The queen of instruments

Josef Poldrack

It can be up to 20 metres high and cover the entire frequency range of human hearing. It has been listed by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage of humanity for three years: The organ. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart described the organ as the queen of all instruments in a letter to his father in 1777. Josef Poldrack has learnt how to deal with the queen. A chain of coincidences led him to organ and harmonium building. Not an ordinary profession, but not an ordinary instrument either. The master organ builder opened his own small workshop in a backyard on Sonnenberg five years ago. In the meantime, other craftsmen and tinkerers have joined forces and organised the first Hoffest Phil together. The 33-year-old native of Halle is one of the last of his trade. He talks to us about the future of craftsmanship and how the Hoffest can help.

Together with the FabLab workshop project, the first Hofest Phil will be held on 9 September. How did you come up with the idea?
Josef Poldrack: We tinker around a lot together and then the idea came up to invite a few artists and makers to our courtyard and present themselves. It was only supposed to be a very small festival, but then the first band came, then the second and the third. Then it grew into something bigger.

Why the name Hoffest Phil?
It's simple: the courtyard is at Philippstraße 13.

What is your aim with the festival?
We want to support the Sonnenberg and revitalise it. Getting together and socialising are very important. We also want to show what opportunities there are in the creative and craft scene. The courtyard also offers space and premises for further artistic endeavours. Perhaps we can set up a kind of cultural barn.

The first Hoffest Phil is a festival with and for friends. Artists present their work at stands. Camillo, for example, presents his puppet theatre, Donna Quijote creates lamps from partly recycled bottles. The Bar der Sinne produces its own spirits and fizzy drinks and the FabLab opens its doors to hobbyists. The courtyard festival invites visitors to try things out, take a look and find out more, all accompanied by good music. Josef himself will be happy to answer any questions about the profession of organ and harmonium builder.

How did you get into organ and harmonium building?
My parents are professional musicians in the Staatskapelle Halle, so I came into contact with music at an early age. As a child, I played the violin myself, but later I switched to the drums, which suited me better. I then made a living as a freelance musician, but it wasn't enough to live on. However, I wasn't just interested in the music, but also in the craftsmanship. Unfortunately, drum and percussion making didn't exist as a trade and I needed a degree first. A friend then introduced me to the profession of organ and harmonium builder. It combines everything: craftsmanship, music, wood, metal, mechanics, culture and travelling.

What is the difference in construction between a harmonium and an organ?
The harmonium evolved from the organ. The sound production works differently. The organ works with pipes, the harmonium produces sounds using reeds, similar to an accordion. The harmonium is also smaller and was the organ for the home. Organ and harmonium builders were thus able to pursue their occupation in the summer when it was too cold in the churches to work on the organ. Nowadays, interest in the harmonium is very low and the cost of restoration is high, so unfortunately many harmoniums end up on eBay at low prices. That's a pity.

How much interest is there in this craft and in these instruments?
People are definitely always very interested, as it's a rare profession. But the clientele that is really interested in and needs organs is limited. The industry is difficult at the moment. The construction or restoration of new organs is usually financed by subsidies. As parishes continue to shrink, there is less and less money available for such projects. New builds have therefore declined sharply. An organ is also a luxury instrument and the work on it is correspondingly costly and time-consuming.

You have had your own workshop on the Sonnenberg for five years. How is business going and who are your clients?
It's mostly churches that need an organ builder. Every now and then I also work for a smaller cultural institution. I'm currently working near Halle, where I'm restoring a small organ in the village church. I also work as a subcontractor for other companies when they are busy. I've travelled to Dresden and Bautzen, but I've also been as far as Alsace. That's also a nice aspect of the job.

How long does it take to restore an organ?
That depends entirely on the size of the organ. I need about five to seven weeks for the smaller one in Halle. I'm currently building and restoring parts of this organ in my workshop, then I'll go back to Halle and start the sound work. The work on the organ in Alsace, for example, took over two years.

Do you have any unusual requests from your customers?
Every organ is unique, there are no off-the-peg instruments. The size and disposition of the organ is adapted to the respective room. Each workshop also has its own specialities. When I open an organ, I first have to understand the builder's style and try to restore it. This makes every organ unique.

What is special about the craft for you?
The job is very varied and a new challenge every time. No two organ restorations are the same; you have to engage with the instrument and its condition every time. Historic organs cannot be fobbed off with standard prefabricated parts, otherwise the character and style of the instrument would be lost. Nobody would install new Ford engines in a vintage Benz car.

For Josef, organ building is more than just a craft. There is something special about the solid and handmade for the man from Wahlchemnitz. The organ restoration in Alsace also included the restoration of the case. This is where the organ builder becomes a carver. The final sound of a fully restored organ is one of the supreme disciplines. You have to have a feel for tones and tone colours. He was born with this from his musical family. Josef is a proud organ builder, but he is also aware of the difficulties of the organ building trade. "It has become more difficult to find an apprentice who is able to absorb everything in terms of knowledge. The profession involves more than just cleaning a pipe. On the other hand, you have to be able to pay well-qualified staff well. Due to falling demand, wages are also shrinking. As an organ builder, you need a higher qualification and the training takes longer than for a carpenter, who in turn receives a higher wage. That's a big problem."

How would you make the profession appealing to a 16-year-old who has just finished school and is looking for a job?
It's the most varied trade there is. If you don't want to push chipboard over a circular saw, but are passionate about old objects with a history, then this is exactly the right profession for you. As a craftsman in this day and age, you hardly ever learn the old craft techniques for economic reasons. Organ building still offers all that.

Why are fewer and fewer young people aspiring to learn a trade?
I think this is due to social developments over the last 30 to 40 years. My parents' generation shared the view that going to university would make you more successful and earn more money. That has become deeply ingrained. People with a secondary school leaving certificate are quickly labelled as being less capable than high school graduates. The decision in favour of a trade is no longer so highly regarded by society. But tradespeople also need to know a lot. Without bricklayers and electricians, for example, a property agent can't sell anything.

Where do you see the city of Chemnitz and the organ trade in 2025?
Chemnitz is slowly blossoming. For five to ten years, you can see that if you look closely. A subculture is developing, for example through art events and neighbourhood festivals. Chemnitz has potential, there are still spaces and workshops here at affordable prices that artists and makers can use to try things out. Maybe I'll have three employees in eight years' time, or maybe there won't be any demand on the market at all. We'll see.