Rysum organ

The organ of the Rysumer Church is considered the oldest largely preserved in his pipe inventory instrument of its kind in Northern Europe, and ranks alongside the instruments in Sion, Kiedrich and Ostönnen the oldest playable organ in the world. The organ of the church Rysumer goes into their basic components back to the year 1457 and has seven registers on a manual. As part of the restoration in 1959/60 by Ahrend & Brunzema lost registers were reconstructed and restored the late Gothic housing. Major parts of the housing and the stock pipes are preserved.

Architectural History

New in 1457

1457 was likely an organ for Rysum built by master Harmannus of Groningen, which is also associated with the organ of Groningen Martinikerk. According to the Chronicle of Fries Eggerik Beningaburg she was paid by the Rysumer farmers with their ten best cattle. A permit for the livestock transport they had writing to the local chieftain seek.

" In Dusser tyt hebben de pastoer and karckszwaren to Rysum Dorch a Scripture van olde Imell, to Oesterhuusen and Grymersum hoeftlingk, begeret datt he voergunnen without wulde datt se ere vette beeste aver de Eemse na Gröninghen muchten deferred schepen, darmede se ere owe muchten betalen to Groningen, because of the örgels datt se Daer maken hadden deferred. "

" In that time, the pastor and the church jurors to Rysum writing Olde Imell, the chieftain to Osterhusen and Grimersum, requested that he might allow them to be allowed to ship their fat cattle over the river Ems to Groningen to pay their debts in Groningen because of the organ, which they had there can make. "

Originally the instrument was on a rood screen in the choir room. For the establishment of an organ was in the late Middle Ages no musical necessity as her due no fundamental significance in the liturgy and it was not used before the 17th century to accompany the congregational singing. Instead, they met for the leading representatives of the agricultural community, which had financed the construction of a representative function and was " in a climate at the same time intensified piety as a growing self- consciousness of the church members against the clergy. " When the work was just implemented on the west gallery, is unclear.

The late Gothic instrument seems to have been divided in two and had a treble block work with a full chromatic range H- f2 and a bass work, the pipes have been preserved in the Prospectus with the original scale lengths. This Basswerk owned a wind chest and could probably be played on a separate keyboard ( in the Gothic period typically using a pedal). In Diskantwerk could either only the visible Praestant on a separate leaflet charge or the full works with all ranks of pipes of different scale on the rear loading ( " background rate " ) are played. The range of two and a half octaves has an early period, as four octaves were common from the 17th century.

In 1513 an organist pulpit was built and given to an inscription in Gothic minuscules this year in the gallery. Perhaps the organ has also been remodeled at this time. Dendrochronological investigations, the preserved remains of the double doors of oak, which was defeated in 1480 in the Baltic region, suggesting that they were installed during the renovation work of the gallery to the organ come. The Latin inscription is called next to the name of the founder, Victor Frese († 1527), the chief and letters of Lord of Rysum, camping and Loquard was the name of the competent ministers, Edo Eissink, who was from 1513 to 1554 pastor in Rysum and the change the Reformation took place:

" This building has been inaugurated at the time of gold decorated knight Victor Vrese and the Lord of Edo Westerwold, Cleric. In 1513 ".

Repairs and conversions

Repairs are 1680 occupied by Joachim Kayser and 1689-1699 by Valentin Ulrich Grotian. At least in the late 17th century, perhaps as early 1513, the organ took a change from one block to work an instrument with slider chests, which bore the needs of the accompaniment of congregational singing invoice. The fact that Kayser was paid for seven rotated tab buttons, requires appropriate wind loading, with the rows of pipes could be played separately. 1736-1738 took Matthias Amoor, who had possibly learned at Arp Schnitger, a conversion before and used a portion of the wing doors as a cover of the organ case and the Balgkastens. In this context, Jacob Tylman replaced the double doors by baroque carving. The instrument was given a new color version. Also expanded the range Amoor on CDEFGA - G2a2 ( ie with short octave and then starting at the deep C instead of H) and added an attached pedal. Old pipes worked into a Gedackt. Whether he made further amendments to the disposition ( lost during later alterations were ) or whether the seven old registers were maintained until 1941, is not be clearly determined. The basic components of the pipes remained and (possibly for lack of funds ) spared from strong interventions in each case. From 1764 to 1786 Dirk Lohmann was responsible for the maintenance and care. 1790/1791 led Johann Gottfried Rohlfs by a repair. Johann Friedrich Wenthin repaired 1792/1793 the organ; he and his son Joachim Wenthin held the maintenance until 1812. From Wilhelm Caspar Joseph Höffgen is demonstrated for 1819/1820 to repair. Abbe Oltmanns provided the care from 1829 to 1844. The organ building family of seven Gerd Janssen took over from 1848 to 1910 the maintenance. 1867/1868 the case was shortened up because in the Church a new ceiling was installed. On Johann Diepenbrock probably goes the renewal of the keyboard and the organ stops back ( 1880/1890 ). Between 1910 and 1920 Sided P. Furtwängler & Hammer the annual maintenance, then to 1939 and to 1952 Karl Max Maucher Puchar. Different opinions on the state of the organ led to different assessments; partly an outline of the organ has been advocated:

" The organ is very old and completely consumed. At some improvement by a repair is impossible. As long as the work is still to use, is not intended to provide, as the great age of the same can cause a sudden collapse. "

Restorations

1941 restored Charles Puchar from the north, the organ on improper manner, replacing three registers by factory whistles. He renewed the pedalboard and taught in the bass octave of the manual keyboard the missing tones Cis, Dis, F # and G a. Just a few years later, the state of the instrument deteriorated rapidly, so that 1947-1954 number of opinions on the state of the organ has been obtained.

1959/60 took place a comprehensive reconstruction by Ahrend & Brunzema, which included the restoration of the case with its pointed arch pipes fields. Advisory was Cornelius H. Edskes as Organologe aside. Ahrend reconstructed the Sesquialtera, mixture and the trumpet of beaten lead and put it back to the terzenreine meantone. A piece of drawn-down ceiling has been removed, exposing the late Gothic prospectus and the crowning field with wooden blind pipes and the lack of a carving from pinnacles, finials and crabs by sculptor Grummer restored. The since the 18th century remote side wing doors were added on the basis of existing remnants, as is the mostly mutilated facade border. The baroque decorations were probably lost during cleanup in the church. The later built pedal was removed and the manual keyboard, tracker action, wind loading and the Keilbalg reconstructed in old construction. Finally, the restoration took place with the completion of the historic color version of their statements.

In the course of an elaborate church restoration 1996-2009 the mirrored ceiling was removed from the 19th century, making the church with the exception of the collected tonne over the organ again has a uniform medieval beamed ceiling. The organ was cleaned by Hendrik Ahrend and the front pipes newly foliated with tin. Winfried Dahlke from Organeum the inscriptions of all historical pipes examined scientifically and created a documentary.

Description

The organ in Rysum one of the oldest organs in the world. While other organs there certainly older components that consistently reconstructed Gothic brochure design in Rysum is without parallel. The basic components of four registers of thick, hammered lead pipes has survived the centuries largely unscathed. Only the lowest bass pipes were extended as part of the modernization of the Gothic block plant. The deepest pipe weighs about 25 kg. Today's technical installation of wind loading and the tracker action and the larger range reflect the time of the Renaissance. A reconstructed lever on the game table, with the Praestant can be turned on and off, making the transformation of block work to an organ with slider chests plausible. The supplemented based on the preserved remains and painted with sun, moon and stars wing doors can be closed completely.

The flat design of brochure is four axes designed according to the golden section and decorated with Gothic carving. The richly contoured lower body is divided into three fields, in which two outer three registers trains are attached. The motif of an hourglass behind the tab panels is symbolic of the transience, while the painted stars on the wing doors are the heavenly dimension. The lead pipes in the prospectus are coated with a shiny tin foil. The outer two pipes fields, each with seven pipes end in late Gothic ogee arches. Because of the symmetry of a dumb pipe was installed in the right bass box. The two inner boxes, each with 14 pipes are rectangular and are spanned by a central panel with dumb pipes dummies, which will also be completed by an ogee arch. Could in this field, the 15 pipes of the two Oktavregister, which have a different design than the principal register, originally stood as sounding pipes.

Planning since 1960

Specifications

• Seven registers, no pedal.
• Traktur: Key action: Mechanical
• Stop action: Mechanical

• Keilbalg
• Wind pressure: 70 mm wg

• Height slightly higher than a1 = 440 Hz
• Slightly modified meantone