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Music Reviews : CD Reviews : News
Contemporary
Organs in
Panama City
Contemporary
Organs in
Panama City
Contemporary
Organs in
Panama City
Contemporary
Organs in
Panama City
Contemporary
Organs in
Panama City
Dr Michał Szostak
4 No 403 | THE OR GAN | WINT ER 2023
Dr Michał Szostak
Introduction
■ollowing my previous
description of musical
experiences and impressions
from South and Latin Americas gained
during a 17-day recital tour in June of
2022,1 this article describes two
contemporary organs I met in Panama
City. Admittedly, the organ landscape in
Latin America is not broad, but the topic
is worthy of consideration from organ
building and organ music perspectives.
The historical Spanish inuences, the
domination of the Roman Catholic
church and, equator-type weather are the
main determinants of the Panamian
organ landscape and our considerations.
Historical background of Panama
The Republic of Panama is a
transcontinental country traversing the
southern part of North America and the
northern part of South America. Costa
Rica borders it to the west, Colombia to
the southeast, the Pacic Ocean to the
south, and the Caribbean Sea to the
north. Its capital and largest town is
Panama City, with the metropolitan area
being home to nearly half the country’s
population, estimated at 4.3 million
citizens in total. Around 65% of the
population is Mestizo (mixed white,
Native American), 12% Native American,
9% Black or African descent, 7% mulatto,
and 7% White. Spanish is the ocial and
dominant language, although the
language spoken in Panama is known as
Panamanian Spanish.
The culture of Panama derives from
European traditions brought by the
Spanish in the 16th century (this is the
rst factor determining the Panamian
organ landscape). Hegemonic powers
have created hybrid forms merging
African and Native American cultures
with European culture. European
musical traditions belong to the Iberian
Peninsula and then to the population
who were brought over, rst as enslaved
people from West Africa between the
16th and 19th centuries and then
voluntarily (from Jamaica, Trinidad and
Tobago, Barbados, Martinique,
Guadeloupe, Trinidad, Saint Lucia) to
work on the Panamanian Railroad and
Canal projects between the 1840s and
1914. The local folklore can be
experienced via many festivals revealing
dances and traditions handed down from
generation to generation. In addition,
local cities host many live music festivals
and performances, and audiences
participate in cultural events with great
interest and warm emotions.
Christianity is the main religion in
Panama: 63% of the population is Roman
Catholic, and 25% are evangelical
Protestants. The Catholic Church in
Panama is part of the worldwide Catholic
Church under the Pope in Rome. It is
divided into six dioceses plus a Territorial
Prelature and an Apostolic Vicariate. The
Diocese of Panama, set up in 1514 with
the arrival of Franciscan missionaries, is
considered the oldest in the Americas.
The Catholic Church in Panama has
favoured status, though all religions are
free. It must be mentioned that – com -
pared to Protestant churches – Catholic
churches, on average, do not care much
about pipe organs and liturgical music.
Even though the ocial documents are
full of esteem for sacred music, regular
life ows in its direction. This factor, plus
a hot Latin tempera ment, creates a mix of
entertaining, light and easy-going music,
using – from the European perspective –
Contemporary organs in
F
Panama City
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | No 403 5
6 No 403 | THE OR GAN | WINT ER 2023
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | N o 40 3 7
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Panama City
8 No 403 | THE OR GAN | WINT ER 2023
non-sacral instruments and repertoire.
Pipe organs, considered severe and ‘sad’
instruments, are used mainly during
funerals. It is the second factor deter -
mining the Panamian organ landscape.
Since Panama is located near the
equator, the climate is tropical, with
the average temperature being 25.5°C
(32-35°C during the day) and very high
humidity, reaching 97%. The fact that
the weather of the seasons does not
differ too much determines that local
society lives in almost permanent hot
and humid summertime, clearly visible
for a European newcomer. Organs,
being very complicated machines
made of thous ands of movable
components, suffer greatly in these
unfavourable weather cir cumstances.
It is the third factor determining the
Panamian organ landscape.
Combining the country’s Spanish
roots, the domination of the Catholic
Church, and very warm and humid
weather, we can begin our analysis of
pipe organs in this region.
Organs in Panama
The rst organs were brought to Panama
in colonial times. However, unfortu na -
tely, owing to the climate, lack of parts,
organ builders and professional
maintenance, all of these instruments
were lost. Nevertheless, it is known that
there were several theatrical organs in
Panama City’s cinemas at the beginning
of the 20th century. The Wurlitzer
Company installed the most prominent
instrument, consisting of 2,200 pipes, in
Hotel El Panama. Lucho Azcárraga (1912-
1996) and Avelino Muñoz (1912-1962)
were the most famous performers on this
instrument.
Currently, the Archdiocesan
Committee Friends of the Churches of
Casco Antiguo (CAICA) spreads the
mission of providing a pipe organ to
every church in Casco Antiguo. As a
result, the rst organ was installed in
2016 in the baroque church of Our Lady
of Mercy (Spanish: Iglesia de Nuestra
Señora de la Merced); the second organ,
in the Cathedral Basilica Santa Maria La
Antigua, was installed in January 2019;
the third, most minor three-stop positive
organ, was purchased in September 2019
for the Oratorio San Felipe Neri. At the
time of writing (2022), the churches of
San Francisco de Asís, San José and Santa
Ana are waiting for their instruments.
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | No 403 9
■ur Lady of Mercy church is a Catholic church in
the Old Town of Panama City. Like the Cathedral
Basilica Santa Maria La Antigua, it was rst
located in Panama Viejo. However, aer the pirates’ attack
and the city’s destruction, the temple’s stone façade was
transferred, piece by piece, to the new site around 1680. In
the church’s atrium are two chapels: one of the Virgin of
Mercy and the other a mausoleum. Likewise, this church is
the guardian of an Image of the Lady de la Caridad del
Cobre, venerated by Cubans. Typical for Panamian large-
scale buildings are the vaults made of wood, revealing
interesting contrasts with white stone walls.
The Mercedarians and the other religious orders of the
isthmus were expelled in 1861 through a custody decree
when the church’s assets were expropriated. The convent
disappeared, and access to the church was closed. Until the
end of the 19th century, the church remained almost in its
original form. Aer this date, the parish priests restored the
cult and decorated the space according to the limited
possibilities. The church was declared a national historic
monument in 1956. Two separate structures from the
church are also part of the monumental complex: the chapel
of the Virgin and the Mausoleum. Aer a re in 1963, the
church’s original architectural features, such as the choir
and the main altar, were lost. Unfortunately, necessary
structural repairs were made with limited knowledge in the
restoration eld, the resultant repairs being out of keeping
with the original architectural value of the temple.
Due to prolonged historical turbulences in the church’s
rebuilding, a large-scale restoration project began in May
2009. One year later, in 2010, the chapel of Our Lady was
opened, and the Museum of the Church of Our Lady was
inaugurated. Furthermore, four new bells were blessed on
Órgano alto (Manual II)
Flautado 8’
Octava 4’
Docena 2 2/3’
Quincena 2’
Diecisetena 1 3/5’
Lleno IV
Trompeta real 8’
Bajoncillo 4’
[horizontal in façade]
Flautado 8’
Octava 4’
Docena 2 2/3’
Quincena 2’
Diecisetena 1 3/5’
Lleno IV
Corneta Real VI
Trompeta real 8’
Clarín [horizontal in façade] 8’
Órgano bajo (Manual I)
Pedal
Mano Izquierda (bass)
Flautado tapado 8’
Tapadillo 4’
Quincena 2’
Decinovena Nz 1 1/3’
Orlos 8’
Mano Derecha (diskant)
FlautadoTapado 8’
Tapadillo 4’
Quincena 2’
Decinovena Nz 1 1/3’’
Oboe 8’
Subbajo 16’
Flautado tapado 8’
II/I
I/P
II/P
Figure 1. The Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Panama City:
organ by Joaquín Lois Cabello
Mano Izquierda (bass)
Mano Derecha (diskant)
O
10 No 403 | THE O RGAN | WIN TER 202 3
I
September 2011. Year by year, new parts
of the church were opened: the right bell
tower in 2013, four new stained glass
windows in 2015, and nally, the new
organ built by the Spanish company
Joaquín Lois Cabello was dedicated in
April 2016.
Organ by Joaquín Lois Cabello
(2016)
The new organ in the Church of Our
Lady of Mercy was created on baroque
instruments with concessions to the
modern organ. A particular inspiration
was taken from organs built in Spain and
Latin America in the 18th century,
usually referred to as being in the ‘Iberian
Baroque style’, showing characteristics
and dierentiated proles from other
regions of Spain. It consists of 15 real
stops (some of them are used in two
sections) spread between two manual and
one pedal sections operated by pallet and
slider-type windchests with a fully
mechanic key and stop actions. The
manual keyboards are divided into the
bass and the treble sections, and the stops
can be used independently for every
section.
From the visual point of view, the
organ looks like an Iberian Baroque
instrument: one case with a façade with
horizontal resonators and the console
built-in in the centre part of it. The sound
structure has been raised to undertake a
vast repertoire and the functions of the
current liturgy. The construction has
been a completely handmade process:
from the project, to the nishing of the
instrument. The wooden construction
elements were expressly prepared for this
organ. One thousand and thirty-two
wooden and metal pipes were also
designed and produced for this
project (pitch: 440 Hz at 20ºC,
temperament: Asselin 1/8). The voicing of
the pipes fulls its function in a pretty
large interior. To adjust the nal character
of the sound, the last polishing was made
in the church. The metal pipe, made of an
alloy of tin and lead, was built in the
company’s workshop in Spain with
traditional techniques and characteristics.
The organ is equipped with two bellows
supplied by a motor but can also be
manually operated if desired. Six
crasmen worked several thousand hours
to construct and install the organ.
As previously noted, the organ was
blessed on April 28th 2016. Following
that, Juan María Pedrero Encabo
performed the rst recital, and a
demonstration by the instrumental
ensemble of children from the Fátima
school in the Chorrillo neighbourhood
was organised.
Joaquín Lois Cabello organ
workshop
Joaquín Lois Cabello established the
organ workshop in 1972 and, since 1985,
has run it in Tordesillas in the heart of
Castilla y León region in Spain. The
company has been dedicated to
constructing new pipe organs and
restoring old instruments, undertaking
works in Europe (mainly in Spain and in
the Iberian Peninsula) and across Latin
America (including Panama, Mexico, and
Cuba).
The company has been essential to
conceptual and practical transformation
in Spain’s organ-making and historic
organ restoration. The process has been
undertaken by broadening knowledge of
the instruments and their construction
techniques. The owner formed a team of
specialists equipped with special tools,
which allows for facing the increasing
demands of construction and upkeep.
The company integrally approaches every
instrument, from historical research to
the construction of all parts, the metal
and wooden pipes, the mechanics, the
furniture, and the ornamentation. The
workshop’s philosophy aects the
traditional recovery techniques, the
knowledge of the dierent schools and
the conception of each instrument are all
parts of dedicated research work, both in
restorations and construction. The
workshop shows particular interest in the
Castilian Baroque organs, or Iberian
organs, implementing a project of
spreading the concept of these
instruments among interested churches,
academic institutions, festivals,
exhibitions and other cultural events.
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | No 403 11
■nitially, the Metropolitan
Cathedral of Panama, called
Cathedral Basilica Santa Maria
La Antigua, was located in Santa Maria La
Antigua del Darien, the rst city on the
American continent, founded by the
European conquerors in 1510. In 1513,
Pope Hadrian VI issued the bull to raise
the rank of the church from diocese to
cathedral. The rst bishop arrived in
Panama in 1514 accompanied by 17
clergy. Santa Maria La Antigua del Darien
was the capital of the Government of
Castilla de Oro until 1520, when Pedro
Arias Davila ultimately moved the
inhabitants to Our Lady of the
Assumption of Panama, which had been
founded in 1519. It was the rst
European city in the Pacic Ocean. In
1520, the Cathedral Basilica Santa Maria
La Antigua was moved to Panama Viejo
(the city’s main square), but it was a
victim of re in 1644. In 1652, its
reconstruction had been completed, but
the Cathedral was burned again in 1671.
Nevertheless, remains of the church
structure may still be visited today.
The Metropolitan Cathedral of
Panama, located in Independence Plaza,
also known as Cathedral Plaza, was
erected in 1674, being one of the rst
buildings in the new city. Unfortunately,
in 1688 it suered another re, and it was
decided to stop building in wood. That
year, the construction of the new
cathedral began using masonry
foundations. Again, it was another re
victim in 1737, when almost the entire
city was burned. In 1741 the plans were
altered to make the Metropolitan
Cathedral of Panama more spacious and
light, nally being consecrated in 1796.
This means that its creation took 108
years, from 1688 to 1796. In 1941, it was
declared a National Historic Monument.
The Cathedral has witnessed Panama’s
most meaningful events since the
declaration of independence from Spain
in 1821 and the separation from
Colombia in 1903. State funerals are held
in the cathedral.
Cathedral Basilica Santa Maria La Antigua
I
12 No 403 | THE O RGAN | WIN TER 202 3
For a long time, the two towers of
the Cathedral Basilica were the tallest in
Latin America. These are encrusted with
mother-of-pearl from the Las Perlas
Archipelago. The outer part of the centre
is craed of stone. Sixty-seven cruciform
stone and brick columns support the
ceiling. Besides, there are ten large
windows with stained glass. In 2014, the
Metropolitan Cathedral of Panama
would carry the title of a minor basilica
with the approval of Pope Francis. The
same year, the President of the Republic
approved the restoration project of the
whole Cathedral, with a restoration
budget of $11.9 million (USD) for the
monument and $4 million (USD) for its
equipment. These funds came from the
Ministry of Culture and private
donations. The restoration works began
in 2015 and were completed on the 26th
of January 2019 for World Youth Day
when Pope Francis consecrated the altar
(created by the Italian Barsanti company
Italy of marble, by hand, with stones
from Pakistan, Brazil, Italy and Portugal).
The new bells were made of bronze in
Saldaña, Spain (an electronic system
allows them to have concerts, and work
in unity with bells installed in the
churches of La Merced and San Felipe
Neri), with 200 new wooden benches
made in Panama and a brand new pipe
organ by the organ building company
Damian Kaczmarczyk from Zabrze-
Mikulczyce, Poland.
Organ by Damian Kaczmarczyk
(2019)
To choose the cathedral organ supplier,
the organisation supervising the
renovation of the Cathedral (UNESCO,
CAICA, the Archbishopric of Panama,
and the then President of the State of
Panama) set a competition. An essential
condition for obtaining the contract for
building the organ was not the lowest
price of the oer but the preparation of
the best design of the façade and the best
technical solutions implemented in the
instrument. Only aer selecting the
winning project, which was prepared by
Damian Kaczmarczyk of Poland, based
on the abovementioned requirements,
the organisation supervising the
Cathedral’s renovation sought a cost
estimate for the organ’s construction.
The performance of the project was
a challenging task due to many
conditions. First, owing to the
forthcoming World Youth Days held
between the 22nd and 27th of January
2019, the contractor had a very short
deadline for implementing the
instrument - ten months from signing
the contract to completing the organ in
the Cathedral. Secondly, maintaining
high standards of necessary manual work
in a short time increased the diculty.
Thirdly, climate conditions were a
signicant challenge in preparing the
wood for producing this organ. There -
fore, the seasoned wood was articially
moistened, during the production
process, to Panamian conditions.
All work on the organ, including
woodcarving and artwork, was
undertaken in the company workshop in
Poland, from Spring 2018 to January
2019. Physically, organ builders had only
nine months for the construction
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | No 403 13
because one month was needed to
transport the organ components from
Poland to Panama by ship. Finally, only
the assembling, ultimate voicing and
tuning were undertaken at the Cathedral.
The central assumption for the
organ specication was to create a
mechanical instrument with three
manuals (two manuals in the main case,
one manual in a Positive located behind
the organist) and the pedal section
referring to the Spanish organs of the
Baroque period, with the possibility of
interpreting also the organ literature of
Germany, Italy and France. Therefore, the
rules of measuring, preparation of
material and voicing methods were
closely related to the tradition of Spanish
organ building. Apart from these in the
façade, all open metal pipes were cut to
the length of the sound wave. Metal-
covered pipes from 2’ have soldered lids
permanently, and their tuning is done by
adjusting the tails. Based on the
principles of the Spanish organ building
school, reed pipes were voiced only on
the tongue because the resonators do not
have intonation dampers and are cut to
the length of the sound wave. The
exception is the 8’ Cromorno in Positive,
which has French-type reeds and rings to
support intonation. An interesting fact is
the construction of horizontal pipes,
i.e. 8’ Trompeta Batalla and 4’ Clarin de
Campana, which operate at a pressure of
2 inches of the water column. One of the
most typical Spanish reed stops installed
in this organ is 8’ Orlos, with very short
resonators. The chosen historic
Werckmeister temperament allows one
to perform later-than-Baroque-era
repertoire. The pallet, and slider-type
Organo Mayor (Manual II)Organo Mayor (Manual II)
Cadereta Exterior (Manual I, Positive at the balustrade)
Violon Major 16’
Flautado 8’
Violon 8’
Octava 4’
Tapadillo 4’
Docena 2 2/3’
Quincena 2’
Lleno V 1/3’
Zimbala III 1/2’
Nazardos IV
Trompeta Real 8’
Trompeta Batalla 8’
[horizontal in façade]
Bajoncillo 4’
[horizontal in façade]
Mano Izquierda (bass)
Violon Major 16’
Flautado 8’
Violon 8’
Flauta Traversera II 8’
Octava 4’
Tapadillo 4’
Docena 2 2/3’
Quincena 2’
Lleno V 1/3’
Zimbala II 2’
Corneta Magna VI
Trompeta Magna 16’
Trompeta Real 8’
Trompeta Batalla 8’
[horizontal in façade]
Clarin de Campana 4’
[horizontal in façade]
Mano Derecha (diskant)
Violon de Madera 8’
Octava 4’
Flauta Chimenea 4’
Quincena 2’
Churumbella II
Decinovena 1 1/3’
Lleno III 1’
Cromorno 8’
Mano Izquierda (bass)
Cadereta Interior (Manual III)
Flauta abierta 8’
Octava 4’
Flauta renacimienta 4’
Nazardo 2 2/3’
Flauta Allemana 2’
Decinovena 1 1/3’
Veintidocena 1’
Clarin en ecos 8’
Orlos 8’
Mano Izquierda (bass)
Flauta abierta 8’
Octava 4’
Flauta renacimienta 4’
Nazardo 2 2/3’
Flauta Allemana 2’
Diecisestena 1 3/5’
Decinovena 1/3’
Veintidocena 1’
Corneta en Ecos III
Clarin en ecos 8’
Orlos 8’
I-II
III-II
I-PED
II-PED
III-PED
Contras 16’
Subajo 16’
Flautado 8’
Bajo 8’
Bombarda 16’
Mano Derecha (diskant)
Violon de Madera 8’
Octava 4’
Flauta Chimenea 4’
Quincena 2’
Churumbella II
Decinovena 1 1/3’
Lleno III 1’
Cromorno 8’
Mano Derecha (diskant)
Pedal
Figure 2. Cathedral Basilica Santa Maria La Antigua,
Panama City: organ by Damian Kaczmarczyk
14 No 403 | THE O RGAN | WIN TER 202 3
windchests, cooperate with the
suspended mechanical play action.
Since many organists in Central
America are unfamiliar with mechanical
pipe organs, playing them with all
mechanical couplers between manuals
would be dicult. Therefore, it was
decided to use two systems of
connections between the manuals:
mechanical, based on two-arm levers
transferring the movement from one
manual to the track of the other manual,
and an independent electrical system
that activates the connection between
the manuals employing electromagnets
opening the tone aps mounted inside
the windchests.
The division of the keyboards (C-d3)
of the second and third manuals is
characteristic for the Spanish-Baroque
organ building. The full scale of these
manuals is divided into the bass sections
(C-c1) and the treble sections (c#1-d3), and
stops can be chosen independently for
every section. Above all, this solution
allows performing two colours on the
same manual (solo melody plus
accompaniment or two solo melodies). In
addition, two air reservoirs were installed
in the organ: a two-fold storage reservoir
for Manual II, Manual III and the Pedal
section, and a single-fold storage reser -
voir for the Positive section behind the
back of the organist.
In the organ production process, all
components were manufactured using
traditional manual tools and techniques.
Also, carving elements were hand-
designed on paper, applied to linden
wood, and carved manually. All
woodcarving elements used to decorate
the organ façades (the main one and the
Positive) were covered with 4,000 akes
of 24-carat gold (270 square feet). Manual
keyboards and register plates were
covered with ox-bone and ebony wood
utilising marquetry on chromatic keys.
The register knobs were made of
American walnut wood and nished
with shellac. The pedal keyboard was
made of oak wood, and the half-tone keys
were made of African Lauro Preto wood.
The organ case’s outer part was marbled
with ornamental painting elements and
nished with the waxing technique.
Finally, the entire console (built-in into
the main façade) had been nished with
natural beeswax. The organ façade is
crowned with the coat of arms of the
Archbishop of the Archdiocese of
Panama, Jose Domingo Ulloa, the host
and principal initiator of the
reconstruction of the Cathedral of Santa
Maria Antigua. The weight of the whole
instrument is 16,500 pounds. The organ
consists of 2,570 pipes (3,000 pounds of
English tin was used for metal pipes
production) and about 53,000 parts
(including 118 carved parts). Twenty
people worked on the instrument’s
construction: twenty hours a day, seven
days a week (38,000 working hours).
Finally, the instrument was nished 12
hours before the re-consecration Mass.
During the 28 years of its operation,
the company of Damian Kaczmarczyk
built or renovated over 200 organs on
four continents. Outside Poland, being
the company’s main area of activity, the
portfolio includes instruments created
for the USA, Norway, Spain, France, Italy,
Germany, Ireland, Great Britain, Belarus,
and Equatorial Guinea.
Conclusion
A few conclusions can be drawn based on
the above considerations and pipe organ
examples. First, across the world, a
region’s cultural heritage is today almost
invariably a mix of dierent and
sensitive factors that should be protected
with great care. History is full of
aggression, so we should build and
maintain the cultural world with
inclusiveness based on humanist values.
Second, climate conditions play a
signicant role in maintaining pipe
organs, especially those which contain
components made from natural
materials sensitive to temperature and
high humidity; lack of proper air
conditioning systems leads to the rapid
destruction of precious church equip -
ment. Third, even unfavourable
circumstances may not be adversities if
there is a will among people to create
something signicant and valuable.
References
Castillero Calvo Alfredo, “Conquista,
Evangelización y Resistencia”,
Editorial Mariano Arosemena, 1995.
Howarth David, “Panama: Four Hundred
Years of Dreams and Cruelty”,
McGraw-Hill, 1966.
https://panamacascoviejo.com (accessed
on 2023/01/02)
https://www.joaquinlois.com (accessed
on 2023/01/03)
Szostak Michał, “The Organ Landscapes
in Argentina”, in: “The Organ”, No 402,
November 2022 - January 2023,
pp. 4-24.
1. Szostak Michał, “The Organ
Landscapes in Argentina”, in: “The
Organ”, No 402, November 2022 -
January 2023, pp. 4-24.
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | No 403 15
16 No 403 | THE O RGAN | WIN TER 202 3
WIN TER 20 23 | T HE ORGA N | N o 40 3 1 7
The Church of Our Lady of Mercy, Panama City
