The parish church of Magadino has had an organ, built in 1902 by Natale Balbiani, since the beginning of the century.
The sound of this first organ was incorporated into the new organ in two manuals built by the artisan family Mascioni of Cuvio in 1951.
The two-manual organ on which the Magadino organ festival began had 23 registers.
In 1965, following the organ festival experience gained, the organ was again transformed by the same artisan family, Mascioni, into a three-manual organ with the insertion of a positive. The pipes – more than 2300 – are arranged on wind-chests contained in the same neoclassical styled case of the first Balbiani organ, continuously enlarged in depth. The organ project was drafted through the collaboration of Mr Viktor Togni, Mr Luigi Favini and Reverend Aldo Lanini.
It is an electro-compression system. On the occasion of the 25th festival, the organ was enhanced with two new pedal registers: a ripieno and an 8’ bassoon.
The present organ with 44 registers, recently improved with a display which enables up to 999 different adjustable levels to be selected, has the following sound composition:
