Kristian Wegscheider: Master Restorer and Organbuilder Joel H. Kuznik ention Saxony to most organists, Expansion Mand they immediately think of the By 1993 it was clear that the company 18th century, Gottfried Silbermann and needed new, larger facilities. The com- his catalogue of 31 extraordinary instru- pany had expanded to ten employees, ments, which are still being played.1 with only 400 square meters of workspace An amazing testimony! But today one and with insuffi cient height to assemble hears more and more of Kristian Weg- instruments. Finally a carpenter’s work- scheider, widely admired for his dynamic shop was found in Dresden–Hellerau in restorations of Silbermann organs as the old village center of Rähnitz. During well as those of Hildebrandt, Schnitger the move, the fi rm continued to work on a and Ladegast—and whose reputation restoration of the Silbermann for the Bre- as a builder is so respected that he was men Cathedral (I/8, 1734)8 and an identi- considered for the new organs at St. cal copy of it for the Silbermann Museum Thomas, Leipzig and the Frauenkirche in Frauenstein, so that the dedication of in Dresden. the new workshop in July 1994 could take Steven Dieck, president of C. B. Fisk, place in a concert using both organs with Inc., credits Wegscheider with being the Dresden Baroque Orchestra. “very helpful in discovering the ‘secrets’ After all this excitement, work con- of Gottfried Silbermann and continues to tinued routinely, but always with inter- be, not only for us, but also for any other esting projects. One was the extensive organbuilder. There is no disputing that renovation of the Schulze organ, with Kristian and his shop are the experts on the reconstruction of a 32′ Posaune the work of Gottfried Silbermann.” in Markneukirchen, a town in Saxony Stefan Engels of Leipzig’s University known as a center for making musical of Music & Theatre notes that “Kristian instruments as well as its Museum of Wegscheider is one of the leading organ Musical Instruments. Another instance builders of our time when it comes to was building a new 20-rank organ inside the restoration of historic instruments an historic case in Steinwedel near Han- from the 17th and 18th centuries. His nover, which demonstrated what a build- knowledge of style, his talent for re- er like Wegscheider with experience in search, and his ability to relate to the historical models could do. distinct sounds of old organs is unique. It is a joy to experience this artist and Langhennersdorf, Nikolaikirche his superb work.” But the high point of this period was And, as Steve Dieck points out, Weg- completing the renovation of the organ scheider has an international involvement at St. Nicholas Church in Langhenners- and impact. “Once East Germany opened dorf, a beautiful village near Freiberg. itself to the rest of the world, Kristian’s This Opus 1 by Silbermann’s appren- company became a member of the In- tice Zacharias Hildebrandt (1722) as his ternational Society of Organbuilders. Meisterstück (masterpiece) was built to Shortly after that, he helped to organize Kristian Wegscheider in his shop certify him as an organbuilder. It is a rev- one of the ISO’s biennial congresses held elation to hear—exciting, vibrant, pres- in Dresden. He is currently second vice At the time it was not unusual in the Ahrend, contacted the North German ent, colorful, and commanding. president of the ISO and again helped GDR for restorations and even the re- Organ Academy, and had discussions with But all this came after some blood, to organize the congress in September pair of organs to be delayed up to 20 organ experts, musicologists and organ- sweat and tears. Begun in 1989–90 during 2008, which began in Gdansk, Poland and years. In 1987, that gave Wegscheider ists. This all became invaluable in form- the turbulent reunifi cation of Germany, worked its way by train and boat to Stral- an idea, often treated perfunctorily ing their own fi rm and served as the basis this was Wegscheider’s fi rst big contract sund, Germany, where members of ISO and bureaucratically, to create his own for artistic work. Additional “educational and was threatened by obstacles beyond visited signifi cant organs.”2 workshop specializing in restorations journeys” became a regular experience his control. However, he remained deter- “He continues to share his vast knowl- and repair. He overcame numerous and took them to South Germany, Swit- mined and continued working piece by edge of the works of Gottfried Silbermann hurdles—among other things, getting a zerland, Italy, and France. How exhilarat- piece as the church, which was commit- with his many organbuilding colleagues trade license and acquiring the space for ing this must have been—the new free- ted to the challenge, raised funds. What around the world. He has visited the U.S. engaging in a trade, and one couldn’t get dom to explore and discover! exuberance there must have been at re- many times, and was invited to collabo- one without the other. dedication on Reformation Day, 1996! rate with Fritz Noack in making a ‘Hil- In order to bridge the gap, Weg- Wegscheider: fi rst projects debrandt’ style organ for Christ the King scheider worked for almost a year in the The fi rst project was a new instru- Langhennersdorf Nikolaikirche9 Lutheran Church in Houston, Texas.” restoration workshop of the Museum ment for the Allstedt Castle Chapel in 1722 Zacharias Hildebrandt (II+P/21) And those who have been fortunate of Musical Instruments at the Univer- Mansfeld. The small organ was to com- 1989–1996 Kristian Wegscheider to hear Wegscheider’s restorations or sity of Leipzig. With the assistance of plement the Baroque room and conform Hauptwerk new instruments would add, “This is a friends and with some luck, however, to old established models of classical or- 8′ Principal builder about whom Americans need to the initial problems were overcome. ganbuilding. The shop was to do some- 8′ Rohrfl öte know more.” That was all quickly forgotten, once thing that had never been done in East 8′ Quintadena work began in the spring of 1989 with Germany before—to make an instru- 4′ Praestant Background the reconditioning of an old carpen- ment completely from wood, tin, lead, 4′ Spitzfl öte 3′ Quinta Kristian Wegscheider was born in ter’s shop in Dresden’s Neustadt (“new leather and brass without using ply- ′ 1954 in Ahrenshoop, a small resort town city”).4 His fi rst two coworkers were wood, aluminum, nitrate lacquer, plastic 2 Octava III Mixtur on the Baltic Coast of Northern Ger- the organ builder and pipemaker Hart- and prefabricated mechanisms. II Cymbeln many. After stints in the army and a year mut Schütz, who had also trained with Also, this instrument would refl ect III Cornett (from c1) with a furniture-maker, he began his ap- Jehmlich, and his long-time friend and a Wegscheider’s long-held interest in prenticeship with the esteemed Jehm- carpenter, Matthias Weisbach. Require- providing two temperaments that can Oberwerk lich Dresden organbuilding fi rm, which ments were completed in December of be played interchangeably: meantone 8′ Gedackt dates back to 1808 and is associated with 1990, and Wegscheider was able to re- for Renaissance music and well-tem- 4′ Rohrfl öte 3′ Nasat the restorations of the magnifi cent Sil- ceive his certifi cation as a master crafts- pered for Baroque. The idea originated ′ bermann cathedral organs in Dresden man (“Meisterbrief”). in Charles Fisk’s dual-temperament or- 2 Principal 2′ Waldfl öte and Freiberg. The workshop offi cially began operat- gan at California’s Stanford University ′ 6 1 Siffl öte 1 Kristian immediately took an immense ing June 1, 1989, and in September there (1984), but this was to be the fi rst such 1⁄3′ Quinte interest in historic organs and worked on was a big celebration with friends and instrument in Europe, with Wegscheider II Cymbeln restorations in Berlin and Leipzig. He colleagues. For this historic event, a nar- working to improve the result both tech- became head of Jehmlich’s restoration row-gauge steam train was rented, and nically and musically.7 Pedal department and supervised restorations the area in front of the shop was trans- This new organ for Allstedt was fol- 16′ Sub-Baß 16′ Posanenbaß of the 1714 Silbermann in Freiberg’s Ca- formed into an open-air theatre. When lowed by a number of restorations in ′ thedral and the 1868 Lütkemüller organ the borders opened that fall, a group the states of Mecklenburg-Vorpom- 8 Trompete at the Güstrower Cathedral. of fi ve made a week-long “discovery mern, Saxony-Anhalt, Brandenburg and Tremulant journey” into the “West” fi nally to hear Thuringia, while at the same there devel- Shove coupler II/I Orgelwerkstatt Wegscheider and investigate for themselves organs oped partnership work in Saxony. Much Pedal coupler I/P Dresden they had often read and heard about, of the work, now with seven co-workers, Manual compass C, D–c3 As Wegscheider writes for his fi rm’s an adventure that just weeks before had involved restoring damaged organs, some Pedal compass C, D–c1 website,3 the creation of his organ work- seemed impossible. long unplayable due to water damage shop in Dresden in 1989 coincided with During this week, the team was able or wood worms. Other builders had re- Choir pitch: a = 468 Hz the fall of the Wall and became pos- to examine the old instruments of East fused to work on them or recommended Modifi ed meantone sible with the parallel vehement political Frisia (Ostfriesland, a costal region along replacements, but to Wegscheider these and social changes.