Informations of the Board of Experts

DIOCESE ROTTENBURG-STUTTGART
Office for Sacred Music
Walter Hirt, Diocese Director for Sacred Music

Restoration of the historic EF Walcker Organ of the cath. Church in St. Peter and Paul in Neuhausen/Filder

Bildnachweis Nr: 69

Protocol of the Inspection of the Organ, November 21. 2000 - in epitome -

“The organ, built in 1854 by Eberhard Friedrich Walcker, is an unique cultural monument above regional importance. This instrument is considered to be among the most valuable ones, that Geman organbuilders had created in the mid-9th century. It represents an absolute rarity in the organ-landscape of Baden-Württemberg with a sonorousness left almost unchanged for nearly 150 years. As the parish of Neuhausen did recognize the real value of its organ, one can really appreciate this as a great cultural historic achievement as well as - except for the front side (Prospekt)- the parish had allowed to install only reconstructable changes. The authentic evidence is fully and definitively investigated by the great efforts of the local decanal church musician Markus Grohmann. For these reasons, only a restoration applying the highest internationally recognized quality standards is adequate to the high esthetical value, represented by this organ.

The still existing authentic and historic sound is unsolvably connected to the original housing at the original location. Solutions, which come near to the state of 1854 are of top priority. The actual size of the gallery can be used as a starting point for the enlargement of the gallery itself as well as for the construction of the renewed historic organ frontside (Prospekt). The urgently needed improvements to reduce the high forces, due to the bad alignement in the mechanical parts of the organ, have to be realized in accordance to the requirements of the Monument-Administration in Stuttgart.

To realize the restoration of such an important instrument and to get this financed, a “concerted action” of all disposable powers is needed. The establishment of a trusteeship with representatives of church, politics and companies should make the necessary decissions.

The enormous contribution of donors during the first year of the existance of the Society for the Promotion for the restoration of the organ in Neuhausen gives confidence, that this important organ-project can be realized within an foreseable space of time.!

Walter Hirt
Diocese Director for Sacred Music.

Dr. K. Könner, Landesdenkmalamt Stuttgart

“The organ in Neuhausen auf den Fildern is in its base a unique and outstanding monument of the art of organ building of the 19th century”