In November 2024, a new organ from the Škrabl Workshop was unveiled on the choir of the parish church of St. Lenart in Sostro. This church was built following the earthquake of 1895. The decision to purchase the new organ was made by the parish pastoral council in February 2019, as the old organ had reached the age of 120 years. It was originally created in 1899 and was the 71st work produced by the Zupan Brothers organ workshop located in Kamna Gorica, operated by Ignacij (1853-1915) and Ivan Zupan (1857-1900) from Kropa.
Photo: Kovač Workshop
Before the old organ was dismantled and removed by the Kovač Workshop, it was documented in detail by Luka Posavec and Aleš Razpotnik as part of the Organistica project. Today, the old organ is stored in the Kovač Workshop’s warehouse and requires restoration. Due to its historical significance, the instrument has undergone a thorough professional examination and systematic inventory. The findings from this evaluation will aid in planning future restoration efforts and finding appropriate solutions to return the organ to its original condition.
Individual parts and details of the organ were photodocumented.
Technical documentation included the following measurements:
- basic dimensions of the church, choir, organ case, and console
- tuning and temperature
- wind system
- windchests and the pipes arrangement on the windchests
- the measurements of the pipes and pipe scales
Data and findings
During the dismantling of the organ, Uroš Kovač from the Kovač Workshop uncovered previously unknown information about the instrument, namely:
-On the back of the console’s cover, there is an inscription indicating that on October 10, 1990, the organ was thoroughly cleaned and repaired by Jože and Andrej Kočar from Kamnik. At that time, they also installed a newer electric motor, which is dated July 1990.
Photo: Kovač Workshop
-The concussion bellows in the cis-case shows the original pressure of the organ, measured at 83 mm VS. After dismantling, the bellows were completely cleaned and reweighted to their original specifications. The measurement was taken using an electronic pressure gauge.
-Additionally, under the organ bench, there is an inscription stating that “Ivan Rakovšček, organ pupil, played this organ for the first time on June 11, 1899.”
Photo: Kovač Workshop
-Above the maker’s inscription on the organ console, a less visible date of June 12, 1899, can also be found.
Photo: Kovač Workshop
Uroš Kovač also states the following:
“The Zupan brothers installed the organ in Sostro in 1899, not 1898 as is often mistakenly stated. The year 1898 marks the consecration of the parish church. In a letter to the parish priest, the organ master Ignacij Zupan mentioned that the organ in the church was completed on June 10, 1899. Additionally, I found a clear record on the underside of the organist’s bench, where the organist’s pupil, Ivan Rakovšček, noted that he was the first to play the organ on June 11, 1899. This suggests that June 11, 1899, was likely the day of the organ’s blessing, as it fell on a Sunday.
Škul’s book, “Zupan’s Organ Workshop”, indicates that Zupan’s organ opus 70 (the one preceding the Sostro organ) was blessed on April 16, 1899, and opus 72 (the one following the Sostro organ) was blessed on August 20, 1899. Therefore, June 11, 1899, would indeed correspond to the blessing of the organ in Sostro.
The mistake in citing the year 1898 instead of 1899 seems to have originated from the priest Stanko Premrl in his documentation of the organ. It would be worthwhile to examine Premrl’s notes to determine if he incorrectly recorded the year.”
Regarding the now-defunct organ from Sostro, I would like to point out that, in my opinion, it is the largest single-manual organ made by the Zupan organ workshop. This is not based on the number of registers, but rather on the overall volume of the organ. It stands out because it is housed in two cabinets and is the only one among approximately 100 single-manual organs that features a Principalbass 16′ register in the pedal.
Uroš Kovač, Kovač Workshop
The archdiocesan archives in Ljubljana preserve several letters exchanged between the Zupan organ workshop and the parish of Sostro from 1914, along with later correspondence with the organ builder Anton Dernič in 1919. Additionally, there are documents that provide evidence of subsequent activities related to the Sostro organ.
