Other Organ-builders

      who are mentioned in the Meijer-site.

Last updated: 06-04-2001


      In the site we come across many names of organ-builders, who were not direct in contact with Meijer or who worked in the same period, but for those, who are not familiar with the situation of organ-builders in The Netherlands, there are a great number of names and data below.
      They are more or less in chronological order, but some organ-builder families existed for such a long time, that in those cases, the keeping together of the family (and their legal successors) prevailed.


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The following organ-builders (mentioned in alphabetical order) are included in this page:


The Duyschot family

First generation:

    Roelof Barentsz Duyschot ~ 1620-1684
    Roelof was born in Goor and he was the son of an innkeeper.
    In 1640 he moved to Amsterdam and was apprenticed to a cabinetmaker. In 1659 (the organ of the Oude Kerk in Amsterdam was being worked on) he was employed by Jacobus van Hagerbeer. In 1668 he was reported to be a foreman.
    When Van Hagerbeer passed away in 1670, Duyschot took over the organs that were being worked on from the widow. After that he worked as a self-employed organ-builder in Amsterdam, Leiden and Haarlem among other towns.
    Though he was and is considered to be a good organ-builder, not much of his work has been kept.

Second generation:

    Johannes Duyschot ~ 1645-1725
    He was Roelof’s son and apprentice. In the beginning he lived in and worked from Amsterdam, later he moved to Alkmaar.
    In May 1684 his father was in such poor health, that, by means of a notarial act, his father’s obligations passed to him (the building of an organ in the Westerkerk, among other things).

    Since 1711 he lived with his wife and son Andries in Leiden. The house was bought by Andries in 1709. This remained his domicile till his death.

      In Johannes’s time many old organs were repaired and/or enlarged. After the instrument had been considered as an "instrument of the devil" and as "Popish Naughtiness" for a long time, one gradually arrived at the conclusion, that it was essential to the accompaniment of the community singing. A lot of instruments were enlarged with the stops Trumpet, Cornet, and in many organs the Mixture and/or Scherp got a lower-pitched structure, so that they could be used for the accompaniment of the singing.
      A lot of Johannes’s work has been kept, though in after centuries his pipework was often adapted to the taste of the time.

Third generation:

    Andries Duyschot ~ 1675-1752
    He was the son and apprentice (probably since 1687) of Johannes.
    In 1705 Johannes and Andries entered into a contract, in which the son promised to look after his father (and also after his second wife).
    In 1722 he worked as a self-employed organ-builder in Utrecht (probably his father was not able to work anymore). In 1731 he lived in Leiden again, but after four years he moved back to Utrecht.
    In 1746 he chose Leiden to be his domicile again and there he died.


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    Radeker, Johannes ~ 1675 (?)-1725
    His name was spelled in many different ways, which was not unusual in the time he lived: Ratteker, Raetker, Raetger, Ratki, Ratgij.
    He was an apprentice of Arp Schnitger and worked for some time for Christian Müller.


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The Hinsz - Schnitger - Freytag family

Albert Anthony Hinsz ~ 1704-1785

    He was born in Hamburg (Germany) and he was probably an apprentice of Richborn and/or Frans Caspar Schnitger (1693-1729, a son of Arp Schnitger).
    He settled down in Groningen in 1728 and married F.C. Schnitger’s widow. We do not know if he took over Schnitger’s firm or if he joined his firm with the widow’s one.
    Some of his apprentices were Lammert van Dam, M.H. Hardorff, Heinrich Hermann Freytag, Frans Caspar Schnitger jr and probably Albertus van Gruisen.

Frans Caspar Schnitger jr ~ 1724-1799

    A.A. Hinsz’s stepson and apprentice.
    In 1785 he continued, together with H.H. Freytag, Hinsz’s firm.

Freytag family

First generation:

    Heinrich Hermann Freytag ~ 1759-1811
    He was born in Hamburg and he was an apprentice of A.A. Hinsz. Together with Frans Caspar Schnitger jr he continued Hinsz’s firm in 1785.
    In 1799, when his partner passed away, he took the lead.
    Freytag's widow tried to continue the firm after his death in 1811, because the children were still too young.

Second generation:

  • Herman Eberhard Freytag ~ 1796-1869
    Together with his brother Barthold Joachim he took over the firm from the widow in 1816 and after his brother’s death in 1829 he went on by himself.
    The firm grew weaker slowly but surely on account of the competition fight with the Lohman family. When his son died in 1861 (and that meant that there was no successor for the firm) and in 1862 his daughter died as well, he sold the firm to the Lohman Brothers and he retired from business in Peize in 1863.
  • Barthold Joachim Freytag ~ 1799-1829
    Together with his brother Herman Eberhard he took over the firm from the widow.
  • Willem Fredrik Freytag ~ 1825-1861
    He was Herman Eberhard’s son and apprentice. He was intended to take over the firm, but he died earlier than his father.


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Hardorff

In the history of organ-building in The Netherlands we come across the name of Hardorff twice.

    Matthijs Hanssen Hardorff (about 1747-1802) served his apprenticeship with Albert Antoni Hinsz. After that period he became his foreman and after Hinsz’s death he set up his own firm in Leeuwarden.
    His son Hans Hardorff (1782-1826) apparently thought nothing of the trade of organ-building, for he became a bookbinder in Leeuwarden.

Willem Hardorff ~ 1815-1899

    Hans’s son took up his grandfather’s trade (though he had not known Matthijs) and served his apprenticeship with Van Dam.
    After the death of Wilhelmus van Gruisen he took over the latter’s business from the heirs in Leeuwarden in 1843.
    He managed the business till he was 65. In 1880 he sold the business to Johan Frederik Kruse (1848-1907), who was his apprentice, his foreman and his son-in-law.

According to the Dutch expert in organs Stef Tuinstra there is a connection between Hardorff and Meijer, which we cannot confirm. We do not claim, that the worklists we are able to make are complete, but the only activity we know of Hardorff in the province of Groningen is the newly built organ in Beerta (1857), whereas we certainly know that he had a lot of work in the province of Friesland.


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The Vermeulen family

Previous history:

Some of the Vermeulens were already active as organ-builders long before the firm was set up:

  • Johannes Vermeulen ~ 1680(?)-1751
    He came from Rotterdam and settled down in Nederweert as a sculptor and an organ-builder.
  • Theodorus Vermeulen ~ 1719-1797
    Like his father he was a sculptor and an organ-builder and worked together with Henricus Beerens (1710-1768). In 1779 their firm was transferred from Nederweert to Weert.
  • Petrus Vermeulen ~ 1741-voor 1804
    He was Theodorus's son and married Henricus Beerens's daughter.
  • Later a daughter of a certain Lambertus Vermeulen married Matthieu van Dinter (1822-1890), who was of Belgian origin, and together with his father-in-law the latter enlarged the firm.
    Before Van Dinter left for America, the first generation of the firm of Vermeulen had settled down.

First generation:

  • Peter Johannes Vermeulen ~ 1830-1910
    He and Van Dinter founded the firm in Weert in 1858. When Van Dinter left for the USA later, the three brothers were completely independent.
    When Peter’s sons joined the firm, the name changed into:"P.J. Vermeulen en Zonen, orgelfabriek te Weert" (P.J. Vermeulen and Sons, organ factory in Weert).
  • Cornelis Vermeulen ~ 1839-1929
    Peter’s brother who worked in the firm.
  • Jacobus Vermeulen ~ 1847-1920
    Peter’s brother who worked in the firm.

Second generation Weert:

  • Henri Vermeulen ~ 1874-1966
    Peter Johannes’s son.
  • Jos Vermeulen ~ 1876-1946
    Peter Johannes’s son, who learnt the trade from Maarschalkerweerd among others. In 1899 he settled down in Alkmaar, the town where the organ-builder Lolke Ypma had passed away in1887. The widow and her foreman had continued the firm, but in 1899 Jos Vermeulen, who had married the widow’s daughter, took over the firm. Its name became: "Jos Vermeulen orgelbouw"(Jos Vermeulen organ-building).
  • Theodoor Vermeulen ~ 1879-1966
  • Frans Vermeulen ~ 1880-1914
    He was the manager of the firm till he died in an accident.
    From 1914 to 1936 the firm was managed from Alkmaar by Jos Vermeulen under the name: "Gebr. Vermeulen, Alkmaar en Weert" (Vermeulen Bros, Alkmaar and Weert).

Third generation Weert:

    Ernest Vermeulen ~ 1906-?
    Since 1930 he was active in the firm in Weert. In 1936 he took the management of the branch in Weert upon himself and since then Alkmaar and Weert went their own way.

Fourth generation Weert:

    Frans Vermeulen
    In 1998 he decided to close down the business in Weert, because there was no successor. He housed the archives (nearly complete since 1900) with the firm of Flentrop in Zaandam and transmitted his knowledge (e.g. about Smits-organs) there - as an employee.

Second generation Alkmaar:

  • Jan Vermeulen ~ 1906-??
  • Herman Vermeulen ~ 1908-1959

Third generation Alkmaar:

    Joost Vermeulen ~ 1948-
    Jan’s son, who was active in the firm.

In 1986 the firm was taken over by Flentrop in Zaandam.


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The Strümphler family

  • Johannes Stephanus Strümphler ~ 1736-1807
    Strümphler was an apprentice of J.P. Möller (in Lippstadt, Germany).
    In about 1760 he settled down in Amsterdam and in 1774 he became a burgher of the town.
    According to the history he must have built about 36 organs (including house organs). His largest organ (48 stops, spread over three manuals and a pedal) was built for the Hersteld Lutherse Kerk in Amsterdam. Since some decades it is to be found in the Eusebius-church in Arnhem.
  • Jan Hendrik Strümphler
    He was Johannes’s son and apprentice. He, together with his mother, continued the firm in 1804. In practice the foreman Pieter Teves will have managed the firm. After the widow’s death the tools were sold by auction and Teves set up his own business.


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The Lohman Family

First generation:

    Dirk (Diederik) Lohman ~ 1730-1814
    He was probably an apprentice of Wallis and Freytag. In 1754 he started in practice in Emden (Germany), where he continued the firm of Wallis.
    In 1763 he became self-employed and in 1777 he set up as an organ-builder in Stedum (The Netherlands). In about 1791 he set up a firm in Groningen.

Second generation:

  • Nicolaus Anthony Lohman ~ 1766-1835
    He was the son and the apprentice of Dirk. From 1796 he was the co-partner of the firm and in 1801 he became the manager of the firm in Groningen.
  • Gerhard Diederich Lohman ~ 1764-1823
    A son of Dirk, too. He worked in the firm in Groningen till 1801, but because of the loss of his right hand he had to look for another job.

Third generation:

  • Diederik Hendrik Lohman ~ 1797-1856
    He was a son and an apprentice of Nicolaus Anthony (N.A.). He set up as a self-employed organ-builder in Amsterdam, but in 1827 he neglected his duties there.
    At first he went to Groningen in order to join his father and brother. Around 1835 he was in work in Noord-Holland again, probably from his new firm in Amsterdam. He built some new organs from there, but his brothers never asked him to help them, even if they were pressed for time. His neglect of duty appeared to weigh heavily.
    He continued to live a wandering existence: from 1840 to 1842 he worked in Middelburg, in 1845 he was active in The Hague and in 1850 he was back in Amsterdam, now as a piano-tuner.
  • Hinderk Berends Lohman ~ 1799-1854
    A son of N.A. He, too, settled down in Amsterdam and worked together with his brother D.H.
    Around 1825 he started his own firm in Zutphen (but always was in touch with Groningen). Around 1835 he set up as an organ-builder in Gouda (but here there were several organ-builders active), so around 1842 he moved to Leiden (Leiden was a rather big town, but there were no organ-builders).
    When he died in 1854,his son N.A.G. Lohman took the firm over, with (much?) help of J. Schaaffelt, the foreman.
  • Gerhard Willem Lohman ~ 1802-1856
    He was the youngest son of N.A. He stayed in his father’s firm and continued it after his father’s death. His brother Hinderk worked with him, but in the end Gerhard remained the manager of the firm "Lohman Brothers" (with settlements in Groningen and Gouda, later Leiden).
    In 1856 Gerhard Willem passed away (the eldest son being only 13) and the firm was continued by the widow, her nephew N.A.G. Lohman and J. Schaaffelt. This was laid down in a contract and lasted from 1858 till 1863.
    After that the firm was continued by the widow Lohman and J. Schaaffelt. Some years later the name of the firm changed into "Schaaffelt en Lohman".
    After N.A.G. Lohman’s death in 1871 J. Schaaffelt (1815-1883) also took over N.A.G.'s firm. In 1833 the firm was continued by P.C. Bik

    Gerhard Willem Lohman is also famous for his collection of stoplists.

Fourth generation:

  • Nicolaas Anthonie Gerhardus Lohman ~ 1834-1871
    He was a son of Hinderk Berends, born in Zutphen, two days after his parents’ marriage. He worked as a shop assistant in Amsterdam around 1850, but in 1854 he was active in the firm in Leiden.
    When G.W. Lohman died, his eldest son was only 13 (as mentioned before) and N.A.G. moved to Groningen to help his aunt with the management of the firm.
    When his contract with his aunt and Schaaffelt came to an end, he bought the firm of H.E. Freytag. As there were plenty of organ-builders in Groningen in those days, he set up his firm in Assen. There he married in 1863. His wife, who was a shopkeeper, died in 1866.
    On the 31st of May 1867 he married again and on the 8th of June 1867 a son was born. After a bankruptcy in 1870 he, his wife and children moved to Zutphen.
    When N.A.G. Lohman passed away in 1871 the widow and the servant tried to continue the firm, but, as appeared from her departure to Leiden in 1872, this did not succeed.
    Hendrik Berend Lohman, N.A.G.’s son, became a goldsmith.
  • Jan Gerhards Lohman ~ 1843-1907
    He was a son of G.W. Lohman. Since 1856 he was an apprentice in the firm in Leiden.
    When he married in 1874 he was a commercial agent in The Hague and not an organ-builder, according to the registers.

Schaaffelt's foreman was P.C. Bik, who took over the firm of "Schaaffelt en Lohman" in his turn in 1883.

In 1926 P.C. Bik’s son, Mr P.C. Bik Jr, continued the firm under the name "P.C. Bik, voorheen Schaaffelt en Lohman" (P.C. Bik, in former days Schaaffelt and Lohman).

The second generation Bik entered into partnership with the third generation (another P.C. Bik) under the name "Kerkorgelbouw P.C. Bik" (church organ-building P.C. Bik).

Since 1971 the third generation P.C. Bik continued the firm for his own account and under the same name.


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The Van Dam family

First generation:

    Lammert (Lambertus) van Dam ~ 1744-1820
    He was born in Groningen. His family came originally from Appingedam. His father was a corn chandler and milled buckwheat.
    In 1757 Lammert became a workman at a coffin- or box-maker. In 1764 he was in Leiden and it is possible, that he was an apprentice of H.H. Hess. After that he was an apprentice of A.A. Hinsz; at any rate he still worked with him around 1769.
    In 1776 he set up his own firm as an organ-builder in Groningen. However, as there were enough organ-builders active in this town, he moved to Leeuwarden (the capital of the province of Friesland) in 1779.

Second generation:

  • Luitjen Jacob van Dam ~ 1783-1846
    He was Lammert’s son and apprentice. According to an advert in the "Leeuwarder Courant" (a newspaper) he and his brother Jacob succeeded their father in 1814.
  • Jacob van Dam ~ 1787-1839
    He was Lammert’s son and apprentice. He and his brother Luitjen managed the firm since 1814.

Third generation:

  • Lambertus van Dam ~1823-1904
    He was Luitjen’s son and apprentice. He became the manager of the firm after his father’s death in 1846.
  • Pieter van Dam ~ 1824-1899
    He was Luitjen’s son and apprentice, too. He was active in the firm.
  • Jacob van Dam ~ 1828-1907
    He was Luitjen’s son and apprentice as well and worked in the firm.

Fourth generation:

  • Luitjen Jacob van Dam ~ 1850-1931
    He was Lambertus’s son and apprentice. He retired from the business in 1909.
  • Haye van Dam ~ 1853-1927
    He was Lambertus’s son and apprentice. He retired from the business in 1909.
  • Pieter van Dam ~ 1856-1927
    He was Lambertus’s son and apprentice, too. After 1909 he managed the firm on his own.
    In 1917 the new firm "N.V. P. van Dam" (P. van Dam Ltd) was founded. The board of management consisted of P. van Dam, B.F. Bergmeijer and J. Vaas.
    In 1926 Pieter van Dam and B.F. Bergmeijer retired from the firm. Bergmeijer moved to Woerden, but he kept the right to use the name of the firm of Van Dam. The firm in Leeuwarden was managed by J. Vaas since 1926.
    In 1929 a new limited liability company was founded; the managers were Mr Vaas and Mr Bron. The name was "N.V. Orgelfabriek v/h P. van Dam" (=organ-factory in former days P. van Dam Ltd)..
    Two years later the limited liability company was bought by Mr J. van der Bliek, who kept the management until 1969.

Vaas and Bron founded a firm under their own names (and employed a lot of people, who had been dismissed by Van der Bliek) in 1931.
This firm was taken over by the firm of Pels in Alkmaar in 1964.


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The Meere family

  • Abraham Meere Sr ~ 1761-1841
    In 1779 he (being only 18 years old) set up his firm in Utrecht. This was in itself quite a bold venture, because the firm of Bätz was settled there as well. In the beginning he had a rough time, because he had to compete with this old-established firm and because of his age.
    Nevertheless, he earned a good reputation and got some important orders under Bätz’s nose. The family built a great number of new organs, some of which have been preserved almost intact.
  • Arnoldus Meere ~ 1765-1846
    He was Abraham’s brother and worked with him.
  • Abraham Meere Jr ~ 1784-1827
    He was Abraham’s son and apprentice. As he died before his father, one could not speak of a second generation.
  • Arnoldus Jacobus Meere ~ 1798-1824
    He was Abraham’s son and apprentice. One could not speak of a second generation, because he died before his father.


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Johann Friederich Wenthin

    This organ-builder settled down in Emden (Germany) around 1800. From there he built organs in the northern parts of Germany and the Netherlands.

    The organs in Zweins (1785) and Nieuwolda (1787) in The Netherlands have been preserved. In Germany his organs in Backemoor (1783), Reepsholt (1789), Wolthusen (1793) and Groothusen (1798) can still be admired.

    His son Joachim Wenthin was also active in The Netherlands, but nothing is known about new organs built by him. In the Netherlands he rebuilt the organ of the Roman Catholic church in Uithuizen (1818; organ since 1908 in Niehove, Dutch Reformed church).


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The Witte family

Previous history:

    In 1739 Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz (1709-1770) set up his firm as an organ-builder in Utrecht and it became very prosperous. He had learnt the trade from Christian Müller.
    From 1770 to 1772 his brother looked after the firm temporarily till Gideon Thomas Bätz (1751-1820) took over the firm.

    Jonathan Bätz (1787-1849) was the third generation and in 1833 he took Christian Gottlieb Friedrich Witte as a partner in the firm, which was called " Bätz & Co" (Bätz & Company).

Eerste generatie:

    Christian Gottlieb Friedrich Witte ~ 1802-1873
    C.G.F. Witte learnt the trade from the organ-builder Baethmann in Germany.
    In 1824 he moved to The Netherlands and started to work with the firm of Bätz. In 1833 he became Bätz’s partner and in 1849 Witte became the sole manager of the firm, but the name remained "Bätz & Co".
    Once more the firm became very prosperous and built organs throughout the country. Utrecht is, of course, conveniently situated, as it is in the centre of The Netherlands.

Tweede generatie:

  • Johan Christiaan Witte
    He served his apprenticeship with Ibach, but did not end up as an organ-builder.
  • Johan Frederik Witte ~ 1840-1902
    He was C.G.F. Witte’s son and succeeded his father in 1873.
    When he passed away, the firm was taken over by De Koff.


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The Van Oeckelen family

First generation:

    Cornelis van Oeckelen ~ 1762-1837
    In 1787 he was a master watchmaker in Breda. In 1803 he was a carillonneur. It is likely that he taught himself the trade of an organ-builder.

Second generation:

    Petrus van Oeckelen ~ 1792-1878
    He was Cornelis’s son and apprentice and he was born in Breda.
    In 1809 he was a carillonneur in Breda and in 1810 he did the same job in Groningen. In 1819 he built his first organ and in 1837 (after the death of Timpe) he set up his firm in Harenermolen.

Third generation:

  • Cornelis Allegondus van Oeckelen ~ 1829-1905
    He was Petrus’s son. He worked in his father’s firm and continued it with his brother Antonius in 1878.
  • Antonius van Oeckelen ~ 1839-1918
    He was a son of Petrus, too. He was also active in his father’s firm and in 1878 he continued it with his brother Cornelis. Later he took the lead.
    In 1918 he sold the business to his former foreman Harmannus Thijs.
  • Henricus van Oeckelen ~ 1835-1894
    He worked in Roelf Meijer’s firm and you can read more information about him on the special page about Henricus.

Harmannus Thijs ~ 1862-1943
He was the foreman in the Van Oeckelen firm, who took over the business in 1918.
He worked together with Spiering from Dordrecht.
In 1933 he sold the firm to L. Rinkema.

Lukas Rinkema ~ 1906-1966
In 1933 he took over Thijs’s firm and moved it to Aduard, later to Woldendorp.
He, too, often worked together with M. Spiering.


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The Timpe family

  • Johann Wilhelm Timpe ~ 1770-1837
    Timpe was born in Glane (Osnabrück, Germany). Like many German organ-builders he went to The Netherlands.
    He worked with the Lohman family till 1806. After that he worked as a foreman with H.H. Freytag from 1806 till 1812. When Freytag died in 1811, he finished the organs they were at work on for the widow, because her children were still too young.
    Later in that same year he set up as an organ-builder in Groningen. He built organs in the northern part of The Netherlands, just like he did in the northern part of Germany (Emden 1819).
    In the last years of his life he was in poor health and was assisted by his son Bernardus. When he passed away, the financial situation was bad and gradually all the buildings, tools, etc. had to be sold.
    The widow died in the Roman Catholic Workhouse in Groningen.
  • Bernardus Nicolaas Timpe ~ 1815-1840
    He was a son of Johann Wilhelm and he learnt the trade from his father. As early as 1834 he was mentioned as an organ-builder and a breadwinner, which made evident, that his father was in poor health then.
    Bernardus, too, had his shortcomings like being only 1.52 m tall. Though he wanted to continue his father’s firm, he did not achieve this end. Three years later he died in Amsterdam.
    Petrus van Oeckelen bought up many goods of the family at auctions after Timpe’s death.


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    Geert Pieters Dik ~ 1799-1870
    He was born in Veendam and probably he learnt the trade from Timpe. Their first meeting could have been around 1824, when Timpe built a new organ in the Dutch Reformed church in Veendam. From this organ only the modified cases still exist.
    At his enrolment for the National Militia (Veendam 1818) he was measured and his height was only 4 foot and 7 inches, so he was not even 1.40 m.
    Since 1834 he was an organ- and piano-builder as well as a joiner in Groningen. In 1837 he offered a house organ with a Vox Humana with free reeds, which was very modern in Groningen in those days.
    He died in Groningen, some weeks before the birth of his youngest son.

    Derk Dik (1838-1910) was the third son by his first marriage. In 1866 he founded a shop with musical instruments in Leeuwarden.
    Between 1868 and 1879 he lived in successively Groningen, Zutphen, Harderwijk and Groningen again. Once more he had a shop with musical instruments. He also repaired organs and pianos.

    Roelf Dik (1864-1902), also a son of Geert Pieters) moved to The Hague in 1881 and was a repairer and tuner of organs and pianos later on.


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Kam & Van der Meulen

  • Willem Hendrik Kam ~ 1806-1863
    He was the son of a vicar and probably started to learn the trade in the firm of Bätz. After that he worked in the firm of Van Dam. He and Van der Meulen set up a firm of their own in Rotterdam in 1837.
    In 1838 the firm installed its first new organ in the Roman Catholic church in Delfshaven.
    In 1852 he carried on with the firm on his own, after his partner’s death. In 1863 the firm was continued by Schölgens, vd Haspel & vd Weyde.
  • Hendrik van der Meulen ~ 1810-1852
    He was born in Leeuwarden. Just like Kam he was an apprentice of Van Dam. Together they set up a firm in Rotterdam.

      The firm of Kam & Van Der Meulen familiarized itself strongly with the French (Cavaillé-Coll) and the Belgian (Loret) organ-builders of those days. They used different bellows and introduced the equal temperament.

Schölgens, Van den Haspel & Van der Weyde

In 1863 these partners took over the organ-building firm of W.H. Kam. In 1870 Van der Weyde left the firm. Its name changed into Schölgens & Van den Haspel and this partnership lasted from 1870 till 1875. After 1875 both of them carried on independently.

  • Wilhelmus Hendrikus Schölgens ~ 1823-1879
    He was born in Rotterdam and was an apprentice of Kam. At first he was a partner of Van der Weyde and Van den Haspel, later only of Van den Haspel. Since 1875 he had his own business.
  • Adrianus van den Haspel ~ 1824-1911
    Also born in Rotterdam, he was an apprentice of Kam too. In 1863 he continued Kam’s firm, together with Schölgens and Van Der Weyde. His third wife was Sara Pieternella Standaart. She died in 1863, 29 years old. Since 1875 he managed a business under his own name.
  • Willem Anthonij van der Weyde ~ 1834-?
    Willem was born in Zierikzee, but lived inRotterdam after 1859. was an apprentice of Kam. From 1863 to 1870 he was a partner of Schölgens and Van den Haspel. In 1870 Willem, his wife and his children move to Amsterdam.


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    Ehrenfried Leichel ~ 1828-1905
    In 1854 he set up his firm as an organ-builder in Duisburg (Germany). Later he moved to The Netherlands, at first to Hummelen and in 1885 to Arnhem.

    According to the text of Augustinusga there were also organ-builders with the same name in Düsseldorf (Germany).


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The Schwarze family

    The Schwarze family worked from Anholt (Germany), which is quite close to the Dutch frontier.
    Lorenz Schwarze (the father) built his first new organ in The Netherlands in Ede in the Dutch Reformed church, in 1842. After that he got a lot of work in the province of Gelderland, as well newly built organs as repairs, enlargements and transfers.

    His son Ludwig Schwarze also worked a lot in The Netherlands, but he principally did repairs.

    As far as we know the family was active from 1829 to 1920.


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The Adema family

First generation:

  • Carolus Borromeus Adema ~ 1824-1905
    Since 1840 he was an apprentice of L. van Dam, after that - since 1850 - of C.G.F. Witte.
    In 1855 he set up his own firm in Leeuwarden, together with his brother Petrus. The firm in Leeuwarden existed until 1941 and only built mechanical organs.
  • Petrus Josephus Adema ~ 1828-1919
    He was an apprentice of W. Hardorff and F.B. Loret (Belgium). In 1855 he and his brother Carolus set up a firm in Leeuwarden. In 1868 he moved to Amsterdam in order to found a branch there. Quite soon he got acquainted with Cavaillé-Coll’s work.
    Before long the Ademas in Amsterdam used the Barker-pneumatics and after some time they built pneumatic and electropneumatic organs (usually in Roman Catholic churches).
  • Johannes Romanus Adema ~ 1834-1862
    He was Carolus’s and Petrus’s brother and he was active in the firm in Leeuwarden.

Second generation Amsterdam:

  • Sybrandus Johannes Adema ~ 1863-1941
    He was Petrus’s son and apprentice. He and his brother managed the firm in Amsterdam.
  • Lambertus Theodorus Adema ~ 1864-1931
    He was Petrus’s son and apprentice and he and his brother Sybrandus managed the firm in Amsterdam.

Third generation Amsterdam:

    Joseph Adema ~ 1877-1943
    He managed the firm in Amsterdam.
    In 1943 he made it over to his son-in-law Hubert Schreurs.

Fourth generation Amsterdam:

    Hubert Schreurs ~ 1907-1981
    He continued the firm of Adema under its old name after 1943.

Fifth generation Amsterdam:

    Antoine Schreurs ~ 1942 -
    He took over the management of the firm of Adema in 1981.


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Bakker en Timmenga

  • Fokke Bakker (1842-1904) was the foreman of Willem Hardorff.
    In 1877 he settled down in Leeuwarden and since 1880 he worked together with Timmenga. In 1902 he retired from the firm.
  • Arjen Timmenga (1854-1920) learnt the trade of organ-building from W. Hardorff, Van Dam, Witte and Flaes. Since 1880 he worked together with Fokke Bakker. In 1902 he carried on alone, but the name of the firm did not change.

Arjen's son Bernard Timmenga (1889-1971) continued the firm since 1920. In 1960 it was taken over by Wopke Yedema and Harm Pieter Dam (both of them were apprentices of Mense Ruiter).

The firm still exists under the name "Bakker and Timmenga". During its long existence the firm built hardly anything but mechanical organs.
At a counting in 1960 it became evident, that 175 (of which 30 second-hand) organs had been installed by this firm.


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    Jan Proper ~ 1853-1922

At first he was an apprentice of his uncle Zwier van Dijk (1821-1894; Kampen), later he became his partner.
In 1886 he carried on as a self-employed organ-builder and supplier of harmoniums. Before long he had seven "errand boys".

When Zwier van Dijk passed away in 1894, Proper took over the business. In 1907 he entered into partnership with Albert van der Wal. The latter took care of the selling of harmoniums and pianos, whereas Proper managed the organ-department. In 1911 they had 25 employees.

After 1922 the firm was continued by his son Derk Jan Proper, but it faded away slowly but surely.


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    Marten Eertman ~ 1863-1940

He began his active life as an innkeeper, but in 1895 he started a firm for the trade in harmoniums and for repairing pianos and organs in Noordwolde in the province of Groningen.
In 1925 the firm was sold to Holtman & Leemhuis.


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The firm of Flentrop

    Hendrik Wicher Flentrop set up his firm in 1903. In the beginning it mainly sold pianos and second-hand pipe organs, but later new organs were installed as well.
    His son Dirk Andries Flentrop continued the firm in after years.

As there were no successors in the family, the firm was sold to Hans Steketee in 1976.
In 1998 it was sold to C.P.W. van Oostbrugge.

The firm of Flentrop has built and restored many organs outside our country: e.g. in the U.S.A., Russia and Japan.


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The firm of Pels

The firm of Pels (founded in the beginning of the 20th century in Alkmaar) attained its greatest prosperity under the management of B. Pels in the twenties and thirties. It mainly installed organs in Roman Catholic churches.

In the fifties there was a new heyday (the firm was called Pels & Zonen (Pels & Sons) then, but around 1960 the firm went downhill. The purchase of Vaas & Bron in 1964 did not improve the situation and in 1969 the firm was adjusted bankrupt.

Together with Van Leeuwen a new firm was set up:"Pels & Van Leeuwen" in Den Bosch.

The firm of Van Leeuwen

First generation:

    Gerrit van Leeuwen Sr
    He worked with Adema and Steenkuyl. In 1896 he was the foreman of J. van Gelder.
    In 1903 he set up his own business as an organ-builder.

Second generation:

  • Gerrit van Leeuwen Jr
  • Willem van Leeuwen
    The two brothers took over the management of the business.

The firm of Pels & Van Leeuwen

This firm proceeded from the amalgamation of the firm of Pels with the firm of Van Leeuwen in 1969.


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The Firm of Standaart

The firm "A. Standaart Kerkorgelfabriek" (="factory for church organs") was founded in Rotterdam in 1904 and built many church organs in the beginning.
Around 1920 the firm started to concentrate on theatre organs, intended to provide silent films with matching music. Some of these instruments still exist, e.g. in Schiedam.

    A.W.J. Standaart ~ 1882-1958
    Adriaan Standaart learnt the trade from Michael Maarschalkerweerd (1838-1915) in Utrecht. The firm had an industrial way of producing and could supply organs at a low price because of the cheaper working method. In 1923 the firm was transferred to Schiedam and got the name:"N.V. Standaart Orgelfabriek" (Standaart Organ factory Ltd). It also got some branches abroad (Belgium, Britain, Germany, France, South-Africa and Indonesia), but owing to the stock market crash in the thirties a bankruptcy was not to be averted.
    Just before the bankruptcy Standaart and his son Cor managed to set up a maintenance service for organs, which could be kept out of the bankruptcy. By means of this arrangement many employees could keep their job.


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The firm of Valkx & Van Kouteren

  • Peter Valkx ~ 1893 - ??
    He was an apprentice of A. Standaart
  • Jan van Kouteren ~ 1879-1953
    He was an apprentice of Standaart, too. In after years he returned to Standaart’s maintenance service.


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    Hendrik Vegter ~ 1892-1967

He learnt the trade from Marten Eertman and since 1919 he learnt it in the firm of A.S. Dekker in Goes. In 1923 he set up his own business in Usquert. He left behind one new organ and for the rest he occupied himself with repairs, maintenance and restorations.
Hendrik Vegter was the master of J.P. Vos, who took over the business in 1964. The activities mainly consist of tuning and repairs.


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    Holtman & Leemhuis ~ 1925 - ??

The two partners took over Marten Eertman's firm in 1925. They had an agency of the German organ-factory Rohlfing, but they had contacts with Spiering in Dordrecht as well.


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The firm of Mense Ruiter

    Ruiter, Mense ~ 1908-1992
    Mense Ruiter was for the greater part self-taught, but he was also apprenticed with Jan Doornbos. In 1930 he set up his own firm in Groningen.

In 1975 he sold it to J.H. Holthuis, who continued the firm under the name "Mense Ruiter".


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    Ernst H. Leeflang ~ ?-1994

In 1932 he settled down as as organ-builder in Middelharnis. When large parts of the province of Zeeland were flooded in 1953, he moved his firm to Apeldoorn.
After his death it was sold to the Reil Bros (Gebr. Reil).


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The Reil Family

First generation:

    Johann Reil ~ 1907-1960
    In 1928 Reil worked with Mühlbauer, but he also worked with Valkx & Van Kouteren and De Koff.
    In 1937 he set up his own firm in Heerde and in 1938 he installed his first new organ.

Second generation:

  • Albert Reil ~ 1940-
    He was Johann’s son and apprentice. He was active in Busch’s factory where pipes were manufactured.
    Together with his brother he went on as "Gebr. Reil" (Reil Bros) in Heerde in 1960.
  • Han Reil ~ 1943-
    He was Johann’s son and apprentice, but he also learnt from Kuhn. Together with his brother Albert he went on as "Gebr. Reil" in Heerde in 1960.


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The firm of Slooff

This firm was active from Ouderkerk aan de IJssel (=Ouderkerk on the river IJssel) since the middle of the 20th century.


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The firm of Blank

First generation:

    Karl Bernhard Blank ~ 1906-1986
    Karl served his apprenticeship with Laukhuff (Germany) and A.S.J. Dekker.
    Since 1939 he worked with J.H. Sanders in Utrecht. He took over the latter’s firm in 1959 and transferred it to Herwijnen.

Tweede generatie:

    S.F. Blank

    He was Karl Bernhard’s son and took over the firm in 1971.
    In 1995 he sold it to Henk van Eeken.


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