Donati (organ building family)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Donati family (also Donat ) was a family of organ builders in central Germany . According to current research, over 40 organs have been built in several generations , of which about 12 have largely been preserved to this day.

Organ of the Nikolaikirche Luckau, one of the greatest works by Donatis

Effective range

The family's sphere of activity extended to the areas of Saxony , Thuringia , Brandenburg and Lower Saxony .

life and work

Donat's complaint from 1703 about the carpenters' guild

First generation

The founder of the dynasty Christoph Donat (also Christoph Donati ) (born September 30, 1625 in Marienberg ; † August 14, 1706 in Leipzig ) is mentioned for the first time in 1653 as an assistant to Matthias Tretzscher during the construction of the organ in the Bayreuth city church (II / P / 20; not preserved) and on October 4, 1662 received the citizenship of the city of Leipzig. In 1663 he repaired the organ in the town church of Weißenfels, which Tobias Weller had built in 1639 for 200 Mfl. by.

From 1665 to 1690 he was the successor of Johann Diettrich court organ builder in Altenburg. In Altenburg, in the contract signed in 1665, he was obliged to string in addition to the organ in the castle chapel and the smaller organs in the castle, the shelf as well as the table Positiv, which was purchased for dining, and all the others owned by the manor Maintain keyboard instruments. Donat was supposed to appear in Altenburg at Whitsun and at Martini and received 25 thalers in payment.

In 1683 he expanded the so-called small organ in the Thomaskirche Leipzig by 6 stops from 1489 (broken off in 1740). In 1689 he rebuilt the organ built by Henricus Compenius from Halle in 1617 in Markranstädt and in 1691 he renovated the one in Eilenburg . He was u. a. Godfather of Werner Fabricius's children . Donat's complaint from the year 1703 about the Leipzig joiner's guild is on record, in which he complains about the withholding of two journeyman carpenters from the construction of the new church organ that he was to build. His son Christoph d. J. helped him with many works. He also made clavichords in his Leipzig workshop . His verifiable children were:

  • Christoph the Younger (baptized December 2, 1659 in Leipzig; † June 14, 1713 there)
  • Johannes Jacobus (Johann Jacob) the Elder (baptized June 27, 1663 in Leipzig; † October 7, 1750 in Zwickau )

List of works

The size of the instruments is indicated in the fifth column by the number of manuals and the number of sounding registers in the sixth column. A capital “P” stands for an independent pedal , a lowercase “p” for an attached pedal. Italics indicate that the organ in question is no longer preserved.

year place church image Manuals register Remarks
1658-1660 Zschopau St. Martin Delivery on September 16, 1660: Examination by organist Johann Conrad; 1753-1755 by the organ of Jacob Oertel replaced
1660-1662 Neuenkirchen (Hadeln) St. Mary II / P 18th New building in Leipzig in 1660/1661, transported by water to Neuenkirchen and built in 1662; 1695 small change of disposition by Donat; Renovations in 1738 by Dietrich Christoph Gloger and 1751 by Johann Hinrich Klapmeyer ; 1835/1836 new case by Johann Georg Wilhelm Wilhelmy ; restored in 2012 by Rowan West ; 6 complete registers and 5 partially preserved from Donat
1667 Meissen Dom Attached to the side of the new singing choir , improved by Gräbner in 1698
1672-1674 Luckau Nikolaikirche
Donat organ 17th century JPG
 III / P 37 not fully operational after 35 years; three organ builders (Piotr Ostrowski from Fraustadt 1675, the Dresden court organ builder Andreas Tamitius 1677 and Christoph Junge from Doberlug 1677) certified deficiencies; later converted to 44 registers (including a blind register)
1674 Knauthain Village church Repaired in 1798 by Johann Gottlieb Ehregott Stephani; Church was demolished in 1844
1683-1688 Eisenberg (Thuringia) Castle Church Castle Church Eisenberg 02.jpg II / P 21st On October 26, 1683, Christian von Sachsen-Eisenberg signed a contract with the organ maker and citizen of Leipzig, Christoph Donat, to build an organ with 20 stops and cost 550 thalers. Donat's sons and Hofkapellmeister Johann Krieger worked as consultants in organ building ; after 1683 extension to 22 registers on the advice of Kriegers; 1731–1733 rebuilt by Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost, renovated in 1805 by great-grandson August Friedrich Wilhelm Donati; a greater number of Donat's registers have been preserved
1684 Liemehna Village church Inauguration on St. John's Festival; Costs 70 thalers
1686 Belgershain Johanniskirche Inauguration on St. John's Day; Replaced in 1905 by a new organ from the Schmeisser company from Rochlitz
1686 Grimma Monastery church the organ cost 350 thalers; Renovated in 1786 by Johann Georg Friedlieb Zöllner from Hubertusburg
1693 Wechselburg Collegiate church attached to the wooden eastern extension of the west gallery, examination on January 8, 1694 by Gottfried Ernst Bestel (Altenburg court organist)
1696 Courage Village church The cost was 130 thalers; repaired in 1828
1696 Wiesenburg St. Mary Replaced in 1755 by a new organ from the workshop of Johann Ephraim Hübner (1713–1781) from Wittenberg .
1702-1704 Leipzig New Church II / P 21st The first organist on the organ was Georg Philipp Telemann ; Repaired and redesigned by Johann Scheibe in 1722, repaired by Johann Emanuel Schweinfleisch in 1753 ; 1847 new organ by Johann Gottlob Mende
1705 Brandis Brandis town church
OrgelBrandis1.jpg
 II / P 16 Mostly preserved; oldest two-manual organ with twin windchest in Saxony; 2006/2007 restored by Orgelbau Wünning ; Information on the organ in the town church in Brandis

Second generation

Christoph Donati the Elder J.

No works by him are known; he worked in his father's workshop from 1693.

His children were:

  • Johann Christoph Gottlob (born October 19, 1694 in Leipzig; † September 8, 1756 in Glauchau), continued the organ building tradition.
  • Johann Gottfried (* 1706 in Leipzig, † 1782 in Greiz) became a composer and organist .

Johannes Jacobus Donati the Elder Ä.

On the occasion of the marriage ceremony with the daughter of the Danish born organ builder Severin Holbeck († 1700) from Zwickau in 1701, Johannes Jacobus was named as a Gothaischer and Altenburg court organ builder and became a citizen of Altenburg on June 28, 1704. He continued the Holbeck organ workshop in Zwickau. In 1711 he completely relocated his workshop to Zwickau, but at the same time took up his job as a court organ builder in Altenburg. In 1701 he rebuilt the organ in the Altenburg castle church and in 1704 the organ in the village church in Saara . He also repaired 1699/1700, the organ of the Leipzig Thomas Church and 1716 in Altenburg St. Bartholomew's Church . He also built organs in Reinhardsbrunn (castle church) and Lohma . He is also credited with building an organ in Ortmannsdorf .

On November 23, 1723, he had a dispute with Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost over organ building privileges (Trost accused Donati of poor work). The reviewer was Gottfried Silbermann , who had good collegial relationships to Solace. Silbermann visited the organ in Treben on April 9, 1723 at the suggestion of Trost and confirmed Trost's bad opinion about Johann Jacob Donati's organ building skills. The dispute with consolation broke out again in 1726/1727. The Altenburg court organ builder privilege went to Trost.

He also built clavichords, an instrument (built around 1700) is preserved in the Leipzig Musical Instrument Museum.

His children were:

Johann Jacob the Younger (born October 15, 1715 in Zwickau, † after 1742) had no children himself. No organs are known from him.

List of works

year place building image Manuals register Remarks
1696 Altkirchen Village church
1696-1698 Goessnitz St. Anne
1700 Sloppy Village church
1704 Harpersdorf Village church
1706 Dobitschen Village church
1710 and 1720 Treben Village church
1715/1716 Wernsdorf Village church
1716 Rositz Village church
1722 Weltewitz Village church I / P 10 Restored in 2008 by Peter Petersohn
1722/1723 Dennheritz Village church
1723 Marienberg St. Mary Replaced in 1782 by an organ by Carl Eduard Schubert
1724 Exactly Village church since 1886 in Klingenberg , housing preserved
1724/1725 Schlunzig Village church I / P 10 Restored in 1999 by the organ workshop Christian Reinhold
1728 Ossa Luther Church Completion of the unfinished organ by Trost 1721-1726; Replaced in 1892 by a new building by Richard Kreutzbach (Borna)
1728 Beierfeld Peter and Paul Church I / P 12 The cost was 170 thalers; Restored in 2014 by the company Vogtländischer Orgelbau Thomas Wolf.
1730 Nitschareuth Village church
1732 Zwönitz City Church of St. Trinity II / P 22nd 1993 Installation of the Hermann Eule organ in a Donati case
1732 Caselwitz Martin Luther Church Henriette Amalie von Obergreiz donated a positive organ from the Upper Castle in Greiz and an old organ was bought from Langenwetzendorf for 5 guilders. Donati had to make a new one from the two old organs for 36 Reichstaler. In order to save costs, he was promised free accommodation and free delivery of the necessary boards and other necessary handyman services. The old, but now revised, Langenwetzendorfer Prospect was used as the organ prospectus. 1882 replaced by a new organ from the Kreutzbach company .

Third generation

Johann Christoph Gottlob Donati

After 1726 he can be traced in Glauchau. He was also a paralegal at the local court.

His children were:

  • Christian Gottlob (born August 3, 1732 in Glauchau; † November 13, 1795 in Altenburg) his son continued the organ building tradition.
  • Gotthold Heinrich (born October 24, 1734 in Glauchau; † December 28, 1799 in Altenburg) had no children.
  • Johann Christoph (born December 21, 1737 in Glauchau; † January 15, 1764 in Glauchau) had no children. No organs are known from him.
  • Carl Friedrich (born May 2, 1740 in Glauchau; † February 2, 1814 in Glauchau) had no children. No organs are known from him.

List of works

year place building image Manuals register Remarks
1741 Lichtenwalde Lichtenwalde Castle Chapel Lichtenwalde Castle 13.JPG II / P 14th was brought to the Ebersdorf Abbey Church in 1961 by the Eule company and came back in 2008, technically restored and reconstructed in 2009; sound reconstruction 2011–2012, both by the company Vogtländischer Orgelbau Thomas Wolf; New inauguration on June 10, 2012
1742 Langenleuba-Niederhain Niclaskirche The price was 330 Thaler , the organ was repaired in 1805; 1903 new organ by Oscar Ladegast

Fourth generation

Christian Gottlob Donati and Gotthold Heinrich Donati

They carried on the father's business together. In 1770 they acquired Glauchau citizenship. In December 1771, Christian Gottlob was appointed royal Saxon court organ builder, and in the following year both moved to Altenburg, where they had an organ workshop until 1794. After Christian Gottlob's death, Gotthold Heinrich succeeded the company as head of the company and inherited the court organ builder privilege of Altenburg. Their achievements were judged favorably by the court organist Krebs ( Johann Ludwig Krebs or Ehrenfried Christian Traugott Krebs).

Only Christian Gottlob Donati had a son:

  • August Friedrich Wilhelm (born May 21, 1773 in Altenburg; † February 1, 1842 in Altenburg)

List of works

year place building image Manuals register Remarks
1770 Langenchursdorf Village church
1770 Neuenmörbitz Village church I / P 9 stood on the east gallery; Repaired in 1861 by Karl Ernst Poppe, replaced by an organ by Oskar Ladegast in 1911
1775 Paitzdorf Village church II / P 7th Relocated to the east gallery in 1862 and rearranged by Christoph Opitz from Dobra
1778 Mehna Village church
1781/1782 Altenburg Bartholomäuskirche replaced by Friedrich Ladegast organ 1881–1882 (III / 44)
1786 Dobrashiitz Village church New building in 1935 by Schmeißer from Rochlitz in Donati housing
1788 Gesau Village church replaced in 1878 by an organ by Johann Gotthilf Bärmig
1793 Wettelswalde Village church
1793 Weissbach Village church I / P 8th
1794 Bohlen Christopherus Church I / P 10 built together with brother Gotthold Heinrich Donati; The organ had a pitch of a '- 473 Hz

Fifth generation

August Friedrich Wilhelm Donati

From 1800 he was court organ maker and court fourier (servant) at Altenburg and Eisenberg. No children or newly made organs are known of him, the tradition of organ building ended with him.

Schramm organ in the St. Otto Church in Wechselburg

Schoolchildren and other people connected to the Donat family

literature

  • Ulrich Dähnert: Historical organs in Saxony. German Publishing House for Music, Leipzig, 1980.
  • Bernhard Buch: Organ works and prospectus design in Thuringian castle chapels. (Dissertation), Marburg, 2002, pages 221-227
  • Douglas Earl Bush, Richard Kassel: The Organ: An Encyclopedia. Routledge, New York, 2006, p. 150.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Gustav Heinrich Heydenreich: Churches & School Chronicle of the City & Ephorie Weissenfels since 1539 Keil, Weißenfels, 1840, p. 137.
  2. ↑ Christoph Wolff, Markus Zepf: The organs of Johann Sebastian Bach: a manual of the Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Berlin, 2006, p. 71.
  3. ↑ Cornelius Gurlitt: Descriptive representation of the older architectural and art monuments of the Kingdom of Saxony, edition 16 Meinhold, 1894, p. 87.
  4. ^ Rudolf Wustmann, Arnold Schering: Music history of Leipzig: 1650 to 1723 Merseburger, Kassel, 1974, p. 256.
  5. ^ Emil Herzog: Chronicle of the district town of Zwickau: Annual history, Volume 2 Zückler, Zwickau, 1825, p. 625.
  6. ^ Ernst Friedrich Wilhelm Simon: Historisch-geographisch-topographische Nachrichten von der Bergstadt Zschoppau Dresden, 1821, p. 264.
  7. ^ Harald Vogel , Günter Lade, Nicola Borger-Keweloh: Organs in Lower Saxony . Hauschild, Bremen 1997, ISBN 3-931785-50-5 , p. 288, 352 .
  8. ^ Albert Schiffner: Handbook of Geography, Statistics and Topography of the Kingdom of Saxony, Volume 2 Fleischer, Leipzig, 1840, p. 362.
  9. ^ Wolf Bergelt: The Mark Brandenburg. A rediscovered organ landscape Pape, Berlin, 1989. pp. 102–105.
  10. ↑ Hartmut Haupt: The organ of the chapel in Schloss Eisenberg: an important monument of baroque organ building in Thuringia Council of the City of Eisenberg, 1981, p. 16.
  11. ^ Carl Geißler: Chronicle of the city of Eilenburg and the surrounding area Meyner, Delitzsch, 1829, p. 184.
  12. ↑ Info on Belgershain Church
  13. ↑ Christian Gottlob Lorenz: The city of Grimma in the Kingdom of Saxony, historically described by Dyk'sche Buchhandlung, Leipzig, 1856, p. 65.
  14. ^ Herbert Küas, Hans-Joachim Krause: Die Stiftskirche zu Wechselburg Akademie-Verlag, Berlin, 1968, p. 143.
  15. ↑ Gustav Heinrich Heydenreich: Churches & School Chronicle of the City & Ephorie Weissenfels since 1539 Keil, Weißenfels, 1840, p. 287.
  16. ↑ Christoph Wolff, Markus Zepf: The organs of Johann Sebastian Bach: a manual of the Evangelische Verlagsanstalt, Leipzig, 2006, p. 73.
  17. ↑ oA: From the life of the Donati family of organ builders. in Der Spiegelwaldbote. No. 7/2012 p. 16ff.
  18. ↑ Donati's instrument
  19. ↑ http://www.orgelrestauratoren.eu/.cm4all/iproc.php/Peter_Petersohn.pdf?cdp=a&cm_odfile
  20. ↑ https://www.kirchspiel-krostitz.de/kirchen/weltewitz.html Website of the Weltewitz Church
  21. ↑ Website of the St. Maria Church in Marienerg
  22. ^ Reference to Donati Orgel Schlunzig at www.orgelwerkstatt-reinhold.de
  23. ↑ Picture of the Beierfeld Donati organ with information on the history
  24. ↑ Article by Jiří Kocourek: The Saxon organ building at the time of Zacharias Hildebrandt
  25. ^ History of the church in Caselwitz
  26. ↑ Information on the Ebersdorf Collegiate Church
  27. ↑ Information about the Donati organ in Lichtenwalde
  28. ↑ the company Roesel website
  29. ↑ Post on www.monumente-online.de with picture of Donati organ
  30. ↑ Article about organ concert on the Donati organ in Weißbach
  31. ↑ Information about the Donati organ in Böhlen
  32. ↑ Herzoglich-Sachsen-Gotha and Altenburgischer Hof and address calendar for the leap year of Christ 1824. Ettingersche Buchhandlung, Gotha, 1824, p. 16.
  33. ↑ Axel Röhrborn: Christian Gotthilf Tag: Studies on Life and Work ibidem, Stuttgart, 2012, p. 111 ff.
  34. ↑ Life data of Poppe, Christian Friedrich the Younger