Heinrich Andreas Contius

Heinrich Andreas Contius, also Cuntius (1708 – 1795 in Valmiera, Livonia) was one of the most important organ builders in the Baltic states in the 18th century.

[1] Contius was born in 1708 as the son of the organ builder Christoph Cuntzius in Halle an der Saale, Duchy of Magdeburg.

From 1748, a letter of recommendation from Johann Sebastian Bach in his favour for the planned new organ building in the Konzerthalle Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach Frankfurt [de] is known, then a letter to Contius himself.

[5] In Valmiera, Contius opened a workshop together with Johann Andreas Stein (1752–1821) from Augsburg, who subsequently built further organs in Courland (1787 Cēsis, St. Johannis, 1788 Evele Wohlfahrtskirche).

[6] Contius is known to have built several new organs, as well as repairs and a maintenance contract in the Duchy of Magdeburg, Courland and Estonia.