Flemming organ in the Panitzsch church

In 1785, the parish of Panitzsch concluded a contract with the organ builder Johann Christian Friedrich Flemming from Torgau for the construction of a new organ. The organ was completed in 1786 with the following specification

Manual                                                 Pedal

Viola di Gamba 8'                                  Subbass 16'

Flauto major 8'                                     Violon 8'

Principal 4'

Flauto minor 4'

Octave 2'

Quinte 1 1/3'                                           Tremulant

Mixture 2-fold                                        Pedal coupler

Cornett 2-fold

are still from Flemming resp. Schrickel. The pedal coupler was also redesigned. The wind channels and the tremulant are new. The two bellows have been repaired. The two Flautos 8' and 4', the Octave 2' and the Violonbass 8' could be taken over from Flemming's pipework; 71 further pipes from Quinte 1 1/3' and Cornett 2fach are preserved in the present mixture. The Viola di Gamba was made by Schrickel except for 3 pipes. New are the Principal 4', 41 of whose 54 pipes are in the façade of the organ, the Cornett 2fach, the Quinte 1 1/3', some wooden pipes in the two Flautos and the wooden Subbass 16'.The tuning of the organ is based on the historical model: an old type of tuning was created and the organ now sounds about a semitone higher than our modern chamber tone, as it used to.The sound of the organ, however, is of particular beauty. The Voigt company has done a masterly job here: both the old Flemming stops and the Schrickel's Gamba and the new pipes inspire with their beautiful, characteristic sound and their balanced intonation. The organ has thus regained its fresh and lively sound character, which is so typical of the baroque organs of the 18th century and which makes them so attractive, and the simple but elegant case with its gilded carving, which was restored by restorer Volker Wiesner from Holzhausen and the Seidel company in Beucha, is an ornament to the church.On October 31, 1993, the restored organ was rededicated in a festive service by Pastor Freier and presented to the people of Panitzsch and their guests in a festive concert. The organ can now be seen again in the beautiful state in which it was built by Johann Christian-Friedrich Flemming more than two centuries ago. Not only can we hear the organ of an excellent Saxon organ builder in its original sound once again, but we can also get a good idea of how the organ music composed at that time sounded.

May the restored Flemming organ in Panitzsch continue to resound to the praise of God and the joy of the congregation for the next 200 years

Text: kirche-panitzsch.de