Recommendation -

Norwegian Academy of Music Oslo

The church music department at NMH has been informed that there are plans to build a new organ at Haug church, Hokksund.  The organ will be built in Renaissance style according to German/Dutch tradition and be tuned in meantone , with a short octave.  The department for conducting, singing and church music at The Norwegian Academy of Music wishes to express our enthusiasm for this statement about the project which will add a unique instrument to the Norwegian organ landscape.

The organ will make it possible to perform older music from the 17th century on a contemporary instrument.  The peculiarity of the organ’s tuning and timbre will give the music from this era an authentic expression.  The organists who play the instrument will gain in-depth knowledge of the performance practice of the early organ repertoire.  It is therefore our hope that it will be possible to arrange collaborative projects in the future.  Today, we have to make study trips abroad to gain access to this type of organ.

In addition to the fact that the organ functions as an educational tool for understanding older music, we see the potential for the uneven temperament to inspire composition students to write new music for the organ, both in the form of solo repertoire and for chamber music.

Oslo 2023-01-24

Otto Christian Odland, Subject Section Leader

Anders Eidsten Dahl

Karin Nelson

Kåre Nordstoga

Inger-Lise Ulsrud