Mainz, St. Ignaz
Mainz, St. Ignaz
Bernhard Dreymann (1788 - 1857) was an organ builder located in Mainz. His prestigious organ in the St. Ignazkirche, completed in 1837, was his largest instrument, and it reflects the transition from the late Baroque to the romantic period.
He drew up the stoplist in the spirit of the late Baroque, at the same time introducing (mainly in the Positiv) sensitive and expressive foundation colours in the early romantic style. He also incorporated regional features from the period of the instrument it replaced, such as divided reed stops (Hauptwerk Trompete 8’ and Positiv Crumhorn 8’: both notable for their strong basses and milder trebles). Three additional ‘half’ stops facilitated strongly contrasting bass and treble registrations on a single manual. Thus, on the Positiv, the Floet travers 8’ (from B flat°) and the Fagott 8’ (up to a°) presented a bass-treble pair in their respective natural ranges. The Hauptwerk treble Cornet (from c’) enables melodies to be soloed out and helps to reinforce the somewhat weaker treble of the Trompete 8’.
The new instrument was inspected on 31 January 1838 by the Darmstadt court organist Christian Heinrich Rinck (1770-1846). As state organ expert on behalf of the Grand Duke of Hesse-Darmstadt, Ludwig II of Hesse and the Rhine, Rinck was responsible for the instruments in the Evangelical Lutheran and Roman Catholic churches. Greatly impressed by Dreymann’s new organ, Rinck published its stoplist in his organ tutor (1839) as en example of contemporary organ building.
