Salzburg · Domplatz
Up to seven organs take turns under the dome of Salzburg's Baroque cathedral, once the midday bells have rung.
The midday bells ring first, then the organs take turns, each one introduced in a few words, guests say.
Why this half hour
The cathedral calls the concert Music at Noon and says it begins after the bell ringing and lasts about 30 minutes. It presents the building as an organ landscape with up to seven organs. Guests describe one organist playing several of them, with each organ introduced before it sounds.
Mozart was baptised in Salzburg Cathedral on 28 January 1756, according to Wikipedia. When he came home in 1779, Wikipedia says, his father found him a post as court organist and composer at the cathedral. The cathedral's organ page says Mozart usually played on the south-east pillar organ, the Hoforgel.
This is a 30-minute ticket, not an evening out. It sits well between a morning in the Old Town and lunch, and guests mention commentary in German and English. Some reviewers want more music and less talk, so book it for the instruments and the setting, not for a long programme.
Bells, organs and choirs
The concert has no fixed programme. These six entries describe the bells, organs and choirs that the cathedral's own pages and Wikipedia attach to the building you sit in.
The bells
Before the music
The cathedral's concert page says the concert begins after the bell ringing. The cathedral has seven bells, and its bells page says the ensemble weighs 32 tons and is the largest in the southern German-speaking countries. Two of them, Maria and Virgil, date from 1628, and the others were cast in 1961.
West gallery
Main organ
German Wikipedia says the main organ of the cathedral dates from 1988 and stands on the west gallery. The cathedral's organ page says the great organ of the west gallery plays an indispensable part in the whole organ ensemble.
Crossing
Four instruments
German Wikipedia counts four instruments in the crossing, restored after 1990, and says one of them has a second, separately playable continuo organ. The cathedral says its two western pillar organs are the so-called Italian organs, and that music can again be played on the dome galleries.
South-east pillar
Mozart's organ
The cathedral's organ page says Mozart himself usually played on the south-east pillar organ, called the Hoforgel. Wikipedia says he took up the post of court organist and concertmaster in Salzburg after returning in January 1779.
Chest organ
The small one
German Wikipedia lists a chest positive, a small organ built into a chest, as the seventh independent organ. The concert page says up to seven, so do not count on all of them sounding on every day.
Choirs
1628 and since
At the consecration in 1628, Wikipedia says, 12 choirs placed in the marble galleries sang a Te Deum by Stefano Bernardi. The cathedral says restoring the dome galleries and their organs let polychoral works be played again in their original way. An engraving by Melchior Küsel shows multi-choir music in the nave.
The organist and the pieces change from day to day. Read each entry as a description of the building's instruments, not as a set list.
The building
The organs sit in a building that has been rebuilt more than once, from a Carolingian church to a Baroque landmark and a bomb in 1944.
The cathedral's history page says the first cathedral was consecrated by Saint Virgil in 774. Two medieval churches came before today's cathedral, and their remains can be seen in the crypt.
After a devastating fire in 1598 the Romanesque cathedral was demolished. Archbishop Marcus Sitticus laid the cornerstone of the Baroque cathedral in 1614, and Archbishop Paris Lodron consecrated it in 1628, the cathedral says.
English Wikipedia says a bomb crashed through the central dome over the crossing in 1944, and that the restoration was complete by 1959.
The cathedral says the Baroque squares around it form a stage used by the Salzburg Festival. It is dedicated to Saint Rupert and Saint Vergilius and is part of the UNESCO World Heritage site of the historic centre, as Wikipedia notes.
Concert, visit or service
| Option | What it is | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Midday organ concert | A recital of about 30 minutes, with commentary in German and English according to guests. The ticket lists entry to the concert and a seat reservation. | Hearing the organs and the room. |
| Entry with audio guide | Entry on the date you choose, with an optional audio guide in English or German: a classic tour of 30 minutes, a short tour of 15 minutes or a children's tour. | Walking round the building at your own pace. |
| Church services | The house rules say attendance is free and that services take priority over visiting. | Worship rather than a concert, with respectful dress and manner. |
Nave, organs and bells
The largest bell, the dome over the crossing, the west front on Domplatz and the great organ on the west gallery, with the nave, the Hoforgel and an old engraving shown above.
The tickets
One recital and one entry ticket, both for the same cathedral. Open the calendar underneath to see which days have seats and when the recital starts.
An organ recital of about 30 minutes inside the cathedral, played after the midday bells. The ticket lists entry to the concert and a seat reservation, and the meeting point is Domplatz 1A.
See days and seats ↗Entry to the cathedral on the date you choose, to walk round at your own pace. The optional audio guide runs in English or German, with a classic tour of 30 minutes, a short tour of 15 minutes and a children's tour.
See days and seats ↗More to book in Salzburg
Before you go
The concert, the organs and the Old Town: guides
Booking, format and what the ticket covers How to book the midday organ concert in Salzburg Cathedral: what the ticket covers, how the half hour runs, which day to pick and who it suits.
Read this guide → Planning, the room and the house rules What to expect at the Salzburg Cathedral midday organ concert: the bells, the organs, the house rules, access and how to plan the half hour.
Read this guide →FAQ
It is the cathedral's own name for its midday organ concert. The cathedral says it begins after the bell ringing, lasts about 30 minutes and presents up to seven organs.
Up to seven, says the cathedral's concert page. Its organ page speaks of five independent organs, and German Wikipedia counts seven, so the number on your day is not fixed.
No piece is promised. Guests describe each organ being introduced and played in turn, and reviews mention both the commentary and a wish for more music.
Guests describe commentary in German and English. If a spoken introduction matters to you, ask the cathedral before you book.
The cathedral's page says the concerts run daily except Sundays and holidays. The booking calendar lists the days open for booking.
The GetYourGuide ticket lists entry to the concert and a seat reservation. A separate entry ticket, with an optional audio guide, is sold for walking round the cathedral.
Through GetYourGuide, a booking cancelled 24 or more hours ahead is refunded in full. The cathedral's own box office sets its own terms.
No. This site is an independent guide whose links to book lead to GetYourGuide. The cathedral stages the concert and is not connected to this site.
Fares shown here are US dollars per person, and the booking calendar converts the same fare into your own currency.