Liepāja Museum acquires unique 1744 organ construction contract

The Liepāja Museum has acquired a unique and historically significant original contract dated January 22, 1744. The document details the construction of organs for the Holy Trinity Cathedral in Liepāja, signed between the Liepāja city magistrate and Johann Heinrich Joachim, an organ builder from the court of the Duke of Jelgava.

The 15-point contract provides precise mathematical and technical insights into 18th-century organ building. It specifies the construction of a 33-voice organ with eight additional registers and details the exact metal composition for the pipes, requiring an alloy of nine-tenths tin and one-tenth lead to ensure both sound quality and visual brilliance.

Financial terms included a total compensation of 4,200 guilders, to be paid in five installments between 1744 and the completion of the work. While Joachim manufactured most pipes in his Jelgava workshop, the city of Liepāja covered transportation costs and provided free housing and heating for the master and his assistants. Notably, the contract included a clause stating that in the event of the master's death, his widow would be responsible for ensuring a competent replacement to complete the project. The construction was ultimately completed in 1758, fourteen years after the contract was signed.