As part of the international project “Digitalisation, Networking, and Mediation in the Teaching of International Organ Art” – DVVLIO (Digitalisierung, Vernetzung und Vermittlung in der Lehre der Internationalen Orgelkunst), a recording of important historical pipe organs in our region was conducted between April 12 and April 15, 2023. The DVVLIO project is led by prof. Dr Christoph Bossert from the Würzburg School of Music. The recording was carried out in Slovenia and Croatia under his leadership.
We are pleased to announce that Organistica was involved in the recording project, as the organization and logistics were managed by Luka Posavec and Aleš Razpotnik.
The DVVLIO project of recording the Slovenian historic organs has provided an opportunity for our cultural heritage to raise its profile in the international community.
Luka Posavec
About the DVVLIO project
The DVVLIO project aims to develop a Digital Learning Library DLB (Digitalen Lehrbibliothek) on historical, contemporary, and innovative organs via video, as well as a digital bibliography. The DLB will be available worldwide as a new learning context (e.g. OER/OA) and will allow a significantly more individualised learning process.
The Organ Learning Videos (OLV) feature an analysis of the sound of the instrument through improvisations. The recordings cover individual registers and potential sound combinations. Additionally, the videos include discussions on the historical background, organ-building traditions, organ workshops demonstrations, relevant organ literature, wind supply systems, and interior photographs of the organ.
Approximately 84 learning videos will be newly produced for the DVVLIO project. They will be available on the internet for direct learning.
More about the DVVLIO project >
Letter from Luka Posavec in support of the DVVLIO project >
Filming in Slovenia and Croatia
In Slovenia, prof. Bossert recorded important historical instruments, both acoustically and visually, namely the organs in the following locations:
- Church of the Annunciation in Crngrob (Janez Frančišek Janeček, 1743)
- Ursuline Church of the Holy Trinity in Ljubljana (Franc Goršič, 1891, Op. 56)
- Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Ljubljana (Ivan Milavec, 1911, Op. 26)
Documentary videos showcasing the organs will be released on the project’s YouTube channel in the future.
Photo: Organistica
Photo: Organistica
In addition to the Slovenian organ mentioned above, one of the oldest surviving working mechanical organs in the world, dating from 1649, was recorded in the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lepoglava, Croatia. Luka Posavec presented this information and the DVVLIO project itself at a professional meeting of the Croatian organ experts during the 30th anniversary celebration of organ teaching at the Music School in Varaždin.
Photo: Organistica
The historic organ recording involved experts from Slovenia and Croatia, including Jurij Dobravec, prof. Tomaž Sevšek Šramel, prof. Gregor Klančič, prof. Emin Armano, and Prof. Pavao Mašić.
The visit of prof. Bossert and the DVVLIO project to Slovenia and Croatia has helped to establish a long-term cultural bridge, leading to a better understanding and positioning of the instruments within this cultural space, and thus contributing to the development of organ art in this region.
Luka Posavec
The recording highlighted the artistic and technical value of Slovenia’s organ heritage and the craftsmanship of our ancestors. It provided Slovenian organ culture with a unique opportunity to showcase itself to both national and international audiences.
