Ancient
Music on the Aquincum Organ
THE
AQUINCUM ORGAN
It was during the course of excavations in the Civil Town of Aquincum -Hungary, in 1931 that the best known find of the museum came to light the Aquincum organ. Until the present time, this is the only organ from Antiquity in which so many of the individual parts have been preserved.
The instrument was presented in 228 to the fire brigade by one of the foremost citizen's of the city, Gaius lulius Viatorinus. The inflagration which swept through the settlement in 294 did not spare the headquarters of the fire brigade either. Thus, the leather and wooden parts of the organ were consumed in the flames. The remaining metal components were found by Professor Lajos Nagy. These same parts are held in keeping by the museum today. A working reconstruction was produced at the beginning of the 1930's by the Pécs firm of Angster.
It was during the course of excavations in the Civil Town of Aquincum -Hungary, in 1931 that the best known find of the museum came to light the Aquincum organ. Until the present time, this is the only organ from Antiquity in which so many of the individual parts have been preserved.
The instrument was presented in 228 to the fire brigade by one of the foremost citizen's of the city, Gaius lulius Viatorinus. The inflagration which swept through the settlement in 294 did not spare the headquarters of the fire brigade either. Thus, the leather and wooden parts of the organ were consumed in the flames. The remaining metal components were found by Professor Lajos Nagy. These same parts are held in keeping by the museum today. A working reconstruction was produced at the beginning of the 1930's by the Pécs firm of Angster.
Here,
Sebestyén Pécsi on the organ accompanies Maria Werner singing
in ancient Greek. One of the very few tunes which remain to us from Antiquity,
the Seikilos song (1st century) rings out:
".....As long as you live,
be glad, don't sorrow, for life is so short;
Kronos shortly brings your passing......."
Organ solo in Phyragian tone 0'
33"
Organ solo in Dorian tone 0' 32"
First Delphic Hymn 2' 45"
Song of Seikilos 1' 12"
The four tones 0' 21"
The sound of
the instrument is
available on a cassette
Artisjus KR 1592 - A