Budapest Régiségei 32. (1998)

TANULMÁNYOK - Kaba Melinda: Az aquincumi orgona és az 1994-ben Budapesten megrendezett nemzetközi szimpozium 143-148

There is significant divergence among the experts if the constant level of air pressure was supplied by water- or air-tank. Some years ago two researchers, fireman Lt-Col. János Minárovics from Budapest and Jenő Szonntagh professor of Tampa University in South Florida independently from each other have come to the same conclusion, i.e. the constant air supply of the Aquincum organ was maintained by water-controll, by hydraulics. The key element of their discovery was examining and finding out the role of a bronze spare part. This part that used to be taken for the rim of a bronze vessel has been lost during the Second World War.

4 In their research Minárovics and Szonntagh have proved by measures and experiment that the fragment used to be the rim of the pnigeus (water tank ) controlling the air pressure.

5

"

6 The still vivid interest in the scientific problems related to the Aquincum organ is best exemplified by the fact that initiated by Tampa University in South Florida, joined by the Institute of Musicology of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences we organized an international symposium in 1994, titled: Organ of Classical Antiquity: The Aquincum Organ A.D. 228.

7 At this event Hungarian and foreign lecturers dealt with the newest results concerning the air supply of the Aquincum organ, the music and its contemporary representations in Classical Antiquity and with chemical tests. These lectures were published in 1997.

8 However, one of the most important lectures was cancelled. Professor Dimitrios Pandermalis from Thessaloniki had informed us in a letter about his desire to come to the symposium and give a lecture on his new finding at Dion, an organ dating back to the early period of the Roman Empire. Unfortunately both the lecturer and the lecture had to be missed. Some months later, as part of an official stay, accompanied by the kind guidance of professor Pandermalis, I had the 1. Reconstruction of the Aquincum organ made by Angster Organ Builder Company in Pécs. 2. Reconstruction of the Aquincum organ made by Werner Walcker-Mayer in Ludwigsburg. 3. Bronze pieces of the organ at the exhibition of the Aquincum Museum in 1931. 1. W. WALCKER-MAYER: Die römische Orgel von Aquincum. Stuttgart 1970. 2. K. SZIGETI: Az aquincumi orgona zenei problémái (Musical problems of the Aquincum Organ). Magyar Zene 23/2 (1972) 178. 3. L. NAGY: Az aquincumi orgona (The Aquincum Organ). Budapest 1933. 39. 4. L. NAGY Fig. I. 5. J. MINÁROVICS: Miért volt az aquincumi tűzoltóság orgonája víziorgona? (Why was the Organ of the Fire Brigade of Aquincum a Water-Organ?) BpRég 28 (1991) 261. 6. J. SZONNTAGH: Újabb adatok az aquincumi orgona légopportunity to see the finding at the exhibition of the Dion Museum.

9 Neither the manual nor the mechanism of the organ have survived, only a fairly fragmentary set of 40 bronze pipes can be seen. Apart from the body of the pipes there is very little left of the feet because of corrodated bronze pieces covering them. On the other hand, bronze plates fixing the pipes from the front and back part have survived in good condition. The middle of the front plate used to be decorated by several small glass cubes prepared by the miellefiori technique of which one has survived. On the back plate where there could be five smaller pipes there are five obviously significant cuts gradually following the height of the pipes.

10 According to the organist István Lantos these five pipes make up a separate entity within the pipework. These ones could have played an individual tune, for example solo pieces. And also provided easier access." It has to be mentioned that none of the first nineteen pipes reconstructed on the plastic structures are complete. They only trace the plastic partially and never go from top to bottom: imitating imaginary lengths. As it is well known, the real size is indispensable to know the possible sound effect.

12 In Dion neither the manual nor the mechanism have survived. With the help of the accompanying archaeological findings and stratigraphical observations it is dated back to the early period of the Roman Empire. This is another reason why the appearance of the study promised when I was there is expected so much. Learning about the exact circumstances of the excavations

, the observations and the detailed documentation could throw light on the question mentioned above and hopefully this would make possible to trace back the development of building organs from the first century A.D. up to the Aquincum organ dating from 228 A.D. 4. Reconstruction on plastic structure from the copy of the original pieces, Aquincum 1994 . Made by restorer Péter Elekfy 5 Pipes of the Dion organ (Reproduction from the leaflet of Dimitrios Pandermalis). nyomásszabályozó szerkezetéhez. (New data to the airpressure control system of the Aquincum Organ). BpRég 28 (1991) 283. 7. Here we mention that within the frame of the program the new reconstruction has been shown. In recent years a repeated cleaning and conservation of the original parts of the organ has ben unavoidable. László Bencsik, a restorer of the Budapest History Museum has cleaned and conserved the pieces and has completed the missing parts with bronze plate supplements. After this he has mad copies of the existing parts . Fixed on a plastic structure, similarly to Walcker's reconstruction. ILLUSTRATIONS NOTES 145