Martin Haspelmath (organ builder)

Martin Haspelmath (born January 5, 1935 in Walsrode ; † May 1, 1996 ) was a master organ builder who was based in Walsrode. He was considered an expert in restoring north German organs from the late 18th and 19th centuries.

Life

Martin Haspelmath was born as the fifth of six children to the dentist Martin Haspelmath, who also carried out small organ repairs. He was the uncle of the linguist Martin Haspelmath . After an apprenticeship as a carpenter in Altenboitzen and a subsequent year as a journeyman (1950–1954) Haspelmath worked as an organ builder with Paul Ott in Göttingen (1954–1957). There followed from 1957 to 1959 the organ building apprenticeship and journeyman years until 1968. In 1968 the master's examination took place. After ten years at Ott, Haspelmath started his own business in 1969 and set up his own workshop in Walsrode. In 1968 he married Karola Schweissgut. His daughter Katrin Haspelmath (born May 21, 1970) learned organ building in the Walsrode workshop, took over the company together with her mother after the death of her father and worked as a freelance organ builder at Harm Dieder Kirschner until 2009 .

plant

Haspelmath's decision to set up his own business was motivated in particular by the carelessness with which organ builders and experts dealt with the historical substance of the old master organ builders in the 1950s and 1960s. Since a fundamental organ renovation was not generally a cheaper alternative to a corresponding new building, the historical value of an instrument was often the decisive factor. Historical instruments from the Baroque era were much more valued in the 50s and 60s of the 20th century, i.e. the heyday of the organ movement and even later, than instruments from the late 18th and 19th centuries, which occasionally actually did not have the same level of quality as had baroque instruments. Haspelmath has gained a reputation as a specialist and expert in the restoration of these organs, and has carried out considerable restorations, especially in northwest Germany. The focus of his field of activity was on organs of the 19th century, especially in the Elbe-Weser area and in southern Lower Saxony.

He restored the organs sensitively and individually in the spirit of the instruments. As far as possible, the preserved substance should be preserved in its original form and the associated historical significance. In contrast to many opponents of the organ movement, he therefore campaigned for the preservation of Paul Ott's organs in later decades or built and tuned them on request. Haspelmath has built five new organs (always using older materials) and over 100 restorations. A characteristic of his way of working was that he did not assemble the historical organs that he was restoring himself, but moved with his workshop on site so that the lower case and the mechanics, if not completely refurbished, did not have to be dismantled thus being able to spare.

It is characteristic of the organs renovated by Haspelmath that they have always uncompromisingly regained their “historical charm”. With precisely these premises, it is often unavoidable that their technical precision or their tonal concept will be somewhat inferior to the state that would have been achieved with a “classic renovation”.

List of works (selection)

The size of the instruments is indicated in the fifth column by the number of manuals and the number of sounding registers in the sixth column. A capital “P” stands for an independent pedal, a lowercase “p” for an attached pedal.

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1970-1971	Wahmbeck	Christophoruskirche		I / P	9	Restoration of the organ by Johann Stephan Heeren (1787)
1971	Kirchtimke	Ev.-luth. church		II / P	13	Restoration of the organ by Johann Hinrich Röver (1865)
1972-1973	Hillerse	Ev.-luth. church		I / P	12	Restoration of the organ by Balthasar Conrad Euler (1848)
1972-1974	Walsrode	City Church		II / P	26th	Restoration of the organ by Eduard Meyer (1849); Restoration of the original disposition, reconstruction of the reeds
1974	Gladebeck	St. Nikolai		II / P	17th	Restoration of the organ by Gustav Carl Engelhardt (1862)
1974	Norten-Hardenberg	Chapel orphanage		I / P	9	Restoration of the organ by Balthasar Conrad Euler (1848) and addition of a register
1974	Ahausen	Ahauser Church		II / P	11	Restoration of the organ by Johann Hinrich Röver (1864)
1975	The same	St. Lawrence Church		II / P	25th	Restoration of the organ by Philipp Furtwängler (1845)
1975-1976	Venne (Ostercappeln)	Walburgis Church (Venne)		II / P	15th	Restoration of the organ by the Haupt brothers (1847)
1976	Markoldendorf	Martinskirche		II / P	23	Restoration of the organ by Philipp Furtwängler & Sons (1869); Repairs by Katrin Haspelmath (1997–98), completed by Harm Dieder Kirschner
1976	Obernjesa	Marienkirche		I / P	11	Restoration of the organ by August von Werder (1844)
1976	Moringen	City Church		II / P	23	Restoration of the organ by Carl Giesecke (1850), who had taken over some registers from Christian Vater (1743); Housing and several registers from father and Giesecke have been preserved
1976-1988	Marienstein	Former monastery church		II / P	18th	Restoration and partial reconstruction of the organ by Johann Heinrich and Johann Wilhelm Gloger (around 1732)
1978	Brunkensen	St. Martin's Church		I / P	5 (9)	New building (reconstruction) using the prospectus by Christian Vater (1721)
1978	Gillersheim	Ev.-luth. church		I / P	13	New building using the case from August von Werder (1853) and pipe material from P. Furtwängler & Hammer (1912)
1978	Vahlbruch	Ev.-luth. church		II / P	16	Restoration of the organ by Balthasar Conrad Euler (1845); 3 registers reconstructed
1979	Mackensen	Ev.-luth. church		I / P	9	New building using the case and brochure by Georg Andreas Almes (1774)
1977-1980	Barterode	St. Pankratii		I / P	15th	Restoration of the organ by Euler et Kuhlmann (1825)
1979-1980	Kirchwistedt	St. John's Church		II / P	13	Restoration of the organ by Johann Hinrich Röver (1863)
1980	Herreth	St. Jacobus Maior		I / P	10	Restoration of the organ by Andreas Hofmann (1818)
1980	Ostgroßefehn	Ostgroßefehner Church		II / P	13	Restoration of the organ by P. Furtwängler & Hammer (1895)
1981	Buehle (Northeim)	St. Oswald		I / P	14th	Restoration of the organ by Johann Wilhelm Schmerbach the Elder (around 1785); three registers reconstructed
1981	Lenglern	St. Martini		I / P	13	Restoration of the organ by Johann Stephan Heeren (1795)
1979-1982	Dunum	Dunum Church		I / P	8 (9)	Restoration of the organ by Hinrich Just Müller (1759–65)
1982	Oldenrode	Ev.-luth. church		I.	5	New building using the neo-Gothic case and pipe material by Carl Giesecke (around 1850)
1982	Forlitz-Blaukirchen	Lutheran Church		I / p	6th	Restoration of the organ of the Rohlfs brothers (1869)
1984-1985	Niedergandern	Gutskapelle Niedergandern		I / P	12	Restoration of the organ by Johann Wilhelm Schmerbach the Middle (1811); Reconstruction of 4 registers
1984	Intschede	St. Michaelis		II / P	16	Restoration of the organ by Eduard Meyer (1850)
1984-1985	Dransfeld	St. Martini		II / P	21st	Restoration of the organ by Balthasar Conrad Euler (1843–45); Reconstruction of 6 registers
1985-1986	horst	St. Peter Church		II / P	9	Restoration of the organ by Carl Johann Heinrich Röver (1892) and expansion of the pedal with a register from Röver from Oese
1986	Brevörde	St. Urban		I / P	13	Renovation of the organ by Andreas Schweimb (around 1690)
1986	Zebelin	Ev.-luth. church		I / P	5	New building using the case and pipe material from P. Furtwängler & Hammer (1912)
1987	Oberndorf (Oste)	St. George's Church		II / P	25th	Repair of the organ by Johann Hinrich Röver & Sons (1879)
1987-1988	Become	St. Nicolai Church		II / P	15th	Restoration of the organ by Johann Diepenbrock (1897–98)
1988-1989	Roggenstede	Roggensteder Church		I / p	8th	Restoration of the organ by Johann Gottfried Rohlfs (1827–1833)
1988-1989	Westerholt	Westerholter Church		I / p	8th	Restoration of the organ by Arnold Rohlfs (1840–42)
1989	Heiningen	St. Peter and Paul		II / P	30th	Restoration of the organ by Heinrich Vieth (around 1870)
1989-1990	Mulsum (Kutenholz)	St. Petri		II / P	16	Restoration of the organ by Johann Hinrich Röver (1869–70)
1990	Stockheim	St. Martin		II / P	16	Restoration of the organ by Carl Giesecke (1859/1860)
1992	Lauenau	St. Luke Church		II / P	16	Restoration of the organ by P. Furtwängler & Hammer (1879)
1993	Drochtersen	St. Johannis and Catharina		II / P	23	Restoration of the organ by Carl Johann Heinrich Röver (1895) and addition of a register
1993	Welsede	Manor chapel		I.	8th	Restoration of the organ by Johann Conrad Müller (1735)
1993	Hemeln	Ev.-luth. church		II / P	15th	Restoration of the organ by Euler et Kuhlmann (before 1820)
1993	Möbisburg	Ev. church		II / P	19th	Restoration of the organ by Johann Michael Hesse (1780)
1994	Hörden am Harz	Ev.-luth. church		I / P	9	Restoration of the organ by an unknown organ builder (1787)
1995	Langenholtensen	St. Martini		II / P	16	Restoration of the organ by Carl Heyder (1864) / Gebr. Dutkowski (1934/1935) / Rudolf Janke (around 1966)

literature

• Karl Heinz Bielefeld: organs and organ builder in Göttingen . Pape Verlag, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-921140-75-8 .
• Winfried Topp, Uwe Pape : North German organ builders and their works 2: Peter Tappe / Martin Haspelmath . Pape Verlag, Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-921140-57-9 .
• Harald Vogel , Reinhard Ruge, Robert Noah, Martin Stromann: Organ landscape Ostfriesland . Soltau-Kurier-Norden, Norden 1995, ISBN 3-928327-19-4 .
• Harald Vogel, Günter Lade, Nicola Borger-Keweloh: Organs in Lower Saxony . Hauschild, Bremen 1997, ISBN 3-931785-50-5 .

Individual evidence

1. ^ ^{A b} Bielefeld: Organs and Organ Builders in Göttingen. 2007, p. 360.
2. ↑ ^{a b} Topp / Pape: Norddeutsche Orgelbauer , p. 64.
3. ↑ Topp / Pape: Norddeutsche Orgelbauer , p. 66.
4. ↑ Topp / Pape: Norddeutsche Orgelbauer , p. 67.
5. ^ Organ in Walsrode , accessed on April 12, 2018.
6. ^ Vogel: Orgeln in Niedersachsen , p. 76.
7. ↑ Organ in Mulsum , accessed on April 12, 2018 (PDF; 307 kB).