...has been restored 8) 8) 8) ;D :D :) ;)
http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=333180 (http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=333180)
QuoteHistoric pipe organ back in church
Ron Devlin see more articles by Ron Devlin
Reading Eagle
Members of Zion Moselem Lutheran in Richmond Township bring pieces of their 1770 Tannenberg back into the church last week after restoration work on the pipe organ that lasted a year. From left, John Smith, Brenda Kramer, Nancy Keller and Fern Kline.
After a one-year absence, the historic 1770 Tannenberg organ has come home to Zion Moselem Lutheran Church in Richmond Township.
The 241-year-old instrument, the oldest American-made organ in existence, had been under restoration at R.J. Brunner & Co. in Lancaster County.
The disassembled organ arrived back at the church on Thursday and members of the congregation, upholding a centuries-old religious tradition, carried the pieces into the sanctuary.
A Brunner work crew, experts in Tannenberg organs, began assembling the intricate handcrafted instrument.
"It's been reborn," declared Philip T.D. Cooper of Lancaster, a consultant on the restoration. "It's been put back to the way it was when David Tannenberg built it."
Cooper, a renowned church organist, will perform selections by Johann Sebastian Bach on Oct. 2 at the restored Tannenberg's inaugural concert in the church.
"This is an old country German-style organ that would have been familiar to Bach," Cooper said. "If Bach were resurrected, he would find this organ familiar."
Built in Lititz six years before the American Revolution, it is the oldest of nine surviving Tannenberg organs.
The restoration included scraping away three or four coats of paint that had been added over the years, revealing the organ's original black walnut cabinet. It is the only one of the surviving Tannenbergs to have a walnut cabinet. The rest are pine.
"Its raised panels and scroll work are absolutely breathtaking," said Nancy Keller, Zion Moselem's organist. "The workmanship is amazing."
Initially installed in the original Zion's church, which was built in 1761, the Tannenberg organ was moved to the current church when it was built in 1894. At that point, the organ was still in its original condition.
Subsequently, the cabinet was painted several times, and three of the original ranks, or sets of pipes, were replaced with factory-made components. The original bellows had been discarded.
"When we got it," Cooper said, "it was a hodgepodge."
Brunner's restoration crew disassembled the organ, and discarded any parts that were not original. The missing parts were reconstructed using David Tannenberg's 18th-century organ building techniques.
A pair of 200-year-old hand-operated bellows were found in Schaefferstown, Lebanon County.
Scientific analyses were performed on the organ's finish and its pipes to ensure it would be restored to its original condition.
As organs go, Cooper said, the Zion Moselem Tannenberg is on the small side.
Its 459 pipes - nine sets of 51 pipes each - give it "a good German sound," said Cooper, who's played and studied Tannenbergs for 30 years.
David Tannenberg, a German immigrant, built organs for Moravian and Lutheran churches. The Moravian organs were designed to be part of an ensemble with other instruments.
Tannenberg organs built for German Reformed and Lutheran churches had a more resounding sound.
"They were built strong and forthright for congregational singing," Cooper said.
Keller will also perform at the Oct. 2 service, which is open to the public.
She predicts the reinvigorated organ will ignite a spirit of renewal in the congregation.
"When the organ resonates, the congregation sings louder," she said. "It brings out their spirit."
Contact Ron Devlin: 610-371-5030 or rdevlin@readingeagle.com.
;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Eric
KB7DQH