Mozart’s automatic organ Laurens de Man

Triple trills, impossible pedal passages, and hands that are too small: those who want to perform Mozart’s virtuosic organ miniatures are faced with insurmountable problems. After all, Mozart didn’t write them for human hands, but for the Flötenuhr, a self-playing organ that was popular in wealthy Viennese households. The Fokker organ can recreate the magical experience of the Flötenuhr thanks to MIDI technology, making it possible for a computer to control the organ. 

Laurens de Man, winner of the Nederlandse Muziekprijs (Dutch Music Award), plays Mozart’s cheerful but impossible Flötenuhr music on the Fokker organ using files he created himself. In addition, he performs live preludes by Beethoven that were originally intended for piano or organ. The pieces by Jan van Dijk, Anthon van der Horst (founder of the Naarden Matthäus Passion performances) and Jago Thornton were composed specifically for the 31-tone organ and its computer-controlled capabilities.