Maring, St. Remigius - Weimbs Orgelbau GmbH

— Restoration of the Voltmann organ (1888) —

The successful restoration of the Voltmann organ in the catholic church of St. Agatha in Wehlen was the decisive reference to be awarded with the contract to restore the Voltmann organ in Maring dating from the year 1888. The instrument, 15 years younger than the one in Wehlen, is located in the catholic church of St. Remigius, Maring.

When we first visited the Voltmann organ in Maring, the instrument was barely playable. The keys of the lower division could barely be pressed and the wind supply collapsed during Tutti- play. The original front pipes were confiscated for weapons production during the war and were later renewed in the post-war years using zinc sheet. Fortunately, we were able to benefit from the results of the extensive research for the reconstruction of the front pipes in Wehlen. The original, protruding shape of the pipe mouth was therefore also used as a template for Maring. The trumpet 8 ‘in the Great division was the only stop that has been renewed since 1888 in addition to a few single pipes inside. Since the material used were inferior and the sound quality did not match with the original builder, the trumpet and a few other foreign pipes were rebuilt according to original models. The rest of the original pipe work has been carefully restored. The wind system consists of a large double rise bellow with an underlying diagonal feeder bellow, which can be operated with a pedal, as in the time of construction. The leather-work of these two bellows was porous for reasons of age and in places already torn open. After removal, the two bellows were extensively restored in our workshops. The not so long ago installed electric wind generator was much too small sized. This was also the main reason for the collapse of the wind during full chord organ playing. In addition, the wind generator was exposed to the climate in the attic. The new, sufficiently large sized wind generator is now in a special soundproof box with a suction connection to the church room. This ensures that the air taken in by the wind generator and conveyed across the organ has no other temperature than the organ itself to avoid unwanted changes in tuning and pitch. A special feature of the stop action are the two composition stops. Both were imobilised for unknown reasons. When pressed, several stops can now be operated at the same time, making larger stop changes quick and easy. The manual keyboards were very strongly used especially in the middle octave. The ivories were so worn in places that they had to be replaced. The guide pins of the two manual keyboards had to be renewed. They were so rusted that sole rust removal was only of short-term success. The leather pulpets of the sound boards, like the leather of the bellows, were leaking. The correct renewal working with listed instruments was strictly based on historical examples. The original slider seal system consisting of a leather bed and grooving on the bottom of the upper boards was left in place and only partially optimized. In voicing, special attention was paid to the harmonization of registers among each other. Volume adjustments and correction was done exclusively from below in the space of the audience. The organ was tuned after a slightly modified equal temperament. Maring can now rightly call itself the proud owners of a largely original Voltmann organ from 1888.