14 Facts About Moravian music

From its very beginning the Unitas Fratrum, or Moravian music Church, kept and preserved careful and meticulous records of church, community, and commercial life.

Musical life in the Moravian settlements was rich and became respected by many in the young country.

Moravian music chorales used by the trombone choirs and church bands tend to be fairly stately and to have active parts for all four voices, which reflects the singing of a congregation – singing in parts.

Moravians seemed to have a voracious appetite for new music and collected, purchased, and copied everything they could get their hands on.

American Moravian music collections contain several thousand pieces by composers as well known as Haydn, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, Karl Stamitz; and as little known as Wenzel Pichl, Adalbert Gyrowetz, and Kleinknecht.

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Many of these works in the American Moravian collections are “only known surviving” copies of music from these composers.

The truly international scope of the Moravian music Church can be seen in the story of these quartets: here was an American-born missionary in Egypt, sending copies of his string quartets to an American diplomat in France, quartets which he had written for an English nobleman and his associates in India.

Also by a Moravian music composer are the six string quintets by Johann Friedrich Peter.

String Moravian music is prevalent in all of the instrumental Moravian music collections, with genres ranging from works for unaccompanied violin through classical symphonies.

Forty-four orchestra works from American Moravian music collections have been edited and placed in the Fleisher Collection of the Philadelphia Free Library and are thus available for loan to orchestras around the world.

Newly edited pieces from the Moravian music collections are showcased during Festival concerts.

Moravians, music has always been seen as a necessity of life, not as a luxury.

Moravians have always used their music to express their faith, to communicate their faith, and to enjoy each other's company, and continue to do so today.

The sacred Moravian music tradition continues as well, both in preserving and sharing the old Moravian music and in writing new.