Thijs Haenen (31) from Geldrop was crazy about barrel organs as a child. It started when he saw a barrel organ in Efteling. In his spare time, he plays with his own barrel organ in the Eindhoven city center on Saturdays. And he also helps with the restoration of organs at the Tilburg family business Heesbeen Orgelbouw.
Thijs has been organist for almost ten years. Since 2014 he has been a well-known appearance in the center of Eindhoven with his barrel organ Fata Morgana. He has always been fascinated by organs. He later built his own barrel organ.
Barrel organs are part of Dutch cultural heritage. According to Thijs, barrel organ music sounds very pure and goes back to the core. He also plays modern music on his organ, because people like it. Playing an organ is still quite heavy, but fortunately it can also be done automatically, so that Thijs can collect some money with his collection box, purely to cover the costs.
Generous television viewers
That collection box was stolen at Christmas last year. Unfortunately it has not been found. But after the report on Omroep Brabant about the theft, two generous television viewers spontaneously donated a new bus to Thijs.
The warehouse in Tilburg where Thijs restores organs is packed with twenty organs, including large dance organs, which were used in dance halls in the past. Thijs shows one: “I just picked it up in Germany. Someone had bought it because he liked it, but it had never been used.”
Only dancing Heidelicht, on the border of the Netherlands and Belgium near Postel, still has such an organ. It is not often used anymore, but when Thijs is in the area he always stops by to hear it again.
All over the world
Although all organs in the shed look antique, there are also new ones. The organs are shipped all over the world from Tilburg. A barrel organ is ready for shipment to Hungary and another organ will soon be shipped to Canada.
The young organist recently graduated from Eindhoven University of Technology. He now works at a company that has nothing to do with organs. But if he has time left, he can be found either in Tilburg, to restore organs, or in the Eindhoven city center with his Fata Morgana.
Contemporary repertoire
Only when it rains, his organ stays inside, because water is not good for a wooden organ. If he is in the city center, he has to change places every twenty minutes. Otherwise shopkeepers can complain, but according to Thijs most people can appreciate the organ music.
And to keep the repertoire up-to-date, a device has recently been installed in Tilburg that records the latest hits on sheet paper with holes. This way the barrel organ stays completely up to date.