Halberstadt Cathedral
The cathedral retains much of its medieval decoration and stained glass windows. The large cathedral treasury contains over 600 objects of art, dating from the 5th to the 18th century, including a unique textiles collection. Many very valuable items are of Byzantine origin, having been brought to Halberstadt in 1205 by Bishop Konrad von Krosigk who had participated in the Fourth Crusade's sack of Constantinople.
An organ was installed in the cathedral in 1361, and is believed to be the first example of an organ with a modern chromatic keyboard. In 2000, the time elapsed since the organ's installation- 639 years- was chosen to be the length of a performance of American composer John Cage's As Slow as Possible. The performance began in 2001 at the St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt, and is due to end in the year 2640.
The cathedral is currently used by the Evangelical Church in Central Germany.
References
- ^ Stiftung Dome und Schlösser in Sachsen-Anhalt Archived 2015-02-15 at the Wayback Machine, Dom St. Stephanus und St. Sixtus zu Halberstadt
- ^ "First notes for 639-year composition". BBC News (5 Feb 2003). 5 February 2003. Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ "The John Cage work performed over 639 years". Deutsche Welle (4 Sep 2020). Retrieved 15 February 2022.
- ^ kirchenkreis-halberstadt.de
External links
- Evangelical Church Halberstadt (in German)
- Cathedral and Treasury Halberstadt (in German)