Hendrik Niehoff

Niehoff's signature

Hendrik Niehoff (also: Nyhoff , Neuhoff , Nieuwenhoff ) (* around 1495 , † 1560 ) was an organ builder who worked in 's-Hertogenbosch in the Netherlands . In the 16th century he brought organ building to a climax in north Brabant . Various technical innovations in organ building go back to Niehoff and he had a far-reaching influence on the further development of the northern European organ culture.

Life

Hendrik Niehoff came from a widespread family of organ builders that had been involved in organ building for several generations, and is regarded as their outstanding representative. His father Nicolaas Niehoff was probably based in Leeuwarden . Hendrik's brother Herman (* around 1495; † after 1546) lived in Leeuwarden and was married to Nele Ariens. Hendrik's first wife was called Bertke Peters († before 1546). This marriage resulted in four children: Nicolaas, Christine (married to Jan Hermans), Hendrik (the younger) and Regina († before 1561, married to Herman Peters). From a second marriage with Anna, which was concluded before March 22, 1546, three children were born: Bertha (married to Jan Wouter Rinck), Aert and Clara. In 1564 Anna bought a summer house with a yard and garden in Vught as a widow . She is last mentioned as godmother in 1571. The son Nicolaas Niehoff (* around 1525 in Amsterdam; † around 1604) became a famous organ builder. He married Jaecxke (or: Jacomyn ) de Ruyther († after 1600) and had three children with her: Jacob, Adriaan and Zeger. Jacob (* around 1565; † 1626) was the last organ builder in this family. He lived in Cologne , was married to Anna von der Schleiden († 1626) and had four children with her.

Hendrik lived in 's-Hertogenbosch for 22 years, but did not acquire citizenship there . Around 1520 he started his apprenticeship with Johann von Koblenz (Jan van Covelen) and worked fruitfully with him. After his death in 1532 he initially continued his master's commissioned work for the widow Sophie, but soon became self-employed. In the 1530s his brother Herman is mentioned as a collaborator a few times. Later Hans von Köln became his business partner. His organs in the main church Sankt Petri (Hamburg) and in St. Johannis (Lüneburg) prove that his good reputation was widespread.

plant

Niehoff gave the type of the so-called “Brabant organ” its unmistakable character, which in many respects became a model for organ buildings in northern Germany. The structure of the prospectus , which reflects the work principle, is characteristic. Niehoff further developed the technical system of the organ and manifested the transition from the Gothic block work to an organ on which the individual stops could be operated. Niehoff used spring shops for which he invented a new type of construction. Original jumping shops have not been preserved from him. His organs usually have a Hauptwerk and Rückpositiv with an independent pedal ; larger organs have an additional upper section. If it is not possible to build a Rückpositiv due to lack of space, there is a small breastwork (without plenum). The main work usually retains its function as a plenum work with a principal choir with the backseat (block work) instead of individual stops . The wind chests of the main work are otherwise divided into upper and lower chests, so that, for example, a separate flute choir can be played. With its own plenum, with new registers that appeared in the 16th century (regularly at Niehoff the Bärpfeife 8 ′ next to Regal 8 ′, also zinc 8 ′), and through the possibility of playing individual stops, the Rückpositiv formed a strong contrast to the Main work. Larger organs were three-manual (with upper work), single-manual organs were the exception in North Brabant. In Brustwerk only kurzbechrige could reeds , in the Oberwerk also some with long cups are placed, which were regarded as characteristic of the Brabant Organ. The pedal is usually weaker and is only occupied in some new organs, such as in Hamburg, St. Petri. It mostly retains its traditional role as a bass piano, although Niehoff adds individual cantus firmus registers. A trumpet 8 ′ is standard. He also uses transmissions in the pedal .

In the years 1538–1560 in particular, Hendrik developed a rich activity. After building organs with his brother Herman and Hans von Köln, he later worked with master Jaspar Jansz (also called Jaspar Johansen ) and Nicolaas, his son from his first marriage. In addition to building new organs, Niehoff was entrusted with the maintenance and repair of over 100 organs. Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was later to become organist on the very smooth Niehoff organ in Amsterdam's Oude Kerk and develop his organ compositions (1580–1621).

List of works (selection)

Little of his works has survived, mostly in Lüneburg, St. Johannis. Proven works:

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1533 / 1538-1540	Hertogenbosch	St. John's Cathedral		II / P		New construction of a small organ for the Brotherhood, which was expanded to include a Rückpositiv and pedal in 1538–1540; later sold to Friesland
1528-1534	Franeker	St. Martin				Completion of the organ by Johann von Koblenz; not received
before 1537	Breukelen	Pieterskerk				New building; not received
1538-1540	Hertogenbosch	St. John's Cathedral				New construction or renovation of the great organ; Destroyed in 1584 as a result of the tower fire
1539-1540	Schoonhoven	Bartholomäuskirche		II / P	13	New building; The case of the carpenter Adriaan Schalke in the Laurenskerk (Rotterdam) preserved (photo), which was used in 1959 to build a new transept organ for the Marcussen & Søn company , to which a new Rückpositiv was added
1539-1540	Naaldwijk	Oude Kerk				New building; Disappeared in 1566/80
before 1542	Heeswijk-Baseldonk	Wilhelmitenkloster				New building; Restoration after the iconoclasm, probably by Nicolaas Niehoff, transfer to Eindhoven , canceled in 1648
1543-1544	Tongerloo	Tongerlo Abbey				Construction of a small organ; during the French Revolution lost
1544	Amsterdam	Oude Kerk		II / P	13	Construction of the small organ; Renovations in the 17th and 18th centuries; In 1823 the pipework was used for the new organ in the Zuiderkerk. Two registers from Niehoff are still wholly or partially preserved in Oegstgeest , Willebrordkerk.
1539-1545	Amsterdam	Oude Kerk		III / P	25th	New construction of the great organ together with Hans von Köln; Canceled in 1724
1545	Delft	Oude Kerk		II / P	23	New building; not preserved, lost before 1630
1547	Enkhuizen	Westerkerk		II		New building probably by Niehoff; Housing preserved, some pipes in the organ of the Zuiderkerk
1548	Delft	Nieuwe Kerk		III / P	28	New building; Replaced by Jonathan Bätz in 1839
1545-1549	Zierikzee	St. Lievens Church		II	19th	New building; Sold to Steenbergen (Catholic church) in 1803 , lost in the 19th century
1548-1550	Hamburg	St. Petri		III / P	27 + HW	Together with Jaspar Johansen, expansion by a Rückpositiv (11 registers), an upper work (8 registers) and a pedal (8 registers). The main work probably consisted of the block work Großmixtur 16 '. Not preserved ( Hamburger Brand 1842).
before 1553	Schiedam	Janskerk		II		New building; Manual housing and register received
1551-1553	Luneburg	St. Johannis		III / P	26th	Construction of an organ together with Jasper Johansen. The manual housings are preserved, 11 registers in whole or in part. → organ
1553	Maastricht	Servaas basilica				New building; Destroyed in the course of the Spanish siege of the city in 1578: “The besieged used the large organ pipes to blow smoke into the corridors of the fortifications; so they drove out the Spaniards. "
1553-1555	Bergen op Zoom	Gertrudiskerk		III	27	New building; Burned in 1747
1557	Brouwershaven	St. Nicolaas				New building probably by Niehoff; Case and some prospect pipes preserved
1556-1563	Gouda cheese	Sint Janskerk		II / P	18th	New building; 1744 sold to the Lutheran church in Gouda, 1904 to Abcoude (Catholic church) (photo); Parts of the case and prospect pipes of the Rückpositiv received

literature

• Jan van Biezen: Het Nederlandse Orgel in de Renaissance en de Barok, in het bijzonder de School van Jan van Covelens . Koninlijke Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muiziekgeschiedenis, Utrecht 1995, ISBN 90-6375-154-0 .
• Douglas E. Bush, Richard Kassel (Eds.): The Organ. To Encyclopedia . Routledge, New York, London 2006, ISBN 0-415-94174-1 , pp. 369 ff . ( partly online ).
• Gustav Fock : Arp Schnitger and his school. A contribution to the history of organ building in the North and Baltic Sea coast areas . Bärenreiter, Kassel 1974, ISBN 3-7618-0261-7 .
• Hans Klotz: About the organ art of the Gothic, the Renaissance and the Baroque. Music, disposition, mixtures, lengths, registration, use of the pianos . 3. Edition. Bärenreiter, Kassel 1986, ISBN 3-7618-0775-9 .
• Maarten Albert Vente : The Brabant Organ. On the history of organ art in Belgium and Holland in the Gothic and Renaissance ages . HJ Paris, Amsterdam 1963.
• Maarten Albert Vente: Niehoff, Hendrik . In: Music in the past and present . 1st edition. tape 9 . Bärenreiter, Kassel 1961, p. 1511–1513 (CD-ROM version, Directmedia, Berlin 2001 (digital library, volume 60)).
• Harald Vogel , Günter Lade, Nicola Borger-Keweloh: Organs in Lower Saxony . Hauschild, Bremen 1997, ISBN 3-931785-50-5 .

Web links

Commons : Niehoff organs  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Organ in Rotterdam, Laurenskerk (Dutch) (as of November 4th 2009).
• Organ in Lüneburg, St. Johannis (seen November 4th 2009).
• Organ in Schiedam (Dutch) (as of November 4th 2009).
• Organ in Brouwershaven (Dutch) (as of November 4th 2009).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Klotz: On Organ Art , pp. 99, 174; Vente: Niehoff , p. 1512.
2. ^ Vente: Die Brabanter Orgel , pp. 76–84, 267; Vente: Niehoff , p. 1511.
3. ↑ Vente: The Brabant Organ , p. 77.
4. ^ Vente: The Brabant Organ , p. 64.
5. ↑ Klotz: On Organ Art , pp. 68, 95.
6. ↑ Klotz: About Organ Art , p. 69.
7. ↑ According to Vente: Die Brabanter Orgel , p. 154, Niehoff is probably the inventor of the Bärpfeife.
8. ↑ Vente: The Brabanter Orgel , pp. 135-136.
9. ^ Vente: Die Brabanter Orgel , pp. 53–54.
10. ↑ Klotz: About Organ Art , p. 176.
11. ^ Vente: The Brabant Organ , p. 78.
12. ↑ List of works in Vente: Die Brabanter Orgel , pp. 84–91.
13. ^ Transept organ in Rotterdam , seen May 20, 2012.
14. ↑ Van Biezen: Het Nederlandse Orgel , p. 471.
15. ↑ Fock: Arp Schnitger , p. 66.
16. ^ Vogel: Orgeln in Niedersachsen , pp. 102-107, 347.
17. ^ Vente: Die Brabanter Orgel , p. 89, with reference to HJP Thomassen: Kriegsbedrijven van Alexander Farnese in Maastricht en aangrenzende gewesten . Maastricht 1890, p. 89.
18. ↑ Van Biezen: Het Nederlandse Orgel , pp. 516-519.