-century organs that stressed paying attention to the original specifications and Mooser's ideas with respect to pipe making in order to preserve their initial tonal qualities.
The organ of St. Pierre-aux-Liens at Bulle is an interesting case of a very successful restoration which undid the rebuilding that enlarged the organ by Goll (III/48) in 1932 and the further modifications that were done by Ziegler of Geneva in 1946-48.17 At its installation in 1814 it was an instrument of 28 stops on two manuals, and Hans Füglister did a thorough restoration in 1976. Studies were done on the construction of the pipes of organs that Mooser had built at Montorge and Riedisheim (Alsace) in order to fashion the pipes at Bulle in Mooser's manner.18 Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini points out in his report on the restoration that the case and the fa?ßade are not mere decorative parts of the organ, but that they "express visually the architectural sound of the instrument; one can therefore 'read' the essential lines of the sonic composition desired by Mooser . . ." (expriment visuellement l'architecture sonore de l'instrument; on peut donc y "lire" les lignes essentielles de la composition sonore voulue par Mooser . . .).19 At the end of his report, he adds that, in his opinion, Füglister's restoration not only was successfully done but that it makes the organ at Bulle one of the best in the entire canton, when one takes into consideration questions of artistic, musical and historical value.20
The organ at the Heiliggeistkirche in Bern has also undergone many rebuilds. Over fifty years after Mooser's work in 1806, a church committee--one that underwrote a report on the five city churches--reported that the organ had been cleaned and improved by the organ builder, Haas, in 1858 and, at that time, it was considered the second best, after that of the Cathedral in the city.21 The original placement in the back of the chancel was not the best, and this proved to be a problem during the history of the organ, even though there was an indication in what is referred to as the "Etrennes" of 1810 that the " . . . organ that he (Mooser) has made for the new temple in Bern is a chef-d'oeuvre. Merely describing it would be in vain; one needs to hear it to have an idea of what it is all about. One has to examine it personally piece by piece in order to recognize its merits."22 Goll had worked on the instrument in 1899 and Sarmenstorf from Aargau had done a rebuild in 1934, after which it was clear that little of Mooser's work remained, and naturally this remained true by the time the organ was replaced by Metzler of Zürich-Dietikon in 1980. It is still a very handsome-looking instrument and, thanks to it, choral music plays a major role in the work of the church.
The Collegiate Church of Saint-Laurent in Estavayer-le-Lac is a jewel of gothic architecture, the construction of which goes back to the 14th century. The organ gallery was enlarged at the time of the installation of the Mooser organ in 1811, and the case was made to show the stained-glass window that is directly behind it, as indicated in the photograph of the organ, although the back wall is not the original one. Originally an organ of twenty-two stops, it has undergone numerous rebuilds and attempts at restoration, the last of which was done in 1992 by the firm of Ayer & Morel from Vauderens (Canton of Fribourg). Dr. Seydoux expressed some reservations about the total success of the restoration. Nine stops were added to a case that was built to hold twenty-two; also many of the original parts of the organ were not integrated into the work that was done.23 Nonetheless, it stands impressively in the gallery and is certainly worth a visit.
Organs near Fribourg
Switzerland has a history of some of the best known organ builders in the world and as a corollary to the information on Mooser's work, it is worthwhile to look at a few other substantial instruments in the immediate vicinity of Fribourg. The Cantons of Bern and Vaud have two of the most elaborately appointed organs of the last few years and both were produced by Orgelbau Kuhn of Männedorf. The organ of the Berner Münster had its beginnings in 1726 from the organ builder Leonhard Leu, and today's organ retains a great part of the main case, including the entire set of the original display pipes.24 Dr. Friedrich Jakob of the Kuhn company points out that the Organ Reform should not be ignored insofar as the action is concerned, but that modern technology can provide a specially developed pneumatic control that serves the purpose of the old Barker lever. The Rückpositif was part of the organ in 1930, but it was felt that it was not really necessary to have a separate division and that the traits of the Rückpositif could be incorporated into the other divisions. The imposing instrument, IV/71, is capable of playing the entire gamut of the repertoire, and a recording made in 2000 shows off the grand acoustics and the organ's resources. The Cathedral itself is a magnificent structure, towering over the center of the city, and adds much character to the old town.
The organ at Saint-François, Lausanne
Offering a bit of a contrast would be the organ of lÉglise de Saint-François in Lausanne (Canton of Vaud), which is larger and more oriented towards the romantic and French repertoire. This organ, originally installed by Samson Scherrer, a Swiss organ builder who had built organs in France for some fifteen years before undertaking this job, was a somewhat modest instrument of 22 stops. Nearly a century later, the organ was replaced by Walcker (1866) and later enlarged by the same builder in 1880. The Kuhn company began to make modifications in 1906, and when a major restoration of the church was done in 1990, the city of Lausanne had the foresight to have the entire instrument rebuilt, preserving as many pipes as possible from Scherrer, Walcker and Kuhn's earlier work. The Rückpositif had not been used for years, but the case and pipes were kept because of their beauty; this was authentically reactivated and added a great deal in giving back to the organ its original character, even though the first organ was much smaller. The organ that Kuhn installed in 1995, V/75, with some 5,346 pipes, represented the largest organ in the French-speaking part of Switzerland prior to the installation last year of the C. B. Fisk Opus 120 (V/100, 6,737 pipes) in the Cathedral of Lausanne. The Kuhn instrument certainly does justice to the major works of the romantic period. Olivier Vernet will be recording all of Liszt's works on this organ, and to hear the first volume is quite an experience. He does the usual big pieces, and the power and majesty of Ad nos, ad salutarem undam give a sound that one would expect from Cavaillé-Coll's work. The Kuhn company's new form of pneumatic assistance is used to make the action less heavy, and the prominent case stands grandly in the gallery. It is quite a sight and the photograph gives a good sense of its grandeur.25
Organs at Romainmôtier and Neuchâtel
Nearby are two organs of great importance. The instrument at Romainmôtier, installed in 1972 by the builders Neidhart and Lhote, represented a major installation for the abbey church. The tiny town is dominated by the magnificent monastery church at the Abbey St. Pierre et St. Paul that was built in the 10th-11th centuries and reconstructed in the 12th-14th centuries. It is one of the oldest and most significant church buildings in the entire country.26 There have been a number of organs in the church over the years, but the present one, IV/35, with a wonderful acoustical atmosphere, presents a sound that is very satisfying. Joseph Neidhart and Georges Lhote located their workshop in Saint-Martin (canton of Neuchatel). It is interesting to note that the organ of the Collégiale of Neuchatel, IV/39, is listed as having been built by the Manufacture d'Orgues de Saint-Martin SA (NE). It was built in 1996 and has a splendid case which enhances its beauty. Dr. Seydoux indicated to me that, indeed, the current Manufacture d'Orgues de Saint-Martin SA (NE) is a continuation of the Neidhart and Lhote company of Saint-Martin. There is a difference of twenty-four years in the building of these organs, and yet it is fascinating to see how much they have in common insofar as their sound capabilities are concerned. Guy Bovet, who made a recording at Romainmôtier and is the current organist of the Collégiale, participated in a number of dedicatory concerts there in 1996.
The organ at Romainmôtier is capable of playing the entire repertoire and it goes without saying that it profits from the magnificent acoustics of the ancient abbey church. To hear music by Guilain, Bach, Brahms, and Mendelssohn (Sonata No. 2) proved to be a most positive experience and the town, with the abbey church in the center, is an absolute gem. The organ of the Collégiale of Neuchâtel has similar specifications, except that the instrument is larger. The Collégiale, the size of a cathedral, stands at the very top of the city center and has a magnificent view of the Neuchâtel Lake.
The western part of Switzerland offers the visitor a great deal in terms of lake views and well preserved medieval towns; organ tourists, though, will find any trip enhanced when, like George Sand, they wander into St. Nicolas to hear the Mooser organ played or join the stream of summer guests listening to the series at Romainmôtier.
