One of the few churches with two main organs: one in style and the other in a romantic style. In the first quarter of 2013 the Foundation for the reconstruction of the Schnitger organ at the Lutheran Church in Groningen was established. The goal is to rebuild the lost Schnitger organ in the most authentic way possible, on the gallery at the east side of the church where vocal and instrume
ntal music is being made. The inauguration is planned for October 31 of the Reformation anniversary 2017, exactly 500 years after Maarten Luther posted his 95 theses and 300 years after the former organ was rebuilt. In 1699 the famous organ builder Arp Schnitger of Hamburg, Germany, bestowed an organ upon 'his' Lutheran congregation in Groningen1. The instrument had two manual keyboards (great and positive). In 1717 the organ was extended with a free pedal - according to a plan prepared by Schnitger - to cater for the growth of the congregation. The work was carried out by Schnitger's local assistents Jannes Radeker and Rudolf Garrels. This instrument has sadly been decommissioned by the organ building firm of Petrus van Oeckelen and sons when they installed a new organ around 1896. In 2001 special cantata services were reintroduced in the Lutheran Church of Groningen. As a result the Lutheran Bach Ensemble was founded in 2006. It aims to perform (Bach-)cantatas as faithfully as possible according to the historic traditions. This requires a suitable organ for the accompaniment. Research has shown clearly that Johann Sebastian Bach predominantly used a large organ with multiple divisions and a free pedal when he performed his compositions. In a historic source his son Carl Philipp Emanuel - who was schooled by his father - describes that an organ with 16 foot stops is indispensable. In a collection of chorales by Johann Sebastian Bach2 he writes 'daß man sie ohne Pedal nicht spielen kann' ... 'Der seliger Verfasser (J.S.B.) hat wegen des letzteren Umstandes auf ein Sechzehnfüssiges baßirendes Instrument, welches diese Lieder allzeit mitgespielt hat, gesehen'. After careful consideration the Foundation has elected the organ builder Bernhardt H. Edskes of Wohlen (Switzerland) to carry out the reconstruction. Born in Groningen, he boasts a wealth of knowledge about and hands-on experience with organs built by Arp Schnitger. Through a number of outstanding restoration projects (e.g. Nieuw-Scheemda, Uithuizen, Melle and Mariana, Brasil) and by building (in the Waisenhaus Church of Basel, Switzerland) a replica of the Schnitger organ of Grasberg, Germany his firm has convincingly shown its remarkable craftmanship over the past few decades. The reference point for the project is the situation of 1717, for practical purposes however with a Praestant 8' instead of a Praestant 4' as the 'sound foundation' of the organ. Archival research revealed the measurements and compass of the former instrument and also the surprisingly low pitch (the so-called 'Kammerton', stipulated in the contract with Garrels and Radeker). This pitch makes the organ ideal for accompanying baroque instruments. The original stop list was already well-known from a number of sources. From a practical point of view a separate continuo keyboard is planned that allows for playing the great division of the organ from the position of choirmaster(-organist).
