Hugo Distler and ‘his’ organs by Rogér van Dijk & Cees van der Poel

Rogér vanDijk & Cees van der Poel Hugo Distler and ‘his’ organs
HetORGEL 104 (2008), nr. 4, 18-34 [summary]
Distler found a lively church-musical life in de Jakobikirche inLübeck in 1931.
The two historical organs in this church, inparticular the Stellwagen organ, played an important role in thegenesis of Distler’s organ works.
The large organ dates fromthe 16th century and was rebuilt and enlarged between 1670 and 1673 byJoachim Richborn. Hugo Distler and his brother-in-law Erich Thienhausaccompanied the general restoration of 1935 by Kemper.
Since the SecondWorld War two new instruments have been built successively behind theold façade.
The small organ in the Jakobikirche dates from the end of the 16thcentury and was radically renewed and enlarged in 1636/1637 byFriedrich Stellwagen.
Various builders worked on it in the course ofthe centuries. In 1935 Kemper restored the instrument, proceeding froma plan of Distler and Thienhaus.
Hillebrand restored it in 1977/1978,in the direction of the situation of 1637.
In 1938 Distler had Paul Ott build him a house organ. AfterDistler’s death in 1942 the organ wandered by way of Linz,Marquartstein, Detmold, and Hildesheim to Lübeck.
Afterrestoration in 1991-1992 by Karl Schuke the organ was finally placed inthe manse of the Jakobikirche.