PRESENTING the Kiedrich organ - one of the oldest still playable organs in Germany (ca 1500)

The instrument in the St. Valentinus and Dionysius church in Kiedrich has the reputation of being the oldest playable organ in Germany. Although that may not be exactly correct, the organ is certainly one of the oldest in Germany, and it contains elements stemming from around 1500. The organ was rebuilt by Johann Kirchner in 1652 and later altered several times. The independent pedal was added probably in 1722. The restoration done in the 19th century is remarkable, because it is so unlike those performed on many other historical organs at that time. When the Baron John Sutton discovered this instrument on one of his journeys through Europe, he was captivated by its Gothic origin and he supplied the money to “restore“ the instrument to its 1500 state. The last restoration by Kuhn (1985-1987) preserved the state achieved by the previous restoration of John Sutton, emphasizing the Gothic Hauptwerk of the organ as a single manual organ. The positiv is hidden behind the ma