CATHEDRAL OF ST. LORENZO
The cathedral of San Lorenzo is built on the rock, high above the houses of old Lugano. It is structured with three naves, one major and two minor, corresponding to the three entrance doors.
The magnificent and imposing Renaissance façade, built entirely of grey Saltrio stone (predina) dates from 1517, the date engraved at the top of the main portal. The collegiate church of San Lorenzo became a cathedral church in 1888.
THE ORGAN
The organ in the cathedral of St. Laurence in Lugano is a historically very important instrument for the area of Canton Ticino, being the largest with pneumatic-tubular transmission; it was built in 1910 by Vincenzo Mascioni on the occasion of the complete architectural restoration of the cathedral.
Vincenzo Mascioni, in 1910, had by then consolidated experience having built around fifty instruments with pneumatic transmission (including Villa di Tirano 1900, Vevey 1901, and the reconstruction of the Milan Cathedral organ of 1908), and this instrument was one of the first in Ticino to receive the enthusiastic approval of organists at the time.
The instrument, consisting of 2308 pipes and placed in the choir loft in the counter façade of the church, had a pneumatic-tubular transmission. It was tested and inaugurated in 1910 by Maestro Marco Enrico Bossi.
The organ underwent a thorough transformation in 1944 by the Kuhn company. In addition to the replacement of some registers typical of the Romantic period in favour of neo-Baroque ones, the console originally placed in the middle of the chancel was replaced and the pneumatic transmissions modified.
The instrument was completely disassembled to allow the restoration of the frescoes found on the counter-façade and then reassembled by reconstructing the original pneumatic transmissions from scratch, including the console according to the technical and functional characteristics of the original 1910 one.
The work carried out was very long and demanding as it represents one of the very rare cases in which a complex pneumatic-tubular transmission is reconstructed from scratch (the organ is composed of 8 master somaeres).
Alongside the reconstructed pneumatic console in the choir loft, there will also be the possibility of playing the organ from a second console, with electric transmission, located on the church floor in the presbytery area near the choir loft, designed by architect Franco Pessina.
From a phonic point of view, the original registers were restored and the registers replaced in 1944 were reconstructed, based on the measurements of contemporary organs, thus restoring the previous intonation typical of early 20th-century Mascioni organs.
From these historical-artistic choices came the great technical challenge: to create an entirely mechanical instrument, both for the manuals and pedal as well as for the operation of the registers, by constructing independent sombers for each organ body and for each phonic while respecting the original characteristics.
This means that each organ body has double sombers: Jaquot's pipes are placed on a traditional 'pull' somber, while Laudani's and Giudici's are on an independent, still mechanical 'pull' somber, but equipped with pneumatic servo-assistance.
The control of the registers is mechanical and, given its complexity, realised with a very refined technique applying innovative solutions already used in the field of sailing. To assist the organist in the selection of registers, it was decided to flank the traditional mechanical controls with a servo-assistance device equipped with memories for the adjustable combinations. Once again, an innovative technique was adopted to guarantee fluidity, silence and synchronism in the movement of the transmissions, which is very useful in environments where climatic conditions can be particularly difficult.
The console, newly built but based on Jaquot measurements, is equipped with three 58-key manuals (Do-la) and a 30-pedal pedalboard (Do-fa); the registers are controlled by knobs with ceramic-painted inscriptions.
The instrument has over 3,000 reeds on two 58-note manuals and 27 pedals.
THE VIDEO
The restoration of this instrument was particularly challenging, here is a video at the end of the work showing some technical details of the organ.
| Manual I - G.Organ | |
| Principal | 16′ |
| Principal | 8′ |
| Main II | 8′ |
| Flute in Camino | 8′ |
| Leg | 8′ |
| Sweet* | 8′ |
| Ottava | 4′ |
| Harmonic Flute | 4′ |
| Cornet 3-4 rows | |
| Grave filling 4 rows | |
| Acute 5-row stuffing | |
| Human Voice* | 8′ |
| Manual II - Expressive Organ | |
| Principal violin | 8′ |
| Chamois Horn | 8′ |
| Bordone | 8′ |
| Viola | 8′ |
| Conical Flute | 4′ |
| Fugara | 4′ |
| Stuffing 5 rows | |
| Oboe | 8′ |
| Heavenly Voice* | 8′ |
| Concert Viole* | 8′ |
| Pedal | |
| Contrabass | 16′ |
| Subbass | 16′ |
| Harmonic | 8′ |
| Cello* | 8′ |
| Ottava | 4′ |
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