In 1783, the Rotterdam-based organ builder Andries Wolfferts began constructing a new organ. He reused pipework from a 1723 instrument built by Matthijs Verhofstadt, who in turn had incorporated pipework from an earlier organ. As a result, the current organ still features an 8′ Bourdon stop on the Hauptwerk dating back to the late 16th century, crafted by Mr. Peter Jansz de Swart. While the organ had notable strengths — such as its beautiful case — it also had shortcomings. It may have lacked sufficient power for the large church and its then sizable congregation.

A.F.G. Heijneman, an organ builder originally from Germany but based in Nijmegen, had renewed the organ of St. John’s Cathedral in ’s-Hertogenbosch in 1787. His work became known in Zaltbommel, and in 1796 — just over a decade after Wolfferts’ build — he was commissioned to carry out a significant expansion. Many of the organ’s characteristic reed stops date from Heijneman’s hand.

Unlike most historic organs in the Netherlands, which underwent drastic changes in the 19th century, the Zaltbommel organ remained largely untouched. C.F.A. Naber added a Viola di Gamba stop, and at some point the organ was retuned to equal temperament. The alterations in 1905 were likely more substantial; the case, for example, was given a dark oak finish. In 1944, fearing the occupying forces would blow up the tower, local residents quickly dismantled the organ. It was later restored provisionally by the organ firm De Koff, during which the pitch was raised.

After the full restoration of the church (1978–1985), the organ was also restored. Organ builder S.F. Blank used the situation from 1796 as a reference but retained several of Naber’s contributions, such as the Viola da Gamba. The Werckmeister III temperament introduced at the time was later replaced by the Neidhardt tuning. The organ is currently maintained by J.C. van Rossum Orgelbouw of Wijk en Aalburg.

Source: https://www.maartenskerk.nl/sint-maartenskerk/het-orgel