Luogo e data di registrazione		Aprile 1983
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Producer / Recording Supervisor		Wolf Erichson
	Recording Engineer		Andreas Neubronner
	Prima Edizione LP		Seon (RCA Red Seal) | RL 70076 | 1 LP - durata 49' 25" | (p) 1984 | DIGITAL
	Edizione CD		Sony | SBK 61873 | 1 CD - durata 49' 25" | (c) 1999 | DDD
	Original Cover		Orgel der Nieuwe Kerk, Amsterdam - Photo: O. S. Oussoren, Aabenraa
	Note		-

The main organ of the New Church in Amsterdam was built in its initial form between 1650 and 1655 by Hans Wolff Schonat, an organbuilder from Kitzingen/Main, Germany. Both the organ case and the pillar-supported balcony on which the instrument stands are based on designs by Jacob van Campen, famed architect of the City Hall, now Royal Palace, on the Dam Square next to the New Church. The case also contains work by the renowned scukptor, artus Quellinus. Protecting the organ are six shutters which were painted, both inside and out, by Jan Gerritsz van Bronc(k)horst with scenes depicting the life of King David. Considering the church's vast proportions Schonat's organ was quite modest, having only 26 stops played from two manuals and pedal. Iy quickly became evident that this organ was too small, and in 1668 the famous organbuilder Jacobus Galtusz van Hagerbeer was charged with enlarging it considerably. Van Hagerbeer died in 1670 before having finished his task. His chief assistant, Roelof Barentsz. Duyschot, completed the organ in 1673 with the help of his son, Johannes. It now had 43 stops divided over three manuals and pedal, ten spring chests, three slider chests and eight bellows, making it one of the largest instruments in the low Countries. In 1697-98, Johannes Duyschot, mentioned above, modified the pedal reeds. During the 18th century the organ remained virtually unchanged. Between 1838 and 1840 the instrument was rebuilt by the Utrecht firm of J. Bätz & Co., who attempted to tonally adapt it to the orevailing musical taste by replacing a number of stops, lowering the pitch and adding two reed stops to the Hauptwerk division. A more radical alteration was the removal by Bätz of a large amount of pipework from the stops which Van Hagerbeer had furnished with multiple ranks. Some of these stops, such as the Superoctaaf 2' in the Rückpositiv division, had originally had up to six pipes per note! After this, the organ underwent no more important changes with the exception of the removal of the original bellows in 1911. The recent major renovation of the New Church included the thorough restoration of the organ by Marcussen & Søn of Aabenraa, Denmark. The project consisted of an extensive technical revision of the neearly unplayable instrument, replacement of the discarded stops, returning the multiple rank stops to their original state and restoring the organ to its original pitch. Most of the stops added by Bätz were maintained. At present, the organ has 48 stops and 5,005 speaking pipes. The main organ of the New Church is one of the most important monumental organs in The Netherlands and is unique particularly because of its spring chests and its many stops. In this respect it is unequalled in Europe. The characteristic sound of its prestants, flutes and reeds gives an accurate impression of a 17th century Dutch Baroque organ. All of these qualities combine to make this organ an exceptional medium for performance of the organ literature of the 17th and 18th centuries. Cor Edskes (Aus dem Holländischen von Todd Fair) The organ of the Buitenkerk (Church of Our Lady) in the old Hanse town of Kampen (Holland) has had a long and chequered history. The first recorded mention of the organ is in a letter dating from the year 1481, and then soon after 1500 it is known to have served as a model for a new organ in the Church of Our Lady of nearby Zwolle. At this early stage the organ had a "Rückpositiv" ("Rück" = back: i.e. a Positive Prgan located behind the player's back in the gallery); this however disappeared later. several changes were made to the organ during the 17th century; in 1629 and 1658, for instance, Johan Morlet, senior and Junior, carried out much reconstruction work. By 1750 the organ was again badly in need of repair. Having successfully renewed and enlarged sections of the big organ of the parish church of Kampen in 1742/44, the wellknown Hamburg organ-builder Albert anthoni Hinsz (also written Hinsch), who at that tome had his workshop in Groningen, was commissioned by the town council to carry out the work. Hinsz constructed new windchests, a new manual and new bellows. A few new stops were also added and the case and mechanism altered. It would appear that Hinsz orientated his design along the lines of the local traditional style of organ-building, for instead of his customary "Rückpositiv" he put the Positive on the same plane as the Great. The Great Organ had 7 stops (diapason and a few flutes), the Positive had diapasons, flutes, two tierce registers, and a trumpet register consisting largely of extremely old pipes. The Pedal Organ was given only one stop: an 8' trumpet. Lack of funds was very likely a determining factor, for we know that extra money had to be raised by selling a large bell, so that the organ-builder could be paid. For a long interim period the church then became Protestant, but wa handed back to the Catholics in 1809. Once again both the Great and the Positive were re-arranged, the free-standing Pedal was made attached and its old register removed. During the course of the 19th century the organ underwent change upon change, until finally nearly all the mixture stops were gone, 16' and 8' flue stops being put in their place. In the 1930's the church authorities proposed to have a new organ built, but, in the event, lack of financial support forced them to drop the plan. In 1963 the church had to be closed as the building was in a danger of collapse. The organ was dismantled and later an inventory of the parts was carefully drawn up. In 1965 restoration work was started on the church building and in 1973 on the organ. By 1976 both building and organ were fully restored. Drs. J. J. (Hans) van der Harst, working in close co-operation with the regional organ consultant O. B. Wiersma, supervised the restoration of the organ, and the work was carried out by the organ-building firm Jos Vermeulen of Alkmaar. The old specification of 1754 was brought back again in its entirely, the only change made was to add two more stops to the Pedal Organ. The case with its gilded carving, the manuals and the old bellows were restored in the original style, and replica parts inserted where necessary. Possessing as it does much old, and partly very old, pipe-work, this organ, though not one of the largest, is certainly one of the most interesting historical organs of the Netherlands. Hans van der Harst English translation by Avril Watts