Sietze de Vries demonstrates some of the Flute stops on the Groningen Martinikerk organ

When I asked Sietze to demonstrate the Flute stops on the organ in Groningen’s Martinikerk he began with the most celebrated of them; the 8’ ’Holfluyt’ on the Bovenwerk made in 1564 by Andreas de Mare. He moves next to the 4’ Speelfluyt on the Rugpositief. Originally installed in 1542 just one pipe of this rank survived into the 20th century. Jürgen Ahrend used this precious survival as the basis from which to reconstruct the whole rank during the restoration of the organ back to something like its 1740s form between 1976 and 1984. Sietze then draws the 8’ Bourdon of 1542 on the Rugpositief as accompaniment for the chorale ’Nun Komm der Heiden Heiland’ picked out on the Pedaal 2’ Nagthoorn (installed in 1740 by albertus Anthoni Hinsz). Finally the chorale melody is repeated on the Pedaal 4’ Octaav (1542) accompanied this time by the 8’ Roerfluyt installed by Frans Caspar Schnitger and Hinsz on the Rugpositief in 1728-30. The addition of the Rugpositief Tremulant only enhances the exquisite loveliness of this very special Roerfluyt. The Flutes on the Hoofdwerk will have to wait for another visit! (Recorded Tuesday 24 October 2023)