Arp Schnitger
| Arp Schnitger | |
|---|---|
| Born |
July 2, 1648 Schmalenfleth |
| Died | July 28, 1719 (aged 71) Golzwarden (now in Brake, Lower Saxony) |
| Nationality | German |
| Occupation | Organ builder |
| Signature | |
 |
|
Arp Schnitger (July 2, 1648 – July 28, 1719 (buried)) was a highly influential German organ builder.
Schnitger was born in Schmalenfleth, and was baptized on July 9, 1648, in Golzwarden. He was primarily active in Northern Europe, especially the Netherlands and Germany, where a number of his instruments survive to the present day; his organs can also be found as far away as Portugal and Brazil. He died in Neuenfelde, aged 71.
Notable examples of his work still in use include the organ at St. Pancratiuskirche, Neuenfelde, Hamburg [1] (completed in 1688, his largest two-manual instrument); St. Jacobikirche, Hamburg (perhaps the most famous surviving Schnitger organ, completed in 1693)[2]; St. Martinikerk, Groningen, the Netherlands (1692)[3]; St. Ludgerikirche, Norden (1688)[4]; St. Cosmae und Damianikirche, Stade (Schnitger's first organ, completed in 1676 after the death of his teacher Berendt Huss)[5]; St. Peter und Paulkirche, Cappel (perhaps the most authentic of Schnitger's organs still in existence, originally in the Johanniskirche, Hamburg, 1680)[6]; and St. Michaeliskerk, Zwolle, the Netherlands (completed by his son Franz Caspar after Schnitger's death)[7]. Organs like this are credited with inspiring the renaissance in organ building during the early twentieth century, with a return to tracker action and smaller, more cohesive instruments, as distinct from the late-Romantic trend of extremely large symphonic organs. In particular, the organ at the Jacobikirche, Hamburg, played a pivotal role in the organ reform movement beginning in 1925, as a series of conferences taking place at historical organ sites in Germany and Alsace was inaugurated there.
...
Wikipedia