Organ of the Jacobikerk Uithuizen

Organ of the Jacobikerk Uithuizen
General
alternative name	Schnitger organ
place	Jacobikerk, Uithuizen
Organ builder	Arp Schnitger
Construction year	1701
Last renovation / restoration	1999–2001 Bernhardt Edskes
epoch	Baroque
Technical specifications
Number of registers	28
Number of rows of pipes	39
Number of manuals	2
Tone tract	Mechanically
Register action	Mechanically

The organ of the Jacobikerk in Uithuizen in the Dutch province of Groningen was built by Arp Schnitger in 1701 . It has 28 registers , which are distributed over two manuals and pedal . The instrument is one of the best preserved Schnitger organs. The organ served as a template for new organs in the 20th century and for the reconstruction of lost registers of other Schnitger organs.

Building history

New building by Schnitger in 1701

Structure on the Rückpositiv with the coat of arms of van Menkema

From the second half of the 17th century there are invoices for organ repairs that indicate the existence of an organ. However, Schnitger did not take over any registers from the previous organ for his new organ. On March 26, 1699, the parish signed a contract with Schnitger for a new organ with 27 registers. 1,600 Caroligulden were agreed for wages and materials , with cabinet maker Allert Meijer 900 Caroligulden for the case and the organ gallery. Schnitger built an additional register at his own expense so that the organ comprised 28 registers when it was accepted. Schnitger commented on the merit of his organs in Uithuizen and Groningen (Academie-Kerk) as follows: “ I didn't earn anything from these two works because I had two rogues and day thieves as journeymen in these places, who probably consumed a lot, but didn't deserve anything for me. God will give them their reward. “The pedal was placed behind the Hauptwerk case. In its time the organ in Uithuizen was the largest Dutch village organ.

The Meijer case is extremely skillfully made. In the 19th century, the transparent oak was given a dark brown varnish . The Hauptwerk case finds its reduced counterpart in the Rückpositiv in the gallery parapet . Both manual works have five axes with an elevated, polygonal central tower and two side towers in trapezoidal shape. This shape is unusual for Schnitger, who otherwise used pointed side towers. The three pipe towers are connected by two-story flat fields. The upper flat fields in the main work are mute, in the Rückpositiv the lower ones. In all four side towers the outermost pipe is mute. Of the 67 prospectus pipes, 43 are ringing.

The central tower of the Rückpositiv is crowned by the coat of arms of the patronage family Alberda van Menkema. Two soaring lions hold a shield. The side veil shows openwork acanthus tendrils with volutes that merge into angelic figures making music. Acanthus leaves are attached to the case above the flat fields, close off the entire Rückpositiv at the bottom and can be found as a veil above and below in the pipe fields. The carving is attributed to Jan de Rijk.

Later work

Albertus Antonius Hinsz repaired the instrument in 1747 and refurbished it in 1785. He renewed the manual and pedal keyboards and added the missing semitonies in the bass octave by coupling them to the small octave. The Rückpositiv could now be played from the second manual. Hinz did not make any sound changes. Dirk Lohman carried out repairs in 1800 and 1811 . Major changes were made by Petrus van Oeckelen in the years 1854 to 1856. He replaced ten registers in whole or in part, renewed the Manuael wind chest (main work), which received the half-tones in the bass octave, and widened the lower case and the pedal work. In 1891, Schnitger's same workshop replaced four wedge bellows with vertical magazine bellows.

restoration

In a first construction phase in 1987 , Bernhardt Edskes returned the Rückpositiv to its original condition. Five registers were reconstructed using the material obtained, as were the wedge bellows and manual keyboards. In a second phase, Edskes restored the main mechanism and pedal mechanism including the case from 1999 to 2001. Three lost registers have been completely reconstructed, including the prospect pipes with gilded labia , three registers partially.

Disposition since 2001 (= 1701)

I Manuael CDE – c ³
Praestant	08th'	E.
Holpyp	08th'	S.
Octaav	04 ′	S.
Spitsfluyt	04 ′	S.
Quint	03 ′	S.
Super octaav	02 ′	S / E
Siflet	1 ¹ ⁄ ₃  ′0	S / E
Mixing door IV – V0		S.
Trumpet	08th'	E.
Vox Humana	08th'	S.

II Rugposityf CDEFGA – c ³
Praestant	04 ′	S / E
Holpyp	08th'	S.
Quintadena	08th'	S / E
Holpyp	04 ′	S.
Octaav	02 ′	S / E
Woudfluyt	02 ′	S.
Quint	1 ¹ ⁄ ₂  ′0	S.
Sesquialter II0		S.
Scherp IV		E.
Dulciaan	08th'	S.

Pedal CDE – d ¹
Bourdon	16 ′00	S / E
Octaav	08th'	S.
Octaav	04 ′	S.
Night horn0	02 ′	S.
Mixing door IV		E.
Basuyn	16 ′	S.
Trumpet	08th'	S.
Cornet	02 ′	S.

Coupling : sliding coupler II / I (H)
Tremulant , Calcanten-Bell , Windlosser
3 shut-off valves

Remarks: S = Schnitger (1701); E = Edskes (1987/2001)

Technical specifications

28 registers, 39 rows of pipes.
Wind supply :
- 3 wedge bellows (Edskes)
- 3 shut-off valves
- Wind pressure: 66.5 mm water column
Windladen : Rugposityf and Pedaal (Schnitger), Manuael (Edskes)
Action:
- Keyboards (Hinsz)
- Tone action: mechanical
- Stop action: mechanical
Mood :
- Vallotti tuning (1/6 point)
- Pitch: a semitone over a ¹ = 440 Hz

literature

Peter van Dijk: A pronkjuweel op het Hogeland. Het Arp Schnitger-Orgel te Uithuizen . Walburg, Zutphen 2004, ISBN 90-5730-310-8 .
Cornelius H. Edskes , Harald Vogel : Arp Schnitger and his work (= 241st publication by the Society of Organ Friends ). 2nd Edition. Hauschild, Bremen 2013, ISBN 978-3-89757-525-7 , pp. 82-85, 195 f .
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 , p. 240 f .