Enthusiastic sounds: Successful end of the 14th Uckermärkische organ spring!

Enthusiastic sounds: Successful end of the 14th Uckermärkische organ spring!

Last Sunday ended with enthusiastic applause from the 14th Uckermärkische organ spring in the Templin church, to which the largest organ of the Uckermark invited. The three -manual organ, created in 1769 by Gottlieb Schultze, was revised by the renowned company Schuke in 1994 and has 38 registers. This unique sound design is based on the historical model without replicating it directly. At the concert, the listeners were enthusiastic about the performances and honored them with warm applause, which even resulted in an A-cappella addition. The measure is described by the Nordkurier. The guest of honor of the final concert was Hanka Mittelstädt, the Minister of Agriculture and Nutritional Economy, Environment and Consumer Protection in Brandenburg. In her speech, she emphasized the importance of maintaining rural cultural heritage and praised the organ spring as an exemplary for the valuable substance in the churches of Brandenburg. Thorsten Weßels, board member of the Sparkasse Uckermark, thanked the actors and supporters of the festival and named Jürgen Bischof as the artistic head behind the event. Incidentally, the concerts are free of charge, which was only possible through the generous willingness to donate of those present.

A look at the organ culture in Germany

The organ in Germany has an outstanding meaning that is also recognized internationally. In December 2017, the organ building and organ music in Germany were awarded UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity. This not only underlines the long tradition of the organ building, which goes back over 2,000 years, but also the vitality that prevails in this area today. Over 3,500 full -time and tens of thousands of volunteers are active, which shows the liveliness of this culture. As [UNESCO] (https://www.unesco.de/aktuelles/orgelbau-und-orgelmusik-als- immaterials-kulturerbe-der-menscheit-aus, the preservation and promotion of this legacy is expressly supported by the contracting states.

With around 400 craftsmanship organization companies and around 2,800 employees, organ building in Germany is an important economic and cultural pillar. On the occasion of this award, representatives of organ builders and musicians presented a certificate that shows the high priority of this cultural heritage.

The future of organ culture

we come back to Brandenburg, where the domestic organs not only shine in churches as acoustic beauties, but also in the center of the engagement of the Institute for Organ Culture. This urgently needs donations to preserve the approximately 50,000 digitized research data and continue to maintain the organ stock of around 1,700 instruments in the country. The institute's work takes place entirely on a voluntary basis, and the exchange about future steps should take place in personal discussions. You can find more information on this on the side of the Orgellandscape Brandenburg.

The Brandenburg region not only looks back on the past organ spring, but is already planning the 15th Uckermark -made organ spring, which will promise new musical highlights. The spirit of this culture continues and invites all music lovers to be part of this special trip.