Sint Bavokerk

The main eye-catcher in the Grote Kerk is the impressive Müller organ from 1738, probably the most popular organ worldwide. It covers the entire west wall of the church and measures almost 30 meters from the ground. In the high rising central part, the divisions (rugwerk, hoofdwerk and bovenwerk) are clearly distinguishable, flanked on both sides by two enormous pedal towers with almost 11 meters (32 feet) long pipes. The organ is richly gilded and decorated with more than 25 large statues, all created by the Amsterdam sculptor Jan van Logteren. The crowning glory of the whole is formed by two lions with the coat of arms of Haarlem. Soon after its completion, the organ became and still is a tourist attraction of international allure. It was played by G.F. Händel in 1740 and 1750, who travelled to Haarlem especially for this purpose, and in 1766 by the then 10-year-old Mozart. During summertime, the city organ concerts attract many visitors every week. This influx is intensified during the biennial International Organ Festival. With the Haarlem organ, his builder Christiaan Müller, a German by origin, has placed himself among the great organ builders not only of his time but of all times.

Although it has been extensively restored several times – the last major restoration was carried out in 1959-60 by the Danish firm Marcussen – the organ has retained its original concept with about 90% of the old pipework still intact. The Zaanse organ building company Flentrop, which currently maintains the organ, revoiced the organ several times in recent years, bringing the sound close to the original. This sound can be described as broad, distinguished, and exceptionally homogeneous, despite the numerous color shades. Famous stops are the Cornet, the stop that was placed to enhance the melody of the psalm, and the Vox humana, an imitation of the human voice, which we know Handel was very fond of. Of course, the superb acoustics of the church contributes to the beauty of the instrument’s sound. Some technical data: the organ has 5,058 pipes, 62 stops, 118 ranks, three manuals, and pedal. The case is painted in pine and mahogany. All pipes are made of metal (an alloy of lead and tin). Tacker and stop actions are mechanical (renewed in 1960). The tuning is equal, a concession to the current concert practice, in which not only baroque music but music from all periods is performed.

The Müller organ is mainly played during summertime, at city concerts, and during church services on Sundays. Besides public concerts, it is possible to book private concerts on the Müller organ by one of the city organists, increasingly popular by companies and institutions.

• Four channels (2 stereo channels – front and rear) of chromatically sampled stop-by-stop pipes, including recorded tremulants for all Hoofdwerk  and Bovenwerk stops.
• Single and dual screens