Organ set to play the world’s slowest concert, playing one composition until 2640

Nypost · 🇩🇪 public Germany · Aug 05, 2026 · 624 words · By Associated Press

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What to know about Organ set to play the world’s slowest concert, playing one composition until 2640

Organ set to play the world’s slowest concert, playing one composition until 2640 See more of our coverage in your search results.

Claims checked 19

Techniques found 0

Topics 0

Coverage spectrum

Coverage gap: Low Left coverage

Left0%

Center67%

Right33%

3 sources compared across this story cluster. This is an eFinder estimate from indexed source coverage, not an editorial rating.

What happened

Organ set to play the world’s slowest concert, playing one composition until 2640 See more of our coverage in your search results.

Why it matters

Add The New York Post on Google A small organ in eastern Germany is the headliner of the world’s slowest concert.

Common ground

It has been playing the same piece of music by composer John Cage at a glacial pace for nearly 25 years.

Perspective signals

No major persuasion pattern has been attached yet, so the source, headline, and evidence should carry most of the weight for readers.

Follow-up questions

What concrete event or decision sits underneath the headline: Organ set to play the world’s slowest concert, playing one composition until 2640?
What evidence would most clearly confirm or weaken the claim that It has been playing the same piece of music by composer John Cage at a glacial pace for nearly 25 years?
What should readers watch for in the next update to know whether the story is changing?

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/08/05/world-news/this-german-organ-set-to-play-the-world…

fact_checkClaims Checked

eFinder analyzed this article and checked 19 claims against available evidence, cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia. Here is what the fact-checking layer found.

schedule Pending 9

check_circle Corroborated 7

verified Verified By Reference 2

info Single Source 1

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Claim 1: “It has been playing the same piece of music by composer John Cage at a glacial pace for nearly 25 years.”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by Wikipedia and multiple news sources (AsiaOne, HuffPost) that the organ has been playing a piece by John Cage for nearly 25 years.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Organ²/ASLSP (As Slow as Possible) is a musical piece by John Cage and the subject of the second-longest-lasting (after Longplayer) musical performance yet undertaken. Cage wrote it in 1987 for organ,…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — John Milton Cage Jr. (September 5, 1912 – August 12, 1992) was an American composer, artist, and music theorist. A pioneer of indeterminacy in music, electroacoustic music, and non-standard use of mus…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Cage

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Nicolas Cage (born Nicolas Kim Coppola; January 7, 1964) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicolas_Cage

+ 3 more evidence sources

schedule

Claim 2: “The project has transformed the Burchardi Church, which was left largely in ruins before money was raised for a new roof and other fixes to make the piece a reality.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 3: “The piece will last 639 years, from 2001 to 2640.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 4: “Wednesday’s event marked the piece’s 17th chord change.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 5: “The “ORGAN²/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible)” composition is scheduled to finish on Sept. 4, 2640.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Sowetan, Wikipedia, Newsday, Newcastle) confirm the composition 'ORGAN²/ASLSP' is scheduled to finish on September 4, 2640.

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web search NEUTRAL — The composition - called ORGAN²/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible) - is scheduled to finish on September 4, 2640. An electric-powered blower system sends wind into the organ to create a continuous sound.
https://www.newcastleherald.com.au/story/9325293/organ-in-ge…

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web search NEUTRAL — Organ²/ASLSP has been playing in Halberstadt for.An organ in St. Burchardi church in Halberstadt in 2001 began a performance that is due to end in 2640. This makes it the longest running non-computeri…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/As_Slow_as_Possible

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web search NEUTRAL — The composition — called “ORGAN²/ASLSP (As SLow aS Possible)” — is scheduled to finish on Sept. 4, 2640. An electric-powered blower system sends wind into the organ to create a continuous sound.
https://www.newsday.com/news/nation/john-cage-organ-project-…

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 6: “The time frame was chosen to be a tribute to a historic organ in Halberstadt that dates back to 1361, or 639 years before the project was initiated in 2000”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

schedule

Claim 7: “Organ builder Johannes Hüfken said the pipes he’s crafted for this will last at least another 500 years.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 8: “Jeffrey Lependorf, executive director of the John Cage Trust in New York”

SINGLE SOURCE

Only the Sowetan cross-reference mentions Jeffrey Lependorf as the executive director of the John Cage Trust. No other provided evidence confirms this specific title/person.

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Jeffrey Lependorf, executive director of the John Cage Trust in New York
https://www.sowetan.co.za/entertainment/2026-08-05-this-orga…

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Claim 9: “Inheritable “final tickets” for the Sept. 4, 2640 event are already being sold for 2,640 euros ($3,045).”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 10: “While the project commenced in 2000, the performance began Sept. 5, 2001 — Cage’s 89th birthday”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Sowetan, John Cage Organ Project in Halberstadt, Canberra Times) confirm the project commenced in 2000 and the performance began on September 5, 2001.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Rainer O. Neugebauer (born January 16, 1954, in Wilhelmshaven, Germany) is a German educationalist, historian and social scientist.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_O._Neugebauer

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The rib cage or thoracic cage is an endoskeletal enclosure in the thorax of most vertebrates that comprises the ribs, vertebral column and sternum, which protect the vital organs of the thoracic cavit…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rib_cage

+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 11: “with a silent pause that lasted until Feb. 5, 2003, when the first chords could actually be heard inside the medieval Burchardi Church in Halberstadt, Germany.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources (Sowetan, Canberra Times, and other web results) confirm the silent pause lasted until February 5, 2003, at the Burchardi Church in Halberstadt.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Halberstadt (German pronunciation: [ˈhalbɐˌʃtat] ; Eastphalian: Halverstidde) is a town in the state of Saxony-Anhalt in central Germany, the capital of Harz district. Located north of the Harz mounta…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halberstadt

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Halberstadt Cathedral or Church of St Stephen and St Sixtus (German: Dom zu Halberstadt) is a Gothic church in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It was the episcopal see of the Bishopric of H…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halberstadt_Cathedral

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 12: “A small organ in eastern Germany is the headliner of the world’s slowest concert.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple independent sources (Sowetan, HuffPost, AsiaOne) confirm that a small organ in eastern Germany is performing the world's slowest concert.

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web search NEUTRAL — HALBERSTADT, Germany — A small organ in eastern Germany is the headliner of the world’s slowest concert. It has been playing the same piece of music by composer John Cage at a glacial pace for nearly …
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2026/aug/5/organ-play-1…

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web search NEUTRAL — HALBERSTADT, Germany (AP) — A small organ in eastern Germany is the headliner of the world’s slowest concert. It has been playing the same piece of music by composer John Cage at a glacial pace for ne…
https://www.huffpost.com/entry/worlds-slowest-concert-wont-e…

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web search NEUTRAL — Guess the hidden word in 6 tries. A new puzzle is available each day.
https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html

+ 1 more evidence source

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Claim 13: “Anneli Borgmann, chairwoman of the John Cage Organ Project Halberstadt’s board of trustees.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

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Claim 14: “The next is set for Oct. 5, 2027, when the overall sound will be reduced by releasing the E4 pipe.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 15: “Cage, an American avant-garde composer, was born in Los Angeles in 1912 and died in New York in 1992.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia confirms John Cage was an American composer born in Los Angeles in 1912 and died in New York in 1992 (August 12, 1992).

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cross reference SUPPORTS — Cage, an American avant-garde composer, was born in Los Angeles in 1912 and died in New York in 1992.
https://www.sowetan.co.za/entertainment/2026-08-05-this-orga…

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Claim 16: “The interpretation of the composition in Halberstadt has resulted in the smallest unit being one month long.”

PENDING

This claim was extracted as a checkable statement from the article. eFinder labels it pending based on the available evidence and source context shown below.

verified

Claim 17: “Cage’s 89th birthday [was Sept. 5, 2001]”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia explicitly states John Cage was born on September 5, 1912, making September 5, 2001, his 89th birthday. This is also corroborated by the John Cage Trust.

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+ 4 more evidence sources

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Claim 18: “A rare chord change on Wednesday — from seven notes to eight once an A4 pipe was added — represented the completion of about 4% of the 639-year endeavor of the John Cage Organ Project Halberstadt.”

CORROBORATED

AsiaOne reports the specific chord change from seven to eight notes and the completion of about 4% of the 639-year endeavor. While the provided Wikipedia snippets for this specific claim were irrelevant, the web search results from news sources corroborate the detail.

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+ 3 more evidence sources

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Claim 19: “An electric-powered blower system sends wind into the organ to create a continuous sound.”

CORROBORATED

Confirmed by EuroNews, Newsday, and other web search results that an electric-powered blower system is used to create a continuous sound.

travel_explore

web search NEUTRAL — An electric-powered blower system sends wind into the organ to create a continuous sound. A chord change, done manually, means that the sound of the organ pipes changes either because new sounds are a…
https://isp.netscape.com/entertainment/story/0001/20260806/9…

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web search NEUTRAL — Organ builder Johannes Hüfken explains that the pipes he’s crafted for this piece will last at least another 500 years. Part of the mechanism is an electric blower system that sends wind into the orga…
https://theviolinchannel.com/john-cage-organ-performance-cha…

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web search NEUTRAL — Organ Characteristics The organ actually works similarly to the heart.
https://www.thoughtco.com/organ-systems-373571

+ 1 more evidence source

info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.