In 1723, J. S. Bach dedicated this organ with a concert featuring his choir from St. Thomas Church in Leipziag and his wife, Anna Magdalena, as soloist.  The organbuilder Hildebrandt achieved an unusually high variety and quality of tone for an instrument of this size, earning him Bach’s lifelong admiration, and later his collaboration on larger projects, including the large Hildebrandt organ in Naumburg.

This recording and the Hildebrandt organ at Störmthal were used as part of the research process for an organ project at the ConstellationCenter in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The Center is planning a historically reproduced Bach/Hildebrandt-style organ built by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders of Virginia. A significant aspect of the research for this organ has included a study of all the extant Hildebrandt organs, including the organ at Störmthal.

Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the ConstellationCenter is slated to become one of the world’s finest performing arts centers, home to hundreds of small to mid-sized cultural organizations based in the Greater Boston area, as well as a venue for events of international prominence. The Center will include four halls within one building, each one designed to serve several different kinds of performances in a compatible way.

ConstellationCenter would like to thank the Störmthal parish for their gracious generosity in helping with this unprecedented historic project.