The Pieter Backer organ from the
Bonifacius kerk in Medemblik
€ 349,-
PLAY DEMO
J.S. Bach - Aria variata BWV 989
This Old Dutch Baroque organ from 1671 has 23 + 13 stops distributed
over 3 manuals and pedal. About the recordings
Short history
1671 - Pieter Backer built
1785 - Chr. Bätz positif
1859 - J.H. Overdiek displacement
1863 - L. van Dam & Zn. recovery/modification
1966 - Flentrop Orgelbouw conservative recovery
1989 - 2000 - Flentrop Orgelbouw restauration.
Mechanical chests:
The organ was moved to the west wall in 1859. The breastwork drawer
was restored in 1965. Special is the Regaal made of pear wood (cup and
beaker made from one piece of wood).
The last restoration, with the aim of a consistent restoration to the
situation of 1863, was carried out in phases: first the wind supply,
then the positive back and finally the main work and the mechanics.
The recent history 1986 - 2000
1986 - Klaas Bolt visited the organ in July 1986 (upon
request) and advised the church council to perform repairs on the
bellows in anticipation of a future restoration.
Further investigation revealed that the condition of the organ was
far from optimal.
1987 - The organ committee of the Dutch Reformed Church
(OCNHK) conducted an investigation into the condition of the organ
upon request and reported their findings on August 24, 1987.
On September 27, 1987, Klaas Bolt was asked by the church council to
act as an advisor for the restoration.
1988 - Klaas Bolt consulted with the Flentrop company and,
based on their quote, arrived at a total cost of f 522,000. On May
24th, in a letter to the municipal council, the church council
requested that the restoration of the organ, at a cost of f 540,000,
be included in the multi-year budget.
1989 - Due to the rapid deterioration of the condition of the
bellows, a subsidy was requested for the restoration of the wind
supply. Permission to carry out this work was granted by the RDM as
a partial restoration. The restoration of the bellows was assigned
to and carried out by Flentrop.
Because the lack of wind was increasingly affecting the sound of the
Pieter Backer organ, it was decided in 1989 to restore the bellows
immediately. At the beginning of November, all four bellows were
dismantled and hoisted out of the tower to be transported to the
workshop of organ builder Flentrop in Zaandam. Before this could
happen, employees of the municipality of Medemblik dismantled the
bellows chamber and fitted it with inspection hatches, allowing for
regular maintenance in the future. The wind channel between the
tower and the organ was so leaky that it also had to be dismantled.
A problem was that this channel had been mistakenly bricked in
during the tower restoration, so some demolition work was required
first. It turned out that only remnants of leather were holding the
structure together. It was a small miracle that the organ still
produced a reasonably good sound up to that point!
During that restoration, the bellows were completely taken apart.
The wood joints were repaired, cracks in the wood were filled, some
wooden parts were replaced, everything was reassembled with
high-quality glue, and the whole was provided with new leather. Just
in time for the Christmas services in 1989, the bellows were
reinstalled in the tower, a new wind machine was mounted, and the
entire system was adjusted.
1990 - Due to the passing of Klaas Bolt, Jan Jongepier was
appointed as advisor. He consulted with the RDM and the Flentrop
company.
1991 - Jan Jongepier resigned for personal reasons. The
restoration of the church is approaching, overshadowing the
(financial) prospects for the organ restoration.
1992 - As the new advisor, Mr. Cor Edskes was appointed. He
held discussions with the RDM, as well as with the restoration
committee and the architectural office regarding matters concerning
the organ during the church restoration.
It was decided to keep the organ inside the church to assess the
necessary restoration approach after the completion of the church
restoration, taking into account the indoor climate and acoustics of
the restored church.
Mr. Edskes prepared a report on the organ and a restoration
framework plan with several phased options.
During the restoration of the church, some young individuals entered
the church through the empty windows and caused damage to the organ,
particularly to the front pipes. Flentrop was able to repair the
damage to the front pipes. The young men were quickly located by the
police, and the damages were recovered.
1993 - The RDM issued a grant for restoration phase 1
amounting to f 189,598. Payment was scheduled for 1997 and 1998.
The restoration aimed to maintain the organ as it was left by Van
Dam in 1861.
1994 - The restoration contract was awarded to Flentrop.
Formal commencement was required by December 31st due to conditions
set by sponsors.
1995 - In March the dismantling of the pipework and
windchests is commenced.
1996 - The re-installation is delayed due to the climate in
the church. In the winter of 1995/96 one became increasingly
concerned about damage to the restored organ due to the low relative
air humidity.
1997 - After agreement has been reached about the
humidification and the climate in the church building the Rugwerk is
brought back. During the final examination the final result was
critically listened to by the government authorities. Hans Steketee,
the director of Flentrop organ builder at that time, gave a
demonstration on the organ. One of the government authorities, Onno
Wiersma, judged the result and considered it to be exceptionally
good. This resulted in obtaining permission (as well as subsidy) to
commence the final stage of the restoration.
1999 - The organ builder Flentrop receives the order to
carry out the restoration of the Hoofdwerk and the mechanics.
In October 1999 the pipes and windchests are removed from the organ
and transported to Flentrop's workshop. The main consideration of
this restoration was to maintain the organ in the condition left by
van Dam in 1861. The only exception was the Borstwerk. There the
pre-1861 situation was re-constructed. Van Dam removed the
Sesquialter, placed a Roerfluit 4' in the place of the Octaaf 2' and
filled the empty space left by the removal of the Sexqualter with
the descant pipes of the Octaaf 2'. The reason for this change was
that the Roerfluit, which was situated directly behind the Regaal,
hindered the tuning as well as the speech of the stops which were
placed behind the Regaal. Flentrop made a new Sesquialter and pipes
for the baskant of the Octaaf 2'.
In this way the specification of the Borstwerk was the same again as
in 1671.
About the recordings
Three channel technology
Sliders
This sample set was recorded from three positions in stereo (24 bit
96kHz).
The set comes with a Sygsoft devised 3-channel technique whereby the
user may set the listening position themselves.
There are 3 positions, namely :
1: Front, recorded very close to the organ. This provides a very
direct recording that is useful for study purposes.
2: Centre (Middle), this recording was made at about 3 times the
distance used in the front recording.
3: Rear, recorded far from the organ is used as surround.
Through three sliders (0-100%), a mix can be made of the three
positions that is to your liking.
More information see:
"System requirements".
Other details
The recordings for this sample set were made in october 2019.
Recording quality 96 kHz, 24 bit. The set is reduced to 48 kHz 24
bit.
Number of microphones: 6.
Number of samples processed in this set: 27,000
Number of lines in the Organ Definition File (ODF): ca. 1,500,000
Division of the Work
Johan van der Waal van Dijk:
Processing of the samples and technical advice.
Christian Boogaard: Noise reduction, adjusting the wind
model, intonation, demos, and artistic advice.
Rietje Raatgeep:
Administration and PR.
Fred de Jong:
Layout, additional control samples, loops ,ODF and overall management.
Specification of
the Pieter Backer organ from the Bonifacius kerk in Medemblik
(green has been added for Hauptwerk)
Man. I: Hoofdwerk C-c''' (for Hauptwerk
extended to f''')
Man. II: Rugwerk C-c''' (for Hauptwerk
extended to f''')
Man. III: Borstwerk F-G-A-a'' (for Hauptwerk
extended to C-f''')
DOWNLOAD 8
Niet beslist nodig: de inhoud van de bijgeleverde
Medemblik-Demo-DVD-versie-2022-02-12:
Checksum 0EED6B0518967742B6200E093FF29AD4 Size 1,85 GB
General:
General instructions for download and install a sample set
Important: Download the latest licensing packages file
https://www.hauptwerk.com/licensingpackages/
Start Hauptwerk V (or higher) and install this file via the menu File
| Install Organ, Temperament, or Impulse Response Reverb... Hauptwerk
will 'learn' which protected sets are currently on the market.
For users of Hauptwerk 5 or higher:
Make sure that Hauptwerk is not loaded.
Open your iLok account and choose Licenses/Redeem Activation code
and cut and paste the many-digit code into the screen.
Activate your license to iLok Cloud or to the iLok dongle. In the
latter case: then place the dongle on the Hauptwerk PC. It appears that this rule is not clear to everyone:
3a: Go to your iLok account (log in if necessary) and select the
sample set for which you want to enter the activation code.
3b: At the top right of the iLok screen is a gray/green check
mark.
If you go over this with the mouse you will see the text
"Activate licenses".
Click on this check mark and you will see a new screen.
3c: Click on Activate and Ok. Now the checkmark in the previous
screen turns green.
3d: Now double-click on the line you are working on and the
screen that opens must show "License status active" on the top
line.
3e: If necessary, repeat the above for the eventualy other newly
purchased organs.
Restart Hauptwerk and you can install and use the organ.
Before download and install, note the following:
Download all .CompPkg.Hauptwerk files.
Load these files in the same folder and
Do not change the file names and
Do not unpack by hand.
Check the MD5 checksums with the WinMD5 program, free to download
from
http://www.winmd5.com
or http://www.fastsum.com If a checksum is incorrect, throw the wrong download file away
from the PC and download that file again.
Start Hauptwerk (File/Install organ....), selecteer in de map waarin
u de bestanden zojuist hebt gedownload,
het bestand met extensie .CompPkg_Hauptwerk_rar in Hauptwerk's
component installer.
Hauptwerk automatically finds the other files.
If you get error messages, scroll to the end of the log file (this
opens automatically if something goes wrong when unpacking) to see
what goes wrong.
Usually a file is missing, or there is a file in the wrong folder or
a file is damaged.
Before loading the organ, first have a look at the
system information
regarding the expected memory usage etc.
Note: Please contact us via the
Contact form if you encounter any
issues; we will try to assist you.
System requirements
of the Pieter Backer organ from the Bonifacius kerk in Medemblik
a modern fast computer, minimum 32 GB RAM and e.g. Windows 10 64 bit
a good internal or external sound card
2 manuals or keyboards with (at least 25 keys) pedal òr a complete
electronic organ with MIDI out
good quality speakers /headphone
The computer
To play the complete version of this sample set without restrictions
requires a modern, fast computer with, for example, Windows 11 64 bit
installed and around 32 GB of RAM.
Obviously Hauptwerk must also be installed with the latest version 5
(or higher) Advanced.
It is said that the best results are achieved using Apple-MacIntosh
computers; however, we have no experience with this. It is difficult
to make exact statements about what is needed. The "mother" website
hauptwerk.com
provides much information about this issue.
Prerequisites .
Please note: This information applies to the newest version of
Hauptwerk.
This virtual van Vulpen organ can be downloaded. The set is protected
with the Hauptwerk Protection System via the
iLok account or dongle from your
Hauptwerk program.
Below is a table of memory usage .
On other systems, these values can vary considerably!
Please note that your Operating System also requires considerable
memory.
The sound card
A good internal or external sound card. For more information go to:
hauptwerk.com .
Manuals/keyboards/pedal òr complete organ with MIDI out
2 manuals or keyboards and a (at least 25 keys) pedal òr a complete
electronic organ with MIDI out. Beautiful consoles specifically
designed for Hauptwerk are commercially available.
In the Netherlands these are available through, for example,
Those who are technically inclined can provide their keyboard with
MIDI capability using hardware from, for example,
WIRA,
MIDI-Hardware.com
or MGB . We ourselves have
done this using a Heyligers organ dating from around 1975 (using WIRA
hardware). The conversion was about 300 Euro and everything has worked
perfectly for years.
Speakers/headphone
The superb sound quality of Hauptwerk is best experienced through
high-quality headphones, such as AKG or Sennheiser.
We prefer connecting the sound card to a (possibly multi-channel)
sound system. The above mentioned companies can also advise you on any
purchases in this area.
What you definitely should not do is listen to Hauptwerk
through the built-in speakers of the monitor or a set of €10 computer
speakers!
Table of memory usage for
the Pieter Backer organ from the Bonifacius kerk in Medemblik
Hauptwerk 6 (space needed on the hard drive is ca. 10 GB)
The meaning of the columns:
A = Number of loaded channels
B = Compression applied?
C = Bit rate Pipe samples
D = Multi-release pipe loaded?
E = RAM usage, Operating System not included (GB)
Please note that the stated values are an approximation !
De nrs. 1-2-3: is for loading mode 16 bit, single release compressed
(a possibility but we think the quality is insufficient).
De nrs. 4-5-6: is for loading mode 16-bit, compressed and multi
release (the standard Hauptwerk loading mode).
De nrs. 7-8-9: is for loading mode 16 bit, uncompressed and multi
release.
De nrs. 10-11-12: is for loading mode 20-bit, compressed and multi
release.
De nrs. 13-14-15: is the loading mode 20 bit, multi release
uncompressed (we prefer this if you have enough memory).
There are of course many more variants, e.g. pipe samples loaded at 24
bit and sounds at 16 bit, etc.
If you're having trouble, send us your question by filling in the
Contact form.
nr.
Definition
A
B
C
D
E
1
(16 bit) with 1 channel loaded single release compressed
1
✔
16
✘
3,5
2
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded single release compressed
2
✔
16
✘
7
3
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded single release compressed
3
✔
16
✘
11
4
(16 bit) met 1 channel loaded multi release compressed
1
✔
16
✔
5,1
5
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release compressed
2
✔
16
✔
10,2
6
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release compressed
2
✔
16
✔
15,3
7
(16 bit) with 1 channel loaded multi release uncompressed
1
✘
16
✔
7,5
8
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
2
✘
16
✔
15
9
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
3
✘
16
✔
22,5
nr.
Definition
A
B
C
D
E
10
(16 bit) with 1 channel loaded multi release compressed
1
✔
20
✔
7,8
11
(16 bit) with 2 channels loaded multi release compressed
2
✔
20
✔
15,6
12
(16 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release compressed
3
✔
20
✔
23,5
13
(20 bit) with 1 channel loaded multi release uncompressed
1
✘
20
✔
14
14
(20 bit)with 2 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
2
✘
20
✔
28
15
(20 bit) with 3 channels loaded multi release uncompressed
3
✘
20
✔
42
Screen layout
of
the Pieter Backer organ from the Bonifacius kerk in Medemblik
Tab 1 : Foto's
Organ facade - Photo: Arnold de Greeuw
Church - Photo: Arnold de Greeuw
This tab shows the front of the organ and if you click on the picture
you will see the church.
Tab 2 : Registers: (Stops)
Stop panel extended version
On this tab a simple representation of the stops suitable for users of
the extended version of this organ.
For all stops and playing aids made for Hauptwerk see
Specification .
The button "Wind" turns on the wind motor.
The button "Hoofdwerk": The Hoofdwerk has no tremulant on the
real organ, but for the enthusiast we have added one that can be
switched on with this button.
The button "Rugwerk": The Rugwerk has no tremulant on the real
organ, but for the enthusiast we have added one that can be switched
on with this button.
The button "Borstwerk": The Borstwerk has a recorded tremulant
that you can activate with this button. This tremulant is quite
"Rough" and users who wish a milder tremulant can use the button
"Recorded/Modulated". Choose "Recorded / Modulated" between these 2
types.
Note: You can adjust the modulated tremulants to your taste via the
voicing.
With the 3 sliders at the top right, the volume of the different
channels can be set, which allows you to broadly determine your
listening position.
The 4th slide operates the doors of the Borstwerk and can be used as a
kind of swell step. If desired, all sliders can be linked to an
expression pedal.
Tab 3 : Schakelaars: (Switches)
Switches
info screen
Most elements of this tab do not actually need to be visible, but for
interested parties it still gives a a bit of an impression of what
needs to be done to get a sample set of this size to work.
Keep in mind that behind each (manual) button there are 54 long, 54
long release, 54 medium release and 54 short release samples and about
the same amount for the recorded tremulant. The same applies to the
pedal, but always 30 pieces.
It is also useful to know that if you right-click on a switch you can
immediately access the correct voicing screen.
In the column "Speelhulpen" (Playing aids) you will find a number of
buttons:
1st: With the button "Toetsgeluiden" (Key noise) you can choose
whether or not to hear the key noise.
2nd: With the button "Trekkergeluid" (Tracker noise) you can
choose whether or not to hear the sounds of the tracker sounds.
3rd: With the button "Ventiel" (Valve) you can hear the
emptying of the bellows. It's just the sound, the bellows don't really
empty.
4th: With the button "Dulciaan + Trompet"you can choose whether
the Dulciaan 8' bass and Trumpet 8' disc. on the Rugwerk operate
separately or not.
5th: With the button "Mixtuur Rw bas + disc." you can choose
they operate separately or not.
6th: With the button "Trompet Hw bas + disc." you can choose
they operate separately or not.
7th: With the button "Manuaal BW origineel" you can choose
whether you want to use some keys that the builder has "locked" and
for which there are no pipes on the drawer or not.
Explanation: On the real organ the pipes MIDI-Fis-42, MIDI-Gis-44 and
MIDI-Gis-80 are missing from the Borstwerk. If you connect your
keyboard to the Keyboard "BORSTWERK ORG". If you do this, you can use
the "Manual BW Original"button to choose whether or not to use
these keys. If you do not use them, on the screen "5. Speeltafel org."
three yellow triangles occurs next above the relevant keys to indicate
that they are "muted". In reality these keys cannot be pressed, but
you will understand that this is not possible in Hauptwerk.
Clicking the button "INFO BORSTWERK" opens the Info screen.
The virtual console (1) - Photo windows: Arnold de Greeuw
The windows on the left picture, from left to right:
Window 1: This Window was donated by the diaconate in 1670. Below
the inscription is the history of in grisaille portrayed "the poor
widow's medal".
Window 2: (partially pictured) This Window carries in the middle
the city coat of arms with the year 1681, flanked by the coats of
arms of the donors. Entirely below a representation of Solomon's
jurisprudence.
Window 3: This Window above the entrance portal was made in 1902,
on the occasion of the restoration.
The virtual console (2) - Photo windows: Arnold de Greeuw
The windows on the right picture, from left to right:
Window 4: The easternmost Window was donated by the city
Monnikendam in 1670. Above the coat of arms and the name of
Monnikendam is also the coat of arms of the city of Medemblik.
Window 5: (partially shown) This Window next to it is probably
donated by mayors and church wardens from 1709. Under the throne
of the city maiden, the glass is marked: S. v.d. Meulen fecit Ao
1709.
Window 6: This Window was donated in 1671, by the Rhine Skippers
Guild. At the top, the history is of Noah's ark, at the bottom a
view of Medemblik.
Clicking on the top half of the image will switch to the other three
stained glass windows of the church.
This screen is only used to connect the various extended manuals to
your console. Right-click on the manual to be connected and follow the
instructions from Hauptwerk.
Good to know:
On the real organ the compass of the Borstwerk is from MIDI-41-F to
MIDI-81-A, where 42, 44 and 80 are missing.
On the real organ the compass of the Hoofdwerk is from MIDI-36-C to
MIDI-84-C.
On the real organ the compass of the Rugwerk is from MIDI-36-C to
MIDI-84-C.
On the real organ, the compas of the Pedal is from MIDI-36-C to
MIDI-59-B.
Tab 5 : Speeltafel origineel: (console original)
The original console
On this tab you will find a representation of the original console
wich is as accurate as possible.
In order for this console to work properly, you must connect the
various manuals and the pedal in Hauptwerk with the "keyboards" with
the suffix "ORG". So you connect the upper manual, the Borstwerk, to
"Borstwerk ORG" etc. Take into account the start and end key and the
length of the keyboards and the pedal:
If you find it difficult to connect the keyboards and the pedal via
this photo, there is another way to achieve this via the Hauptwerk
menu Organ Settings/Keyboards ... Left of the screen you points to the
manual to be linked and then press the "Auto-detect settings" button
on the right and follow the instructions.
On the real organ the compass of the Borstwerk is from MIDI-41-F to
MIDI-81-A, where 42, 44 and 80 are missing.
On the real organ the compass of the Hoofdwerk is from MIDI-36-C to
MIDI-84-C.
On the real organ the compass of the Rugwerk is from MIDI-36-C to
MIDI-84-C.
On the real organ, the compas of the Pedal is from MIDI-36-C to
MIDI-59-B (fixed to the Hoofdwerk).
The doors of the Borstwerk can be adjusted using the mouse wheel. By
right clicking on the doors they can also be connected to an
expression pedal.
We have made the register buttons of the rugwerk visible on the
console without buttons because they would disturb the image too much.
The pictures themselves are now, in other words, the register
buttons.
We have replaced the valve at the bottom left with the button "Wind"
which is the motor switch.
The 2 brass buttons under the main work are actually for the manual
torque, however this has been replaced by a button at the bottom right
"Koppel" (Coupler Hoofdwerk to Rugwerk). The original pedal is fixed
to the Hoofdwerk and has no free voices.
Again you will find the 3 sliders for the volume of the 3 channels,
Front, Middle and Rear.
Tab 6 : Wind
The windmodel
On these tabs a schematic representation of the wind supply of this
organ.
With the various sliders you can control the supply of wind for the
bellows and the various wind chests.
With the "R" or reset buttons you can return to the settings
that we think are the most suitable (default values). With the button
"Sygsoft" at the bottom right you can reset all 7 sliders in
one time.
Important:
If you decide not to load part of this sample set (e.g. your computer
RAM memory is too small and you choose e.g. to omitting all "Rear"
samples) then the wind consumption decreases by 33% and then the organ
becomes much less wind sensitive than it actually is.
In that case, go to Organ settings/Organ preferences/Wind supply model
and choose a value of approx. 150. In case you only need to load one
channel e.g. "Middle", (the wind consumption decreases by 66%) then
you need this value to about 300% to get the same result.
Obviously, you can choose any value if you don't like the organ's
behavior. With the check mark on this same Wind supply model tab you
can turn off the wind supply completely.
You listen to the Pieter Backer organ from the Bonifacius kerk in
Medemblik
J.S. Bach - Christus, der ist mein Leben BWV 1112
