The need to equip the Cathedral with an organ fit for its size and importance had been felt for a long time, but it did not become a reality until 1977.
On July 1st of that year, a committee composed of maestros Alessandro Esposito, Luigi Molfino, Amedeo Salvini, Gherardo Gherardini, Franco Baggiani, looked into the issue and concluded that the philological restoration of the old Serassi organ could be put off to a later date and that a new organ should replace the small pneumatic-drive organ built by F.lli Balbiani in 1911. A general design was developed and sent to organ makers Balbiani, Tamburini and Mascioni. After examining the replies and thinking over the case, they decided to entrust the work to Mascioni.
It is not easy to design the layout of the sound bodies of a large-size organ according to the criteria of modern liturgy, which demands that the choristers and the organ player should be near the altar, and conform to architectural facts that are not always conducive to the best performance.
The chosen solution was to place a large 4-keyboard console in the apse, which could be moved nearer to the altar on the occasion of concerts. As a consequence, the choristers, who had been singing in the choir for over a century, had to move behind the high altar, supported by the sound body of the Positive organ.
Once the choir in cornu epistolae was free, the wind-chest of the Balbiani organ containing the new Grand Organ was moved forward to make space for the organ Espressivo and the Pedal.
The solo organ was placed in the Women's Gallery, at the junction between the nave and the right-hand transept.
The result is a group of 4 sound bodies composed of 68 registers, as follows: 11 for the Positive, 15 for the Grand Organ, 15 for the Espressivo, 8 for the solo organ, 19 for the Pedal
© 2004-2007 Opera della Primaziale Pisana - credits & copyright
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