The Netherlands North

Collection of over 250 harmoniums, raised by Jan Vos since the 1980s.

www.harmonium-museum.nl

The museum is devoted to the rhythm & blues band Cuby and the Blizzards, originating in this region and active in the years 1964-72, and to the Blues in general.

www.cubymuseumgrolloo.nl

Varied collection Verel of musical instruments from Europe and overseas. Visits during weekends; concerts.

www.museumvosbergen.nl

The bell ‘Mariaklok’ of the village church in Vries was cast by Wolter Schonenburg 1517. The mould survived in the cellar of the church and can be visited. Perhaps the smallest museum of the Netherlands!

Organ by Johan ten Damme (?), 1481, enlarged by Schnitger in 1691-1740 with older parts; III/p/53 . There is a smaller organ by Le Picard from 1744.

Grave of Jacob Wilhelm Lustig. Born I Hamburg in 1706, he was working here from 1728 until his death in 1796. He was a pupil of Telemann and Mattheson and more popular as organist and teacher than as composer. More important are his writings and translations in Dutch of works by Quantz, Werckmeister, Burney and Pasquali.

Organ by Arp Schnitger, 1702, III/p/40 (originally in the Broerekerk, reconstructed in 2011). Its predecessor was also a Schnitger organ from 1696; soon afterwards it was destroyed as the tower came down. The transept organ, called Bolswardorgel , is an empty case from the 16^th century.

Organ by Arp Schnitger 1693/1712 and Hinsz 1774; II/pull-down p/20.

Het Stedelijk Conservatorium van Groningen was established in 1966 and became a part of the Hanzehogeschool in 1986. A better equipped building by BMG architecten could be occupied in 2017.

Fine organ by Albertus Antoni Hinsz. II/p/27.

Organ, Anonymous 1531, I/pull-down p/5+2. A mixture of late Gothic and Renaissance. The oldest extant organ of the province of Groningen.

Fine organ by Arp Schnitger 1701 and Hinsch 1785; restored 1986-2001 by Edskes. II/p/28. Concerts.

The 18^th century church has the disposal of the largest organ of the region. Is was made by Albertus A. Hinsz in 1772; II/p/33.

Organ by Arp Schnitker, 1696, with extra stops by Hinsz (1768) and Freytag (1809). II/p/24.

Carillon by François Hemony from 1662. Perhaps the best preserved instrument from the workshop of the famous bell founders François and Pieter Hemony, because the still complete set of 23 bells has kept its original condition and tuning thanks to the absence of any air pollution (unlike the other extant Hemony sets, all in bigger towns). The addition in 1949 of seven more bells by the firm Eijsbouts doesn’t harm. The 15^th century church itself, with fine wall paintings, is worth seeing too.

The former bell foundry Van Bergen was active here from 1862 until 1980. Since 1987 it is a museum with a collection of bells, original utensils and demonstrations of the casting process.

www.klokkengieterijmuseum.nl

Collection of barrel organs and other mechanical musical instruments, amidst an accumulation of curiosa. The room, a former church, can be hired for festivities.

The composer and conductor Cornelis Dopper was born in Stadskanaal in 1870. From 1897 until his death in 1939 he worked in Amsterdam, partly as second conductor of the Concertgebouworkest. His many compositions, often interlarded with Dutch folk melodies, had a varying acceptance.

The statue by Loek Bos was erected in 2009.

The great French violinist and composer Jean Marie Leclair worked here from 1735 to ’37 at the court of Willem Carel Hendrik Friso of Orange-Nassau and his wife Anna of Hanover, a pupil of Händel. The building remained in possession of the royal family until 1971. Today it is a hotel.

Fine organ by Christiaan Müller, 1727, II/p/38. Last restoration in 1971. Regular organ recitals.

Between 1713 and 1741, the composer Reijnold Popma van Oevering (1692-1781) was its organist; he had this organ built.

The estate of composer Reijnold Popma van Oevering; he was born here in 1692. The house was rebuilt and is the museum Alt Slot now.

House of the school teacher and self-taught composer Paulus Folkertsma (1901-1972). His c. 100 compositions could have been written in the second half of the 19^th century, but are still worth listening to (such as his string quartet from 1943). His vocal works are all on Frisian texts.

Folkertsma was buried at the local cemetery.

Organ by Schnitger (1711) and van Dam (1897), III/p/38. The Frisian Lambertus van Dam, from an important family of organ makers, created a romantic organ but retained some baroque characteristics.

Organ by Hinsz, 1777, I/pull-down p/8.

Organ by Hinsz, 1764, II/pull-down p/20.

Since 1989, during the summer season operas are performed in the grazing lands of this Frysian village. The tradition is very popular and attracts spectators from all over the country.

The province of Flevoland is the impoldered part of the IJsselmeer and inhabited only since the second half of the 20^th century. The lack of musical history is compensated since 1993 by the yearly Lowlands pop festival (August), a Woodstock-like happening, including theatre, lectures and even some classical music; a vivacious family party for 60.000 visitors, lasting three days and nights.

The villa of the composer Frank Martin in Naarden (> nl7.2302) was the seat of the Frank Martin Society. After the villa was sold in 2021, the large archive and the majority of the furniture and memorabilia found a new home here.  See www.frankmartin.org