Patyi Szilárd
Downfall and renewal
A brief history of the Subotica’s synagogue organ
THE TEMPLE AND THE INSTRUMENT
On 19th of April 1892 Adolf Geiger donated the Jewish community a plot on the corner of Sécsényi Square and Yokai Street. The increasing members of the Jewish community, playing a key role in the economic life of the city, decided to build a synagogue on this plot. In the meantime, in 1899, the Jewish community of Szeged, Hungary, has announced a tender for the construction of a new synagogue in the city center. The President of the Jewish Community of Subotica, Dr. Izidor Milko and the leadership of the Jewish community followed the implementation of the tender with great interest. Two architects from Budapest, Marcel Komor and Dezső Jakab also applied with their project. They have competed with the projects of a modern, unusual shaped synagogue, in the Hungarian Art Nouveau style. Although Eden Lehner, the founder of the Hungarian variant of the Art Nouveau style, as a member of the jury, zealously supported this project, yet he didn’t succeed to win the sympathy of the conservative jury. However, immediately after the presentation of the project submitted by Marcel Komor and Dezső Jakab, the Jewish community of Subotica purchased the project. After the architectural tandem adapted the plans to location and conditions, the construction of a new synagogue has begun in 1900. The building itself was completed in the fall of 1902, and the final works lasted another year. The new synagogue was handed over for use on September 17th, 1903. The opening ceremony was attended by the Mayor of Subotica, Karoly Biró , high officials of the city, leaders of the religious communities, and Dezső Jacob who handed over the golden plated key of the synagogue to the president of the Jewish community, Dr. Geza Blau,
But what happened with the organ of the temple?
The history of this organ can be reconstructed based on an interview with Judith Haydok, an organist from Budapest, an expert for organ, coordinator and reconstruction supervisor, as well as with Apró Tibor, organ builder from Bačka Topola, published in the newspaper "Magyar szo".
The synagogue organ was completed for the grand opening of the temple. They were manufactured in Timisoara, Romania, in the workshop of Wegenstein Lipot. Considering presented circumstances, it is not strange at all that the organ of the Subotica’s synagogue was built at the same time and with the same disposition as the organ of the synagogue in Szeged. The internal structure of both instruments is almost identical. The significant deviations are observed mostly in respect of the outside closet. The organ of synagogue in Szeged is built with two closets visible from the nave of the temple, while the Subotica’s organ is placed behind the screen. Szeged’s organ is designed for a larger space, while Subotica’s was designed for a smaller space. Subotica’s organ has 21 registers, to be classified as medium-sized organ.
Once handed over for use, Subotica’s organ was in operation until 1940s and during that time has not been renewed. The Jewish community of Subotica consisted of 6105 members, after the Second world war significantly decreased, due to fact from concentration and labor camps only 1,050 people (17.3%) has returned. The Jews who survived a series of tragedies were hit by another one, the new government nationalized their factories, lands, shops, schools, practically everything they had. Most of young Jews left Tito's Yugoslavia. They first emigrated to the United States, and then, from 1948 to Israel. We do not have any details if the organ was still used after the deportation of Subotica’s Jews, and if so, by who and when?
The maintenance of the synagogue exceeded the strength of the remaining, small Subotica’s Jewish community of few hundred people, and since the communist leadership of the city was not interested in preserving sacral buildings, the synagogue was slowly deteriorating, together with the organ. The instrument had numerous damages; one part of the organ has even disappeared. At the end, on September the 4th 1979, the Jewish community donated the synagogue to the Municipality of Subotica, truly hoping the local government will reconstruct and fulfil it with cultural content. However, the building was not placed under historical protection until 1987, and in 1990 it was declared as a cultural monument of exceptional importance. The reconstruction works of the building lasted for forty years. The turning point was finally occurred in 2014, and thanks to the financial and professional support of the Hungarian government, the full reconstruction of the synagogue was enabled. At that time the organ was completely ruined, almost without any flute. As the construction work has been finalizing, in January 2018 Mrs. Judith Hajdók wrote an assessment in respect of the organ’s condition. At the technical acceptance of the synagogue one copy of the plans for the reconstruction of the organ was handed over to the President of the National Council of the Hungarian National Minority, Mr. Halynal Jenő, and soon after, she was hired by the National Council as a manager and professional supervisor of the organ reconstruction works. Funds for organ reconstruction were donated by the Government of Hungary. The reconstruction was carried out by an organ workshop of Mr. Apró Tibor "L'orgue" from Bačka Topola. The fully reconstructed Synagogue of Subotica was officially handed over for use in March 2018, but the organ reconstruction will become complete only this year when the instrument is to be handed over for use. The Synagogue in Subotica now has the exact look as on September 17th, 1903, as at the grand opening.
ORGAN MANUFACTURER OF SUBOTICA’S SYNAGOGUE - LIPOT WEGENSTEIN
As we mentioned, the organ of the Subotica’s synagogue was made in a Timisoara organist workshop, Wegenstein Lipót. But who was Wegenstein Lipót, and what do we know about the history of his workshop?
The life of a famous organ manufacturer and his destiny was described by Mandics Görgy in a series of articles about the organs on the territory of the Province of Vojvodina, published during the 1996, by the “Magyar szó” newspaper. Wegenstein Lipót was born in 1858 in the Austrian town of Kleinhadersdorf. He studied the construction of organ in Vienna and perfected his professional knowledge traveling throughout Germany and Switzerland. Wegenstein settled in Timisoara in 1880 and was employed by master and organ manufacturer, Hromadka József. He worked in this workshop for five years and became close to master and his family. He married his daughter Maria in 1885. Their first son, Richard was born on June 10th , 1886. The next two children passed away as babies, after Ilona (1891-1972), Jozsef (1894-1930), Alajos (1896-1912), Victor (1901-1964) and Magdolna (1905-?). were born
In 1886 Wegenstein Lipót received a permit to settle in Timisoara, and in 1888 took over the workshop from his master. However, he worked there only until 1893, then opened an independent workshop equipped with the most modern steam engines, and in 1920 he acquired electric machines. The workshop started with nine apprentices and in 1930 reached the maximal number of 50. In the year of 1926, he introduced his sons, Richard, Joseph and Victor, who joined the manufacture as partners, since this time the firm operated under the name Wegenstein Lipót and Sons - Factory for organ and harmonium manufacture. The workshop worked almost sixty years, and during this period over four hundred organs were produced.
The first organ was already built by Wegenstein Lipót in the first year of his own action, ie. 1888, and for the next ten years he manufactured eighteen of them. Organ "Opus 18" were exhibited at the Millennium Exhibition in Budapest in 1896 and won a grand medal. This baroque-style organ was set up in the county church in the center of Timisoara. After the First World War, organs and harmonies were built for churches of different denominations in Transylvania, Marmaros County, Province Krishna and in Banat, and the manufacturers transported the organ to the area of Moldovan Changos province. The Wegenstien’s organs decorates, among the others, The Cathedral and the Church of the Sacred Heart of Jesus in Timisoara, the pilgrimage churches of Mary of Radna and Csiksomlyo. The organ of the Holy Cathedral Ivan Nepomuk in Zrenjanin were also manufactured by Wegenstein’s workshop. The organ was ordered on May 15th , 1906, at the total cost of 7,900 crowns. Under contractual obligation the new organ is to be placed in the closet of the old organ. The new organ was handed over for use in February 1907 at the dedication ceremony Dr. Arpad Varadi, the bishop of the Chanady Diocese was present.
At the age of 76, in 1934, Wegenstein Lipót handed over the workshop to his oldest son , Richard, and passed away in 1937, at the age of 79.
At the end of the Second World War II, in 1944, Richard, after completing a project, took all the equipment by train, returning the machines and tools home, but the bomb hit the train, destroying all the equipment. This practically meant the end of the workshop, which was nationalized after the war, and soon demolished. Wegenstein Richard repaired and tuned organs until his death in 1970.
BIBLIOGRAPHY USED
- Interview with Hajdók Judith, organ reconstruction manager Subotica’s
synagogue. "Magyar szó" - newspaper, column "Kilato", December 24 - 27 2020, 33.
- Reconstruction of the Subotica’s synagogue organ - report from Apro’s Tibor workshop in Bačka Topola - "Magyar szó" – newspaper, Sunday supplement "Hetvege". 1 - 2 August 2020, 22.
- Dömötör Gábor: Subotica’s Synagogue, Intermunicipal Institute for monuments protection of Subotica , Subotica,2018
- Klein Rudolf: Subotica’s Synagogue. Association "Pro reliquiis scribarum", Subotica, 2015
- Death of Lipot Wegenstein, a famous organist. "Magyar lapok". March 12, 1937,7
- Mandics Görgy: Organs in Vojvodina (15th installment) - Organs in Banat. "Magyar szo", October 24, 1996, 10.
- Mandics Görgy: Organ in Vojvodina (16th installment) - Organ from the workshop of Wegenstein. "Magyar szó ", October 31, 1996, 11. 7
