Abstract/Summary: 'Pure harmony'/ 'Reyne harmonie' in Alkmaar, by Ortgies/Van Wijk/Het Orgel 3/2003

[My apologies for eventual double or cross-posting.
Please do not reply individually to this post. Reactions
to the content of the article are welcome as soon as it
is available in print, ca. May 1st, 2003 - ca. 25 pages]

"Het Orgel"
(Dutch Organ Magazine)
Issue: May 2003

TITLE
'Reyne harmonie' in Alkmaar
Stemming en temperatuur in Nederland in de 17de en 18de eeuw

('Pure harmony' at Alkmaar
Tuning and temperament in The Netherlands in the 17th and
18th centuries)

by

Ibo Ortgies and Frank van Wijk
Göteborg (S) Bergen/Alkmaar (NL)

you can order the whole issue from
http://www.hetorgel.nl

ABSTRACT/SUMMARY

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

'Pure harmony' at Alkmaar / Tuning and temperament in The
Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries -

Ibo Ortgies and Frank van Wijk

The main organ in the Laurenskerk at Alkmaar has been known as one
of the first organs in The Netherlands and Northern Germany to be
tuned in equal temperament. The hypothesis that organ builder
Frans Caspar Schnitger tuned the organ in this modern way as early
as 1725, however, turns out to be incorrect; Schnitger used the
standard temperament of those days, which means that the organ had
a traditional meantone temperament with pure thirds. This fact is
corroborated by the history of the pitch of organs; by the history
of music, which shows that organs were used in combination with
other instrument, making it obligatory for the organist to
transpose every now and then; and by the fact that the meantone
temperament was the standard temperament to the Northern German
organ building tradition to which Schnitger belonged.

The Alkmaar organ was built in 1646 by the organ builders Van
Hagerbeer. It had split sharps and unusual compasses; this enabled
the organist to transpose a psalm up a whole tone without
problems, and without violating the possibilities of the meantone
temperament.

In the early 1720s, organist Gerhardus Havingha began to propagate
the transformation of the Alkmaar organ into a Northern German
instrument. He published about this plan extensively. Jacob Wognum
and Aeneas E. Veldcamps, who both preferred the Dutch organ
building tradition, protested. The texts of the three men were
published in 1727 and form together the written evidence of what
has become to be known as the 'Alkmaar organ battle'.

The arguments of Havingha, Wognum and Veldcamps have been confused
and misinterpreted later. It turns out that Havingha wasn't the
advocate of equal tempered organs that he has been said to be; he
described the meantone temperament of the Alkmaar organ before
Schnitger worked on it, calling it, as was common in those days,
'pure harmony', and he used these same words as well in the
examination report of 1725. Veldcamps referred to that report, and
confirmed that the organ was tuned just like any other Dutch
organ, with the consent of Havingha: the instrument had meantone
temperament, with 'eight pure thirds'.

Havingha had suggested a different temperament for the Schnitger
organ at Zwolle (1721). This fact also played a role in the
'Alkmaar organ battle'. The discussion in Zwolle, however, aimed
at finding a solution for the specific situation in this city,
where the instruments with which the organ had to play had a
different pitch.

The discussion on temperament in Alkmaar and in Holland focused
generally on stringed keyboard instruments . Organs were given
equal temperament only much later. As for the Alkmaar organ,
historical sources indicate clearly that the instrument was given
equal temperament in 1765, when organ builder Pieter Müller, on
the initiative of organist Michelet, was contracted to give the
organ 'another temperament'. Later documents show that Müller was
not quite successful at this: organ builder Strumphler had to
adjust the temperament in 1781.

thanks, ibo, for clarifying yet again the status of meantone
temperament in western musical history. the sad thing is that many
pundits in the theory and tuning industries refuse to believe that
historical tuning theory has anything to do with historical tuning
practice -- they would do well to sit down with articles such as
yours (and of course its supporting references).

--- In tuning@yahoogroups.com, Ibo Ortgies <ibo.ortgies@m...> wrote:
>
> [My apologies for eventual double or cross-posting.
> Please do not reply individually to this post. Reactions
> to the content of the article are welcome as soon as it
> is available in print, ca. May 1st, 2003 - ca. 25 pages]
>
>
> "Het Orgel"
> (Dutch Organ Magazine)
> Issue: May 2003
>
> TITLE
> 'Reyne harmonie' in Alkmaar
> Stemming en temperatuur in Nederland in de 17de en 18de eeuw
>
> ('Pure harmony' at Alkmaar
> Tuning and temperament in The Netherlands in the 17th and
> 18th centuries)
>
> by
>
> Ibo Ortgies and Frank van Wijk
> Göteborg (S) Bergen/Alkmaar (NL)
>
> you can order the whole issue from
> http://www.hetorgel.nl
>
>
> ABSTRACT/SUMMARY
>
> - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
>
> 'Pure harmony' at Alkmaar / Tuning and temperament in The
> Netherlands in the 17th and 18th centuries -
>
> Ibo Ortgies and Frank van Wijk
>
> The main organ in the Laurenskerk at Alkmaar has been known as one
> of the first organs in The Netherlands and Northern Germany to be
> tuned in equal temperament. The hypothesis that organ builder
> Frans Caspar Schnitger tuned the organ in this modern way as early
> as 1725, however, turns out to be incorrect; Schnitger used the
> standard temperament of those days, which means that the organ had
> a traditional meantone temperament with pure thirds. This fact is
> corroborated by the history of the pitch of organs; by the history
> of music, which shows that organs were used in combination with
> other instrument, making it obligatory for the organist to
> transpose every now and then; and by the fact that the meantone
> temperament was the standard temperament to the Northern German
> organ building tradition to which Schnitger belonged.
>
> The Alkmaar organ was built in 1646 by the organ builders Van
> Hagerbeer. It had split sharps and unusual compasses; this enabled
> the organist to transpose a psalm up a whole tone without
> problems, and without violating the possibilities of the meantone
> temperament.
>
> In the early 1720s, organist Gerhardus Havingha began to propagate
> the transformation of the Alkmaar organ into a Northern German
> instrument. He published about this plan extensively. Jacob Wognum
> and Aeneas E. Veldcamps, who both preferred the Dutch organ
> building tradition, protested. The texts of the three men were
> published in 1727 and form together the written evidence of what
> has become to be known as the 'Alkmaar organ battle'.
>
> The arguments of Havingha, Wognum and Veldcamps have been confused
> and misinterpreted later. It turns out that Havingha wasn't the
> advocate of equal tempered organs that he has been said to be; he
> described the meantone temperament of the Alkmaar organ before
> Schnitger worked on it, calling it, as was common in those days,
> 'pure harmony', and he used these same words as well in the
> examination report of 1725. Veldcamps referred to that report, and
> confirmed that the organ was tuned just like any other Dutch
> organ, with the consent of Havingha: the instrument had meantone
> temperament, with 'eight pure thirds'.
>
> Havingha had suggested a different temperament for the Schnitger
> organ at Zwolle (1721). This fact also played a role in the
> 'Alkmaar organ battle'. The discussion in Zwolle, however, aimed
> at finding a solution for the specific situation in this city,
> where the instruments with which the organ had to play had a
> different pitch.
>
> The discussion on temperament in Alkmaar and in Holland focused
> generally on stringed keyboard instruments . Organs were given
> equal temperament only much later. As for the Alkmaar organ,
> historical sources indicate clearly that the instrument was given
> equal temperament in 1765, when organ builder Pieter Müller, on
> the initiative of organist Michelet, was contracted to give the
> organ 'another temperament'. Later documents show that Müller was
> not quite successful at this: organ builder Strumphler had to
> adjust the temperament in 1781.