Zireč organ - Vzkříšené varhany

Žireč - varhany / zvonkohra

Church of St. Anne

Organ

The two-manual mechanical drawer instrument was built by Johann Antonín Barth in 1829 from Dolní Olešnice into older organ cases.

In 1906 the instrument was modified by Josef Kobrle from Lomnice nad Popelkou. He removed all the mixed aliquot rows and made modifications to the playing table. The instrument deteriorated over time and by the beginning of the 21st century it was already in a state of disrepair. In 2010, the organ builder Dalibor Michek began restoration work with a budget of almost CZK 5,000,000. The surface treatment was restored by the restorer Hana Vítová for CZK 1 066 020. The restoration of the instrument was completed in 2020. The exemplary restored instrument thus became one of the few still functional opuses of organist J. A. Barth.

Subsidies Hradec Králové Region
CZK 3 008 000

Total organ repair budget
7 033 770 CZK

Manual I (C – f3, 54)

Majorbas 16´
Principal 8´
Bordunflaut 8´
Octava 4´
Dulciana 4´
Quint 3´
Superconstruct 2´
Rauschquint
Mixtura
Harpsichord

II. manual (C – f3, 54)

Copl Major 8´
Prinzipal 4´
Copl Minor 4´
Octave 2´

Pedal (C – a, 18)

Subbas 16´
Portuna8´
Quinta 6´
Octav 4´

manual clutch

J. K. Kuchař – Fantasy in D minor

Chimes

The chimes were built by the German organ builder Johan Michael Roeder in 1732. It was originally owned by Count F. A. Sporck in Kuks and the count allegedly gave it to the Jesuits of Zireč as a peace offering. At that time Sporck was in a court dispute with the Jesuits over the construction of the Stations of the Cross from Zirc and Calvary near the borders of the New Forest, which the Jesuits undertook to build but delayed. The chimes in Zirc are interesting in that they combine the principle of a small chime, where the manual part is controlled by a classical keyboard, and a large chime, which is controlled by a pedal chime. It is therefore a percussion instrument, but it is played practically like an organ. The instrument is almost 3 metres high and has a total of 48 metal plates in the manual part and 24 bells in the pedal part. However, we do not know for what purpose the chimes were used. It was probably used in theatre and opera performances or just for entertainment.

The instrument in Žirč was restored in 2008 in the studio of the Czech Museum of Music in Prague. The mechanical part was restored by Miroslav Kostun, the surface finish was restored by Marek Scheib and the missing bells (11 pieces in total) were made by the bell maker Rudolf Manoušek.

The Žireč wind chime is unique in the world and no similar instrument is known to have survived anywhere.

J. Haydn – Flotenuhr No. 3

J. Haydn – Flotenuhr No. 4

J. Haydn – Flotenuhr No. 10

J. Haydn – Flotenuhr No. 11

J. Haydn – Flotenuhr No. 12