Note 19 — Chapter II
Reading edition
The organ had fifty-four stops, three manuals, and pedal; and the post of organist at this church was one of the best in Germany. It had one drawback, however; on the resignation or death of an organist, the person appointed to succeed him was obliged to marry his daughter. Mattheson and Handel in 1704 and Bach in 1706 had thought of applying for the post, but were all frightened away by this condition. Buxtehude’s successor was Johann Christian Schieferdecker, who had been harpsichord player in the opera at Hamburg.