Digital organ music directory: Lecture on the musical treasure in the town hall!

Digital organ music directory: Lecture on the musical treasure in the town hall!

On Monday, July 7th, 2025, a remarkable lecture will take place in the Citizens' Hall of the Greifswald Town Hall. Prof. Dr. Matthias Schneider from the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Greifswald will give a lecture on the topic of “Digital Organ Music Directory – the exciting search for suitable music” from 5:00 p.m. This lecture not only marks the end of his role as organizer of the established lecture series “University in the Town Hall”, but also an important step in the digitization of church music resources.

The lecture series has existed since 2004 and aims to present the university's complex research work in a generally understandable manner. In his remarks, Schneider highlights a new approach to digitally cataloging organ music, which encompasses an impressive repertoire spanning more than six centuries. His successor, Prof. Dr. Sünne Juterczenka, an expert in early modern history, describes the successor as a great joy and emphasizes the importance of dialogue between the university and urban society.

Digital organ music directory in focus

The digital organ music directory, which is published by the Society of Orgelfreunde e. V. is an important project for web-based cataloging. The aim is to create a database that will make it much easier to find organ music for church services. The directory contains all chorale preludes to Protestant weekly songs and Catholic solemnities. This is particularly relevant as there is a great need for a digital platform for liturgically appropriate music.

The database is equipped with a user-friendly search mask that offers filter options based on liturgical occasion, level of difficulty or song you are looking for. This relief will be particularly important for church musicians of all levels of training. In the long term, an expansion through user participation is also planned, which includes the integration of free organ music and adaptations from other language areas. The implementation takes place under an open source license, which ensures that copyrights are protected, while only bibliographic information is published.

Church music support projects and resources

The digital transformation in church music is also supported by other platforms. The central catalog system of the Evangelical Regional Church in Württemberg enables access to the holdings of important institutions such as the Evangelical University for Church Music in Tübingen. In addition, committed users can access a variety of digital media through the Karlsruhe Virtual Catalog (KVK).

Another notable portal is musiconn.search, which is used to research research materials on musicology. The German Music Information Center (MIZ) also offers comprehensive information on music and musical life in Germany, including church music. These platforms are essential for finding relevant resources in a changing digital environment.

The development of the Digital Organ Music Directory and the initiatives of the Church Music University show how important it is to build a bridge between traditional church music and modern digital tools. This ensures that the rich heritage of organ music remains alive and accessible to future generations.

Those interested can find further information about the lecture series on the University of Greifswald website, which strengthens the connection between academic research and the general public.

For a deeper insight into related topics and resources, you can also visit the websites of EKD as well as the Church music college be consulted.