Het ORGEL | Europe’s oldest magazine on organ art

Welcome

Welcome to the Internet pages of Europe’s oldest magazine on Organ Art: Het ORGEL [i.e. the ORGAN]. Het ORGEL is a magazine of Dutch origin. This Internet site contains English summaries of articles published in Het ORGEL. Every second month we will add the newest summaries. The site also contains a survey of which festival is happening where in Europe, and an extensive collection of links to other interesting organ sites throughout the world.

In the latest issue

2/5/2020

Cees van der Poel visited the organ in the Nicolaïkerk in Appingedam. He describes the long and rich history of the instrument and discusses the restoration completed in September, 2017.
In the third article in the series ‘French renaissance fronts’ Auke H. Vlagsma calls attention to the organ front in La Cathédrale Saint-Alain in Lavaur, Tarn (Midi-Pyrénées).
There are several versions of Bach’s ‘Die Kunst der Fuge’. The first version consisted of 12 pieces and is extant in an autograph. Jan van Biezen argues in his article that Bach attempted with these 12 pieces to interpret the articles of the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed in music.
In his series ‘The voicer’ Frans Brouwer offers in part 3 a portrait of Jan Koelewijn, voicer with Orgelmakerij Reil and organ maker for more than 40 years.
Arjen Leistra remembers Jan J. van den Berg who passed away on 21 February at the age of 90.
Although England withdrew from the European Union this year, Auke H. Vlagsma draws our attention to an organ maker who connected the European continent with England: Barent Smit, organ builder in Hoorn and England.

In the January issue of Het ORGEL Klaas Hoek published an article in which he applied results of his dissertation ‘Vormgevend gebruik van klank en dynamiek’ {Structural use of sound and dynamics} to the organ. Cees Noordbroek sent in a reaction, to which Klaas Hoek replied.
Ibo Ortgies reviews the book ‘Arp Schnitger. Orgelbauer – Klangarchitekt – Vordenker. {organ builder, sound architect, pioneer} 1648-1719’ van Konrad Küster. Johan Haaksma reviews 3 new publications by Boeijenga Music containing recent Dutch music.
Frits Zwart, in his rubric ‘De Achterplaat’ {the back page} proposes attention for Henri Gagnebin, a pupil of Louis Vierne.

New articles

The organ in the Nicolaïkerk in Appingedam

On Friday, 15 September, 2017, the organ in the Nicolaïkerk in Appingedam was re-inaugurated after restoration and enlargement of the instrument carried out by Orgelmakerij Reil te Heerde. Stef Tuinstra was the consultant. The organ has a long and rich history that begins in the 16th century. Cees van der Poel and Sietze de Vries visited the instrument. Van der Poel illuminates the history and...

Bach’s Die Kunst der Fuge and the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed

Of Die Kunst der Fuge there exist an autograph and a print published after Bach’s death. The autograph originally consisted of 12 pieces, written on 4 folded double sheets and 1 folded single sheet, from ca. 1742. The last 3½ pages were originally empty. On these, and on a folded sheet shoved into the last folded sheet, Bach added 3 pieces in ca. 1746, of which the last is a new version of...

The voicer (3): Sound as poetry and teamwork. A portrait of Jan Koelewijn

The third voicer’s portrait introduces the work of Jan Koelewijn, voicer with Orgelmakerij Reil and organ maker for more than 40 years: a person who almost never learned things from somebody else, but always wanted to discover for himself how technique, playing, culture, and history come together in sound. The good fortune of being surrounded by good people has made Jan the versatile voicer who...

In memoriam Jan J. van den Berg

On Friday 21 February the organist-composer Jan J. van den Berg passed away in Delft at the age of 90. In 1943 Adriaan C. Schuurman became his teacher. He studied at the Amsterdams Conservatorium with Anthon van der Horst and others. In 1953 he became organist of the Nieuwe Kerk in Delft, where he remained until his retirement in 1994. Not only a church organist, Van den Berg was also a recital...

Barent Smit, organ maker in Hoorn and England

With Brexit England tore itself away from the European continent in many ways. In a time when ‘links’ are a slogan, it’s good to zoom in on historical relations between England and the continent. Such relations can be found in the area of organ culture. As an example one can name Barent Smit, who was one of the most important organ builders in England in the 2nd half of the 17th and the...

Listening to the nature of sound. A portrait of Adriaan van Rossem

For the second article in the series of portraits of voicers, Frans Brouwer visited the workshop of Gebr. Van Vulpen to shine a spotlight on Adriaan van Rossem. The Van Vulpen sound of the past 30 years bears his signature. In addition to a glance at his apprenticeship and his work as the only voicer in the firm, this portrait also offers a view of Adriaan’s musical education and his view of...

Royal Dutch Association of Organists and churchmusicians

The publisher of Het ORGEL

The paper edition as well as the Internet edition of Het ORGEL are published by the Koninklijke Vereniging van Organisten en Kerkmusici (Dutch abbreviation: ‘KVOK’). This Association was founded on 16 January 1890, and in 1937 became the publisher of Het ORGEL; the first issue of Het ORGEL was published in 1886.

Do you want to support the work of Het ORGEL?

You can support Het ORGEL and the Royal Dutch Association of Organists and churchmusicians by becoming a member of the Association. Membership fee: EUR 70,- (Europe) and EUR 75,- (Outside Europe) a year in the Netherlands. Membership is for one year and will be automatically renewed if not terminated at least one month before the end of the calendar year.

Once you’re a member, you will receive the paper edition of Het ORGEL 6 times a year and the digital newspaper NOTABENE 12 times a year. It is also possible to receive the publications without being a member of the society.
If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send an e-mail to the board of the Association