From Italy to Värmland: Karlskoga's Unique Italian Baroque Organ

An abandoned, empty organ case was for sale at an antique shop in central Rome. The organ case was in very bad condition: shortened both in height and depth, and damaged by woodworms. Almost all of the metal and wooden pipes were missing except for a few that belonged to the old façade. An antique enthusiast from Bologna bought the organ case as a decorative piece of furniture but also wished to restore the instrument to its original glory. On the new owner’s initiative, the restoration project began in 2006 with a comprehensive documentation and new construction of a replica of the organ as it would have been in 1715: the instrument needed a new wind-chest, bellow, motor, many new parts of the keyboard as well as the mechanics, structure, decoration, organ case and practically all of the pipes but a very few from the façade. The renowned Italian organ building company Inzoli-Bonizzi from Crema reconstructed the whole instrument from scratch and planned to revive the old façade into the new structure.

Many Italian baroque organs that have been preserved in their original or almost original condition can be found at churches and music academies around the world: Lübeck Cathedral, Berlin Cathedral, Marktkirche in Hannover, St.Nikolaus in Rhede, St.Cosmae in Stade, St.Laurentius in Stans, Holy Ghost Church in Bern, Holy Trinity Church in Copenhagen, Sibelius Academy in Helsinki, Berlin University, State University of Music and Performing Arts in Stuttgart, Royal Academy of Music in London, University of Michigan, University of Rochester, Cornell University, Notre-Dame University – to name a few. Sweden is home to many pipe organs in various style but not a single Italian organ in genuine baroque style can be found anywhere in the country – until now! In September 2020, the organ made a long journey from Tuscany to Karlskoga in central Sweden, and was installed in the Forest Chapel (Skogskyrkogårdens kapell) by Samuele Maffucci organ building company from Pistoia, Italy, in October 2020. A musical instrument is classified as historical and culturally valuable when a certain percent of antique materials still remain. This organ, with so many new components and with less than a tenth of the antique materials still remaining, cannot be classified as an authentic historical organ in its original state. However, it is a highly unique instrument in Sweden due to the specific style and tonal character, as well as a fantastic resource for teaching and research.

This instrument was built in 1715 by Giuseppe de Martino, one of the most important names during the baroque period of organ building in Naples. The signature of the organ’s builder has been founded behind the keyboard and was probably moved there before the largest part of the wind-chest went lost. Giuseppe de Martino (unknown date of birth, died sometime after year 1726) was the official organ builder at the Royal Chapel in Naples (1686-1722) and the Royal Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro (1688-1722) in the Cathedral of Naples. De Martino’s prestigious title as the Royal Chapel’s organ builder brought him into contact with some of the leading names in Neapolitan church music: Francesco Provenzale (1632-1704), Alessandro (1660-1725) and Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757), Nicola Fago (1677-1745), Francesco Mancini (1672-1737) to name a few. His work as an organ and harpsichord builder is documented from 1690 to 1720. His son Tomaso (?-after 1757, some documents refer to his as Giuseppe’s brother) succeeded him as a royal organ builder 1726-1736 and Tomaso’s son, Domenico (?-?), continued the family tradition of organ building. Some of the most important organs built by Giuseppe de Martino include Annunziata Basilica in Gaeta (1685), Montecassino Abbey (1710), Santa Caterina a Formiello in Naples (1718, the only organ signed by Giuseppe de Martino in Naples) and Madonna della Libera in Villa Torre (1721, rebuilt by Domenico Antonio Rossi in 1783).

The chapel at the Royal Palace in Naples was built in 1640 by the architect Francesco Antonio Picchiatti (1617-1694). The chapel had a rich music scene and the Cappella Musicale – a music ensemble of professional musicians and cantors, including the famous castrato singer Farinelli (1705-1782) – performed church music led or played by some of the most famous organists and composers in Naples, including Jean de Macque (c.1548-1614), Ascanio Mayone (ca.1565-1627), Giovanni Maria Trabaci (1575-1647), Gregorio Strozzi (ca.1615-1692) and one of the most significant musicians was Alessandro Scarlatti who was maestro di cappella between 1684 and 1725. His son Domenico became the organist at the Royal Chapel in 1701.

Neapolitan baroque organs have small and compact structures, between five and ten different stops, one single manual with 45-50 notes and are often without pedalboard. The sound is rich and light, built over the harmonious overtone series of the Principale family, called Ripieno. The repertoire includes all the Italian composers from the 15th to the late 18th century and also many other European composers from the same period. This instrument complements the organ landscape of Karlskoga Parish and is used for church services, concerts, courses and masterclasses held all year around.

The inauguration of the organ at Skogskyrkogårdens Chapel was delayed for one year because of the pandemic. On Saturday September 4th 2021 the organ was inaugurated with a service and concert where the Swedish soprano Åsa Olsson sung sacred compositions from the early Baroque Italian repertoire accompanied by me at the organ. In the same occasion, a painted crucifix made by the pastor Pernilla Rosin (copy of the 12th century San Damiano's Cross from Assisi) was blessed and placed above the main altar. This exceptional instrument has made it possible to establish an organ academy that organizes concerts and courses about early music for church musicians and organists that wish to learn more about the early repertoire. As the founder and artistic director of Karlskoga Organ Academy, I regularly give masterclasses about Italian music and I invite guest teachers to give classes about European repertoire, such as Hans Fagius (Sweelinck, 2021) and Joel Speerstra (Froberger, 2021). 

The organ has a single manual with 45 keys (C-c3) with short octave without pedalboard. The temperament is ¼-comma Meantone and the pitch is A=435Hz. The pressure is 50mm and the organ case is closed by two painted doors. The disposition is as following:

Principale 8, Ottava 4, XV, XIX, XXII, XXVI, Tirapieno.

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