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In 1644 the city council of Amsterdam commissioned Germer Van Hagerbeer to renew entirely the small organ of the Nieuwe Kerk, situated in the south transept. A major fire in the church in 1645 delayed this work considerably; it was completed only in 1651 by Jacobus Van Hagerbeer, a brother of Germer who in the meantime had died. The organ consisted of a so-called Manuaal of 12 stops, a Borstwerk of 3 stops, and pedal pull-downs. In the succeeding years, and at any rate before 1664, Van Hagerbeer realised a substantial modernisation. He removed the Borstwerk in order to enlarge the organ with a new Zijpositief, situated in a separate case on the transept organ gallery. The lowest octave, previously a short octave (i.e. without C sharp, D sharp, F sharp and G sharp), was extended throughout the instrument by the addition of F sharp and G sharp in the form of 'double-sharp' keys. The four highest keys of the pull-down pedals were provided with an independent, small extra chest behind the pedalboard. This construction was unique, as was that of the other chests: solid oak blocks in which the channels were hollowed out. Finally, the organ was tuned to the pitch of the main organ, completed in the meantime by Schonat. In the 17th century in particular the instrument was used regularly in the almost daily organ recitals, the organist often with other town musicians. A first attempt at restoration was undertaken in 1948 by Flentrop. A definite restoration followed in 1986 - 1989: under the advice of Cor Edskes, Flentrop restored the organ, down to the last details and applying old techniques in making the pipework, to the state in which it must have been in 1664. It is the only instrument in Holland with a complete, authentically surviving console. |