“Went to the Lutheran Church, a neat Brick Building where there is a good organ[52] to which I heard them sing Psalms, agreeably enough.”[53]
Again he says:
“The Lutheran Church has an organ, and a good one.”[54]
There were organs then in the churches, to a great extent, before 1750. The question now arises: Were there men who could repair these instruments if they got out of order? By the end of the fifth decade, there were several men who could not only repair an organ, but also build one. Of these men Gustavus Hesselius is the most important, as he was the first spinet builder in America, having produced specimens as early as 1743,[55] and probably the first organ builder in Pennsylvania. It is claimed that he was the first organ builder in America, and in support of that claim an organ is mentioned as built by him for the Moravian Church at Bethlehem, Pa., in 1746.[56] The fact is lost sight of that a Boston man, Edward Bromfield, generally regarded as the first organ builder, constructed an instrument in 1745.[57] However Hesselius was undoubtedly the first man who built many church organs.
Still another claimant appears for this title—no less a man than the Englishman, Doctor Christopher Witt (1675-1765), another hermit of the Wissahickon. Doctor Witt possessed a large pipe-organ presumably made by him alone, but possibly aided by other Hermits. It was built at least while he was living with the settlement on the Wissahickon, and as he left that society shortly after the death of Kelpius,[58] which took place about 1708,[59] the evidence is in his favor. This organ at his death was valued at £40.[60]
Hesselius was not only a musician, but a painter as well. He died in 1755.[61] Connected with Hesselius in 1746 was John G. Klemm, a native of Dresden, Germany. Three years later David Tannenberger arrived in Philadelphia, a man whom many of his contemporaries conceded to be the greatest organ builder in America, but, as is usually the case, there is another claimant for this high honor, as will be seen later.
David Tannenberger[62] was born March 21, 1728, in Berthelsdorf, Saxony. He was evidently an all-round musician, and could play, sing—he possessed a good voice—build, or repair an organ as occasion presented itself. It is known that he built at least fourteen organs during his stay in Pennsylvania, while no record of the number of spinets, which he made and sold for £22.10s, has been discovered.
As to Tannenberger’s reputation as an organ builder, we have the testimony of a man who probably knew Tannenberger:
“Tannenberg belongs to history as the organ builder of his day and one of renown. He too, was of the German school. Fancy stops were not generally in vogue, except the trumpet in the great organ, and the vox humana in the swell, of which latter there was but one in the city, and that was in Christ Church, and to my young ear, a good imitation of the human voice.
“There are several of Tannenberg’s organs yet in breathing existence [1857]. Lancaster, Litiz, and Nazareth still hold his memory in audible and respectful tones; and much of his work is worthy of imitation. His diapasons were particularly dignified, whilst his upper work, 12th, 15th, and sesquialtera, gave brilliancy to the whole.”[63]