Matthias Zimmerman
d. by 1737
organ builder
Biography
According to information furnished to Spillane by the Pennsylvania Historical Society, Matthias Zimmerman built an organ in Philadelphia sometime before 1737, the year his will was probated. In the will he bequeathed the organ to his nephew, expressing the hope that the nephew would learn to play it, adding that if not, it could be sold, since it was 'so much of a curiosity.' Spillane cites this as evidence of very early organ-building in Pennsylvania.
Highlights
- Reportedly built an organ in Philadelphia before 1737, per his probated will of that year.
- Bequeathed the organ to his nephew, hoping he would learn to play it.
Source
Daniel Spillane, History of the American Pianoforte (1890), p. 47.
Public domain.