Hans Heinrich Mundt (1632-1691)

compiled by Dr. Jan Skvaril

He was born in Cologne (Germany) in 1632 and was also baptized there on the 15th November of the same year. While he was still an apprentice he traveled to Bohemia. In Prague, he learned organ building under Hieronymus Artmann. He established his own independent workshop in a house called “At the Golden Pike” in the Dlouha street. As an organmaker he was relatively productive. The chronology of his work is as follows:

1668 – New organ for the St. Thomas church in Prague’s Lesser Town (built together with Matthaus Kehler from Svitavy)
1668-70 – New organ for a Cistercian monastery in Osek near Duchcov (2 man./26 reg.)
1670 – 73 – New organ for the Church of Our Lady before Tyn in Prague’s Old Town (2 man./29 reg.)
1671-84 – Choir organ for a Cistercian monastery in Plasy (1 man./8 reg.). Later the instrument was transferred to Kralovice near Plzen (Pilsen). The organ was rebuilt many times and the original sound was lost.
1675 – Fixed an organ in the St. Salvatore church at a Jesuit college called Klementinum in Prague.
1679 – New organ for a Cistercian monastery in Vyssi Brod (2 man./27 reg.).
1679-82 fixed the organ in the Church of Our Lady before Tyn in Prague after a fire (with the help of Jan Nett)
1684 – New organ in the church of St. Wenceslas on Zderaz in Prague
1685 – New organ in the church of St. Nicholas in Prague’s Old Town (1 man./13 reg.).
1688 – New organ in the Sazava monastery (1 man./10 reg.)., later moved to a church in Stolmir near Cesky Brod in 1756
1689 – New organ for church in Velvary (1 man./10 reg.), later transferred to a cemetery chapel there.

From these extensive works, only a few remain intact. Most prominent is the organ in the Church of Our Lady before Tyn. The Kralovice organ was rebuilt many times and is still functional. The organs in Velvary and in Stolmir are in desolate shape with many pipes missing.
Mundt left Prague several times. Near the end of his life, however, he returned again and bought a house named “At the Golden Chair” but three days after the purchase, on March 18, 1691, he suddenly died and was later buried in the crypt of the Dominican monastery of St. Giles.