Lititz Moravian Church - Lititz, PA

1787

Tannenberg completed the building of an organ for Lititz Moravian Church - his own church - in the summer of 1787. The cost was £200. It was dedicated along with the new church building on August 13. It was placed in the west gallery with two wedge-shaped bellows in the attic above the organ. These were pumped by pulling on two ropes which hung from the ceiling.

The Tannenberg organ remained in the west gallery for ninety-two years. In 1879, it was replaced with a larger instrument. Tannenberg's organ was then loaned to the Moravian congregation in South Bethlehem. In addition to being moved, it was rebuilt by an unknown builder. A more modern wind system was provided and placed within the case. (The two original bellows had been left in the attic in Lititz.) Also, a swell box was added and the stop action and pedal action were altered. The keyboard and stop knobs were also replaced. Finally, the entire organ was raised to modern pitch by cutting off the tops of the pipes.

In 1910, the organ was returned to Lititz but was placed in storage in the Single Brothers' House as well as the attic of the church. A fire that burned the church in 1957 destroyed those parts stored there as well as the two original bellows that had never been moved.

In 1976, the Archives Committee contacted the organ building firm of James R. McFarland & Co. about the possibility of a complete restoration of the organ to it's 1787 condition. The task was accepted and work began in 1980. All the missing parts of the organ were meticulously replicated included the two wedge-shaped bellows, the pedal chest, various parts of the case and the front pipes all of which had apparently been stored in the church attic. Every effort was made to strictly adhere to Tannenberg's construction methods. This was possible as a result of the very detailed documentation performed by the McFarland shop on all the extant instruments of Tannenberg as well as any extant parts or surviving front pipes.

The restoration was completed in 1983 and the organ was installed in the newly constructed gallery in the Single Brothers' House next to the church. The reconstructed bellows were placed in the attic above the gallery and are pumped by pulling two ropes that hang from the ceiling. This is now the only example of this type of wind system arrangement once quite common in many Pennsylvania-German organs.

The stop list is:

The Principal Discant begins from tenor g with the first fourteen pipes in the facade. The 8' Flauto Amabile is a small scale open wood stop while the 4' Floth is larger. The Qünt: Dehn (Quintadena) is capped metal with the five lowest as stopped wood basses. The first fifteen pipes of the Principal 4' are also in the facade. Both the pedal ranks are made of wood and are located unenclosed behind the case. The Sub Bass is stopped while the Octav Bass is open, this being the typical arrangement for Tannenberg's pedal pipes. There is also a Coppel Pedal which operates a separate set of palets in the manual chest..

Source for the stop names: A letter from Tannenberg to Brother Marshall dated December 11, 1797 in which he describes the organ in the church in Lititz.

To listen to Herr Gott, dich loben alle wir by Johann Pachelbel, click here. Played on the Principal Discant 8' and the Octav Bass in the pedal (chorale). This clip is from the recital that concluded the Tannenberg Conference in November of 1995.

To listen to Vom Himmel hoch, da komm ich her by Johann Pachelbel, click here. Played on the Quintadena 8' and the Octav Bass in the pedal (chorale). This clip is from the recital that concluded the Tannenberg Conference in November of 1995.

To listen to Aus meines Herzens Grunde by Johann Christoph Bach, click here. Played on the Flauto Amabile 8' and Principal 4' with the Sub: Bass 16' and Octav Bass 8' in the pedal. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to Durch Adams Fall by Johann Christoph Bach, click here. Played on the Quintadena 8' and Floth 4' with the Sub: Bass 16' and Octav Bass 8' in the pedal. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to Dies sind die Heiligen zehn Gebote by Johann Christoph Bach, click here. Played on the Principal Discant 8', Flauto Amabile 8', Qünt: Dehn 8', Principal 4', Sub Octav 2' with the Sub: Bass 16', Octav Bass 8' and the Coppel Pedal. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation on the Principal Discant 8', click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation on the Principal 4', click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation using Principal Discant 8', Principal 4', Sub Octav 2' with the Octav Bass 8' and Coppel Pedal, click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation on the Flauto Amabile 8', click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation on the Floth 4', click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation on the Qünt: Dehn 8', click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

To listen to an improvisation on the Viol de Gambe 8', click here. Recorded October 13, 2007.

Click on the thumbnails to see the larger pictures: