250 years of experience - Two and one-half centuries of devotion
to sacred instruments.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, the Oestreich
family of organ builders from Oberbimbach (near Fulda) had a lasting influence
on organ building in the region.
 Five
generations of this family produced a total of fourteen organ builders. One
important apprentice at the Oestreich workshop was Johann Schneider (1755-1825)
from Allmus (near Fulda). He kept the Oestreich tradition alive. Via Andreas
Schneider (1790-1859), his son Nikolaus Sartorius, and Michael Katzenberger
(1813-1874), the workshop was passed down to Wilhelm Hey of Sondheim on the
Rhoen in 1874.
Wilhelm Hey (1840-1921) started out as a joiner at
his father's workshop, then switched to organ building at the suggestion of
Michael Katzenberger. He learned the trade from A. Randebrock in Paderborn,
Westphalia, where he advanced to the position of head workman. In 1870, he
traveled to the USA on behalf of his teacher Randebrock to set up a large pipe
organ in Detroit. Back in Germany, Wilhelm Hey was working at this time on
organs in Warburg, Werl, St. Walburga and Corvey. From there he was called to
the castle to adjust and tune the instrument of the most famous pianist of the
day, namely Franz Liszt.
 Wilhelm
Hey quickly gained the confidence of customers in the tri-state region where
Thuringia, Hesse, and Bavaria meet. His new organs featured classic rectangular
or round-arched fronts. Even today, the instruments he built bear witness to the
high level of craftsmanship and artistry which he attained.
In the meantime, the fifth generation of Hey Organ
Builders has taken up the profession, making the Hey workshop one of the oldest
organ building workshops in Germany. It has been located in Urspringen on the
Rhoen since 1963. Today it is run by Herbert Hey, whose sons Thomas and
Christian are already prepared to carry on the business as the sixth generation
to do so.
The traditional craftsmanship and principles upon
which every Hey instrument is based have scarcely changed since the 18th century.
Nonetheless, Hey is moving with the times. Technical advancements result in
conveniences that no one wants to do without today. Modern technology is
employed with the utmost care, to ensure that the specific tonal character of
the instrument is preserved no matter what.
"The style of organ building practiced in our
workshop today is modeled on the ideals that prevailed in Southern Germany from
the Baroque through the Romantic era. Principles such as mechanically precise
actions with a firm touch, organic partial organ structures and tonal structures,
and a finely differentiated, harmonious spectrum of sounds are still
painstakingly observed today."
"Every era in organ building has had its own style.
Thus it is impossible for a new organ to do justice to the styles of all eras in
one instrument: The regional, national, and musicological preconditions vary too
widely. So a new organ must be versatile and have a self-contained character.
Specifications from a particular musical era or style, however, can indeed be
taken into account."
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