Ratzmann (organ builder)

Ratzmann is a German family of organ builders from the 19th and early 20th centuries who built around 170 organs in Thuringia and Hesse .

Family and company history

The following seven organ builders are known from three generations:

• Georg Franz Ratzmann was the founder of the organ building family.

He was the father of:

• Johann Friedrich Heinrich Ratzmann and
• Johann Heinrich Ludwig Ratzmann and
• Wilhelm August Ratzmann

The latter was the father of:

• Jean Ratzmann and
• Wilhelm Ratzmann and
• Anton August Ratzmann

Georg Franz Ratzmann (also: Franz Georg Ratzmann ) (* 1771 in Cumbach ; † May 5, 1846 in Ohrdruf ) founded an organ builder dynasty spanning three generations. He settled in 1792 as an organ builder in Ohrdruf, Thuringia, where he married into a carpenter's workshop. Three of his six surviving children also learned organ building. Ernst Sauer was one of his students . The third oldest son (Johann Heinrich) Ludwig (* May 7, 1804 in Ohrdruf; † February 25, 1875 in Ohrdruf) continued the Ohrdruf workshop in 1846. Obviously his brother Johann (Friedrich) Heinrich (born June 23, 1800 in Ohrdruf; † July 30, 1881 in Ohrdruf) gave him a hand. After 1876 no more works from the workshop can be found.

(Wilhelm) August Ratzmann (born November 22, 1812 in Ohrdruf; † November 25, 1880 in Gelnhausen ) was the third son of Georg Franz Ratzmann, who learned organ building. In the course of building a new organ in the Bergkirche in Niedergründau, he moved to Gelnhausen in the south-eastern Wetterau around 1839 . He had met the daughter of an innkeeper there and married her in 1840. August Ratzmann built his own workshop in Gelnhausen around 1841 and led the Ratzmann organ building to a heyday.

Three of August Ratzmann's four children also learned their father's craft and continued the business: Jean, Wilhelm and Anton August Ratzmann. They did not appear under their own names until their father's death in 1880. Friedrich Heinrich Ludwig (Jean) Ratzmann (born January 7, 1842 in Gelnhausen; † unknown) led a rather independent life, broke away from his brothers and from 1860 moved around as an organ builder in Germany, Switzerland and Australia for ten years, working in the meantime as a freelancer until at least 1879 for his father's company. With little success, Jean Ratzmann set up his own business in Hanau-Kesselstadt around 1868 . In 1882 he worked at Sauer in Frankfurt (Oder) . Wilhelm Ratzmann (born September 20, 1846 in Gelnhausen; † November 11, 1911 in Gelnhausen) and Anton August Ratzmann (born September 24, 1852 in Gelnhausen; † June 30, 1928 in Gelnhausen) learned organ building from, among others, Johann Georg Förster in Lich and operated his father's workshop after his death under the name “Gebr. Ratzmann ”continues. During his six years of traveling, Wilhelm had acquired knowledge of new techniques such as pneumatics in organ building and was open to these developments, while his brother preferred the organ techniques that were traditional up to that point.

After Wilhelm's death in 1911, there were disputes with the widow about the continuation of the business, which finally ended with the widow selling the workshop to Richard Schmidt (born April 18, 1889 in Aubstadt; † 1951 Gelnhausen).

Richard Schmidt had learned organ building from Georg Friedrich Steinmeyer . Under his leadership, the workshop operated under the name “W. Ratzmann, Orgelbauanstalt, owner Rich. Schmidt ". His son Bernhard (born May 31, 1930 in Gelnhausen) continued the business under his own name. Since 1994 it has been led by Andreas Schmidt (* 1963 in Gelnhausen), Richard's grandson.

plant

A total of 14 works by Georg Franz Ratzmann are documented, including two three-manual (Arnstadt and Fulda). His sons expanded the Ohrdrufer workshop's contract area. August Ratzmann created around 75 new instruments and had a lasting impact on the Hesse organ landscape . From around 1870 he turned mainly to the mechanical cone chest without turning away from the mechanical sliding chest. Under his leadership, the organ workshop gained national importance. The Ratzmann brothers succeeded in maintaining the quality they had achieved. Around 1900 they introduced the pneumatic cone drawer. 48 new organs had been built by 1921.

List of works (selection)

First generation (1792 to 1846)

Georg Franz Ratzmann

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1802	Reinholdshain (Glauchau)	Ev. church		I / P	11
1814	Ohrdruf	Saint Trinity Church		II / P	34
1817	Friedrichroda	Saint Catherine		II / P	11	Replaced in 1874 by Guido Knauf , II / P 20 new building in the historical housing by Rudolf Böhm , II / P 11
1819	Wolfis	St. Crucis		II / P	28
1821	Pessin	Pessin village church		I / P	12	built for the village church of Hötzelsroda , moved to Pessin in 2016, restored by Eberswalder Orgelbauwerkstatt GbR in 2016-2018
1830	Dark Mountains	Trinity Church		II / P	22nd
1831	Altenbergen	Immanuel Church		II / P	27	Restored by Orgelbau Schönefeld , Stadtilm, 1999-2002
1836	Schwabhausen (Thuringia)	Trinity Church		II / P	19th
1837	Fulda	St. Blaise		III / P	50	Case and some registers from Ratzmann preserved; 1900 rebuilding by Franz Eggert and 2005 by Johannes Klais organ builder

Second generation (1846 to 1876)

Johann Friedrich Heinrich and Johann Heinrich Ludwig Ratzmann

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1847	Arnstadt	Barefoot Church		III / P	38	Completion of the organ that Georg Franz had started
1851	Dalherda	Ev. church		I / P	11

Wilhelm August Ratzmann (1839 to 1880)

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1839	Niedergründau	Mountain church		II / P	31	With the participation of Georg Franz Ratzmann; side play table housed in the organ case; wooden pedestal 32 ′; largely preserved
1845	Herrnhaag	Evangelical Church in Herrnhaag		I / P	10	Biedermeier style prospectus; 6 registers preserved
1847	Oak trees (Nidderau)	Ev. church		II / P	19th	Prospectus and some registers received
1850	Appenheim	Catholic Church		I / P	7th
1851	Schwalheim	Ev. church		II / P	16	Rebuilt in 1928 by Förster & Nicolaus
1852	Harxheim	Simultaneous church		I / p	6 (8)	The organ was originally built for Mühlheim am Main and sold to Harxheim in 1880; two loops are empty, pedal attached
1855	Dorheim	Ev. church		I / P	12	7 registers preserved
1865	Seulberg	Ev.-luth. church		II / P	23
1866	Hohenzell (Schlüchtern)	Ev. church		II / P	12
1870	Spielberg (Brachttal)	Ev. church		I / P	10	Restored and reconstructed in 2006 by Andreas Schmidt
1876	Gelnhausen	Marienkirche		III / P	31	1966–1967 replaced by a new building by Bernard Schmidt while largely retaining the prospectus. 2018 renewed replacement of the organ by Claudius Winterhalter in the existing Ratzmann case.
1877	Frankfurt-Berkersheim	Michaeliskirche		I / P	13	Ratzmann offered the community a new building that had already been completed
1878	Frankfurt-Fechenheim	Melanchthon Church		II / P	21st	1963, 1968 and 1983 changed and supplemented

Third generation (around 1870 to 1921)

Jean Ratzmann

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1870	Waldalgesheim	St. Dionysius		II / P	21st	Only some registers preserved; 1957 Späth extensively remodeled it
1872	Ostheim (Nidderau)	Protestant church		II / P	15th	Late Classicist, five-axis prospectus with three round arch fields and triangular gables, in between two narrow fields that nestle against the elevated central field; Replaced in 1970 by Gebr. Stehle
1873	Ober-Ofleiden	Ev. church		II / P	12	Ratzmann had to ask for a delay three times; Organ was replaced in 1973 ( Günter Hardt , I / P / 6)

Ratzmann brothers

year	place	church	image	Manuals	register	Remarks
1880	Exactly	Marienkirche		II / P	12	Much preserved
1880	Lorch (Rheingau)	St. Martin		II / P	20th	Unusual distribution of stops. Completely renovated in 1984 or rebuilt and expanded by the organ building company Fischer + Krämer , while retaining the case and almost all registers.
1883	Bommersheim	St. Aureus		II / P	13	With cone shop
1885	Neuhof (near Fulda)	Ev. church		I / P	6th
1885	Hammersbach - Marköbel	Ev. church		II / P	13	Reorganized in the neo-baroque style in the 20th century, restored to its original layout in 2001 by Werner Bosch Orgelbau
1886	Frankfurt-Seckbach	Marienkirche		II / P	16
1890	Biebergemünd - Bieber	Laurentiuskirche		II / P	10	Mostly preserved, 2017/2018 restoration by Andreas Schmidt
1893	Gonsenheim	Ev. church		I / P	9	Without aliquots and mixed votes
1895	Rossdorf	Birth of Mary and John the Baptist		II / P	12
1895	Schröck (Marburg)	St. Michael and St. Elisabeth		II / P	11	Largely preserved
1898	Schönstadt	Ev. church		II / P	10
1905	Altenmittlau	St. Mark		II / P	19th	Largely preserved; with cone chest with pneumatic action and stop action, neo-Gothic prospectus ; 2002 Reconstruction of the lost registers by Organbau Weiß
1905	Altengronau	Ascension Church (Altengronau)		II / P	11	Originally built in 1737; New building in 1905 preserving the baroque housing.
1906	Hanau-Kesselstadt	Ev. Friedenskirche		II / P	22nd	New building behind the prospectus by Johann Georg Zinck , which was laterally extended; Prospectus and most of the registers received
1909	Frankfurt-Eschersheim	Emmaus Church		I / P	8th	1953, 1960 and 1991 rebuilt and expanded
1910	Biebergemünd - Bieber	Lower church		I / P	5	New building behind the historic prospectus ( Johann Conrad Bürgy ); 1967 Extension conversion by Bernhard Schmidt to II / P / 11; 2003 New building by Andreas Schmidt (II / P / 14) including 6 Ratzmann registers

CD recordings

• Historic organs in Hessen: Ratzmann organs in Altenmittlau, Aufenau, Roßdorf, Schönstadt . Hessian radio. 2006 (Hans-Jürgen Kaiser plays works by F. Mendelssohn, J. Brahms, M. Karg-Elert, M. Reger)
• Journey through Europe's romance . 2010. Klaus Uwe Ludwig in Niedergründau plays works by J. Brahms, NW Gade, A. Guilmant, A. Alain, E. Grieg, CV Stanford, ME Bossi, Z. Gardonyi, F. Schmidt and S. Karg-Elert

literature

• Obituary for Wilhelm Ratzmann in the Zeitschrift für Instrumentenbau, vol .: 32. 1911/12, Leipzig, 1912, pp. 275-276
• Hans Martin Balz , Reinhardt Menger: Old organs in Hessen and Nassau (=  publication of the Society of Organ Friends . Volume 72 ). 2nd Edition. Merseburger, Kassel 1997, ISBN 3-87537-169-0 .
• Franz Bösken : Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine (=  contributions to the Middle Rhine music history . Volume 6 ). tape 1 : Mainz and suburbs - Rheinhessen - Worms and suburbs . Schott, Mainz 1967, ISBN 978-3-7957-1306-5 .
• Franz Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine (=  contributions to the Middle Rhine music history . Volume 7.1 ). tape 2 : The area of ​​the former administrative district of Wiesbaden. Part 1: A-K . Schott, Mainz 1975, ISBN 3-7957-1307-2 .
• Franz Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine (=  contributions to the Middle Rhine music history . Volume 7.2 ). tape 2 : The area of ​​the former administrative district of Wiesbaden. Part 2: L-Z . Schott, Mainz 1975, ISBN 3-7957-1370-6 .
• Franz Bösken, Hermann Fischer: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine (=  contributions to the Middle Rhine music history . Volume 29.1 ). tape 3 : Former province of Upper Hesse. Part 1: A-L . Schott, Mainz 1988, ISBN 3-7957-1330-7 .
• Franz Bösken, Hermann Fischer: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine (=  contributions to the Middle Rhine music history . Volume 29.2 ). tape 3 : Former province of Upper Hesse. Part 2: M-Z . Schott, Mainz 1988, ISBN 3-7957-1331-5 .
• Hermann Fischer : 100 years of the Association of German Organ Builders: 1891–1991 . Ed .: Association of German Organ Builders. Orgelbau-Fachverlag, Lauffen 1991, ISBN 3-921848-18-0 .
• Dieter Großmann: Organs and Organ Builders in Hesse (=  contributions to Hessian history . Volume 12 ). 2nd Edition. Trautvetter & Fischer, Marburg 1998, ISBN 3-87822-109-6 .
• Nikolaus E. Pfarr: The organ builder family Ratzmann from Ohrdruf / Thür. and their work . Self-published, Steinheim / Main (series title for volumes 1–5, published from 1985).
• Nikolaus E. Pfarr: The Ratzmann family organ builders from Ohrdruf, Thür. - Gelnhausen and their work . Self-published, Steinheim / Main (series from volume 6, published since 2002).

Web links

Commons : Ratzmann  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Orgelbau Schmidt (with history and catalog raisonné)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b c} Fischer: 100 years of the Association of German Organ Builders. 1991, p. 274.
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Fischer: 100 years of the Association of German Organ Builders. 1991, p. 275.
3. ↑ ^{a b} Orgelbau Schmidt: Geschichte Ratzmann , seen August 6, 2011.
4. ^ Orgelbau Schmidt: Geschichte Andreas Schmidt , seen August 7, 2011.
5. ^ Uwe Pape (Ed.): Lexikon Norddeutscher Orgelbauer, Volume 1: Thüringen and Umgehung, pp. 158 and 226. Pape Verlag, Berlin 2009, ISBN 978-3-921140-86-4
6. ^ GDR organs , accessed on August 12, 2018
7. ^ Organ in Niedergründau , seen August 4, 2011.
8. ^ Bösken, Fischer: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 3, Part 1: A – L. 1988, p. 466.
9. ^ Bösken, Fischer: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 3, Part 2: M-Z. 1988, p. 866.
10. ^ Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 1. 1967, p. 346.
11. ^ Bösken, Fischer: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 3, Part 1: A – L. 1988, p. 238 f.
12. ^ Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 2, Part 1: A – K. 1975, p. 205 f.
13. ^ Bösken, Fischer, Thömmes: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 4, part 2. 2005, p. 1180 f.
14. ^ Bösken, Fischer: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 3, Part 2: M-Z. 1988, pp. 722-724.
15. ↑ Organ in Aufenau ( Memento of the original from February 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , seen Aug. 4, 2011. 
16. ^ Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 2, Part 2: L – Z. 1975, p. 599.
17. ^ Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 2, Part 2: L – Z. 1975, p. 703.
18. ^ Bösken: Sources and research on the organ history of the Middle Rhine. Vol. 1. 1967, p. 218.
19. ↑ Krystian Skoczowski : The organ builder family Zinck. A contribution to the research of organ building in the Wetterau and the Kinzig valley in the 18th century. Haag + Herchen, Hanau 2018, ISBN 978-3-89846-824-4 , p. 152.
20. ^ Organ in Bieber , accessed on January 15, 2018.