Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz (1 January 1709 – 13 December 1770) was a Dutch
organ
Organ may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a part of an organism
Musical instruments
* Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone
** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument
** Hammond ...
builder.
Life
Bätz was born in
Frankenroda (
Thuringia
Thuringia (; german: Thüringen ), officially the Free State of Thuringia ( ), is a state of central Germany, covering , the sixth smallest of the sixteen German states. It has a population of about 2.1 million.
Erfurt is the capital and larg ...
). He learned the organ-building profession in
Gotha
Gotha () is the fifth-largest city in Thuringia, Germany, west of Erfurt and east of Eisenach with a population of 44,000. The city is the capital of the district of Gotha and was also a residence of the Ernestine Wettins from 1640 until the ...
under the auspices of Christoph Thielemann. He came to Holland in 1733 where he probably first worked for
Christiaan Müller, builder of the organ in the
Sint-Bavokerk
The Grote Kerk or St.-Bavokerk is a Reformed tradition, Reformed Protestant church and former Catholic cathedral located on the central market square (Grote Markt (Haarlem), Grote Markt) in the Netherlands, Dutch city of Haarlem. Another Haarlem c ...
in
Haarlem
Haarlem (; predecessor of ''Harlem'' in English) is a city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland. Haarlem is situated at the northern edge of the Randstad, one of the most populated metropoli ...
. In 1739 he set up his own firm in Utrecht. His instruments were considered stupendous, commanding the admiration of every one who hears, and even sees them. The organ of
Zierikzee
Zierikzee () is a small city in the southwest Netherlands, 50 km southwest of Rotterdam. It is situated in the municipality of Schouwen-Duiveland, Zeeland. The city hall of Schouwen-Duiveland is located in Zierikzee, its largest city. Zierikze ...
, which was built in 1770, had 56 voices and 3108 pipes. Bätz was paid 19,500 florins for this organ, which burned down in 1832. He erected other organs of similar magnitude in the large churches of
Gorinchem
Gorinchem ( or ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland
South Holland ( nl, Zuid-Holland ) is a province of the Netherlands with a population of over 3.7 million as of Oc ...
, Utrecht,
Woerden
Woerden () is a city and a municipality in central Netherlands. Due to its central location between Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, and Utrecht, and the fact that it has rail and road connections to those cities, it is a popular town for commu ...
,
Benschop, etc. He died in
Utrecht
Utrecht ( , , ) is the List of cities in the Netherlands by province, fourth-largest city and a List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the Provinces of the Netherlands, pro ...
. His sons Gideon (1751-1820) and Christoffel (1755-1800), who lived their entire life in Utrecht, succeeded their father in the business.
Company
After Johann Heinrich Hartmann Bätz died, his family kept the company alive. His son Gideon Thomas (1751-1820) took over the company in 1772. Christoffel, brother to Gideon Thomas, kept working with his brother, although he had his own organ building company. The sons of Christoffel, Jonathan and Johan Martin, succeeded their father in 1820. In 1849 Christian Gottlieb Friedrich Witte took over the company; he had been working with the Bätz family since 1827.
Notable organs
Some notable organs build by the Bätz family:
* Amsterdam, Lutherse Kerk 49-III/P
* Delft, Nieuwe Kerk 47-III/P
* Gorinchem, Grote Kerk. (Organ rebuild by Witte in 1853)
* Den Haag, Lutherse Kerk 39-III/P
* Maassluis, Grote Kerk 42-III/P
* Utrecht, Domkerk 50-III/P
* Zeist, Oude Kerk 23-II/P
See also
*
Oosterkerk
References
*
* Website "Zierikzee, monumentensta
* Arend Jan Gierveld (1981), ''The Harpsichord and Clavichord in the Dutch Republic'', Tijdschrift van de Vereniging voor Nederlandse Muziekgeschiedenis 32, 117-166. (page 132)
* Jaap Jan Steensma, ''«’t Was Bätz die Konstenaar» Aanvullingen op de biografie van Jan Hendrik Hartman Bätz.'' Het ORGEL 111/3 (2015), 34–43.
1709 births
1770 deaths
Businesspeople from Utrecht (city)
Dutch pipe organ builders
Emigrants from the Holy Roman Empire to the Dutch Republic
People from Saxe-Eisenach
{{Netherlands-music-bio-stub