Schnitger, 1702

Groningen, Der Aa-kerk

The church tower of the Der Aa-kerk keeps a low profile

The organ chronicles of the Der Aa-kerk in Groningen are full of spectacle. Here’s a brief history: When Theodorus Faber, the first organ builder, died in 1659, he left a half-built organ behind.

His successor, Andries de Mäer, was banned from the city shortly afterwards due to misconduct, and his replacement Jacobus Galtus van Hagerbeer succeeded in completing the organ, but then four years later had to watch in dismay as the church tower and organ went up in flames after a lightning strike. In 1697 it was Arp Schnitger’s turn. He built a sixteen-foot organ with 40 stops. Unfortunately, the tower collapsed and took the organ with it.

For 115 years there was no organ to be heard in the Der Aa-kerk in Groningen, until 1815 when the Schnitger organ was transferred to the Der Aa-kerk from the neighbouring Academy or Broerkerk. This one has survived so far. We hope for the best.

Note: depending on your Johannus LiVE model, the stoplist may differ from the original.