Luogo e data di registrazione		Waalse Kerk, Amsterdam (Holland) - Hervormde Kerk, Noordbroek, Groningen (Holland) - Aprile 1967
	Registrazione: live / studio		studio
	Producer / Recording Supervisor		Wolf Erichson
	Prima Edizione LP		Telefunken "Das Alte Werk" | SAWT 9521-B | 1 LP - durata 48' 50" | (p) 1967 | ANA
	Edizione CD		Teldec Classics "Gustav Leonhardt Edition" | LC 6019 | 3984-21766-2 | 1 CD - durata 49' 04" | (c) 1998 | ADD | (Couperin, Grigny, Anonymus) Teldec Classics "Gustav Leonhardt Edition" | LC 6019 | 3984-21769-2 | 1 CD - durata 75' 38" | (c) 1998 | ADD | (Reinken, Scheidemann)
	Original Cover		Orgel der Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam.
	Note		-

The Christiaan Miller Organ of the Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam The French Church (Oude Waalse Kerk) in Amsterdam, a monastery church of the 15th century used as a place of worship by the French reformed congregation since 1586, received its first organ in 1680 - the instrument that we still see today. (It is surely no accident that 1680 is also the year in which the Amsterdam church authorities first allowed the use of an organ for accompanying the singing of the reformed congregations.) The organ was built by Nicolaas Langlez (or L’Anglé, L’Anglet, Langelee) of Ghent. He probably brought the casing of the Great Organ with him from Flanders, the Rückpositiv and the Gallery being made in Amsterdam. The original specification of 1680 is no longer known. On the occasion of the alterations of 53 years later, however, the following stops of the old organ are named: Hauptwerk: Bourdon 16’, Prestant 8’, Rohrquinte 6’, Prestant 4’, Trompet 8’; Rückpositiv: Holpijp 8’, Prestant 4’, Cornet 5 ranks. The instrument would not have had any independent Pedal. Many expensive repairs during the next decades indicate that the instrument did not give satisfaction in every respect. In 1722 the young Christiaan Müller, later to become so famous, was entrusted with the care of the organ and, in 1733, commissioned with its complete renewal. (Two years later there followed for him the magnificent commission of building the new organ of St. Bavo in Haarlem.) Müller only took over the casing and five stops of the old organ. A Pedal casing was added behind the Great, and the new taste was catered for by the crowning ornamentation and the two figures on the Rückpositiv. Internally the new taste dominated completely: Müller built new wind-chests, new action, new bellows and new pipes-insofar as he did not take over some from five old stops, partly remodelling them. The specification was the same as the organ also has again today. The following notes may be of interest: - Prestant 16’ and 8’ and the Quinte of the Hauptwerk, as also the Prestant 8’ and Quinte of the Rückpositiv had double ranks in the treble. - Scherp 6 ranks in the Rückpositiv was only in the treble; Tertiaan was divided into treble (probably 2’ + 1 3/5’) and bass (2’ only). The manual compass was C - c'", that of the Pedal C - c' d'; - the pitch was ,a whole tone above opera tone“ (i.e. in present-day terms about a semitone above normal pitch). In 1843 the Scherp of the Rückpositiv was replaced by a Cornet 4 ranks, and the Tertiaan made into a plain 2’. Between 1843 and 1891 the Quinte in the Rückpositiv was replaced by a Viola da gamba and the Mixtur by a Flöte 4’. The key action and the keyboards were also renewed. 1891 then proves to be a black year for the organ. Van Dam, the organ builder who had submitted the lowest cost estimate, “restores” the organ. The pitch is lowered by a semitone, fortunately almost entirely by shifting the pipes, Fagot and Trompet 16’, originally in the Pedal and Hauptwerk respectively, are interchanged (only the resonators!), all the double ranks of the Principals and the Mixtur are rendered silent by pushing the lips shut, the pipes of the lower octave of the Pedal Principal are replaced by wooden ones, the casing loses its wing doors and is painted over entirely in brown. Yet the old pipe material is preserved essentially unharmed (no nicking, no tuning device, double ranks not removed), the windchests also remain unaltered, likewise the stop action and trunks. Then again in 1898 the old bellows are replaced by new reservoir bellows. The restoration during the years 1963-65 was carried out by the organ builders Ahrend & Brunzema, Leer, and the church painter Hans Schubert, Karlstadt/Main. All double ranks were made to speak again, and the Rückpositiv was given back its four lost stops on Müller’s model, the key action and the keyboards were replaced by new ones, again on the old model, two large single-fold bellows were installed and the original pitch restored. The Trompet 16’ now stands again in the Hauptwerk (with new resonators in the treble) and the Fagot in the Pedal. The wind pressure has remained unchanged since 1734: 84mm (3.3 ins.) of water. The new wing doors wer made after pictures of the old organ from the 18th century, and hung in the old hinges. The paintwork (in casein tempera) and gilding (polished) were largely executed after remnants of the old paintwork. The Arp Schnitger Organ of the Hervormde Kerk at Noordbroek (Groningen) The Romano-Gothic church of Noordbroek (Province of Groningen, Holland), dating from the beginning of the 14th century, is a brick building with a separate bell-tower. Since 1698 it has contained an organ by Arp Schnitger. In addition to a Rückpositiv and Hauptwerk, this instrument originally possessed a Pedal placed behind the main organ in a separate casing. H. H. Freytag laterally extended the main casing in 1809 through the addition of two towers and two pipe flats for the accommodation of the Pedal stops. Furthermore, details can be recognized in the casing that indicate post-Schnitger periods, partly rococo (corbels on the positive, probably from 1768) and partly classical (crowning ornamentation etc., probably from 1809). Schnitger’s work was somewhat altered in 1768 by his former pupil A. A. Hinsch; the organ today still has from him the Quintadena 16’ and the Vox humana 8’ in the Hauptwerk as well as the Dulciaan 8’ of the Rückpositiv. The façade pipes Prestant 4’ (Hauptwerk) and Prestant 4’ (Rückpositiv) were replaced by H. H. Freytag in 1809 with others of his own making; pewter corrosion, which may have attacked Schnitger’s pipes, may well have been the reason for this. It can, however, be presumed that Freytag did no more than adhere to Schnitger’s sealing. His Principals (diapasons) anyhow sound extremely beautiful, and completely match the tone of the higher older stops of the principal chorus. The new arrangement of the Pedal also induced Freytag to make a new Pedal Prestant 8’, but at the same time he sacrificed Schnitger’s Pedal Mixtur to the new taste, replacing it by a Gedackt 8’. Further alterations carried out in the 19th century (P. v. Oeckelen 1855, J. F. Kroese 1894) left the greater part of the pipe material untouched - fortunately also the action, the windchests and the bellows - but unfortunately removed three stops in the Rückpositiv in favour of inferior tone colours then fashionable. The present stops Superoctaaf 2’, Sesquialter and Scherp are reconstructions of the lost Schnitger stops, executed in 1955 by C. H. Edskes, Groningen. - Manual compass: C - c''' - Pedal compass: C - d’ - Manuel shove coupler - Wind pressure: 85 mm (3.35 ins.) of water -  The pitch has remained unchanged at the old Chorton (in present-day terms one semitone above normal pitch). Gustav Leonhardt