Organ of the Rysum Church

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Organ of the Rysum Church
Rysum Organ msu.jpg
General
place Rysumer Church
Organ builder Master Harmannus?
Construction year around 1440 or 1457
Last renovation / restoration 1960 by Ahrend & Brunzema
Organ landscape Ostfriesland
Technical specifications
Number of registers 7th
Number of rows of pipes 11
Number of manuals 1
Tone tract Mechanically
Register action Mechanically
View of the organ gallery

The organ of the Rysum Church is considered to be the oldest instrument of this type in Northern Europe that has largely been preserved in its pipe inventory , and, along with the instruments in Sion , Kiedrich and Ostönnen, is one of the oldest playable organs in the world. The basic structure of the organ in the Rysum church dates back to around 1440 or 1457 and has seven stops on one manual . As part of the restoration by Ahrend & Brunzema in 1959/1960 , lost registers were reconstructed and the late Gothic housing was restored. Essential parts of the case and the pipe inventory have been preserved.

Building history

New building around 1440 or 1457

In the middle of the 15th century , an organ was probably built for Rysum by Master Harmannus from Groningen , who is also associated with the organ of the Groninger Martinikerk around 1440 . According to the Emden handwriting of the Frisian chronicle of Eggerik Beninga , she was paid for by the Rysum farmers with their ten best cattle. A permit for the transport of cattle across the Ems had to be obtained in writing beforehand.

“In dusser tyt de pastoer and karckszwaren to Rysum dorch a schrifft van olde Imell, to Oesterhuusen and Grymersum hoeftlingk, begeret, datt he without wulde voergunnen, datt se ere vette beeste aver de Eemse na Gröninghen muchten laten schepen schulde, darmede muchten betalen to Gröningen, because of the urchin, datt se daer hadden maken laten. "

“During this time the pastor and the church jury at Rysum requested through a letter from Olde Imell, Chief of Osterhusen and Grimersum, that he would allow them to be allowed to cross their fat cattle across the Ems to Groningen to cover their debts in Groningen to pay because of the organ that they had made there. "

- Eggerik Beninga : Cronica der Fresen , Vol. II, p. 882.

The entry in the chronicle has so far been dated to the year 1457, as it stands between other events from the years 1458 and 1457, but only gives a vague chronological information ( at this time ) and could, according to Hajo van Lengen, also for other reasons have been placed at this point. Olde Immel died in 1456. From the middle of the 1430s he was on the run and only received his post as chief back in 1450 from Count Ulrich I. Without rule he retired on his inheritance and would not have had to ask permission from the Rysumers in the 1450s. Only the period from 1441 to the beginning of 1445 comes into consideration for the Rysumer's writing, when Immel made the Ems unsafe as a pirate together with the Rysum chief Brunger II. All this makes it probable that the organ was built around 1440. More detailed background to the organ building in Groningen and the installation in Rysum are not yet known. The lead used for the organ pipes probably comes from the Harz Mountains.

Originally the instrument stood on a rood screen in the choir room. At the end of the Middle Ages, there was no musical need for an organ to be built, as it was not of major importance in the liturgy and it was not used to accompany church singing before the 17th century. Instead, it fulfilled a representative function for the leading representatives of the agricultural community who had financed the construction and belonged “in a climate of intensified piety and a growing self-confidence of the church members towards the clergy.” When exactly the work was moved to the west gallery, is unclear.

The late Gothic instrument seems to have been divided into two parts and had a treble block movement with a full chromatic range B-F 2 and a bass movement, the pipes of which have been preserved in the prospectus with the original lengths . This bass work had its own wind chest and could probably be played on a separate keyboard (in Gothic times usually with the aid of a pedal). In the treble work, either only the visible praestant could be played on a separate prospectus drawer or the full work with all rows of pipes of different lengths on the rear drawer ("back set"). The range of two and a half octaves indicates an early period, as four octaves were common from the 17th century.

Organist pulpit with inscription

In 1513 an organist's pulpit was built into the gallery and this year was given on an inscription with Gothic minuscules . The organ may also have been rebuilt during this period. According to dendrochronological studies, the remains of the double doors are made of oak that was felled in the Baltic States in 1480 , which suggests that they were attached to the organ during the renovation of the gallery. The Latin inscription names the name of the founder, Victor Frese († 1527), who was the chief and patron saint of Rysum, Campen and Loquard, the name of the clergyman responsible, Edo Eissink, who was pastor in Rysum from 1513 to 1554, and the change carried out for the Reformation :

"Hec structura incepta est tempore Victoris Vrese equitis aurati et domini Edonis de Westerwolda curati. Anno m ccccc xiii. "

“This building was inaugurated at the time of the gold-adorned knight Victor Vrese and Mr. Edo from Westerwold, clergyman. In 1513. "

- Donor inscription on the organist's pulpit

Repairs and modifications

Repairs are documented by Joachim Kayser in 1680 and by Valentin Ulrich Grotian from 1689 to 1699 . By the end of the 17th century at the latest, perhaps as early as 1513, the organ made a change from a block structure to an instrument with a slider that met the needs of accompanying the congregational singing. The fact that Kayser was paid for seven turned register buttons required a corresponding wind chest with which the rows of pipes could be played separately. From 1736–1738 Matthias Amoor , who may have learned from Arp Schnitger , made a modification and used part of the wing doors to cover the organ case and the bellows case. In this context, Jacob Tÿlman replaced the wing doors with baroque carvings. The instrument received a new color version . Amoor also expanded the range to CDEFGA-g 2 a 2 (i.e. with a short octave and now starting with the low C instead of B) and added an attached pedal. He worked old pipes into a Gedackt . Whether he made further changes to the disposition (which were lost in the course of later reconstructions) or whether the seven old registers were retained until 1941 cannot be clearly determined. In any case, the basic stock of pipes was preserved and (possibly due to lack of money) spared major interventions. Dirk Lohman was responsible for maintenance and care from 1764 to 1786 . In 1790/1791 Johann Gottfried Rohlfs carried out a repair. Johann Friedrich Wenthin repaired the organ in 1792/1793; he and his son Joachim Wenthin held the maintenance until 1812. A repair by Wilhelm Caspar Joseph Höffgen is documented for 1819/1820. Abbe Oltmanns took care of the maintenance from 1829 to 1844. Gerd Sieben Janssen's family of organ builders took on the maintenance work from 1848 to 1910. In 1867/1868 the top of the housing was shortened because a new ceiling was drawn into the church. The renewal of the keyboard and the register slides can probably be traced back to Johann Diepenbrock (1880/1890). Between 1910 and 1920 P. Furtwängler & Hammer took care of the annual maintenance, then Max Maucher until 1939 and Karl Puchar until 1952. Different reports on the condition of the organ led to different assessments; In some cases, a demolition of the organ was advocated:

“The organ is very old and completely used up. Any improvement through a repair is impossible. How long the work can still be used cannot be stated with certainty, since its old age can cause a sudden collapse. "

- Furtwängler & Hammer's estimate of January 19, 1915

Restorations

Restored condition in 2006 before the church renovation

In 1941, Karl Puchar from the north restored the organ in an improper manner and replaced three stops with factory pipes. He renewed the pedal keyboard and added the missing tones C sharp, D flat, F sharp and G sharp in the bass octave of the manual keyboard. Just a few years later, the condition of the instrument deteriorated noticeably, so that between 1947 and 1954 a number of reports on the condition of the organ were obtained.

In 1959/1960 Ahrend & Brunzema carried out a comprehensive reconstruction , which also included the restoration of the case with its pointed-arched pipe fields. Advice was Cor Edskes as Organologe aside. Ahrend reconstructed the sesquialtera, mixture and the trumpet from hammered lead and put back the pure thirds, mean tone tuning . A piece of the pulled-down ceiling was removed, the late Gothic prospect was exposed and the crowning field with wooden blind pipes and the missing carving of pinnacles , finials and crabs were restored by the sculptor Grummer. The double doors, which had been removed since the 18th century, were supplemented on the sides using the remains, as was the largely mutilated facade. The baroque decorations were probably lost during cleaning up in the church. The pedal installed later was removed and the keyboard, action , wind chest and the wedge bellows were reconstructed in the old design. Finally, the restoration came to an end with the completion of the historical color version.

In the course of an extensive church restoration from 1996 to 2009, the mirrored ceiling from the 19th century was removed, which means that the church has a uniform medieval beam ceiling again, with the exception of the raised barrel above the organ. The organ was cleaned by Hendrik Ahrend and the prospect pipes were newly foiled with tin. Winfried Dahlke from the Organeum scientifically examined the inscriptions of all historical pipes and created a documentation. Based on the inscriptions, he was able to confirm that the original pitch range was from B to F.

description

The organ in Rysum is one of the oldest organs in the world. While other organs contain older components, the consistently reconstructed Gothic prospect design in Rysum has no parallel. The basic set of four registers made of thick, hammered lead pipes has survived the centuries largely unscathed. They produce a dark sound of great intensity. The prospect pipes show the typical Gothic pointed lobes. Only the deepest bass pipes were lengthened in the course of modernizing the Gothic block work. The deepest pipe weighs about 25 kg. The current technical system of the wind chests and the action as well as the larger pitch range reflect the time of the Renaissance. A reconstructed lever on the console, with which the prefix can be switched on and off, makes the transformation of the block work into an organ work with slider chests plausible. The wing doors, which have been supplemented with the preserved remains and painted with the sun, moon and stars, can be closed completely.

The flat design of the prospectus has four axes according to the golden ratio and is decorated with Gothic carving. The richly profiled lower case is divided into three fields, each of which has three registers on the outer two. The motif of an hourglass behind the register boards symbolizes transience, while the painted stars on the double doors represent the heavenly dimension. The lead pipes in the prospectus are covered with a shiny tin foil. The two outer pipe fields with seven pipes each end in late Gothic keel arches . Because of the symmetry, a silent whistle was built into the right bass field. The two inner fields, each with 14 pipes, are rectangular and are spanned by a middle field with silent pipe mock-ups, which is also closed off by a keel arch. The 15 pipes of the two octave registers, which have a different construction than the principal register, could originally have stood in this field as sounding pipes.

Disposition since 1960

Manual CDEFGA – g 2 a 2
Praestant 8th' G
Dumped 8th' G
Octave 4 ′ G
Octave 2 ′ G
Sesquialtera II FROM
Mixture III-IV FROM
Trumpet 8th' FROM
Remarks
G = Gothic (1442/1513)
AB = Ahrend & Brunzema (1960)

Technical specifications

  • Seven registers, no pedal
  • Action:
    • Tone action: mechanical
    • Stop action: mechanical
  • Wind supply:
    • Wedge bellows
    • Wind pressure: 70 mm water column
  • Mood :

literature

Recordings / sound carriers

  • Organ country East Frisia . 1989, Deutsche Harmonia Mundi, HM 939-2, CD (Harald Vogel in Norden, Uttum, Rysum, Westerhusen, Marienhafe, Weener: works by D. Buxtehude, C. Goudimel, Anonymus, JP Sweelinck, S. Scheidt, C. Paumann , A. Schlick, A. Ileborgh, P. Hofhaimer, H. Isaac, HL Hassler, G. Böhm, JS Bach).
  • Organ landscapes. Episode 4: A musical journey to eight organs in the Ostfriesland region (part 1) . 2013, NOMINE eV, LC 18240 (Thiemo Janssen in Rysum, Osteel, Westerhusen, Marienhafe, Dornum and Agnes Luchterhandt in Uttum, Pilsum, north).
  • Organs in East Frisia . Vol. 2. 1997, Organeum, OC-09602, CD (Harald Vogel in Rysum, Uttum, Norden, Marienhafe).
  • Les plus belles orgues . 1994, Analekta Classics, AN 28216-7, 2 CD (Antoine Bouchard in Rysum, Osteel, Steinkirchen, Mittelkirchen, Ganderkesee, Westerhusen, Dedesdorf. Works by Paumann, Susato, Sweelinck, Scheidemann, Bach and others).
  • Wind song. Organs, wind and relatives: woe, windswept, woe ... Krumhorn organ sounds. 2012, Verlag der Ostfriesische Landschaft (Winfried Dahlke in Rysum, Uttum, Westerhusen and Pilsum with works by Ghizeghem, Lassus, Palestrina, Böddecker and others)
  • Historical organ art in East Frisia . Fabian Records, CD 7116, 1984 (Rupert Gottfried Frieberger in Rysum, Uttum, Marienhafe, Westerhusen).
  • A Late Mediaval Mass On The Rysum Organ. Lorenzo Ghielmi , Ensemble Biscantores. Passacaille, 2020.

Audio samples

Web links

Commons : Organ of the Rysumer Church  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Vogel: Organs in Lower Saxony. 1997, p. 94.
  2. ↑ Van Lengen: When was the Rysum organ built? 2016, p. 26.
  3. ^ Eggerik Beninga: Cronica the Fresen . Vol. 2. Verlag Ostfriesische Landschaft, Aurich 1961 (Sources on the history of Ostfriesland, Vol. 4), p. 882.
  4. ↑ Van Lengen: When was the Rysum organ built? 2016, pp. 28, 35.
  5. ↑ Van Lengen: When was the Rysum organ built? 2016, pp. 35, 37.
  6. ↑ a b Rysumer organ 15 years older than expected , accessed on February 24, 2017.
  7. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 45.
  8. ↑ a b Ortgies: The organ in the Evangelical Reformed Church in Rysum (East Frisia). 2019, p. 266.
  9. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 18 f.
  10. ↑ Achim v. Quistorp: Rysum. A portrait of the former glory. (PDF; 1.2 MB), p. 7.
  11. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 19.
  12. ↑ a b Balder (ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 24.
  13. ↑ Nickles: Organ inventory of the Krummhörn. 1995, p. 294.
  14. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 15.
  15. ↑ Quoted from Nickles: Organ inventory of the Krummhörn. 1995, p. 295. Friedrich Klassmeier came to a similar conclusion in his report of January 6th, 1915. In contrast, consistorial builder K. Mohrmann pleaded in his report of September 12th, 1913 for a restoration of the old prospectus, which the retracted ceiling “almost barbarically mutilated. "
  16. ↑ Nickles: Organ inventory of the Krummhörn. 1995, p. 297f.
  17. ↑ a b Balder (ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 16.
  18. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 60.
  19. ^ Ortgies: The organ in the Evangelical Reformed Church in Rysum (East Frisia). 2019, p. 268.
  20. ^ Vogel: Organs in Lower Saxony. 1997, p. 95.
  21. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 20.
  22. ↑ a b Vogel: Organs in Lower Saxony. 1997, p. 97.
  23. ↑ Balder (Ed.): The Gothic organ in the Rysum church. 2012, p. 17.

Coordinates: 53 ° 22 '46.2 "  N , 7 ° 2' 7.8"  E