New sample set by Sweelinq: the German Sonnen organ

The beginnings of the Sonnen organ

In 1691, the church was hit by a severe fire. Six years later, Eugenio Casparini and his son Adam Horatio began work on a new organ. This new model had 57 stops divided into three manuals and a pedal. The organ case contained 17 suns with pipes of equal length behind them: the Sonnen structure.

Different opinions

In 1703, the organ was consecrated and in 1704 a detailed description was made by Christian Ludwig Boxberg. After this, the organ attracted a lot of attention. Tsar Peter I of Russia, for instance, became so impressed by the instrument that he commissioned Boxberg to design a ‘Monstre Orgue’ in St Petersburg. By contrast, Bach called it a ‘horse organ’ because of its heavy playability, and he was not alone in criticising it.

Later developments of the organ

Between 1845 and 1847, repairs and extensions were carried, increasing the organ from 57 to 64 stops. Just over a century later, in 1926, a completely new instrument with 89 stops was built. In 1979 the church underwent a restoration during which the organ was removed. In 1990, plans followed for a new organ inspired by the old model. Today it is an organ with 96 stops and six horizontal reeds (‘Engelwerk’).

Connecting Sweelinq

Before using Sweelinq, there are a few things important to figure out. For example, you will need a computer to run the programme on. A connection will then need to be made between your organ and computer. This will send the signals from the organ to Sweelinq and the audio from the organ to the speakers. There are sound cards for this. Would you like to know more about connecting Sweelinq? Click here for more information.

Good to know

Good to know is that the Sonnen-Mixtur and the Engelwerk have been excluded from the sample set at the church's express request. The Sonnen organ is additionally equipped with a General Crescendo, which will become available after the launch of Sweelinq 3.

Sweelinq is a programme with different organ samples and can be used on the Content Cambiare Suite and Cambiare 312 Sweelinq.