In 1661 Abbot Richard Paschasius had an organ loft built, wich was to play an important part, especially in the musical embellishment of solemn services. An organ ist testified for the 16th c. There were new acquisitions in 1605, about 1700, and in 1901 (Klais-Organ Opus 138).

The actual organ was built by Johannes Klais of Bonn (D) in 1952/53 (Opus 1010), and thoroughly overhauled in 1991. More than 6000 pipes can be sounded from the four manuals.

Orgelbau Hugo Mayer 2017

The chest organ is equipped with 6 registers divided into bass and treble (h°/c1). Furthermore there is a transposing device +/- 1 HT. The later installation of an additional electric actuation (double tracker action) is planned.

Organ manufactury Luxemburg (Andreas Westenfelder) 2004

The Basilica Choir is conducted by Marc Juncker

History

Since 1854 the Basilica-Choir, respectively its predecessor, the ‘Chorale Ste-Cécile’, has been in the service of the parish and the town of Echternach. There had even been a choir in Echternach’s parish church (Sts Peter-and-Paul) from 1836 to 1842.

Due to the crises of the 1930s the number of members shrank; during the war years of 1940-45 the choir was reduced to silence in public, and at the end of 1944 the Basilica was destroyed for the grater part. But upon the return from evacuation in spring 1945, singing was resumed at once – in the undamaged crypt. In 1953 the reconstructed Basilica was consecrated, and on the spacious gallery  a powerful Klais-organ accompanied a considerable number of singers which, however, shrank to only 31 men until 1969 (so far there had been no female voices in the choir).

In that year women were for the first time admitted to the choir, and this “mixed choir” could now attempt to perform greater classical works. Marcel Weber, titular organist since 1959, unexpectedly slipped into the double function of “organist and choirmaster”, when notary Joseph Hoffmann, an enthusiastic and talented amateur organist, willingly took up playing the organ in the high masses. This very fortunate symbiosis ended with the death of Jos.Hoffmann at the end of 1983 and that of Marcel Weber in 1986. In that year Jean-Marie Kieffer, teacher of music and religion at the Lycée Classique d’Echternach, was appointed organist. His successor was Paul Kayser in 2014, and from September  2018 Jos Majerus has been the new titular organist.

Since 1986 Marc Juncker, now honorary director of Echternach’s Regional Music School, has conducted the Basilica Choir. Under his impulse and in cooperation with the chamber orchestra Estro Armonico, there have now been concerts nearly every year with important spiritual choir works of the baroque, classical and romantic periods. Various concerts  are performed together with other choirs or the Harmonie Municipale d’Echternach, and some records and CDs heve been produced. Apart from polyphonic choral singing, Gregorian chant is cultivated as well as popular songs from Echternach and Luxembourg in general.

Regensburger Domspatzen 2019

Choirs from home and abroad can be heard regularly in the Basilica!

The mighty bells of the west towers impress with the majestic depth of their sound.

Short history of the bells after the Second World War

1944 – all the bells are destroyed when the Basilica is blown up, including the St Sebastian bell donated by Emperor Maximilian in 1512.
1948 – The Rüetschi Bell Foundry in Aarau (CH) casts six bells for the Basilica (b° – des’ – es’ – f’ – as’ – b’).
The new St Sebastian bell (b°) is modeled on the old one, and the inscriptions are copied.
1953 – At the consecration of the reconstructed Basilica the Dutch Catholics donate a bourdon bell ges° (Eijsbouts, Asten, NL).
The three smaller Rüetschi bells are replaced by Eijsbouts-bells (tuned to the ges° bell) and are transferred to the new church of Bollendorf-Pont
1999/2000 – After a crack has appeared in the big Eijsbouts bell (ges°), it is taken out of service. The Rüetschi bells are reunited (the three Eijsbouts-bells now come to Bollendorf-Pont). Bell founder Hans August Mark from Brockscheid (D) casts three new bells (f° – as° – c”).
Now the original bell motif, as planned after the war, has been realized.

The carillon in the south east tower consists of 50 bells, cast in the foundry of Maria Laach Abbey (D) by Br. Michael Reuter in 2008. The biggest bell (c’) weighs 1,900 kg, the total weight of all the bells is 12,000 kg.
The bells are cast in progression and tuned to the chimes of the Basilica.
The playing mechanism was installed by André Voegelé company of Strasbourg (F) and is now supervised by Eijsbouts (NL).

The carillon can both be played from the mechanical keyboard or electro-pneumatically from a digital clock.
Between 10 am and 5 pm (on Sundays from 1 pm) Willibrord hymns or other tunes can be heard every half hour.

Recitals are regularly offered by carillonneurs.

Texte: Francis Erasmy, Pfarrarchiv

Fotos: Francis Erasmy, Serge Feltes, Margret Friedrich (Fotostudio Creativ Echternach), Luc Schreiner, Jonathan Scott, Frank Wilhelm, Pfarrarchiv