Montafon organ landscape

A valley full of sound monuments

The Montafon is characterised by an extremely rich organ landscape. Within a small area, there are 16 organs from four centuries on which organ music from the baroque to the contemporary can be authentically interpreted and made tangible again.

“Valuable instruments that cannot be found anywhere else in Vorarlberg”

Bruno Oberhammer

On the occasion of the 200-year-anniversary of the Bergöntzle organ in Tschagguns, the “Queen of the instrument” experienced a full appraisal in 2016 with the book “Montafoner Orgellandschaft” [“Montafon organ landscape”] and the CD production “Te Deum laudamus”. The internationally renowned Vorarlberg organist Bruno Oberhammer, combed through and worked through the organ history in the valley taking account of the present organ scene with the support of Montafon museums. The illustrated book “Montafoner Orgellandschaft” [“Montafon organ landscape”] designed by Christoph Ganahl, an exciting book which details the history of the organs and the respective churches with many captivating images, is particularly exciting.

Bergöntzle organ in Tschagguns

One of the most important historical organs in Austria

In 1816, exactly two centuries ago, the Alsatian Joseph Bergöntzle manufactured the organ for the parish and pilgrimage church in Tschagguns. It would be his last and greatest work that gained international respect. Immaculately restored more than twenty years ago, the Tschagguns Bergöntzle organ remained the greatest organ in Vorarlberg until well into the 1920s. To accompany the book, Oberhammer, together with the Choralschola Clemens Morgenthaler, documented the tones of the “Jubiläumsorgel” [“Jubilee Organ”] in the parish and pilgrimage church in Tschagguns in the current CD recording “Te Deum laudamus”.

“Almost eight years ago I played the organ in Gaschurn previously unknown to me for the first time and saw the valuable instruments that can be found in the Montafon, which are nowhere else in Vorarlberg,” says Oberhammer, describing how the idea for the book and CD came about. “Then came Michael Kasper, the Head of the Montafon museums, who asked me to work through the history of the Montafon organ landscape.”

“The 200-year anniversary in Tschagguns was the perfect occasion for the presentation of the publications. However, you should not forget that there are many other valuable organs in Montafon, such as those in Gaschurn or Gortipohl, which was established exactly 150 years ago,” says Oberhammer, explaining the unique organ history of the valley.

Book and CD

on the Montafon organ landscape

Bruno Oberhammer/Michael Kasper: “Montafoner Orgellandschaft” [“Montafon organ landscape”], volume 24 of the Montafon series, editor: Heimatschutzverein Montafon, 116 pages. 22 EUR
Bruno Oberhammer/Choralschola Clemens Morgenthaler: “Te Deum laudamus”, production of the Stand Montafon. 15 EUR.

Available in all Krömli Lädili of the Montafon tourism office.