Transposing Sounds: the unique organ at Sønderborg Castle Chapel, Denmark
The Danish town of Sønderborg in Southern Jutland, which was once part of Germany, has one of the most beautiful Renaissance castles in Denmark. Originally built from 1170 by King Valdemar the Great (1154-1182) as a medieval fortress to watch over the sea, it expanded over the centuries. In 1550 it became a Renaissance castle upon request of King Christian III (1503-1559) and his wife, Queen Dorothea (1511-1571). The Reformation was introduced in Denmark in 1536 by King Christian III. The Queen, who moved in to the castle right after her husband’s death in 1559, established a Protestant chapel according to the new ideas of Martin Luther (1483-1546). The castle chapel, known as the Royal Chapel or Queen Dorothea’s Chapel, is considered to be one of the best preserved Lutheran castle chapels. The chapel was provided with an organ commissioned to Hermann Raphaëlis (ca.1515-1583), a Dutch organ builder active in Germany and Denmark, where he had already built the organs for Roskilde Cathed
