Instead of festive sounds, only hissing and whistling – because of the heat, some church organs in Bavaria no longer worked properly. Because the drought this summer was a special challenge for the musical instruments. The Diocese of Würzburg received reports of damaged instruments almost every day, as reported by Rainer Aberle, regional cantor and official organ expert. A spokesman said there were also indications of heat-related damage in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. According to the Diocese of Eichstätt, the musical instruments react so sensitively to the weather because of the sensitive components and materials.
Wood, in particular, reacts to changes in temperature and humidity. This can temporarily or permanently affect the shape, sound and durability of instruments. If the humidity drops below 55 percent, shrinkage cracks could occur in the wood, for example, said the Würzburg regional cantor Aberle. With humidity below 30 percent, which was partly the case this summer, “the situation becomes dramatic”. The mechanics warp, the technical system gets mixed up, howlers appear and registers can no longer be switched on. In the worst case, wooden pipes and windchests could tear, making the instrument unplayable.
In the St. Bartholomew’s Church in Bergrheinfeld south of Schweinfurt, the organ only worked “very, very limited”. Two out of three keyboards “just cried” and sometimes played by themselves. The organists often only had to improvise and dampen. It often helps to wipe out the galleries with a damp cloth or set up water tubs for evaporation. Proper ventilation of the churches is also important. But the greatest relief was the rain. With the increased humidity, most of the damage has corrected itself, Aberle reported. The organ of St. Bartholomew’s Church was also fully operational again after two to three days – without any off-key notes.
However, an organ in the diocese of Regensburg probably needs a major repair. The drought also seems to have caused long-term damage to the organ of St. Lorenz Church in Nuremberg. Otherwise, the Bavarian dioceses reported no permanent damage. The spokesman for the Evangelical Lutheran Church said the problem was not over with the end of the dry summer months. According to the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, too little humidity can also occur in winter during the heating period.