Rebuilding Organs

Not every congregation is able to purchase a new organ. Some congregations in this situation are stuck with an old organ that is not suited to their present-day needs. Fortunately, under these circumstances there is another option, whereby the old organ is converted or upgraded. The organ is thoroughly re-worked, and its specifications are altered and/or extended. It receives a new façade, in keeping with the architecture of its new environment, and is voiced in situ.

An organ before and after modification. The instrument was originally located in the Church Music College in Schlüchtern (left) and can now be seen and heard in the Neuapostolischen Kirche in Magdeburg, clad in its new façade (right).

Redesigning Organs
Sometimes organists are not 100% happy with their instrument, either because it is no longer up to scratch technically, or because they have different requirements (in the specification, etc) from when the organ was first built. Another possibility is to partially renew or modify the organ, rather than completely rebuilding it. But irrespective of the way an organ is to be altered, the relative importance of preserving history must be carefully determined for each case.

A newly-built console in the historical style, for the organ in Duttenstedt, Hannover.