Is Magdeburg worth a visit for those who love the organ? Is there a tradition of fine organ playing, or of composition for the instrument? In centuries past the town was famous for its great churches, the organs they contained – the city once had more organs by Schnitger than any other town apart from Hamburg – and the players they attracted. August Gottfried Ritter, organist at the cathedral from 1830 until his death in 1885, was one of the most noted players and writers on the organ and its music in the country, as well as being a composer of note and a friend of Franz Liszt. ...

The city of Magdeburg is recovering its organ tradition. You are cordially invited to join us here!

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Is Magdeburg worth a visit for those who love the organ? Is there a tradition of fine organ playing, or of composition for the instrument? In centuries past the town was famous for its great churches, the organs they contained – the city once had more organs by Schnitger than any other town apart from Hamburg – and the players they attracted. August Gottfried Ritter, organist at the cathedral from 1830 until his death in 1885, was one of the most noted players and writers on the organ and its music in the country, as well as being a composer of note and a friend of Franz Liszt. But the great tradition fell victim to the bombing of the town during the Second World War, which destroyed its instruments and most of its churches, and to the whim of the socialist government, which razed the remains of most of the buildings and, by its discouragement of religious practice, effectively eliminated the felt necessity of replacing the destroyed instruments.

A new tradition is, however, in the making. Its beginnings were felt in 1995, when the Jehmlich organ in the Georg Philipp Telemann concert hall, once the abbey church of the Norbertine Convent of our Lady, became the centre of the first August Gottfried Ritter Organ Competition; further competitions followed in 1999 and 2003.

The magnificent new Eule organ in the catholic cathedral of St. Sebastian was dedicated on the 1st October 2005, and the inauguration of the new Schuke organ at the west end of the protestant cathedral of St Maurice and St Catherine will take place on the 18th May 2008.

You can participate in the renewal of the old tradition when you compete in the 4th August Gottfried Ritter Organ Competition 2008. You will have the pleasure of experiencing three large modern instruments of different character in fine buildings, each with its own unique atmosphere.

The city of Magdeburg is recovering its organ tradition. You are cordially invited to join us here!

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