Heinrich Nicolaus Trebs

Heinrich Nicolaus Trebs , also: Tröbst , Tröbs , Trebes (born August 10, 1678 in Frankenhausen , † August 16, 1748 in Weimar ) was court organ builder for the Duchy of Saxony-Weimar . He is best known for his collaboration with Johann Sebastian Bach .

Life

Trebs was the only son of a Franconian carpenter and citizen. He learned the trade of organ building in Salzungen from Christian Rothe. After spending some time in Mühlhausen , he moved to Weimar in 1709. On March 16, 1711 the Weimar court organist Johann Sebastian Bach issued him a certificate stating:

"After the present Mr. Heinrich Trebs, art-experienced organ maker, asked me to give him a certificate of his work done in the local principality, as if he could not refuse it by meriting it all too well , to the resp. assuring the inclined reader that he applied his most glorious diligence to his work done in this country ... "

In 1712 Trebs was granted the privilege of being a court organ maker. He married in 1713. The godparents of the first child, born in the same year, were Johann Sebastian Bach and Johann Gottfried Walther . Apparently there were good contacts between Bach and Trebs. It is believed that the two had already met in Mühlhausen.

Bach was also consulted in 1742 about the arrangement of the organ to be built by Trebs in Bad Berka, although at that time he had not worked in Weimar for 25 years.

When Trebs died, his second son Christoph Wilhelm Christian, who also worked as an organ builder, was given the privilege. In the possession of the descendants living in Hamburg today (2008) is the original of an invoice (No. 65) dated December 20, 1753, in which this son signed “Christian Wilhelm Christoph Tröbst, court organ master”. The full text reads:

“Four gold coins have been given to me for the organ repair and tuning at the main church of S. Petri et Pauli in these years 1752 to 1753 by the ducal administrator of Junghanßens, which is duly acknowledged. Weimar, December 20, 1753. "

Works

Organ of the town church St. Marien Bad Berka

The following works are documented:

• Taubach (1709/1710), St. Ursula
• Frohndorf (1721)
• Weimar, Jakobskirche (1721)
• Niederroßla (1730), Niederroßla Church
• Berka (1742/1743)

There are also evidence of major repairs in Apolda (1722), Wickerstedt (1738) and the Weimar Palace Chapel (1712/1719).

literature

• Hans Löffler: JS Bach and the Weimar organ builder Trebs. In: Bach yearbook . Volume 23, Leipzig 1926, pp. 156-158.
• District Office Weimarer Land (ed.): Queen of instruments. An organ guide through the Weimar region and Weimarer Land. Friedrichshafen 2007, ISBN 978-3-00-021071-6 .