EN The Organ in the Basilica at Vyšehrad

Although a pipe organ is a large musical instrument, it can be operated by a single person. The sound of organ is produced by driving pressurized air (called wind) through metal or wooden organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ranks. Each of them has a common timbre and volume throughout the keyboard compass. Most organs have many ranks of pipes of differing timbre, pitch, and volume that the player can employ singly or in combination through the use of controls called organ stops.

The organ in the basilica has three keyboards (manuals) played by the hands, and a pedal clavier played by the feet; each keyboard controls its own division, or group of stops. The keyboards, pedalboard, and stops are housed in the organ's console.

In the final phase of the basilica’s reconstruction, a large organ was installed in the organ loft above the entrance to the basilica. The organ was completed in 1903 by the Paštika brothers company. The organ spans the width of the entire loft. The decoration of this music instrument corresponds to the overall concept of the reconstruction of the church.

The Vyšehrad organ has about 2.500 pipes arranged in 49 organ stops and controlled by three manuals and a pedal. It is one of the most beautiful organs from the Romantic period on the territory of the Czech Republic.

Full list of organ stops (in Czech).

Spojky: I/P, II/P, III/P, II/I, III/I, III/II, III/I 4´, II/I 4´,  III/I 16´,  III/ II 16´

Pevné kombinace:

PP, P, MF, F, FF, PL,

Tutti II.man., Tutti III.man,

Piano Pedál, Mezzoforte Pedál

Crescendový válec

Photo: Roman Albrecht, Člověk a víra (Man and Faith).

Tomáš Tůma