{"id":1963,"date":"2023-09-15T12:00:02","date_gmt":"2023-09-15T12:00:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/test.mihaomejc.com\/organistica\/decision-to-restore-the-gorsic-pipe-organ-in-the-church-of-st-michael-in-menges\/"},"modified":"2025-01-29T13:14:04","modified_gmt":"2025-01-29T13:14:04","slug":"decision-to-restore-the-gorsic-pipe-organ-in-the-church-of-st-michael-in-menges","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/organistica.si\/en\/decision-to-restore-the-gorsic-pipe-organ-in-the-church-of-st-michael-in-menges\/","title":{"rendered":"Decision to Restore the Gor\u0161i\u010d Pipe Organ in the Church of St. Michael in Menge\u0161"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Gor\u0161i\u010d organ (Op. 54, 1890) in St. Michael’s Church in Menge\u0161 has been left with its imprint for many decades. Let’s take a look at the most acute wear and damage.<\/p>\n

Due to the heating of the church by blowing heated air into the nave, and from there directly onto the choir, the wooden parts of the organ have dried out over the years. The windchests (the wooden channels that bring air or breath to the pipes) have cracked so that when the keys are pressed, the adjacent pipes also sound.<\/p>\n

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Organ in the church of St. Michael in Menge\u0161 (Franc Gor\u0161i\u010d, Op. 54, 1890)
Photo: Uro\u0161 Urbanija<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Major problems were encountered when changes in temperature and humidity caused the wooden parts of the mechanics and windchests to shrink. The organ would then ‘creak’, ‘whistle’, individual keys would jam, individual valves would not close, and unintended tones would be produced. Some register valves did not seal effectively, causing individual registers to sound when not activated. The cones that opened the air inlet to the pipes were unevenly adjusted, causing the pipes to sound off. The leather on the bellows was in poor condition and had been cracked several times, so it leaked a lot of air. During full organ play, the sound was unstable because of a lack of breath. The mechanical trackers (the connections between the keys and the pipe valves) had been damaged and repaired several times. The wooden pipes were infested by wood pests and had poor voicing, unstable tone and even non-functioning pipes.<\/p>\n

All of these and other deficiencies proved that the organ could no longer be mechanically adjusted properly, nor could it be tuned well. The major problems were solved by a technician, who was able to fix the most troublesome faults (e.g. the whistling of individual pipes, the jamming of keys and stops) only temporarily.<\/p>\n

The decision on the organ restoration<\/h2>\n

The decision to undertake a general restoration of the organ was made. In 2021, parish priest Marko Ko\u0161ir appointed an organ restoration committee, which examined several comparable organs and consulted with organ experts. The parish organ restoration committee engaged the Organistica experts to participate in a project to study the organ heritage of master Franc Gor\u0161i\u010d.<\/p>\n

The Menge\u0161 organ is an important cultural, technical and historical monument that should be preserved in its original state for future generations. Especially since there are not many original Gor\u0161i\u010d instruments left. Modifications and upgrades of such an instrument would mean the death of a cultural heritage treasure.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It was decided to restore the organ to its original condition with the Mo\u010dnik Organ Workshop from Cerklje na Gorenjskem entrusted with the restoration project.<\/p>\n

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Interior of the organ console in the church of St. Michael in Menge\u0161 (Franc Gor\u0161i\u010d, Op. 54, 1890)
Photo: Uro\u0161 Urbanija<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Preparations for renovation<\/h2>\n

In order to present the cultural and historical significance of the Gor\u0161i\u010d organ in Menge\u0161 to the public, the parish organ restoration committee organised several events for the general public in April 2023, namely:<\/p>\n