Organs

Arp Schnitger organ

From 1689 to 1693, Arp Schnitger built an organ with 60 registers on four manuals and a pedal, for which he used material from previous organs (Iversand and Stüven, 1512–1516; Scherer, 16th century and Fritzsche, 1635). 

The wind chests and 85 percent of the pipework have been preserved to this day, because apart from certain interventions (including Lehnert, 1761; loss of the front pipes in the First World War), the organ remained almost unchanged until it was rediscovered in the 1920s.

Removed in 1942, the pipes and Chests were able to survive the destruction of the church after the air raid in July 1944. A first restoration (Kemper, 1950–1961) remained - in accordance with the state of knowledge at the time - still quite far from the original condition. Only the extensive restoration by Jürgen Ahrend between 1989 and 1993 was able to restore Arp Schnitger's sound as much as possible.

All twelve wind chests are by Arp Schnitger. The case and prospectus have been reconstructed by Jürgen Ahrend, with the original decorations. The console, action and wind supply with six wedge bellows were done by Jürgen Ahrend.

Feel free to plan a visit to St. Jacobi for a free organ tour with sound samples every Thursday at 12 noon, and a 30-minute organ music concert at 4.30pm every Thursday (except public holidays). The organ can also be regularly heard during church services, and in summer, internationally recognised organists perform a varied organ concert program.

Check the event calendar for the next opportunity to listen to the Arp Schnitger organ.

Sound samples:

J. S. Bach, 1685-1750

from the CD: "Festliche Weihnachtsmusik mit Jacobi-Organist Gerhard Löffler an der Arp-Schnitger-Orgel (1693)". The CD (MDG 906 2123-6 (SACD)) is available at the church counter in St. Jacobi and at a retailer near you. 

 

Kemper organ

The Kemper organ was built between 1960 and 1968 by Lübeck organ building company as a universal instrument in the context of the organ reform movement. In the first phase of construction, a three-manual (keyboard) instrument with 45 stops was built in three levels at the end of the southern nave, and the organ was first played on the first advent Sunday of 1960. It was significantly expanded in 1968, and given an elevation to the Steinstrasse nave, with a second swell box built, Janus-faced, into the blind window. Completion of the second construction phase provided the organ with 68 stops, 6 of which are transmissions (extensions).

The extreme excesses of the organ’s movement and isolated overtones were remedied during the restoration carried out in 2007/2008 by organ builder and restoration workshop Rainer Wolter, while still retaining key characteristics such as the slider chest construction and the historical organ console. The most important measure was a comprehensive resurfacing of the mixture stops, which now brings much better harmony with the other stops. A specific act of careful reverence saw the installation of the 2' flute pipes into the side division, which had been part of the Schnitger organ from 1924 to 1989 into the side.

Pitch a' = 442 Hz at 18° Celcius

minimal uneven tuning