Bätz: three generations of organ building by Jaap Jan Steensma

Articles

Jaap Jan Steensma Bätz: three generations of organ building
Het ORGEL 113 (2017), nr. 6, 3-7 [summary]

In the 17th and the beginning of the 18th century there were – with the exception of the Amersfoort years of the Van Hagerbeers – no longer any important organ builders in the area around Utrecht. After the French occupation of 1672-1674 the province suffered economically difficult years. Organs were scarcely to be found in rural areas, while the reformed city churches made do with organs of 16th- or even 15th-century origin.
In 1739 Johann Heinrich Hartman Bätz established himself in Utrecht. Since then the name ‘Bätz’ has been synonymous with high-quality organ building. This article gives a short overview of the various generations of the family Bätz, based on older and more recent research.

Photo Jan Smelik

Company shield Bätz Harderwijk, Gote kerk