KÖPPELHOFER: Romanze, for Kotykiewicz harmonium

Biographical information for Ludwig Köppelhofer would be most welcome; he was apparently an active composer for harmonium, in or near Vienna, Austria during the last quarter of the nineteenth century. Circa 1900, the Kotykiewicz harmonium manufacturer in Vienna published a book of music entitled “Album für Harmonium mit Prolongement-Automat,” which included this Romanze by Köppelhofer. Like all the pieces in the album, the music requires and makes good use of Kotykiewicz’ signature mechanical device, Prolongement-Automat. By pulling this stop, any note or notes in the lowest octave of the keyboard remain sounding until a new note was played, the held notes are released by the player pushing the left knee lever, or the stop is retired. The score of the two-page Romanze indicates the (1) and (5) stops, the (5) being an 8’ Voix Celeste. The instrument heard here is a magnificent three-manual Kotykiewicz harmonium and pipe organ combination. The lower two manuals operate a 10-rank harmonium, whereas the upper manual and the pedalboard each command four ranks of pipes. It was built in Vienna in 1901 for a doctor’s residence; after the family left the country in 1938, the organ passed through a few families, then found a home in the English-Speaking United Methodist Church of Vienna in the 1960s. Here it is used regularly, and we had a chance to meet their organist Jerry Barton, who let us record on 1 October 2019. Performed by Michael Hendron.