Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost (born around 1680; died 12August1759 in Altenburg) was a leading Thuringian organ-builder. Johann Sebastian Bach held him in high regard. His organs in the city church of Waltershausen (1722–1730) and in the (1735–1739) are amongst the best-known Baroque organs of middle-Europe, and are largely preserved in their original state.
Life
Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost was son of the organ-builder and his wife, Anna Dorothea, née Thüm (died 1703). The first work that can be assigned to him was carried out between 1697 and 1706 in conjunction with his father, from whom he learned his craft. On 3November1704 he married Susanna Catharina Schweinefleisch (died 1749) in Tonna. By 1711 he was a master-builder in his own right.
In early 1718 Trost moved to the house of his brother-in-law in Mockern, and then again to Altenburg in 1722, after the death of his father. Following an argument with over organ-building privileges, he was chosen on 23November1723 as organ-builder to the court. The argument with Donati broke out again in 1726/1727.
In 1733 Trost found himself in financial difficulties and took out loans with his son-in-law and two widows. His health began to deteriorate in 1754; in the summer of 1756 he suffered a stroke, and he died in 1759 after three months' serious illness.
Career Five rebuilds and 21 new organs can be assigned to Trost. Amongst others, he built the organ of the evangelical church in Waltershausen, the largest baroque organ in Thuringia. Another of his important works is that in the chapel of the , which was much admired by Franz Liszt. Bach's pupil Johann Ludwig Krebs was organist of this organ from 1756 to 1780. A later organist at Altenburg, praised the organ in 1880 in his assessment:
While Gottfried Silbermann built fairly conventional organs following five basic standardised patterns, Trost was more experimental. He frequently tried new ideas, and favoured colour stops. His flute choirs were particularly strong, reaching up into the one-foot pitch range. On the other hand, he used mixtures only sparingly. Each division had only one mixture containing thirds, and he did not use the Scharf or Cymbale stops. He used reed pipes sparingly, mostly confined to the pedal, but he appreciated "toy" stops and effects. Trost divided his stops between Hauptwerk (Great), Brustwerk, and Pedal, sometimes with an Oberwerk. This was the only arrangement he ever used.
Trost was a poor businessman. He often missed deadlines and exceeded agreed costs, causing disagreement with his employers. It is known that he worked on the Waltershausen organ from 1722 to 1730 despite having agreed to complete the work in two and a half years. The city councillor Marci was driven to poetry about the "dissolute organ-builder Trost", whose name translates as "comfort" or "consolation":
Gottfried Silbermann was asked for an expert opinion of the Altenburg organ. Despite his appreciation of the organ, Silbermann made various suggestions for improvements, "concerning which H. Trost went to much effort, sparing himself no work, but which can have brought him little profit". After its completion in 1739 this organ rapidly became a magnet for organists and a popular concert instrument.
Organs on which Trost worked
The roman numerals indicate the number of manuals. An uppercase "P" indicates an independent pedal organ with its own sounding stops, while a lowercase "p" indicates a pull-down pedal linked to the keyboards, merely allowing the player to play manual keyboard notes with their feet. The Arabic numerals indicate the number of sounding registers (i.e. stop-knobs excluding accessories such as tremulants and couplers).
Year Location Church Image Manuals Registers Comments1697–1701 Bad Langensalza St. Stephani III/P 34 A new-build carried out with his father; replaced in 1885 1701 Tonna A new-build carried out with his father; no longer exists1705 (?) Aschara II/P A new-build carried out with his father; destroyed by fire in the 18th century1705–1706 Eckardtsleben I 8 (?) New-build; no longer exists1709–1713 Döllstädt II/P 20 New-build; only the façade remains1712–1717 Großengottern St Walpurgis' church II/P 22 A new-build, largely remaining; restored in 1996/1997 1722 Aspach I 9 A new-build attributed to Trost1720–1723 Großstöbnitz (Schmölln) I/P 8 A new-build, replaced in 18861721–1726 Narsdorf-Ossa Village church I 9 A new-build, completed by Johann Jacob Donati. Replaced in 18861722–1730 Waltershausen III/P 47 A new-build, surviving intact. Restored 1995-1998.1730? Saalfeld A new-build attributed to Trost1730–1733 Kriebitzsch A new-build, replaced in 18991731–1733 Eisenberg An enlargement of the original organ by Christoph Donat (1683), remaining to this day, with minor modifications in 1776 and 1862; restored 1959-1963, and returned to its 1733 condition with further restoration from 1986.1730–1735 Stünzhain, in Altenburg I A new-build, of which some ranks remain1735? Altenburg Chapel at the (a Positiv organ) A new-build, partly remaining in Thonhausen and in the , Altenburg1735–1739 Altenburg (Main organ) II/P 36 A new-build, substantially remaining, restored 1974-19761744–1746 Thonhausen I/P 11 A new-build, much rebuilt since1745–1746 Nobitz I/P 10 A new-build, replaced in 1826 1746 Bocka (Windischleuba) Village church I/P 10 A new-build attributed to Trost, parts remaining1747–1748 Lohma an der Leina, in Langenleuba-Niederhain I/P 10 A new-build that no longer exists; replaced in 18781747–1750 Saara I/P 15 A new-build, parts remain1747–1752 Eisenberg II/P 24 A new-build of which nothing remains; replaced 1848
Literature
References
External links
Felix Friedrich: Der Orgelbauer Tobias Heinrich Gottfried Trost.