Organs at Matthias Church, Pipe organ in Matthias Church, Budapest, Hungary
The organs at Matthias Church comprise a main organ on the gallery above the west entrance, in front of a medieval-style rose window, and a choir organ on the north gallery of the false transept. The main organ has five manuals and 81 registers; the choir organ, built in 2010, has two manuals and 23 registers.
The first documented instrument dates from 1688, a positive organ donated by Archbishop György Széchényi. A fire in 1723 destroyed its successor; in 1747 the builder Martin made twin organs for this church and the Mária Magdolna church. Franz Joseph gave 50,000 crowns for the 1909 Rieger organ of 77 registers, rebuilt in 1931 and replaced by the 1984 Rieger-Kloss instrument.
The main organ stands on the gallery above the west entrance, in front of a rose window modelled on medieval examples; the choir organ, built in 2010 by the Pécsi Orgonaépítő Manufaktúra, sits on the north gallery of the false transept. Organ concerts are held in the church, and a movable ground-level console allows both instruments to be played together.
The main organ stands on the gallery above the west entrance, in front of a rose window; the choir organ is on the north gallery of the false transept. A movable ground-level console can play both instruments. The 1999 computer system stores 798 combinations, so several concerts' registrations can be saved and recorded.
The main organ's 1999 rebuild added a computer that raised its combination memory from 8 to 798 settings, enough to store the registrations of several complete concerts and save them to disc. The same work added a Spanish trumpet as the 86th register.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,111 contributors worldwide.