The bells of the Nossa Senhora da Assunção Cathedral, in Mariana (MG), announced great joy: after almost ten years of silence for the restoration, the historic Arp Schnitger organ began to resonate again on the morning of the 8th. And special concerts celebrated the return to organ activities.
Dating from the 18th century, the instrument in the church of Minas Gerais is the only one of its kind located outside Europe, among the thirty existing instruments of the famous German organ builder Arp Schnitger, according to Father Geraldo Dias Buziani, rector of the cathedral.
The ceremony followed a rite specific to the Catholic Church, with antiphons and prayers evoking the renewal of the instrument. At each invocation, the organ responded, filling the temple with its melody by the hands of the organist Josinéia Godinho.
“We feel that the organ has returned to the situation for which it was created. It only arrived in Mariana because of the creation of the diocese. Without the diocese, there would have been no organ here. So, when it returns to play in the liturgy, it is a moment where it resumes its history”, says the organist.
Built between 1700 and 1710 in Germany, the organ is a wind instrument with each of its pipes functioning as if it were a flute. Installed in the Cathedral of Mariana in 1753, it was a gift from King Dom João VI to the newly created diocese of Mariana.
“It is very intact, with all its original elements, even with the small interventions and restorations that have already taken place along the way (…). For Minas Gerais and Brazil, it is one of the most important musical pieces that we have,” says architect Deise Calvacanti Lustosa, technical coordinator of the organ restoration project.
The historic instrument resumes its liturgical and cultural activities after almost a decade of silence, due to the restoration work of the cathedral, which began in 2016, when the sound structure of the instrument was dismantled.
In September 2022, during the reassembly process in preparation for the reopening of the religious temple, a termite infestation was noted in the two sommeliers of the instrument, parts that play a fundamental role in its operation, storing and distributing air to the tubes.
According to Lustosa, the attack is the consequence of an intervention carried out previously, in 1980, during the first restoration of the organ, when a sheet of plywood was incorrectly inserted into the instrument – removed during this year’s restoration.
“The work done with the termites was important because, as it functions like an air box, there could be no empty spaces, and the termites had created several galleries,” he explains.
To be restored, the someiros were sent, in March of this year, to Spain, where they remained for three months to be restored in the workshop of Frédéric Desmottes. The French organist was also responsible for dismantling the instrument in 2016 and has been following all the stages since that year.
In addition to the restoration, cleaning and disinfection work on the parts, the treatment of the exterior case of the organ, the restoration of the two seating angels, as well as the assembly and total tuning of the instrument were also carried out.
“During assembly, we also took the opportunity to completely review the mechanisms of the organ and clean certain parts that are very difficult to access,” explains Desmottes.
Before that, between 2000 and 2002, the organ underwent a second restoration which brought it even closer to its original state.
280 years of the Archdiocese of Mariana
The reinauguration of the instrument takes place at a symbolic and festive moment for the Archdiocese of Mariana: the celebration of its 280th anniversary.
Created on December 6, 1745, it was the first diocese in Brazil outside the coast and the primatial church of Minas Gerais. In addition, this date celebrates the 40th anniversary of the priestly ordination of its archbishop, Dom Airton José dos Santos.
For Father Buziani, the celebration is a moment of joy and marks the completion of the restoration work of the historic temple. With the reopening, the organ will once again fulfill its liturgical functions during certain Sunday celebrations at 10 a.m. and during religious festivals and solemnities.
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