Snetzler Chamber Organ of 1761

Abstract

The chamber organ described in this booklet was acquired by the Division of Musical Instruments in 1968 from descendants of the original owner, Dr. Samuel Bard (1742-1821) of New York and Hyde Park. Signed and dated “John Snetzler fecit Londini 1761,” it is both a fine example of the work of England's most famous eighteenth-century maker and a splendid musical artifact associated with one of New York's leading citizens of the Revolutionary period. Despite its age and travels, the instrument retained its original pipes, wind-chest and bellows, mechanical action, and mahagony case. Alterations by earlier repairers were for the most part minimal, making restoration relatively uncomplicated. Of the five Snetzler organs known to have found their way to North America before the Revolution, this one, belonging to Dr. Bard, surgeon to George Washington and founder of the Medical School at King's College, New York, in 1767, is the only one still in existence with a traceable history. After an introductory discussion of chamber organs and their uses, there follows a description of the Bard organ, its restoration to playing condition, and its historical context.