2026.02

In organis et in discantu

In organis et in discantu Luc Ponet researched the Tongeren Organ Manuscript (1626), which was accidentally discovered in 2003 at a castle near Tongeren (Belgium), and reconstructed the significance of this unique source for 17th-century organ culture in Tongeren and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. His Doctorate in the Arts (PhD, 2025) combined a facsimile and a complete transcription with musical analysis; a practical edition containing the complete transcription and an extensive critical report will be published in autumn 2026 by Ut Orpheus Publishing, Bologna (volume 11 in the ECHOM series). 

The manuscript contains 84 intabulations of Magnificat settings by Orlandus Lassus and offers valuable insights into historically informed performance practice. The source reveals, among other things, the art of intabulating, alternatim practice, the relationship between score and instrument, the interaction between singers and organist, and the integration of Gregorian chant and polyphony. In addition, Ponet’s study places the Tongeren Organ Manuscript in a broader European context. The innovative organ building of Peter Breisiger in the Rhineland led to a network of organ builders that, via Brabant and Liège, exerted influence on instruments in Maastricht, Munsterbilzen, Tongeren, and Trier. 

The manuscript thus offers insight not only into regional organ practices but also into cultural and musical exchanges in a region that experienced both Romanesque and Germanic influences, and serves as a reference-point for the study of 17th-century European organ culture.