David Tannenberg
[Tanneberger, Danneberg]
Prolific 18th Century Moravian Organ Builder
As William Armstrong wrote in his fine essay In Splendid Service: The Restoration of David Tannenberg’s Home Moravian Church Organ (Old Salem Museums & Gardens, 2004) Buy Now :
“David Tannenberg, the organ builder was a German-speaking immigrant who lived most of his life in the small Moravian town of Lititz, Pennsylvania. He had no formal training in organ building; instead he learned his profession by working with an experienced organ builder, Johann Gottlob Klemm, also a German-speaking immigrant. Tannenberg learned his profession well, building or helping to build nearly fifty organs in six states and with such excellence that his surviving organs are highly prized today—as the careful renovation of the organ built in 1799/1800 for the Moravian Church in Salem attests.“
– William Armstrong
David Tannenberg (1728—1804) was born in Berthelsdorf, Germany, the son of members of the Unitas Fratrum who came to Germany from Moravia. He had worked as a joiner and came to Bethlehem in 1749. Upon Johann Gottlob Klemm’s move to Bethlehem in 1757, Tannenberg became his assistant. By 1765, Tannenberg had his own workshop in Lititz, PA and built organs for Moravian, German Lutheran, Reformed, and Catholic churches, as well as for some individuals. In 1793, a Tannenberg’s request, Philip Bachman, a Moravian trained in musical instrument manufacture, arrived from Germany to serve as his assistant; Bachman married Tannenberg’s youngest daughter. Tannenberg died in 1804 after suffering a fall while tuning an organ. A partial list of his organs indicates that he and Klemm built five instruments working together; an additional forty-two Tannenberg instruments are documented, of which nine survive. Tannenberg’s largest surviving organ was built in 1799/1800 for the Moravian Church in Salem (now Winston-Salem), North Carolina. This was the 2nd organ built for the Salem Moravians, the first in 1797 for the Gemeinhaus, or congregation house, where the community worshiped before the large church was built (consecrated 13 November 1800). The smaller organ was first restored in the 1960s, and re-restored in 2007 following later research. The larger organ was restored in the early 2000s. The files for the restoration of the larger organ and the re-restoration of the smaller organ were transferred to the Moravian Music Foundation by Paula Locklair, who as Vice President of Old Salem Museums and Gardens had overseen both projects.
Wherever the Moravians went an organ soon followed. In 1762, just a few years after arriving, the Moravians played an organ for the first time in what is now North Carolina. It had arrived via ship and wagon from Pennsylvania to a tiny settlement called Bethabara. Once Salem was established in 1771, organs became a fixture of that community. To fill the need for new instruments, both within the Moravian community as well as without, David Tannenberg (1728—1804), a Moravian craftsman living in Pennsylvania, quickly learned the trade. One of his instruments, built for the Saal (place of worship) in 1798, can be found today in the Brothers’ House, where it still provides joy through its music. When Home Church was finished in 1800, it was appointed with a new organ. The organ was built in Pennsylvania, shipped to North Carolina, and installed by Tannenberg’s apprentice, and son-in-law, Philip Bachmann, assisted by Jakob Fetter. As was typical of Tannenberg’s organ construction, much of the casement was constructed on-site in Salem during this eleven month installation. That 1800 instrument, which had been replaced twice, was restored and installed in the Old Salem Visitors Center in 2004. It is one of nine extant Tannenberg organs that are known today.
Hear the History of the Moravians
UPCOMING EVENTS:
In the Beginning…
CONCERT – Friday, May 16, 2025, 7:00pm. Moramus Chorale sings selections from Haydn’s The Creation oratiorio; Mary Lou Kapp Peeples, organ; The Vivaldi Project string trio will be featured. Old Salem Visitor Center, 900 Old Salem Rd., Winston-Salem, NC more>>
PAST EVENTS:
A Celebration of the Tannenberg Organ
CONCERT – Friday, May 12, 2023 Moramus Chorale, Cristy Lynn Brown, Susan Bates, Mary Lou Kapp Peeples. listen>>
Past Programs:
- Music from the Saal, Advent & Christmas program, featuring Gwyn Michel, organist; Ellen Saylor, soprano; Nazareth, PA Listen>>
- Christmas Recital, featuring Gwyn Michel, organist; Nazareth, PA more about>>
- History’s Headlines: the Master Moravian Organ Builder -Frank Whelan, WFMZ TV 69
View the article and media feature
A podcast featuring MMF Asst. Director, Gwyneth Michel, at the organ:
A very fine listing of organs and their history
(by Philip T. D. Cooper, organist and organ historian)
may be found at
Vox Humana Journal
- The Tannenberg Collection in the MMF archival holdings – Finding Aid
- Search the Tannenberg Collection in the archives of the Moravian Music Foundation.
A quick look at the Tannenberg organs of Salem, NC
About the restoration of the 1800 organ in Salem, NC
The Instruments
NAZARETH, Pennsylvania
1776 Tannenberg Organ
Moravian Historical Society, Whitefield House, Nazareth, PA about the collection>>
SALEM, North Carolina
Historic Winston-Salem, NC is home to two restored 18th century American-made organs by David Tannenberg. Beginning with Bethabara (1753), the Moravians settled a tract of land in North Carolina, named it Wachovia, and proceeded to build the towns of Bethania (1759), and Salem (1766). The first pipe organ arrived in 1762.
For more about Moravian organs and the story of the journey of organs from Pennsylvania to North Carolina, please consider Organs in the Wilderness by Charles Vardell, available online from MMF.
EXCERPT from Old Salem Museums & Gardens website:
1800 Tannenberg Organ
The completion of the restoration of the largest surviving pipe organ built by David Tannenberg was a fifteen-year project for Old Salem Museums & Gardens [ the story and photos from the restoration project ] and a nearly one-hundred-year odyssey if one considers the first step of the restoration was the careful storage of the organ when it was removed from Home Moravian Church in 1910. Even though Old Salem Museums restored the organ and provided a new home for it in the Old Salem Visitor Center, the organ is still owned by Home Moravian Church.
1798 Tannenberg Organ
The first organ that Tannenberg built for Salem was in 1798 for the Gemeinhaus (congregation house), a building that served many functions, including the worship space for the town. This one manual organ was installed by Philip Bachmann, Tannenberg’s son-in-law. This organ now resides in the Single Brothers’ House in Salem.
While Bachmann was in Salem in 1798, there were discussions with him and with Tannenberg via letter about ordering a new, large organ from Tannenberg for Salem’s new church, then in the planning stages. It was decided to have an organ with two manuals and pedals. Ground was broken for the church by the end of May 1798 and the next month, on June 12th, the cornerstone was set. The following year, in November 1799, Philip Bachmann returned to Salem with one of the windchests and other parts of the organ. Bachmann worked with cabinetmakers, blacksmiths and other Salem craftsmen to complete and install the organ.
Old Salem Museum & Gardens:
Tannenberg Organs
http://www.oldsalem.org/learn/town-of-salem/people-and-culture/tannenberg-organs/
The wind source for the organ was three large organ bellows, which were to be located in the church attic above the organ. The choice was for either treading or for pulling the bellows, and treading was chosen. Originally, the treading was done in the attic, but this was changed in October 1802 so that the treading was done in the organ gallery. This location, which allowed better communication between the organist and the person treading the bellows, was used until the organ was dismantled in 1910. The bellows have also been restored and are installed with the organ.
LITITZ, Pennsylvania
Website for Lititz music research and concerts of the Lititz Collegium Musicum (including the 1787 Tannenberg), Jeff Gemmell, Organist and Director.
EXCERPT from Lititz Moravian Church website:
Three of the seven pipe organs owned by the Lititz Moravian Congregation are still in use and listed below. The 1787 Tannenberg was installed when the present sanctuary was consecrated. Ninety-two years later, in 1879, a Hook and Hastings organ replaced the Tannenberg.
1787 Tannenberg Organ
Tannenberg completed the building of an organ for Lititz Moravian Church – his own church – in the summer of 1787. 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. – Philip T. D. Cooper
Dr. Jeffrey Gemmell plays the 1787 organ with hand-pumped bellows, for the 2021 Moravian Music Festival.
Voluntary IX (London, c. 1780) attrib. to G. F. Handel
1793 Tannenberg Organ
The smaller of the two Tannenberg organs now located at Lititz Moravian Church was originally constructed for the Moravian Chapel in Graceham, Frederick County, Maryland. Tannenberg arrived there with the organ on April 25, 1793, and it was played for the first time on May 4. The organ was used continuously until 1957 when it was given to the Lititz Moravian Church and was set up in the Single Brothers’ House. The organ is completely original. It was reconditioned by James R. McFarland in 1984. – Philip T. D. Cooper
More details of the Tannenberg organs at Lititz, PA, may be found at http://lititzmoravian.org/Content.aspx?ID=109
YORK, Pennsylvania
1804 Tannenberg Organ >”>read more about>>
The 1804 Tannenberg organ in York, PA
is featured on a PIPE DREAMS show on American Public Media:
American Pioneers
Follow the LINK and click on “1946 Hour 1” to hear some Billings and then David Moritz Michael on the Tannenberg, played by E. Power Biggs.
Herrnhut, Sachsen, Deutschland
Herrnhut Organ refurbishment and restoration, partially modeled upon the style of David Tannenberg, originally from Herrnhut – 2022 .
Organ of Herrnhut Moravian Church
On July 4th, the Ministry President of Sachsen (Saxony), Mr. Michael Kretschmer, will come to Herrnhut to present two grants for the restoration and preservation of the historic Schuster organ in the Herrnhut Saal. The organ has been showing signs of fatigue in the last year or so. The grants represent about 527,000 Euros from the Sachsen Ministry of Culture and Media (Minister Prof. Monika Grütters) for the preservation and conservation of monuments (antiquities).
The efforts to refurbish the organ have been going on for several years and should be completed for the 2022 Celebration of Herrnhut’s 300th Anniversary. The congregation will also be presenting around ten concerts to raise an additional 60,000 Euros. This is a lofty goal, to be able to re-create the experience and historic sound and acoustic, again. A starting point for this are historical technical plans for organs of the same time, built by David Tannenberg in the United States in the 18th century. Tannenberg emigrated to America in 1748.
These organs are made to produce a light and lovely sound so that the congregational singing is heard prominently. “We are thankful, now, that we are able to attack this project of an organ renovation under these special arrangements.” Said Pastor Peter Vogt. “To create an instrument truly unique that makes it possible again to perform in a similar style of the old Moravian composers of the early days of Herrnhut.”
