Christoph Cuntzius

Christoph Cuntzius (also Contius or Cuncius) (* 1676 in Wernigerode ; † November 8, 1722 in Halle (Saale) ) was a German organ builder .

life and work

From 1704 to 1710 he was an organ builder in Wernigerode , from 1710 to 1713 in Halberstadt . From 1713 his workshop was in Halle .

His son Heinrich Andreas Contius moved to Estonia in 1762 and became the leading organ builder in the Baltic region in the 18th century.

plant

Brokered by Andreas Werckmeister he agreed in 1704, the Groninger organ tempered . The renovation of the derelict organ earned him a lot of praise.

Seven new buildings are proven. In addition, there are some organ modifications, extensions and renovations. The organ in Abbenrode is the only one of his almost completely preserved works. In Hornburg and Halle only the magnificent brochures by Cuntzius have been preserved. His larger organs do not have a Rückpositiv and a breastwork, but an upperwork. The prospectus of the main plant is characterized by a central round tower and two pointed towers, which are connected by flat fields. The round pedal towers are connected to the main plant by flat panels. The cornices are richly profiled and crowned by figures.

Proven works

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 a separate pedal. Italics indicate that the organ in question is no longer preserved.

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1706	Tharschengen ( Dardesheim ?)					New building; not received
1708	Abbenrode	St. Andrew		I / P	15th	Building a new organ; almost completely preserved
around 1708	Hornburg	Beatae Mariae Virginis		II / P	32	New building; Prospectus received
1713-1714	Stairs (Harz)	Stieger Church		I.		New building; not received
1713-1716	Halle (Saale)	Marienkirche		III / P	65	Construction of a new organ for 6300 thalers; 1984 new work by Alexander Schuke behind the Cuntzius prospectus
1716	Merseburg	St. Maximi				Crack and disposition for the construction of a new organ in the church (not executed)
1716	Halle (Saale)	Ortisei		III /	39	Extension; not received
1719	Halberstadt	St. Johannis		III / P	36	Reconstruction of the organ from 1608; not received
1718-1720	Halle (Saale)	St. Georgen				New building; not received
1720	Glaucha	St. Georgen				New building; not received
1721	Halberstadt	St. Pauli				New building; not received

literature

• Wolf Hobohm: An unknown expert opinion by Johann Sebastian Bach . In: Bach yearbook . tape 63 , 1977, pp. 135-138 .
• Christoph Wolff , Markus Zepf: The organs of JS Bach - A manual . Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig 2008, ISBN 978-3-374-02407-0 .
• Uwe Pape (Ed.): Lexicon of North German Organ Builders. Volume 1: Thuringia and the surrounding area . Pape Verlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-921140-86-4 .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Alexander Fiseisky: The history of the organ and organ music in Estonia. In: Acta Organologica , 29, 2006, 11-32.
2. ^ ^{A b} Pape (ed.): Lexicon of North German Organ Builders. Volume 1: Thuringia and the surrounding area. 2009, p. 45.