The Bader organ

The Bader organ

The famous Henrick Bader organ from 1643, with its beautiful Renaissance tones and later Baroque additions, is among the finest organs in the Netherlands. In addition, the Ahrend organ stands in the choir of the church, and in the Credo Chapel there is the Hillebrand organ, a cabinet organ. Such a valuable collection brings responsibility. For this reason, the Henrick Bader Organ Foundation was established in 1986 to care for these instruments, to maintain them properly and to organise concerts so that everyone can enjoy their sound.

History

The history of the Bader organ in the Walburgis Church in Zutphen begins in 1643, when Henrick Bader completed an organ situated above the entrance to the Marian Chapel. It was a two-manual organ with an independent pedal and 24 stops. In the centuries that followed, regular maintenance was carried out, but it was not until 1815 that significant changes took place. The organ builder Timpe was commissioned to restore and expand the organ, and it was decided to move it entirely to the choir. Timpe added an upper division, and the specification was extensively altered and expanded, bringing the total number of stops to 39.

The organ remained in the choir for nearly 100 years, until 1906, when a major restoration of the church under architect Cuypers led to the decision to relocate it once again. Organ builder Spit was tasked with placing the organ in front of the tower beneath the first vault.

In 1996, organ builder Reil carried out a comprehensive restoration, taking the 1643 situation as the starting point while retaining the upper division added by Timpe. Today, the organ has 38 stops distributed over three manuals and pedal, and is considered one of the finest late Renaissance organs in the Netherlands.