The Little Sparrows Music Academy is a new initiative by the Moravian Music Foundation to celebrate and remember the importance of music education in the history of the Moravian church. Regardless of age, from childhood all the way through adulthood, Moravians viewed music as a tool in the creation of a collective community identity, as well as a creative outlet that enriched all aspects of daily life. The Little Sparrows Academy is an educational outreach program that will be catered towards the youngest children in our community.

How are lessons arranged?

As an outreach program of MMF, we take our music on the road and travel to where our youngest musicians are.

Our visits/lessons/sessions are delivered through well-established early childhood educational programs in our community.

For our inaugural Spring 2023 program, we will be working with Macedonia Moravian Preschool, New Philadelphia Moravian Preschool (pictured, right), and Clemmons Moravian Preschool.

Dispatches from the Vault 23.1

David Zeisberger (1721–1808) was born in Suchdol nad Odrou (German: Zauchtenthal) in the present-day Czech Republic.

In 1745, Zeisberger began the work that would become his life’s mission. Traveling to Onondaga, he began preaching to Indigenous communities. In his travels, he also gained some familiarity with the culture and languages of the people that he met, which made him an important translator and mediator between these communities and European settlers. Eventually, he met the Lenape people, who were the original inhabitants of the Delaware Valley in what now comprises areas of Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. Europeans began to refer to the Lenape as “Delaware Indians” based on where they lived (the Delaware River had derived its European name from Thomas West, 3rd Baron De La Warr, the first governor of the Colony of Virginia). As the Lenape were forced to move westward into Ohio and Canada, the Moravian missionaries traveled with them, forming missionary communities in these new regions. It was here that Zeisberger’s work with the Lenape primarily took place.

hymnals in the MMF archival collection (W-S)

The hymnal by Zeisberger was not the first one translated into the language of the Lenape people. In 1763, Bernhard Adam Grube published Dellawärishes Gesang-Büchlein. This collection contained favorite hymns of the converted Lenape. In 1772, the task of revising the hymnal was given to Zeisberger, who worked on the project from 1772 to 1803 with the assistance of fellow missionaries and a group of Indigenous people. Music, which always served as a vital tool for the Moravian missionaries, emerged as a significant bridge between the two cultures, both of which placed a high value on the act of music making. As elsewhere, it also functioned as a means of transmitting theology, which was even more important when surmounting linguistic and cultural barriers.  

The legacy of the Moravians and Zeisberger’s work with the Lenape people is complicated. From the beginning, there was tribal support for this missionary work, which resulted in prominent figures within the tribe converting to Christianity.

This hymnal stands as a powerful reminder of this complex legacy.

Note about the owner: One of the copies found in the vault is inscribed with the name Jacob Van Vleck (1751­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­–1831).

Some of his music, and that of his daughters, is included on the MMF CD, A Loving Home’s A Happy Home, available here and currently on sale (double CD – Only $14).

Read more…

A prominent figure in the Moravian Church, Jacob Van Vleck has the distinction of being the first American-born bishop of the Church. In addition to the numerous positions he held, he was also an accomplished composer and musician, who reportedly played the organ during Washington’s visit to Bethlehem in 1782. Beginning in 1812, he served as the pastor of Salem congregation, where he remained for a decade before returning to Bethlehem.

VIDEO: Bringing Musical Treasures to Your Ears

A short video exploring/explaining the process of editing from the original manuscript to the final publication of a new edition.

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Heartstrings
John Antes: America’s First Luthier
Feb. 3 – Oct. 29, 2023

Moravian Historical Society

Established in 1857, the Moravian Historical Society preserves, interprets, and celebrates the rich culture of the Moravians. We maintain the 1740-1743 Whitefield House and the 1740 Gray Cottage and we preserve a significant and important museum collection.

Heartstrings Exhibit
John Antes: America’s First Luthier

Join us for a special exhibition of three American firsts—a violin (1759), cello (1763), and viola (1764)—all made by the Pennsylvania-born John Antes (1740-1811). Visitors will have the opportunity to learn about the fascinating life of John Antes and discover how the trio of Antes instruments came to be reunited. The exhibition will explore how stringed instruments are made and the legacy of lutherie in the Lehigh Valley from Antes to C.F. Martin.

Until recently, only two of Antes’ instruments were thought to still exist—the Moravian Historical Society’s 1759 violin and the Lititz Moravian Museum and Archives’ 1764 viola. The 1763 cello was recently rediscovered in an attic outside of Pittsburgh and bought at auction in 2018 by Thomas Riddle, a descendent of Antes. Now reunited for this special exhibition, the trio represents the oldest surviving American violin family instruments. 

More Information about MHS Events

Opening reception for the exhibition
Sunday, February 5, 2023 from 1 pm – 3 pm

John Antes and the Birth
of American Chamber Music

Talk by Christopher Ogburn, Ph.D.
Thursday, February 16, at 7:00 pm

Join us for a talk about John Antes and the Moravian music-making and instrument-making tradition.
This talk is free and open to the public, but advanced registration is requested.
All are welcome!
Please note that the museum is located on the second floor, which is accessible only by stairs.

Please Register

Friday, February 3

Special Exhibition: “Heartstrings, John Antes: America’s First Luthier”

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Sunday February 5

Opening Reception for “Heartstrings, John Antes: America’s First Luthier”

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Saturday February 11, 2:00 p.m.

Historic Walking Tour

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Thursday, February 16, 7:00 p.m.

John Antes and the Birth of American Chamber Music

A talk by Dr. Christopher Ogburn

The Whitefield House
214 E. Center St. Nazareth, PA 18064 
(610) 759-5070   info@moravianhistory.org

This list is neither complete nor exhaustive, but includes many of the more prolific and better known composers of the last 300 years. An exhaustive list would also include hymn composers, hymn text writers, and composers of spiritual songs.

The composers of Moravian music throughout history have been primarily people with other vocations. Moravian composers of the 18^th and 19^th century were also pastors, teachers, and administrators, with responsibilities far beyond composing and directing music. These Moravian composers wrote very few pieces of independent instrumental music, though the Moravians used instrumental music extensively for instruction and enjoyment.

Among the most influential, prolific, and/or enduring Moravian composers were:

• John Antes (1740-1811), Pennsylvania-born instrument maker, missionary, and composer of the earliest known instrumental chamber music by an American born composer;
• Johann Christian Bechler (1874-1857), German minister, one of the first professors at Moravian Theological Seminary, later elected bishop;
• Jeremias Dencke (1725-1795), German organist and composer of the earliest example of Moravian concerted church music in America;
• Johann Ludwig Freydt (1748-1807), teacher in Moravian schools, co-worker with Christian Latrobe;
• Johann Christian Geisler (1729-1815), German Moravian minister and member of the Unity Elders Conference;
• Christian Gregor (1723-1801), minister, organist, and church administrator and bishop; editor of the German Gesangbuch of 1778 and the Choralbuch of 1784, both highly influential for more than a century;
• Johann Daniel Grimm (1719-1760), musician and teacher of Johann Friedrich Peter; compiler of the 1755 manuscript chorale book of almost 1,000 tunes;
• Francis Florentine Hagen (1815-1907), American Moravian teacher, pastor, and evangelist;
• Johannes Herbst (1735-1812), bookkeeper, teacher, organist, pastor, bishop, headmaster of Moravian girls’ school in Lititz, Pennsylvania, and a prolific composer and copyist of other Moravian composers’ works;
• Christian David Jaeschke (1755-1827), descendant of early Czech immigrant family, teacher, organist, and copyist;
• Christian Ignatius Latrobe (1758-1836), English Moravian missions administrator, and friend of Franz Joseph Haydn;
• Heinrich Lonas (1838-1903), organist and teacher, editor of a Moravian chorale book used in Germany;
• David Moritz Michael (1751-1827), German Moravian teacher and worker with the single brethren in Nazareth and Bethlehem, leader of Bethlehem Collegium musicum and composer of wind ensemble music and sacred vocal works;
• Johann Friedrich Peter (1746-1813), pastor, teacher, music director, and composer of more than 80 sacred vocal works and 6 string quintets, possibly the earliest chamber music written in America;
• Simon Peter (1743-1819), brother of J. F. Peter, pastor and church administrator;
• Johann Christopher Pyrlaeus (1713-1785), first Moravian musician to serve in Native American missions; organizer of first Moravian Indian-language school and translator of many hymns into Mohican language; established Bethlehem Collegium musicum;
• The “Van Vleck sisters,” Amelia Adelaide (1835-1929), Lisette Marie Van Vleck Meinung (1830-1914); Louisa Cornelia (1826-1902), all teachers at Salem Female Academy and composers primarily of well crafted and sophisticated salon music for piano, voices, and guitar;
• Jacob Van Vleck (1751-1831), pastor and inspector of Bethlehem girls’ school, bishop and musician, grandfather of the Van Vleck sisters;
• H. M. H. W. Voullaire (1825-1902), teacher and pastor of several European Moravian congregations, composer in the style of Brahms;

Countless others who served the church through their musical abilities alongside their other vocations, include these and many more:

Christian Ludwig Brau
Theodor Lily Clemens
Ernst Immanuel Erbe
John Gambold Jr
Johann Gottfried Gebhard
Christian Gottfried Geisler
Christian Friedrich Hasse
Edward W. Leinbach
James Montgomery
Georg Gottfried Müller
Abraham Ritter
Johann Christian Till
John Frederick Wolle
Peter Wolle
John Worthington

This list just barely makes it into the 20th century.

Moravian composers today, like their forebears in the faith, are primarily trained musicians who may or may not be employed, but are certainly involved, in church music, music education, or music performance. Many will have non-music or non-church professions and still serve the Moravian Church through music.

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