Martin M. Miles' photos with the keyword: organ

In the "Chronicon Moissiacense" 806 the place Halle is mentioned for the first time as "Halla". In 968, Otto I founded the Archdiocese of Magdeburg, to which Halle belonged until 1680. Around 1120 the city was extensively expanded. This was possible due to the increasing salt trade and the wealth associated with it. Initially, this was managed by archbishops. From the end of the 12th century the Guild of the Panners (salt makers) was formed. This gave rise to a self-confident bourgeoisie, which concluded a contract with Archbishop Rupert of Magdeburg in 1263, according to which the archbishop was not permitted to build any castles within a mile radius. The Panners determined the politics of the city for centuries. Halle was first mentioned in a document in 1281 as a member of the Hanseatic League, and in 1310 the city's self-government was contractually recorded. In 1341 the construction of a strong tower between the scales and the town hall began, which was used until 1835 to securely accommodate the city's privileges. In 1478 ended the approximately 200-year city independence. In 1484, Archbishop Ernst II (1464–1513) had Moritzburg Castle built as a fortified residential palace in the north-west corner of the city and ceremoniously moved into it in 1503. It was actually supposed to be a stronghold against Halle's self-confident citizens, the salt workers. Until 1680, Halle was the capital and residence of the Archdiocese of Magdeburg. The market church was built between 1529 and 1554 on the site of two previous churches St. Gertrud and St. Maria. The church of St. Gertrud in the west dates from the 11th century and was the church of the salt makers, the Marienkirche in the east dates from the 12th century and was the parish church of merchants and craftsmen. Only the four towers of these churches survived. In between, the new church was erected and in 1537 (still unfinished) consecrated. Justus Jonas, who officially introduced the Reformation in Halle in 1541, preached from this pulpit. Luther himself preached three times in the Marktkirche in 1545 and 1546. The church was badly damaged in the air raid in March 1945. Part of the vault collapsed. Artillery shelling in 1945 broke out the tracery window on the west front. The restoration work lasted until 1948. A necessary general renovation took place after 1967 when the interior and the furnishings were severely damaged by a burst district heating pipe. It was decided to restore the appearance of the 16th century as much as possible. The wooden winged altar from 1529 was commissioned by Bishop Albrecht of Brandenburg and designed by Lucas Cranach the Elder. Cranach's student Simon Franck created it. It has four moveable wings and two fixed wings. The predella below shows the Fourteen Holy Helpers, seven each to the left and seven to the right of Mary. The organ above was built by organ builder Georg Reichel in 1663-1664. The young Georg Friedrich Handel learned to play the organ on this organ.

Colonia Copia Claudia Augusta Lugdunum (now Lyon) was an important Roman city in Gaul. It was the capital of the Roman province of Gallia Lugdunensis. The Christianization took place very early. In 177, the Christian community sent a letter naming 48 of their number who had been martyred. In 843 it was ceded to Lorraine and then passed to the Kingdom of Burgundy, whose dominion was entrusted to the Archbishop of Lyon by Frederick Barbarossa in 1157. In 1312 Philip the Fair incorporated Lyon into the kingdom of France. Lyon was the scene of an urban revolt in 1436 when Charles VII increased taxation. The uprising, mainly of small merchants, lasted a total of two months. During the reign of Louis XI. Four fairs were set up, attracting merchants from all over Europe, especially Italy. Lyon became an important center for the spice trade and, more importantly, the silk trade after François I granted the weaving rights, which until then had been an Italian monopoly. Florentine immigrants also made Lyon a financial center for banking and insurance. - It is often said that the most beautiful cities are located on rivers. Lyon is situated on two rivers, the Rhone and the Saone, which meet in the south of the city. - The Lyon Cathedral was begun in 1180 on the ruins of a 6th-century church and completed in 1476. In 1245, the church hosted the First Council of Lyon, where the Pope declared Emperor Frederick II deposed. In 1274, the Second Council of Lyon was held in the cathedral, mainly to discuss the union of the Catholic Church with the Greek Orthodox. On August 17, 1316, John XXII was elected pope in the cathedral. He was the second of the Avignon popes. In 1562 the church was devastated by Calvinist Huguenots. In 1600 the cathedral was the scene of the marriage between King Henry IV and Mary de Medici. The facade from the 14th and 15th centuries is influenced by the flamboyant Gothic style. Episodes from the Old and New Testaments are told in 300 picture panels. Here, however, a very musical mermaid plays an organ.

Riga is the capital of Latvia. With a population of more than 600.000 about a third of all Latvians live here. A settlement of the Finno-Ugric Livs existed on the bank of the Düna. At the end of the 12th century, merchants from Gotland came to trade here. Albert von Buxthoeven, a fierce missionary, was the first bishop in Riga from 1201 to 1229. Riga developed as the hub of Russian trade and the starting point of the German colonization of the Baltic. The merchants who settled here after the subjugation of the surrounding peoples rapidly gained influence. In 1225, they were able to elect the city bailiff themselves, when the City Council existed already. After the Reformation, the power of the archbishops came to an end. After the outbreak of the Livonian War in 1558 the city favoured the status of a free imperial city of the Holy Roman Empire. It was only when the imperial support failed to materialize that the renewed advance of Russian armies led the city to pay homage to Poland's King Stephen Báthory in 1581, who in return confirmed the city's traditional freedoms and privileges. The 40-year Polish-Lithuanian rule, under which the citizens of Riga successfully resisted anti-Reformation efforts ended with the conquest of the city by Gustav II Adolf of Sweden in 1621. The Swedish crown treated Riga by its rank as the second-largest city in the kingdom and had it lavishly fortified. During the Russo-Swedish War (1656-1658), Riga withstood the Russian siege and maintained its position as one of the most important cities in Sweden until the beginning of the 18th century. During this period the city enjoyed extensive self-government. Rīgas Doms (Riga Cathedral) was built at the instigation of the first bishop of Riga, Albert von Buxthoeven. The church replaced Riga's first cathedral, a wooden building within the Riga city walls, which was destroyed in a fire in 1215. For more than 300 years, the cathedral was the cathedral of the Riga diocese. Originally, the church stood on a small elevation outside the city walls. Due to several reconstructions, the original shape of the church is hardly recognisable today. The archbishop's position in the city was weakened when the citizens turned to the Reformation and Wolter von Plettenberg, the Teutonic Order's landmaster in Livonia, certified Riga as a Lutheran confession in 1525. With the disintegration of Old Livonia in the Livonian War of 1561, the first Catholic archbishopric of Riga also fell in 1563. From then on, the cathedral served the (German-speaking) Evangelical Lutheran congregation. From 1959 to 1962, the cathedral served as a concert hall. In 1882/1883 the organ builder Walcker from Ludwigsburg built the present organ with 6,718 pipes and 116 stops on 4 manuals and pedal. It was at that time the largest in the world. The opulent early Baroque facade of the predecessor instrument was preserved.

The construction of the cathedral was ordered by King Ferdinand III of Castile and Mauricio, the Bishop of Burgos. Ferdinand had just married Barbarossa´s granddaughter Beatrice of Swabia (aka "Elisabeth of Swabia") and wanted a cathedral, reflecting his new role in the European power game. The former Romanesque cathedral got demolished and on July 20, 1221, the construction of the new Gothic started under the guidance of an unknown French architect. After nine years, the chevet was completed and the high altar was consecrated. Then the construction stopped for about 200 years. Attending the Council of Basel (aka "Council of Florence") in 1435 bishop (and diplomat) Alfonso de Cartagena saw the just completed, elegant towers of the Basel Minster. When he returned to Burgos he was accompanied by German architect Johannes von Köln (aka "Juan de Colonia"), who probably knew the blueprints of the towers, planned for the Cathedral of Cologne. Under his guidance the towers of the Cathedral were completed in open tracery. He was followed on the construction site by his son Simon de Colonia. The "Puerta del Sarmental" This portal is the south transept portal, named after an important family in Burgos. It is about a decade older than the "Portada de la Coroneria". Here is the tympanum of the portal. In the center Christ, seated on a throne, holding the Bible. Around Christ are the symbols of the Evangelists, they can actually be seen sitting on writing desks and working. Below are the 12 Apostles, all holding a bible. Angels (holding candles?) populate the inner archivolt, musicians the outer ones. The (24) Elders of the Apocalypse? Here are 29 crowned musicians. They play a variety of interesting instruments. The very left musician of the middle archivolt plays an organistrum. The seventh musician (from left) on the outer archivolt plays a small portative organ. A child operates the bellows.

The Jaca Cathedral is one of the oldest of the Iberian peninsula, dating back to the 1070s. The building, that was altered many times later, was commissioned by King Sancho Ramírez, who established an episcopal seat in Jaca, then the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. The Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1130. In 1395 a blaze destroyed large parts of the cathedral. The ceiling had to be reconstructed in the following decades and got renovated in the 16th century, when the aisles were added and the nave got enlarged. The cloister, adjoining the cathedral hosts the "Museo Diocesano de Jaca". Here is the museum´s website: www.diocesisdejaca.org/index.php/museo-diocesano-de-jaca I had once admired the capital depicting "King David and his musicians" on the southern porch of the cathedral. This porch was added to the structure later, "reusing" capitals that probably had been before part of a Romanesque cloister. I did not know at that time, that I saw a copy. This is the original, a masterpiece of the Master of Jaca. King David, is accompanied by an orchestra of 11 musicians, playing different instruments. This is a second close up the left side, where 5 of the 11 musicians are gathered. The instrument played by the musician in the center can only be a small, portable pipe organ.

The Jaca Cathedral is one of the oldest of the Iberian peninsula, dating back to the 1070s. The building, that was altered many times later, was commissioned by King Sancho Ramírez, who established an episcopal seat in Jaca, then the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. The Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1130. In 1395 a blaze destroyed large parts of the cathedral. The ceiling had to be reconstructed in the following decades and got renovated in the 16th century, when the aisles were added and the nave got enlarged. The cloister, adjoining the cathedral hosts the "Museo Diocesano de Jaca". Here is the museum´s website: www.diocesisdejaca.org/index.php/museo-diocesano-de-jaca I had once admired the capital depicting "King David and his musicians" on the southern porch of the cathedral. This porch was added to the structure later, "reusing" capitals that probably had been before part of a Romanesque cloister. I did not know at that time, that I saw a copy. This is the original, a masterpiece of the Master of Jaca. King David, is accompanied by an orchestra of 11 musicians, playing different instruments. This is a close up the left side, where 5 of the 11 musicians are gathered. On the right is a flautist (pan flute) and a below him is a hornist. The musician to the left holds a string instrument, probably a small lute. The instrument below him will be better seen on the following upload.

The Jaca Cathedral is one of the oldest of the Iberian peninsula, dating back to the 1070s. The building, that was altered many times later, was commissioned by King Sancho Ramírez, who established an episcopal seat in Jaca, then the capital of the Kingdom of Aragon. The Romanesque cathedral was completed around 1130. In 1395 a blaze destroyed large parts of the cathedral. The ceiling had to be reconstructed in the following decades and got renovated in the 16th century, when the aisles were added and the nave got enlarged. The cloister, adjoining the cathedral hosts the "Museo Diocesano de Jaca". Here is the museum´s website: www.diocesisdejaca.org/index.php/museo-diocesano-de-jaca I had once admired the capital depicting "King David and his musicians" on the southern porch of the cathedral. This porch was added to the structure later, "reusing" capitals that probably had been before part of a Romanesque cloister. I did not know at that time, that I saw a copy. This is the original, a masterpiece of the Master of Jaca. King David, is accompanied by an orchestra of 11 musicians, playing different instruments. This is the left side, where 5 of the 11 musicians are gathered.

Saint-Pierre was the church of one of the largest Augustinian abbeys in the Poitou, that was founded in 991 by Audéarde, the wife of viscount Herbert I of Thouars. The monastery was on one of the "chemins" of the Via Turonensis, so when the number of pilgrims increased, the Canons Regular of St. Augustine had this large church erected in two construction phases from the 12th century on. When the era of the pilgrimage ended, the abbey declined and impoverished during the Hundred Years' War. Most conventual buildings were destroyed in the Wars of Religion. The abbey church now serves the parish. Saint Pierre is equipped with a rare mechanical organ from the 19th century, that is placed in the nave. The young the lady was so generous to demonstrate the instrument. There is even "profane music"! Mr. Serge Rousseau has uploaded a video to youtube, so you can listen to the old organ. www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL_SuuDtLus