NC - Forsyth County - David Tannenberg Organ in the Single Brothers House at Old Salem
David Tannenberg was born in Germany in 1728 to Moravian parents. He immigrated to the New World in 1749 and ultimately settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was trained as a joiner, or cabinet maker. Approximately 8 years later he began training as an organ maker under Johann Gottlob Clemm. Clemm was trained as an organ builder in Germany. He had arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 and immediately began building organs. Over the next five years until Clemm's death, he and Tannenberg built at least five organs.
There was some opposition to Tannenberg continuing as an organ builder after Clemm's death. Some of the Moravian elders considered organs to be a “worldly pursuit.“ He continued studying for three years and resumed building organs in 1765. He built over 40 organs until his death in 1804, most in Pennsylvania, but some as far away as New York and two in Salem, North Carolina in 1798 and 1800. Only nine Tannenberg organs are known to exist, of which two are at Old Salem.
Tannenberg built organs for Moravian, Lutheran, and German Reformed churches. Moravian congregations used additional instruments - strings and woodwinds - for their worship. The organs for those churches were built with milder tones that complimented the other instruments. The organ was the principal musical instrument for Lutheran and German Reformed churches. Those organs were built with bolder tones.
The Tannenberg Organ in the Single Brothers House at Old Salem was built in 1798 for the "Gemeinhaus Saal," a congregational building. Due to his age, Tannenberg was not able to travel to Salem for the installation of the organ. His son-in-law installed this organ and the 1800 organ in the Home Moravian Church.
This organ was disassembled in 1864 and placed in storage. It was restored in 1964 as part of the restoration of Old Salem and placed in the Single Brothers House. The ceiling in the original building was taller so the ceiling over the organ in the Single Brothers House was raised.
The complete stop list was not available to the restorer in 1964. It was discovered among other records during the restoration of the larger 1800 Home Moravian Church organ, which was completed in 2004. The smaller Tannenberg organ in the Single Brothers House was restored with its original stops in 2007 by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders, the same company that restored the Home Moravian Church organ.
The following link has information about the 1798 installation, the 1964 restoration, and the 2007 restoration of this organ. It also has sample music of the individual stops and combinations of stops. I especially like the sound of the final recording:
davidtannenberg.com/Tannenberg_1798_Old_Salem.htm
A brief outline of Tannenberg's life was provided by the tour guide at Old Salem. The expanded details in this posting came from various pages of the above website. Its author, Phillip T. D. Cooper, is an organist who has spent extensive time researching Tannenberg and the Pennsylvania organ tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is an excellent website with detailed information about Tannenberg and his influence. In addition to over forty organs built by Tannenberg, it lists over forty more organs from other builders who either studied under or were influenced by Tannenberg.
Tannenberg was completing the installation of the organ of the Christ Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania when he suffered a stroke on May 17, 1804. He fell from the scaffolding to the floor and died two days later. His funeral was held in the church, at which time Tannenberg’s last organ was played publically for the first time during his service.
NC - Forsyth County - David Tannenberg Organ in the Single Brothers House at Old Salem
David Tannenberg was born in Germany in 1728 to Moravian parents. He immigrated to the New World in 1749 and ultimately settled in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He was trained as a joiner, or cabinet maker. Approximately 8 years later he began training as an organ maker under Johann Gottlob Clemm. Clemm was trained as an organ builder in Germany. He had arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 and immediately began building organs. Over the next five years until Clemm's death, he and Tannenberg built at least five organs.
There was some opposition to Tannenberg continuing as an organ builder after Clemm's death. Some of the Moravian elders considered organs to be a “worldly pursuit.“ He continued studying for three years and resumed building organs in 1765. He built over 40 organs until his death in 1804, most in Pennsylvania, but some as far away as New York and two in Salem, North Carolina in 1798 and 1800. Only nine Tannenberg organs are known to exist, of which two are at Old Salem.
Tannenberg built organs for Moravian, Lutheran, and German Reformed churches. Moravian congregations used additional instruments - strings and woodwinds - for their worship. The organs for those churches were built with milder tones that complimented the other instruments. The organ was the principal musical instrument for Lutheran and German Reformed churches. Those organs were built with bolder tones.
The Tannenberg Organ in the Single Brothers House at Old Salem was built in 1798 for the "Gemeinhaus Saal," a congregational building. Due to his age, Tannenberg was not able to travel to Salem for the installation of the organ. His son-in-law installed this organ and the 1800 organ in the Home Moravian Church.
This organ was disassembled in 1864 and placed in storage. It was restored in 1964 as part of the restoration of Old Salem and placed in the Single Brothers House. The ceiling in the original building was taller so the ceiling over the organ in the Single Brothers House was raised.
The complete stop list was not available to the restorer in 1964. It was discovered among other records during the restoration of the larger 1800 Home Moravian Church organ, which was completed in 2004. The smaller Tannenberg organ in the Single Brothers House was restored with its original stops in 2007 by Taylor and Boody Organbuilders, the same company that restored the Home Moravian Church organ.
The following link has information about the 1798 installation, the 1964 restoration, and the 2007 restoration of this organ. It also has sample music of the individual stops and combinations of stops. I especially like the sound of the final recording:
davidtannenberg.com/Tannenberg_1798_Old_Salem.htm
A brief outline of Tannenberg's life was provided by the tour guide at Old Salem. The expanded details in this posting came from various pages of the above website. Its author, Phillip T. D. Cooper, is an organist who has spent extensive time researching Tannenberg and the Pennsylvania organ tradition of the 18th and 19th centuries. It is an excellent website with detailed information about Tannenberg and his influence. In addition to over forty organs built by Tannenberg, it lists over forty more organs from other builders who either studied under or were influenced by Tannenberg.
Tannenberg was completing the installation of the organ of the Christ Lutheran Church in York, Pennsylvania when he suffered a stroke on May 17, 1804. He fell from the scaffolding to the floor and died two days later. His funeral was held in the church, at which time Tannenberg’s last organ was played publically for the first time during his service.