Flentrop is a Dutch

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 company based in Zaandam

Zaandam

Zaandam is a town in the Netherlands, in the province of North Holland. It is the main city of the municipality of Zaanstad, and received city rights in 1811...

 that builds and restores organs

Organ (music)

The organ , is a keyboard instrument of one or more divisions, each played with its own keyboard operated either with the hands or with the feet. The organ is a relatively old musical instrument in the Western musical tradition, dating from the time of Ctesibius of Alexandria who is credited with...

.

History

It was established in 1903 by Hendrik Wicher Flentrop (1866 -1950) from Koog aan de Zaan

Koog aan de Zaan

Koog aan de Zaan is a town in the Dutch province of North Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Zaanstad, and lies about 11 km northwest of Amsterdam....

. Hendrik, originally a house painter by trade, was an organist at the church at Zaandam, and started a piano - and organ trade. He believed that old organs could not be adapted to contemporary tastes, but had valid sound nonetheless. In 1915, after experience had been gained with restoration and extension of organs, the first new organ was built. Beginning in 1922 he had made correspondences with Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer

Albert Schweitzer OM was a German theologian, organist, philosopher, physician, and medical missionary. He was born in Kaysersberg in the province of Alsace-Lorraine, at that time part of the German Empire...

, which resulted in pronounced opinions concerning the demands which had to be made on the organ.

Dirk Andries Flentrop

Dirk Andries Flentrop

Dirk Andries Flentrop was a Dutch organ builder. He built or restored many major organs in the United States and in Europe. He was noted for his 1977 restoration of two organs from the 17th and 18th centuries in the Mexico City Metropolitan Cathedral.-Life:Flentrop was born in Zaandam on 1 May 1903...

 (1910-2003), son of Hendrik and Christina Anna Dekker, took control of the company in 1940. Important organs, such as that of Hans van Covelen in the large church at Alkmaar

Alkmaar

Alkmaar is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Noord Holland. Alkmaar is well known for its traditional cheese market. For tourists, it is a popular cultural destination.-History:...

, and the Schnitger

Schnitger

-People with the surname Schnitger:*Arp Schnitger - Dutch organ-builder*Hans Schnitger - Dutch field hockey player*Lara Schnitger - Dutch-American sculptor-Other:*29203 Schnitger - main-belt asteroid*Schnitger organ...

 organs in the large church at Zwolle

Zwolle

Zwolle is a municipality and the capital city of the province of Overijssel, Netherlands, 120 kilometers northeast of Amsterdam. Zwolle has about 120,000 citizens.-History:...

 and the Laurenskerk in Alkmaar, were restored. In addition he built numerous instruments in the United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 and restored two in Mexico City

Mexico City

Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...

.

J. A. Steketee (b. 1936) led the company from 1976 to 1998. Under his direction, the organ of Johannes Duyschot in the Westzijderkerk at Zaandam was restored. Tasks were also carried out in foreign countries: Taipei

Taipei

Taipei City is the capital of the Republic of China and the central city of the largest metropolitan area of Taiwan. Situated at the northern tip of the island, Taipei is located on the Tamsui River, and is about 25 km southwest of Keelung, its port on the Pacific Ocean...

, Riga

Riga

Riga is the capital and largest city of Latvia. With 702,891 inhabitants Riga is the largest city of the Baltic states, one of the largest cities in Northern Europe and home to more than one third of Latvia's population. The city is an important seaport and a major industrial, commercial,...

, Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, Dunblane

Dunblane

Dunblane is a small cathedral city and former burgh north of Stirling in the Stirling council area of Scotland. The town is situated off the A9 road, on the way north to Perth. Its main landmark is Dunblane Cathedral and the Allan Water runs through the town centre, with the Cathedral and the High...

, Kazan

Kazan

Kazan is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Tatarstan, Russia. With a population of 1,143,546 , it is the eighth most populous city in Russia. Kazan lies at the confluence of the Volga and Kazanka Rivers in European Russia. In April 2009, the Russian Patent Office granted Kazan the...

, and Yerevan

Yerevan

Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...

. Additionally, the organ of the Holy Name Cathedral

Holy Name Cathedral

Holy Name Cathedral or the Cathedral of the Holy Name are the names of several cathedrals.* Holy Name Cathedral, Brisbane* Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago...

 was built in Chicago

Chicago

Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...

, and in the Netherlands the organs of the Westerkerk and the Concertgebouw

Concertgebouw

The Concertgebouw is a concert hall in Amsterdam, Netherlands. The Dutch term "concertgebouw" literally translates into English as "concert building"...

, and the St. John's Cathedral

St. John's Cathedral, 's-Hertogenbosch

The Roman Catholic Cathedral Church of St. John of 's-Hertogenbosch is the height of gothic architecture in North Brabant, Netherlands. It has an extensive and richly decorated interior, and serves as the cathedral for the bishopric of 's-Hertogenbosch.The cathedral has a total length of 115 and...

, were restored.

As of 1998 Cees van Oostenbrugge has controlled the company. Another restoration was carried out of the Hans van Covelen organ, which is the oldest playable organ of the Netherlands, originally built in 1511.

All controlling members have been simultaneously organists in several churches.

This article is based on that in the Dutch Wikipedia