Organ of the Great Church (Leer)

Organ of the Great Church (Leer)
General
place	Great Church (Leer)
Organ builder	Albertus Antonius Hinsz
Construction year	1763-1766
Last renovation / restoration	2014–2018 by Hendrik Ahrend
Organ landscape	Ostfriesland
Technical specifications
Number of registers	48
Number of rows of pipes	65
Number of manuals	3
Tone tract	Mechanically
Register action	Mechanically
Others
Eminent organists	Winfried Dahlke

The organ of the Great Church (Leer) has a growing inventory of registers from a period of over four hundred years. The historic organ of the Great Church in Leer in East Frisia has been expanded over the course of time, with a basic structure being retained. The twelve fully or partially historical registers go back in part to the 16th century. Since the restoration by Hendrik Ahrend was completed in 2018 , the instrument has 48 registers , which are distributed over three manuals and pedal . This makes it the largest organ in the East Frisian organ landscape .

Building history

Renaissance organ by de Mare 1609

De Mare organ, now in Stellichte

The history of the organ has its origins in the Thedinga monastery , for which Andreas de Mare probably created an organ around 1570. This bequeathed Count Enno III. 1609 of the Reformed parish in Leer. Marten de Mare was commissioned to dismantle the monastery organ and rebuild it in the old Liudgeri church near the Plytenberg . In his chronicle, Beschryvink van het oude vlek Leer , written in 1763, Pastor Wessel Onken could not say whether this measure was a renovation or a new building. It is possible that Marten de Mare used the pipes of the monastery organ for the renovation in Leer and the prospectus for a new organ in the St. Georg Christophorus Jodokus Church in Stellichte in 1610.

More recent investigations on the pipe work of the Leeran organ and on the historic prospect pipes of the Renaissance organ in Stellichte have confirmed the direct relationship between the two organs, but could neither confirm nor refute the thesis of a division of the monastery organ. However, a direct relationship between the two instruments has been proven by comparing the pipe inscriptions. It has also been proven that the organ of the Reformed Church in Leer contains pipes, which an organ builder of the de Mare family created before 1609 and which Marten de Mare reworked and reused in 1609.

Reconstructed disposition 1609:

Manual CDEFGA – g 2 a 2 Quintadena 16 ′ until 1845? Principal 8th' until 1766/1855 Reed flute 8th' Quintadena 8th' Octave 4 ′ Flute (covered) 4 ′ octave 2 ′ Sesquialtera II mixture Trumpet 8th'

Reconstruction and expansion by Hinsz 1763–1766

The originally small Leeran organ was expanded into a large city organ over the course of four hundred years without the basic structure being renewed. Repairs are documented for 1685 and 1733–1734, although no organ builder is named. May have been Joachim Kayser and Johann Friedrich Constable worked. After 1750, Dirk Lohman carried out a “grand restoration”, which can hardly be proven in a document.

Albertus Antonius Hinsz (1763–1766) carried out a major reconstruction, which was almost the same as a new building, who also created a new outer case with rich baroque carvings, some of which is still preserved. The inner structure of the main structure is much older and may still come from the de Mare organ, the proportions of which are still reflected in the prospectus. The new Rückpositiv comprised eight registers, the organ a total of 20 registers.

Disposition 1766:

Major work C – c 3 Principal 8th' Hi Mom? Quintatön 16 ′ Hi Mom? Reed flute 8th' Ma Quintatön 8th' Ma octave 4 ′ Hi Mom Fifth flute 3 ′ Hi flute 4 ′ Ma / Hi octave 2 ′ Ma / Hi Sesquialtera II Hi Mixture III-VI B / D Hi Mom? Trumpet B / D 16 ′ Hi Trumpet 8th' Ma

Rückpositiv C – c 3 Principal 4 ′ Hi Dumped 8th' Hi flute 4 ′ Hi Fifth flute 3 ′ Hi Forest flute 2 ′ Hi Cornet III D Hi Sesquialtera II Hi Sharp III Hi Dulcian 8th' Hi

Pedal C – d 1 attached

Notes A.

1. ↑ ^{a b} The register information follows the list on the wind chest, starting with the principal in the prospectus.

Ma = Marten de Mare (1608–1609 and before)

Hi = Albertus Anthonius Hinsz (1763–1766)

Expansion by Höffgen 1845–1850

Left pedal tower with blind wing from 1845–1850

In 1787, Johann Friedrich Wenthin moved the instrument almost unchanged into today's church, which was built between 1785 and 1787. Wenthin rearranged the little pipes that got mixed up as a result of the implementation. Repairs and annual maintenance are documented by Hinrich Just Müller (1800–1810), Wilhelm Eilert Schmid (?) (1811) and Herman Eberhard Freytag (1821).

In the years 1845–1850 a comprehensive extension was carried out by Wilhelm Caspar Joseph Höffgen and, after his death in 1849, by Brond de Grave Winter and his nephew Johann Visser. Höffgen moved the case forward, added an independent pedal unit with six registers and placed the Rückpositiv as the upper unit with a new principal 8 ′ in the prospectus on the main unit, which entailed a renewal of the action . The prospectus was changed considerably in this way; Emden sculptors created new carvings. Furthermore, Höffgen replaced some registers. The organ now had 27 registers.

Disposition 1850:

Major work C – c 3 Principal 8th' Hö / Wi Drone 16 ′ Hey Reed flute 8th' Ma Quintatön 8th' Ma octave 4 ′ Hi Mom Fifth 3 ′ Hey flute 4 ′ Ma octave 2 ′ Ma / Hi Sexquialter II Hi Mixture III-VI Hi Mom? Trumpet 16 ′ Hi Trumpet 8th' Ma / Hi / Wenthin

Upper structure C – c 3 Principal 8th' Hö / GW octave 4 ′ Hi Dumped 8th' Hi flute 4 ′ Hi Fifth flute 3 ′ Hi Forest flute 2 ′ Hi Lull trav. 8th' Hey Sharp III Hi Dulcian 8th' Hi

Pedals C – d 1 Sub bass 16 ′ Hey Principal 8th' Hey Dumped 8th' Hey octave 4 ′ Hey trombone 16 ′ Hey Trumpet 8th' Hey

Ma = Marten de Mare (1608–1609 and before)

Hi = Albertus Anthonius Hinsz (1763–1766)

Hö = Wilhelm Höffgen (1845–1849)

GW = Brond de Grave-Winter (1849–1850)

Replacement of registers in 1888 and 1924

In line with contemporary tastes, other old registers had to give way to new ones in the following decades due to the measures taken by Gebr. Rohlfing (1888) and Friedrich Klassmeier (1924). Johann Diepenbrock (1900) worked on the action. The tin-containing prospectus pipes given in 1917 for armament purposes weighed 227 kg and were reimbursed at 1,770.65 DM . In 1924, Klassmeier replaced them with zinc pipes.

Disposition 1929:

Major work C – c 3 Principal 8th' Kl Drone 16 ′ Hey Reed flute 8th' Ma Quintatön 8th' Ma octave 4 ′ Hi Mom Fifth 3 ′ Hey Hollow flute 4 ′ Ma octave 2 ′ Ma Gamba 8th' Ro Mixture IV Hi / Ro / Ma Dumped 4 ′ Kl Trumpet 8th' Ma / Hi / Wenthin

Upper structure C – c 3 Principal 8th' Kl octave 4 ′ Hi Dumped 8th' Hi Lull 4 ′ Hi Aeolian harp 8th' Kl Forest flute 2 ′ Hi Lull trav. 8th' Hey Salizional 8th' Kl oboe 8th' Kl

Pedals C – d 1 Sub bass 16 ′ Hey Principal 8th' Kl Dumped 8th' Hey? octave 4 ′ Hey trombone 16 ′ Hey Trumpet 8th' Hey

Ma = Marten de Mare (1608–1609 and earlier)

Hi = Albertus Anthonius Hinsz (1763–1766)

Hö = Wilhelm Höffgen (1845–1849)

Ro = Rohlfing Brothers (1888)

Kl = Klassmeier (1923)

Restoration and expansion by Ott 1953–1955

Right back positive from the 1950s

Today's external structure with a left and a right Rückpositiv, which goes back to Paul Ott (1953–1955), is unusual . Before that (1951) the organ gallery had been converted into a choir gallery. Ott also changed the prospectus, enlarged the pedal housings to 16 feet high, and removed much of the carving, including the housing coronations. He created the free-standing console with a new mechanism and expanded the range of the keyboard. Höffgen's upper works housing has been empty since then. When he expanded the organ, Ott took over 19 older registers. The number of registers had grown to 37 voices.

Consolidation by Ahrend & Brunzema 1963–1971

Ahrend & Brunzema consolidated the organ in various construction phases from 1963 to 1971 (first the main work and pedal, 1971 the Rückpositive). All seven modern reed registers have been renewed, the entire pipework has been re-voiced, individual pipes replaced, the wind chests revised and the wind supply improved with two new magazine bellows.

Since 1971 the instrument has had the following disposition:

I Rückpositiv (left) C – f 3 Dumped 8th' Hi Praestant 4 ′ Ott recorder 4 ′ Ott Forest flute 2 ′ Hi Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 3  ′ Ott Scharff IV – V Ott Dulcian 8th' FROM Sordun 16 ′ FROM Tremulant II Hauptwerk C – f 3 Praestant 8th' MA / MM / Ott Quintadena 16 ′ MA / Ott Reed flute 8th' MA / MM octave 4 ′ MA / MM / Hi / A & B Fifth 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Hey Pointed flute 4 ′ Ott octave 2 ′ MA / Hi / Ott Sesquialtera II Ro / Ott Mixture V-VI Ott Third cymbal III Ott Trumpet 16 ′ FROM Trumpet 8th' MA / Hi / Wenthin

III Rückpositiv (right) C – f 3 Dumped 8th' Ott Reed flute 4 ′ Hi Rohrnasat 2 2 ⁄ 3  ′ Ott Praestant 2 ′ Ott Tertian II Ott Quint cimbel III Ott octave 1' Ott shelf 8th' FROM Tremulant Pedal C – f 1 Open bass 16 ′ Ott Sub bass 16 ′ Hey octave 8th' Ott octave 4 ′ Hey Night horn 2 ′ Ma Mixture III-IV Kl / Ott trombone 16 ′ FROM Trumpet 8th' FROM cornet 2 ′ FROM

• Link : II / P, I / P, III / II, I / II.

MA = probably Andreas de Mare (Thedinga Monastery, before 1609)

MM = Marten de Mare using older voices from the Thedinga monastery (1608/1609)

Hi = Albertus Anthonius Hinsz (1763/1766)

Hö = Wilhelm Höffgen, Brond de Grave-Winter (1845–1850)

Ro = blank (1888)

Kl = Klassmeier (1924)

Ott = Paul Ott (1953–1955)

A&B = Ahrend & Brunzema (1963–1971)

Notes B.

1. ↑ Old material
2. ↑ Compiled from various rows of pipes from dis ⁰
3. ↑ G sharp ¹ –a ² de Mare and 18th century from octave 4 ′
4. ↑ cs ⁰ –f ³ de Mare, single notes Hinsz
5. ↑ C – c ³ de Mare before 1609 / change 1609
6. ↑ Moved up by 2 semitones
7. ↑ New, partly old material from Hinsz (foiled)
8. ↑ C – f ¹ de Mare / reworking Hinsz
9. ↑ 2 ² ⁄ ₃  ′ chorus from Gamba 8 ′ Rohlfing
10. ↑ C – c ³ Kehlen de Mare, 18th century cup.
11. ↑ Ott revision from HW Hohlflöte 4 ′

Restoration by Hendrik Ahrend 2014–2018

New gaming table by Hendrik Ahrend

Register pulls on the right side

LKMD Winfried Dahlke , head of the Organeum ( Weener ) and organist at the Great Church, inventoried the tone letters on the old pipe inventory as part of a scientific project (2006–2008) and, in collaboration with Jürgen Ahrend, created a documentation of the research results and the history of the organ . This investigation formed the basis for the restoration, for which the church building association of the Great Church campaigned. In view of the increased stock, a reconstruction to a certain earlier state was not useful, so that a conservation of the historical material was sought and only later inadequate changes should be reversed. An international group of experts discussed a possible restoration concept at an organ conference in January 2012.

The restoration was carried out in two construction phases. From 2014 to 2015, the stiff mechanical action was renewed, the play system in the lower case was reconstructed and the system in the empty upper unit was prepared for expansion. Ahrend renovated the partly baroque housing and the veil boards and richly designed blind wings from 1845–1850. For this purpose, donations and public funds amounting to € 210,000 were available. In a second construction phase, the historic pipework with 2,500 pipes was restored from 2016 to 2018 for € 600,000, which had to be attached due to the increased wind pressure. Ahrend renewed all prospect pipes made of pure tin, rebuilt the wind chests of the Rückpositiv and reconstructed the original wind turbine with four wedge bellows. For the upper work, which comprises eleven registers with a total of around 800 pipes, the wind chest and eight registers have been reconstructed and three registers taken from Hinsz and Höffgen. Upper work and right back positive can be played from the third manual. All inferior registers that were created between 1888 and 1955, including around 20 Ott registers, have been replaced by new registers in the historical style. Since 2018, the register names have been based on the spelling of the organ of the Norder Ludgerikirche . During the restoration work, parts of the organ remained playable.

Disposition from 2018

I Rückpositiv (left) C – f 3 Hollow floit 8th' HA Principal 4 ′ HA Block floit 4 ′ HA Octav 2 ′ HA Fifth 1 1 ⁄ 2  ′ HA Scharff III HA Sordun 16 ′ FROM Crumhorn 8th' FROM II Hauptwerk C – f 3 Quintadena 16 ′ MA / HA Principal 8th' HA Pipe floit 8th' MA / MM / HA Octave 4 ′ MA / MM / Hi / HA Hollow floit 4 ′ HA / MA Quinta 3 ′ Hö / HA Octave 2 ′ MA / Hi / HA Sesquialtera II HA Mixture IV-VI HA Cimbel III HA Drum up 16 ′ FROM Drum up 8th' MA / Hi / Wenthin

III Rückpositiv (right) C – f 3 Gedact 8th' HA Hollow floit 4 ′ HA Nasat 3 ′ HA Principal 2 ′ HA octave 1' HA Tertian II 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ HA Cimbel II HA shelf 8th' FROM III Oberwerk C – f 3 Principal 8th' HA Gedact 8th' Hi Slack travers 8th' HA Quintadena 8th' HA Octave 4 ′ HA Floit 4 ′ Hö / HA Quintfloit 3 ′ HA Forest floit 2 ′ Hi / HA Tertia D 1 3 ⁄ 5  ′ HA Scharff III HA Dulcian 8th' HA

Pedal C – f 1 Principal 16 ′ HA Sub bass 16 ′ Hö / HA octave 8th' HA Octave bass 4 ′ Hö / HA Night horn 2 ′ HA Mixture IV HA Trumpet 16 ′ FROM Drum up 8th' FROM Cornett 2 ′ FROM

• Coupling : I / II, III / I, III / II, I / P, II / P, III / P

MA = probably Andreas de Mare (Thedinga Monastery, before 1609)

MM = Marten de Mare, using older voices from the Thedinga monastery (1608/1609)

Hi = Albertus Anthonius Hinsz (1763/1766)

Hö = Wilhelm Höffgen, Brond de Grave-Winter (1845–1850)

A&B = Ahrend & Brunzema (1963–1971)

HA = Hendrik Ahrend (2014-2018)

Notes C.

1. ↑ C – c ³ de Mare before 1609 / change 1609
2. ↑ C – f ¹ de Mare / reworking Hinsz
3. ↑ C – c ³ Kehlen de Mare, 18th century cup.
4. ↑ Compiled from various rows of pipes from dis ⁰

Technical specifications

• 48 stops, three manuals and pedal
• Wind supply:
  • Wind pressure: 75 mm water column
  • Four wedge bellows (Ahrend)
• Action:
  • Tone action: mechanical
  • Stop action: mechanical
• Wind supply:
  • Windladen main work by Hinsz
  • Windladen pedal mechanism from Höffgen
  • Windladen Rückpositive and Oberwerk by Hendrik Ahrend
• Mood :
  • Tuning pitch: a ¹ = 440 Hz at 16 ° C
  • Well-tempered mood based on the Snitger & Freytag organ in Bellingwolde (1797)

meaning

Within the organ landscape of East Friesland with its rich organ inventory from six centuries, the organ in Leer is the second oldest instrument after the Gothic organ of the Rysum church . Although major modifications have changed the external shape several times, a basic inventory of old pipes was taken over. The grown state of the Leeran organ includes pipes from the 16th, 17th, 18th, 19th, 20th and 21st centuries. Twelve historical registers have been completely or partially preserved, seven tongue registers were adopted by Ahrend & Brunzema (1971), 13 registers were reconstructed by Hendrik Ahrend and 16 were added in the historical style. It is the only work by Hinsz on German soil. After the restoration was completed in 2018, it is largely shaped by the baroque style. With 48 stops, which are divided into four manual works and a pedal, it is the largest city organ in East Frisia.

In the summer there are regular organ concerts as part of the "International Leeraner Organ Summer" in the Great Church.

literature

• Winfried Dahlke , Jürgen Ahrend : The documentation of the organ in the Evangelical Reformed Church in Leer - the historical pipework . Noetzel, Wilhelmshaven 2011, ISBN 3-7959-0927-9 (first version 2008 Print on Demand).
• Walter Kaufmann : The organs of East Frisia . East Frisian Landscape, Aurich 1968, p. 153-155 .
• Church council of the Ev.-ref. Parish of Leer (Ed.): Organ Large Church Leer. Information on the history and situation of the organ in the large church in Leer. Sollermann, Leer 2014.
• Günter Lade (Ed.): 40 years of organ building Jürgen Ahrend 1954–1994 . Self-published, Leer-Loga 1994.
• Uda von der Nahmer: Wind song. Organs, wind and relatives . Ostfriesische Landschaftliche Verlags- und Vertriebsgesellschaft, Aurich 2008, ISBN 978-3-940601-03-2 , p. 26-27 .
• Wessel Onken: From Leer's Past (Chronicle of the Empty Spot) . Loeser, Reinbek 2007.

Web links

Commons : Organ of the Great Church (Leer)  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• Homepage of the parish
• Information about the organ on the page of the East Frisian landscape
• Information on the restoration of the organ in the Great Church in Leer
• Organ in Leer at NOMINE eV
• Numerous detailed photos by H. Edskes and E. Kooiman

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Information on the restoration of the organ in the Great Church in Leer , p. 7, accessed on April 13, 2019.
2. ↑ See NOMINE eV: Orgel in Stellichte , accessed on April 13, 2019.
3. ↑ Ahrend, Dahlke: Documentation . 2008, pp. 240-248.
4. ↑ ^{a b c d e} dispositions according to Ahrend, Dahlke: Documentation . 2008, pp. 12-17.
5. ^ Kaufmann: Organs in Ostfriesland . 1968, p. 153; Ahrend, Dahlke: Documentation . 2008, p. 11.
6. ↑ Ahrend, Dahlke: Documentation . 2008, p. 75.
7. ↑ ^{a b c} Information on the restoration of the organ in the Great Church in Leer , p. 24, accessed on April 13, 2019.
8. ↑ See Ahrend, Dahlke: Documentation . 2008, p. 9.
9. ↑ Ahrend, Dahlke: Documentation. 2008/2011.
10. ↑ ostfriesenelandschaft.de: Organ Conference 11. – 13. January 2012 , accessed April 13, 2019.
11. ↑ Information on the restoration of the organ in the Great Church in Leer , pp. 11, 15, 24, accessed on April 13, 2019.
12. ↑ Information on the restoration of the organ in the Great Church in Leer , pp. 15-16, accessed on April 13, 2019.
13. ↑ Information on the restoration of the organ in the Great Church in Leer , pp. 19, 23, accessed on April 13, 2019.
14. ^ Church council of the Ev.-ref. Parish of Leer (Ed.): Organ Large Church Leer. 2014, p. 15.
15. ↑ Concert calendar , accessed on April 13, 2019.

Coordinates: 53 ° 13 '42.4 "  N , 7 ° 26' 58.8"  E