Hamburg: Jacobikirche

Hamburg
Jacobikirche

Introduction

The organ in the St. Jacobikirche in Hamburg is one of Arp Schnitger's most well-known instruments. It has survived all the vagaries of time that one might expect to befall an organ over a period of 300 years (including two World Wars), and it is still highly regarded as one of his best. The history of the organ actually pre-dates Schnitger, for he re-used some pipes from an earlier instrument by Gottfried Fritsche. This table summarizes some of the major events in the life of this musical instrument:¹⁶⁷

1693		The organ was completed by Schnitger.
1739		Chimes added to the organ.
1760 - 1761		Repairs and some changes to the disposition of the organ by Johann Jacob Lehnert, including replacing the Gedeckt in Cammerton on the Hauptwerk with a Viola da Gamba and the Rückpositiv Schallmey with a Trompete.
1917		Removal of the façade pipes for the war.
1928 - 1930		New façade pipes by Karl Kemper.
1944		The church destroyed by bombs. Chests, pipes and ornaments had been removed for protection, but action, winding and case did not survive.
1948 - 1950		Preliminary reinstallation in the south of the church.
1959 - 1961		Reinstallation in the west of the church with a new case and new action.
1989 - 1993		Restoration by Jürgen Ahrend.

Disposition

Hauptwerk			Rückpositiv		Oberwerk		Brustwerk		Pedal
Prinzipal		16	Prinzipal	8	Prinzipal	8	Prinzipal	8	Prinzipal	32
Quintadena		16	Gedact	8	Rohrflöte	8	Octava	4	Octava	16
Octava		8	Quintadena	8	Holzflöte	8	Hohlflöte	4	Octava	8
Spitzflöte		8	Oktave	4	Octava	4	Waldflöte	2	Octava	4
Gedact im Cammerton		8	Querflöte	4	Spitzflöte	4	Sesquialtera II		Nachthorn	2
Oktava		4	Oktava	2	Nasat	2 2/3	Scharff V		Rauschpfeiffe II
Rohrflöte		4	Blockflöte	2	Octava	2	Dulcian	8	Mixtura VI
Super-Oktava		2	Sifflet	11/3	Gemshorn	2	Trichter-Regal	8	Posaune	32
Blockflöte		2	Sesquialtera II		Mixtura VI				Posaune	16
Rauschflöte II			Scharff IV-VI		Cymbel III				Dulcian	16
Mixtura VI			Dulcian	16	Krummhorn	8			Trommete	8
Trommete		16	Baarpfeiffe	8					Trommete	4
			Schallmey	4					Cornet	2

Tremulants to Oberwerk and Rückpositiv
Couplers:	Oberwerk to Hauptwerk Brustwerk to Oberwerk
Cimbel Sterne