Organ Works

At almost 700 years old, the late Gothic Marienkirche is the oldest surviving church building in Rendsburg. It is a brick hall church with a polygonal chancel, the interior of which is plastered white and decorated with subtle paintwork. The rich furnishings - altar and pulpit together with memorials and tableaux from the Renaissance and Baroque periods - stand in contrast to the massive structural elements and the sober architecture. The enlarged organ gallery has been in its present form since 1922, with integrated reliefs from the 17th century.

St. Mary's Church is one of the culturally and historically most important churches in Schleswig-Holstein and houses the permanent exhibition "Traces of Faith". In order to give greater expression to the importance of church music and to promote the church’s nationally recognised concert activity, the exhibition will include organ building and organ music. In addition, it will be complemented by a new organ of high quality which will form the core of both an educational project and of the church’s musical life. Last, not least, the instrument should establish itself as a new attraction in the organ landscape for organists and students.

In the Europe-wide tender for the construction of a romantically oriented organ and its integration into the "Glass Organ Experience", proposals for the expansion of the themed exhibition room were also expected. We are pleased that our offer convinced the organ building commission "with great unanimity in musical-artistic, creative and educational terms".

The new organ will have 45 stops on three manuals and pedal and will have a French-Romantic sound based on Cavaillé-Coll. The specification is versatile and other musical epochs can also be convincingly interpreted. The key action is mechanical, while the stop action is electrically controlled and equipped with a setter system. With a separate swell box for the Positif, a wind control (Windschweller) for the Récit, a tonal range extended up to a³ together with additional electrified trackers (MIDI), there are further musical uses. A Zimbelstern, a celesta and a tubular glockenspiel are also to be provided.

In the front area the windchests of the Grand-Orgue are arranged on two levels. Three small pedal stops are also located here. The two enclosed divisions are located behind them, also on two levels. The pipes of the main Pedal division are positioned at the very back around the visitors' passageway.

The organ case consists of a sound-permeable grille and requires the entire height up to the vault. The 16' and 8' Montre pipes, arranged in individual groups, are suspended in front of the grille without any other case elements. The staggered lengths of the pipes and their mouths courses result in elegant, centred lines that dynamically break up the shiny pipe surface. Between the heavily ornamented gallery balustrade and the relatively low belt arch, the plain façade design presents itself as a modern, visually light conclusion to the western view of the historic church interior.

In order to bring the world of the organ closer to the visitors in a vivid and interesting way, the case and overall construction are designed to facilitate a tour around the organ. Glazed openings are provided at several suitable points, allowing an insight into individual components and to the inner workings of the organ. In addition, certain functions can be triggered interactively, in order to encourage participation and trying out, for example by moving mechanical parts, triggering sounds or activating lighting effects. The adjoining newly furnished room in the tower behind the organ continues the exhibition of the "Glass Organ". Here, among other things, the main bellows of the new organ will be set up and will have a manually operated feeder for demonstration purposes. Among other organ-related exhibits there will also be a functioning organ model.

The parish provides information about the organ project on its own website:https://glaeserne-orgel-marienkirche-rendsburg.de/