Hans Fidom  (fidom@NOORD.BART.NL)
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Hans Fidom works in the Netherlands as a musicologist,
specializing in organology. He studied at both Universities at
Amsterdam (with Professor Dr. Ewald Kooiman) and the University
at Groningen. He works as an editor for the Dutch magazine 'het
ORGEL', in the renewal of which he plays an influential role.
Furthermore he has published many articles concerning organ
culture in general, with a special interest in 19th century and
medieval organ culture. At the time Fidom is working on a
thesis, in which he explores the discussions that accompanied
the development of the organ in Germany between 1880 and 1916.
This thesis will be published in about one or two years. Fidom
is a leading member of an organization called 'Het Middeleeuwse
Orgel' (The Medieval Organ). The aim of this organization is to
investigate the nature of medieval organ culture and to build a
16' blockwerkorgan at the city of Groningen in the end. The
organization hopes in this way to get to know more about this
type of organ without injuring the original material of the few
medieval organs left in the Netherlands. Fidom lives at the time
in the province of Groningen. As a member of the provincial
organconcert-organization he tries to decrease the number of
organ concerts in the province, in order to gain a better
concert quality by being able to pay organists sufficiently, and
get more people listening per concert. At this time organists
get only a few hundred guilders for a quality concert and the
average number of listeners is about 30 - 50 per concert. That
is not enough to maintain the rich organculture of Groningen. As
an organist Fidom studied with among others Jos van der Kooy,
city organist of Haarlem. Fidom works at three little medieval
village churches near his home. On request he can organize
excursions to the many beautiful historic organs in Groningen.