Flentrop and the organ in the Grote Kerk of Zwolle
Dirk Andries Flentrop and his workers performed a remarkable feat in 1953-6: the reconstruction and restoration of the Schnitger organ in the Grote of St.-Michaëlskerk in Zwolle. The approach to this project was in sharp contrast with the way in which in 1938 a...
The organ music of Willem Vogel from the mid-20th century
Willem Vogel created liturgical compositions during six decades, primarily in the form of hymns, choral music, and compositions for organ. This article treats the early organ music of Vogel in particular. Following a biographical sketch the author presents Vogel’s...
In memoriam Arie J. Keijzer (1932-2023)
In the night of 4/5 August, 2023, the organist/composer Arie J. Keijzer passed away at the age of 91. He had his first organ lessons from his father, Simon Keijzer, and studied later with Piet van den Kerkhoff (organ), George Stam (improvisation), Adriaan Engels...
The Flentrop organ of 1952 in the Catharinakerk in Doetinchem
Few post-war organs had as great a reputation as the organ that Marcussen made for the Nicolaïkerk in Utrecht in 1957. The result is that when you hunt for 3-manual tracker-action organs from the 50s, you’re led repeatedly to that organ. But already five years...
Playing teenagers in Groningen’s organ garden. The 5-day organ week of “StayTuned.nu”
In late May of 2023 the Stichting {foundation} StayTuned organized 4 one-day projects in Rotterdam, Haarlem, Utrecht and Maastricht. From Monday 24th through Friday 28th of July there was a longer activity of several days in Groningen (city and province), with an...
Expressive text-setting in the chorale fantasies of Max Reger
Max Reger (1873-1916), born 150 years ago, composed 7 chorale fantasies between 1898 and 1900. These are large-scale late-romantic organ works on melodies known in his time. The forms of the chorale fantasies vary from chorale partitas to symphonic poems. The...
The ‘Leipziger Choräle’ of Johann Sebastian Bach: backgrounds, structure, collecting
Much has been written about the chorale settings in the manuscript in the state library of Berlin [Mus. ms. Bach P 271] called ‘Leipziger Choräle’ {Leipzig chorales or Great eighteen in English}, but some aspects have been neglected. This contribution looks at these...
Byrd on the organ
William Byrd died 400 years ago this year, an occasion also for organists to study his music, because the music of this contemporary of Sweelinck is but rarely heard on the organ. His music is classified among the repertoire of the virginalists, and is perhaps for...
A unique organ maquette from Groningen
Recently an organ maquette made by the 19th-century organ builder H.E. Freytag was discovered. This rare object is discussed in this article. Starting from the question of how organ builders presented their instruments, the object is then placed in a broader...
In the September issue
The September issue opens with an article on organ models, in particular a recently discovered example made by H.E. Freytag. The article, by Victor Timmer, contains a contribution made by Bernhardt Edskes shortly before his death in 2022. Memorable listening...
The Hinsz organ in the Petruskerk in Leens
For decades the Hinsz organ in Leens has lured Dutch and foreign adherents of North-German baroque organs to the province of Groningen. Since the restoration of this instrument in 1968 there have been more than a thousand concerts given, with a total of nearly 80,000...
Organs & organists in paintings of Johannes Bosboom
The painter Johannes Bosboom (1817-1891) concentrated with great success on church interiors. In these interiors organs are frequently depicted, but seldom an organist. In fact there is but a single organist, whom he painted in various guises: the organ-playing...
‘Con discrezione’ – Tempo as a means of expression
Musicians think about tempo in very different ways. Some urge a constant tempo, with the metronome as objective standard, but others search for freedom and flexibility, driven by musical feeling. Of course both approaches have a place, depending on the style of the...
The restoration of old organ recordings
Frits Kaan followed a course of study to become a documentary information officer and archivist. He currently works for the government as ICT specialist. He combined his knowledge of archive work and of ICT with his love of organ music when he began restoring old...
Listening to music history. An introduction
The fascinating world of historical organ recordings has unfortunately been neglected far too long in the academic world, music education, and musical life in general. That is strange, because these recordings can bring us into direct contact with great composers and...