Walter Kraft plays the Lübeck Totentanz Orgel, 1941: the Organ of Buxtehude!

Calling all the Organophiles out there! Here is the only surviving recording of the legendary “Totentanzorgel“ in the Lübeck Marienkirche (St. Mary’s), before it, along with the whole interior of the church, was destroyed in an Allied raid in 1942. Although at the time this was recorded, knowledge about historical organs and restoration practices were not very advanced, we can’t forget that this was the very organ that key figures of the Northern German organ school (Hasse, Tunder, Buxtehude, Bruhns) and of course likely Bach played at, which makes this recording all the more precious and interesting. Be sure to watch the video too, since I provide further historical context, photographs, and footage of the organ, Lübeck, and the Allied bombing in 1942. 0:00 Nicolaus Bruhns “Little“ Praeludium in E minor 5:16 Dietrich Buxtehude Praeludium in C, BuxWV 137 10:55 Dietrich Buxtehude Toccata in D minor, BuxWV 155 Stoplist of the Totentanzorgel