THE OLD CATHEDRAL
The church, dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin, rises on the ruins of the early Christian basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore de Dom, built between the 5th and 6th centuries, with substantial restoration in the 8th century; around the middle of the year 1000, a rebuilding began, until the great fire that involved the central districts of Brescia (1095) decreed its end and its complete reconstruction according to the most refined model of the time, the circular plan, inspired by the Holy Sepulchre.
As we see it today, therefore, the church is the result of the Romanesque intervention and the addition of the entire presbytery area, built by Bernardino da Martinengo between the late 15th and early 16th century; the architect retained the cross vaults and preserved the central bay of the old presbytery, still recognisable today by the presence of important 13th-century frescoes depicting the Four Evangelists within geometric ornaments.
THE ORGAN
The instrument is positioned in the choir, on the right side, within a case and chancel specially erected for the Antegnati organ by Battista Piantavigna from Bologna, with doors painted by Girolamo Romani known as Romanino (1484/87- 1560) in 1540.
A cartouche bears the inscription: 'No. 416 / Fratelli Serassi / Bergamo 1826', thus built by the company 'Fratelli Serassi' but at two different times: 1824-1826, first intervention, 1829-1832, second intervention.
The organ uses much of the phonic material from the previous instrument made by Gian Giacomo Antegnati (c. 1495 - 1563) of Brescia in 1536-7, restored by him in 1555, by his brother Giovanni Battista (c. 1490 - before 1560), who had also participated in its construction, in 1557, by Gian Giacomo's son Benedetto Antegnati (1535-1608) in 1563, and the subject of numerous interventions over the following centuries, including those by:
- Tomaso Meiarini (c. 1575 - 1630) from Brescia, who increased it by two registers, in 1627;
- anonymous 18th century author, who replaced the Flute in Duodecima with a row of the Cornetto in terza;
- Luigi Amati (1752-1816) from Pavia, who added contrabasses and extended the keyboard to 59 keys by inserting a special somierino for the last nine sounds and implementing 81 pipes, in 1797-1800.
Organ Gian Giacomo Antegnati 1536 - Serassi 1826
62-key burr keyboard (C-1 / F5)
18 pedalboard (C-1/La1) 12 real notes always attached to the keyboard
Filling puller
Free Lombard combination
Temperament: Vallotti-Barca
LEFT COLUMN |
CORNET I Sopranos (two rows) |
| CORNET II Sopranos (two rows) |
| Bassoon Bass (from C1) |
| Soprani TRUMPETS |
| CLARONE Basses (from C1) |
| Soprani VIOLONCELLO |
| VIOLA Basses (from F-1) |
| FLAUTO TRAVERSIERE Soprani |
| FLUTE in VIII (from F-1) |
| Flute in XII (from F-1) |
| CORNET in XV bass (from F-1) |
| OTTAVINO Soprani |
| HUMAN VOICE |
TIMBALS |
- IN RED registers composed of ancient Antegnati - Meiarini reeds
RIGHT COLUMN |
PRINCIPAL I Bassi (from F-1) 12' |
| PRINCIPAL The Sopranos |
| PRINCIPAL II Bass (from C1) |
| PRINCIPAL II Sopranos |
| EIGHTH bass (from F-1) |
| OTTAVA Sopranos |
| DUODECIMA (from C1) |
| FIFTHDECIMA (from F-1) |
| DECIMANON (from F-1) |
| VIGESIMASECOND(from F-1) |
| VIGESIMASESTA AND NONA (from F-1) |
| TRIGESIMATORY AND SIXTH (from F-1) |
| QUADRIGESIMA - QUADRIGESIMATERZA (from Fa-1) |
| CONTRABASS I + Reinforcements |
| CONTRABASS II |
Italian 
English 
