OrganArt Media 1925 GF Steinmeyer Organ, Berlin part 1 & 2

This large, post-Romantic Steinmeier organ, Op. 1400, with 71 stops, built in 1925, is a unique instrument of this organ maker and era, preserved in its original condition.

It was designed by Berlin concert organist Otto Dunkelberg, who later worked as organist for the gigantic organ in Passau Cathedral. It is considered the “little brother” and predecessor of the largest church organ in the world at the time.

The organ, which survived World War II as one of the few Berlin instruments, as well as destruction or reconstruction during the neo-Baroque period, exhibits features of the Alsatian organ reform, according to Rupp-Schweitzer, and, thanks to Steinmeier’s American contacts, also possesses the characteristic features of these instruments, such as the enlarged size of the manual and pedals, extensive sub- and superoctave verses, string choirs, etc.

The organ allows for the performance of German, French and Anglo-American music of the 19th century, as well as modern and early music of the early 20th century.

Until recently, virtually unplayable due to wear and tear and the effects of the church’s climate, it was painstakingly restored over three years and reopened in 2018. One of the few remaining large Steinmeier organs from that era, it has been restored once again.

Along with the lost organ of the Passau Cathedral, this instrument can certainly be called the pearl of Steinmeier’s late/post-Romantic work.

The reverberation time in the Church of the Holy Body of Christ reaches 6 seconds.

Recording technique

The instrument was recorded in October 2019 at 48 kHz, 24 bit sampling rate using the multiple release method developed by OrganArt.

• Stops were recorded with multiple releases for short, medium, and long keys for optimal acoustic representation.
• All scales were additionally recorded with their original, vibrant sound.

Acknowledgments

We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Catholic Parish of the Holy Corpus Christi (Father Jacinto Weitzenmann, Rev.) for permission to record, to the titular organist Martin Kondziella for testing and extensive comparative tuning of the virtual instrument, and to organist Kissig and caretaker Müller for on-site support.