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Arp Schnitger
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{{Short description|German organ builder (1648–1719)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2017}} {{Infobox person | name = Arp Schnitger | birth_date = {{Birth date|1648|07|02|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Brake (Unterweser)|Schmalenfleth]] | death_date = {{Death date and age|1719|07|28|1648|07|02|df=y}} | death_place = [[Golzwarden]] (now in [[Brake, Lower Saxony]]) | nationality = German | occupation = Organ builder | signature = Schnitger, Schriftzug.jpg }} '''Arp Schnitger''' (2 July 1648{{spnd}}28 July 1719 (buried)) was an influential Northern German [[organ builder]]. Considered the paramount manufacturer of his time, Schnitger built or rebuilt over 150 organs. He was primarily active in [[Northern Europe]], especially the [[Netherlands]] and [[Germany]], where a number of his instruments still survive.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/schnintro.html|title=Introduction to Arp Schnitger|publisher=arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Arp_Schnitger|title=Arp Schnitger|publisher= Store norske leksikon|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> ==Biography== Schnitger was born near [[Brake (Unterweser)|Schmalenfleth]] in [[Oldenburg (city)|Oldenburg]], [[Germany]], and was baptized on 9 July 1648 in [[Brake (Unterweser)|Golzwarden]]. The exact date of Schnitger's birth is unknown; the scholar [[Gustav Fock]] hypothesises it was on 2 July 1648, a week before his baptism. Schnitger was born into a family of woodworkers and wood carvers. He was apprenticed at the age of 18. Between 1666 and 1671, Schnitger studied organ building with his cousin [[Berendt Huss]] ({{circa}} 1630-1676) in [[Glückstadt]] and worked as a journeyman.<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.deutsche-biographie.de/sfz114655.html#indexcontent|title= Huß, Berendt|publisher= Deutsche Biographie |access-date= May 1, 2017}}</ref> In 1682, Schnitger and his workshop moved to [[Hamburg]]. In 1708, he was appointed organ builder of the Prussian court. In 1684, Schnitger was married to Gertrude Otte (1665-1707). His sons Franz Caspar and Johann Jürgen Schnitger trained with their father and continued his work after his death. His burial was recorded in the parish of St. Pancratiuskirche at Neuenfelde-Hamburg on 28 July 1719.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.kulturportalweserems.de/index.php/oldkulterb/618-oldbkullebenglauben/42-arp-schnitger-ein-orgelbauer-aus-der-wesermarsch-erlangt-weltruhm |title=Arp Schnitger|publisher= Kulturportal Nordwest|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> <ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.pleasuresofthepipes.info/Neuenfelde-StPankratiusKirche.html|title= St. Pankratius (Neuenfelde)|publisher= pleasuresofthepipes.info |access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arpschnitger.nl/schnit.html|title=More than 350 years Arp Schnitger (1648-1719)|publisher=arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> Schnitger was one of the most prolific builders of his time, having built approximately 95 new instruments, rebuilt about 30, and repaired or renovated another 30.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Arp Schnitger und seine Schule; ein Beitrag zur Geschichte des Orgelbaues im Nord- und Ostseeküstengebiet.|last=Fock|first=Gustav|publisher=Bärenreiter|year=1974|isbn=3761802617|location=Kassel|pages=272–77|oclc=1043813}}</ref> He ran several shops and had a team in [[Magdeburg]], in [[Bremen]] and in [[Groningen]]. His organ designs typify the essential North German organ: multiple divisions, usually with a ''rückpositif'' (division on the gallery rail, behind the player's back); large, independent pedal divisions, often placed in towers on either side of the main case; well-developed principal choruses in each division with abundant reeds, flutes, and mutation stops; and [[meantone temperament]]. All of these features could be found on North German organs prior to Schnitger's activity; Schnitger's genius lay in his ability to synthesize these elements into a prototypical style of organ building, and in his prolific output. The latter was made possible by his good business sense: Schnitger was one of the first builders to use cost-cutting measures on a large scale to ensure the affordability of organs for small village churches.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.hauptwerk.nl/historyeenumen.php|title= Short biography of Arp Schnitger|publisher= hauptwerk.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/schnintro.html|title= Introduction to Arp Schnitger|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> One of Schnitger's landmark instruments, the organ at St. Jacobikirche, Hamburg, was a renovation and enlargement of an instrument previously rebuilt in 1636 by [[Gottfried Fritzsche]] (1578–1638).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Hamburg's role in northern European organ building|last=Fock|first=Gustav|date=1997|publisher=Westfield Center|others=Lynn Edwards, Edward C. Pepe, and Harald Vogel|isbn=0961675535|location=Easthampton, Mass.|pages=66–67|oclc=53879976}}</ref> ==Notable examples of his work still in use== *St. Cosmae und Damianikirche, Stade (Schnitger's first organ, completed in 1676 after the death of his teacher Berendt Huss)<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/sstade.html|title= Stade, St. Cosmae|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> *St. Peter und Paulkirche, Cappel (perhaps the most authentic of Schnitger's organs still in existence, originally in the Johanniskirche, Hamburg, 1680)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arpschnitger.nl/scappel.html|title= Cappel, St. Peter und Paul|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> *St. Pancratiuskirche, [[Neuenfelde]], [[Hamburg]] (completed in 1688, his largest two-manual instrument); <ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.schnitgerorgel.de/kirche.php|title= The St. Pancratius Church in Hamburg-Neuenfelde|publisher= schnitgerorgel.de|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> *St. Ludgerikirche, Norden (1688)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/snorden.html|title= Norden, St. Ludgeri|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> *[[Martinikerk (Groningen)|Martinikerk]], Groningen, the Netherlands (1692)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/sgro03.html|title= Groningen, St. Martini|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> *St. Jacobikirche, Hamburg (perhaps the most famous surviving Schnitger organ, completed in 1693)<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/shamb.html |title= Hamburg, Jacobikirche|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> *Grote or St. Michaëlskerk, Zwolle, the Netherlands (completed by his son Franz Caspar after Schnitger's death)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.arpschnitger.nl/nl/szwolle.html|title= Zwolle, Grote kerk|publisher= arpschnitger.nl|access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> ==Legacy== Organs like these 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. A number of Schnitger's organs were featured on recordings by [[E. Power Biggs]], who is generally credited with reintroducing them to modern listeners. More recently, Schnitger's organs can be heard on several recordings by German organist [[Harald Vogel]]. Schnitger's instruments in Groningen, Uithuizen, Noordbroek and Nieuw Scheemda were featured in the documentary ''[[Martinikerk Rondeau]]'', in which [[Jürgen Ahrend]], [[Cor Edskes]] and [[Bernhardt H. Edskes ]] detail Schnitger's life and demonstrate his working methods. Schnitger's organs have also served as inspiration for many modern builders; [[GOArt]], a Swedish organ building consortium, has even gone so far as to build an exact copy of a Schnitger organ for research purposes.<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.arpschnitger.nl/nl/edskes.html|title= Betekenis van Arp Schnitger en de totstandkoming van zijn orgels|publisher= arpschnitger.nl |author= Bernhardt H. Edskes |access-date= 1 May 2017}}</ref> == Surviving Schnitger organs == {| class="wikitable sortable" width="100%" |- class="hintergrundfarbe5" ! year !! town !! church !! class=unsortable | picture !! manuals !! stops !! class=unsortable | original by Schnitger |- | 1668–1675/1688 | [[Stade]] (D) | [[St. Cosmae et Damiani (Stade)|St. Cosmae et Damiani]] | [[File:Stade Cosmae Orgel.JPG|160px]] | III/P | 42 | case, [[wikt:prospect#Noun|prospect]], 35 stops (8 partly) |- | 1677–1679 | [[Bülkau]] (D) | St. John the Baptist | [[File:Buelkau 2005 Arp-Schnitger-Orgel- by-RaBoe 01.jpg|160px]] | I | {{circa}} 10 | case, prospect; today II/P/22 |- | 1678–1679/1709 | [[Jork]] (D) | St. Matthias | [[File:Jork Matthiaskirche Orgel (01).JPG|160px]] | III/P | 35 | case, prospect; today II/P/22 |- | 1680 | [[Cappel, Lower Saxony|Cappel]] (D) | St. Peter and Paul | [[File:Cappel 02.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 30 | case, prospect, 18 stops, 10 other old stops re-used by Schnitger → [[Organ of St. Peter and Paul in Cappel]] |- | 1678–1682 | [[Oederquart]] (D) | St. Johannis | [[File:Oederquart Orgel.jpg|160px]] | III/p | 28 | case, prospect; today II/P/17 |- | 1682–1683 | [[Cuxhaven|Lüdingworth]] (D) | St. Jacobi | [[File:St.-Jacobi (Lüdingworth) 002.jpg|160px]] | III/P | 35 | case, prospect, 14 stops (complete or partly), much old pipework reused by Schnitger (half of the organ) |- | 1684 | [[Elmshorn]] (D) | St. Nicolai | [[File:Elmshorn Nikolai Orgel (3).jpg|160px]] | II/P | 23 | case; today III/P/33 |- | 1686 | [[Hamburg]]-Bergstedt (D) | Ev. Church | [[File:Kberg schnitger orgel.jpg|160px]] | I | 8 | case, 2-3 stops |- | 1687 | [[Blankenhagen]] (D) | Village Church | [[File:Blankenhagen Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 12 | case, 4-5 stops |- | 1687 | [[Steinkirchen, Lower Saxony|Steinkirchen]] (D) | St. Nicolai et Martini | [[File:Steinkirchen Orgel (2).jpg|160px]] | II/P | 28 | case, prospect, 13 stops, 8 other partly |- | 1683–1688 | [[Hamburg]]-Neuenfelde (D) | St. Pankratius | [[File:Neuenfelde St. Pankratius Orgel (3).jpg|160px]] | II/P | 34 | {{Main|Organ of St. Pankratius in Hamburg-Neuenfelde}} case, prospect, 18 stops |- | 1688 | [[Mittelnkirchen]] (D) | St. Bartholomäus | [[File:Mittelnkirchen Orgel (1).jpg|160px]] | II/p | 22 | 6-8 stops; today II/P/32 |- | 1688–1690 | [[Hollern-Twielenfleth|Hollern]] (D) | St. Mauritius | [[File:Hollern Orgel Prospekt.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 24 | case, prospect, 13 stops (complete or partly) |- | 1686–1688/1691–1692 | [[Norden, Lower Saxony|Norden]] (D) | St. Ludgeri | [[File:Orgel Blick vom Langschiff.jpg|160px]] | III/P | 46 | case, 13 stops, 8 old stops reused by Schnitger → [[Organ of St. Ludgeri in Norden]] |- | 1691–1692 | [[Groningen (city)|Groningen]] (NL) | [[Martinikerk (Groningen)]] | [[File:Orgel Martinikerk Groningen.jpg|160px]] | III/P | 53 | case of the pedal, prospect, 6 stops, other old stops reused by Schnitger; today III/P/52 → [[Organ in the Martinikerk at Groningen]] |- | 1689–1693 | [[Hamburg]] (D) | [[St. Jacobi, Hamburg|St. Jacobi]] | [[File:Arp Schnitger organ St. Jacobi Hamburg.jpg|160px]] | IV/P | 60 | 43 stops (complete or partly), some reused by Schnitger → [[Schnitger organ (Hamburg)]] |- | 1693 | [[Groningen (city)|Groningen]] (NL) | Pelstergasthuiskerk | [[File:Groningen Pelstergasthuiskerk orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 20 | case, 2 register (7 partly) |- | 1693 | [[Eutin]] (D) | castle | [[File:Eutin Schlosskapelle Orgel (2).jpg|160px]] | I | 9 | case |- | 1693–1694 | [[Grasberg]] (D) | Luth. Church | [[File:Grasberg Schnitger Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 21 | case, 14 stops → [[Organ of the Grasberg church]] |- | 1695–1696 | [[Noordbroek]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:Noordbroek orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 20 | case, 10-11 stops; today II/P/24 → [[Organ at the Dorpskerk at Noordbroek]] |- | 1695–1696 | [[Harkstede]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:Harkstede Orgel.jpg|160px]] | I | 7 | case, prospect, 5 stops; today I/p/9 (10) |- | 1696–1697 | [[Peize]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:Peize orgel.JPG|160px]] | II/P | 22 | case, prospect, 4-6 stops, old stops reused by Schnitger |- | 1697–1698 | [[Stedingen|Strückhausen]] (D) | St. Johannes | [[File:Strückhausen Orgel 52417347.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 12 | case of the Hauptwerk, 2 stops; today II/P/15 |- | 1697–1698 | [[Loxstedt|Dedesdorf]] (D) | St. Laurentius | [[File:Dedesdorf Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 12 | case of the manuals, 10 stops; today II/P/18 |- | 1697–1698 | [[Brake, Lower Saxony|Golzwarden]] (D) | St. Bartholomäus | [[File:Golzwarden Orgel 53882074.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 20 | case; today II/P/22 |- | 1699 | [[Scheemda|Nieuw-Scheemda]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:4760090 Nieuw Scheemda Orgel.jpg|160px]] | I/p | 8 | case, 4-6 stops |- | 1696–1699 | [[De Marne|Mensingeweer]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:4871418 Mensingeweer Orgel.jpg|160px]] | I | 9 | case, prospekt, 6 stops |- | 1699 | [[Ganderkesee]] (D) | St. Cyprian und Cornelius | [[File:Ganderkesee Orgel78.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 16 | case, prospect, 9 stops; today II/P/22 |- | 1700–1601 | [[Uithuizen]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:20130617 Kerk Uithuizen orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 28 | case, 19 stops, 6 others partly → [[Organ in the Jacobikerk at Uithuizen]] |- | 1701 | [[Maia, Portugal]] | Monastery Church San Salvador | [[File:Moreia da Maia Salvador Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II | 12 | case, 11 stops |- | 1701 | [[Mariana, Minas Gerais]] ([[Brazil]]) | Cathedral Nossa Senhora da Assunção | [[File:Órgão trópia-LF.png|160px]] | II/p | 18 | case, prospect, 14 stops (complete or partly); probably by Schnitger's co-worker Heinrich Hullenkampf<ref name="Ref-1">[http://www.freewebs.com/organtours/organdetails.htm Organ Tours of Brasil]</ref> |- | 1699–1702 | [[Clausthal-Zellerfeld]] (D) | St. Salvatoris | [[File:Clausthal-Zellerfeld St. Salvatoris 03.jpg|160px]] | III/P | 55 | case; today II/P/29 |- | 1699–1702 | [[Groningen (city)|Groningen]] (NL) | [[Der Aa-kerk]] | [[File:Groningen Aa-kerk Orgel (1).JPG|160px]] | III/P | 32 | case, prospect, {{circa}} 13 stops, 10 old stops reused by Schnitger; today III/P/40 → [[Organ in the Aa-kerk in Groningen]] |- | 1702 | [[Estebrügge]] (D) | St. Martin | [[File:Estebrügge, Martini (5).JPG|160px]] | II/P | 34 | case |- | 1704 | [[Eemsdelta|Eenum]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:4795201 Eenum Orgel.jpg|160px]] | I | 10 | case, prospect, 4-6 stops; today I/p/10 |- | 1704 | [[Godlinze]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:4795243 Godlinze Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/p (?) | 16 | case, prospect, 8-9 stops; today I/p/12 |- | 1705 | [[Schortens|Accum]] (D) | St. Willehad | [[File:8072706 Accum Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 14 | case |- | 1707–1708 | [[Lenzen]] (D) | St. Katharinen | [[File:Katharinen Lenzen 9 2015 06.JPG|160px]] | II/P | 27 | case partly, 2-3 stops |- | 1707–1708 | [[Hamburg]]-Ochsenwerder (D) | St. Pankratius | [[File:Spow orgelprospekt.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 30 | case, prospect, 5-11 stops; today II/P/24 |- | 1709–1710 | [[Weener]] (D) | St.-Georg | [[File:Weener Ref Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/p | 22 | case, 6 stops; today II/P/29 |- | 1710–1711 | [[Pellworm]] (D) | Old Church | [[File:Pellworm alteKirche orgel MS P4140091a.JPG|160px]] | II/P | 24 | case, 11 stops (complete or partly) |- | 1710–1711 | [[Sneek]] (NL) | Grote of Martinikerk | [[File:4784289 Sneek Orgel.jpg|160px]] | III/P | 36 | case, prospect, 10 stops (complete or partly) |- | 1711 | [[Ferwert]] (NL) | Hervormde Kerk | [[File:4784380 Ferwert Orgel.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 26 | 5 stops |- | 1710–1713 | [[Nordenham|Abbehausen]] (D) | St. Laurentius | [[File:Abbehausen Orgel 52413843.jpg|160px]] | II/P | 24 | case, prospect, 2 stops |- | 1715–1716 | [[Faro, Portugal]] | Cathedral | [[File:FaroOrgueCathedrale-LF.JPG|160px]] | II | 22 | probably by Schnitger's co-worker Heinrich Hullenkampf<ref name="Ref-1"/> |- | 1714–1716 | [[Rendsburg]] (D) | Christuskirche | [[File:Rendsburg Christkirche Orgel (02).JPG|160px]] | II/P | 29 | case, 4 stops; today IV/P/51 |- | 1715–1719 | [[Itzehoe]] (D) | [[St. Laurentii, Itzehoe|St. Laurentii]] | [[File:Schleswig-Holstein, Itzehoe, Laurentii-Kirche NIK 2635.jpg|160px]] | IV/P | 43 | case, prospect; today IV/P/58 |- | 1719–1721 | [[Zwolle]] (NL) | Grote of Sint-Michaëlskerk | [[File:Zwolle Sint-Michaëlskerk Schnitger Orgel.JPG|160px]] | IV/P | 64 | case, main part of the stops; finished by the sons Franz Caspar Schnitger and Johann Georg Schnitger |} == See also == * [[Johann Sebastian Bach]] * [[Dieterich Buxtehude]] * [[German organ schools#North German organ school|North German organ school]] * [[Pipe organ]] == References == {{Reflist}} == Other sources == * {{cite book | author = Peggy Kelley Reinburg | title = Arp Schnitger, organ builder; catalyst for the centuries | publisher = Indiana University Press) | location = (Bloomington | year = 1982 | isbn = 978-0-253-30927-3 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/arpschnitgerorga00rein }} * Cornelius H. Edskes, Harald Vogel (2002) ''Arp Schnitger and His Work'' (Organ Historical Society) {{ISBN|9783954940929}} == External links == {{Commons category|Arp Schnitger}} * [http://www.arpschnitger.nl/schnitlit.html Literature about Arp Schnitger] * [http://www.arpschnitger.nl Organs of Arp Schnitger] * [http://www.schnitgerorgel.de Organ Restoration In Arp Schnitger's Home Church] * [https://www.arp-schnitger-gesellschaft.de/ Arp Schnitger Centrum] * [http://www.arpschnitger.nl/schnittek.html Original designs of Arp Schnitger organs] {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Schnitger, Arp}} [[Category:1648 births]] [[Category:1719 deaths]] [[Category:People from Brake, Lower Saxony]] [[Category:German pipe organ builders]]
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