Pipe Organ Database

From the OHS PC Database, derived from A Guide to North American Organbuilders, by David H. Fox (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1991). -

Born 25 Sep. 1935 in Wolgast, Germany; apprentice with Rudolph von Beckerath, 1954-1958; with Klaus Becker and Ahrend & Brunzema of Germany, 1958-1959; immigrated to U.S., 1959; with Estey Organ Co. of Brattleboro, VT; with Andover Organ Co. of Methuen, MA, 1959- 1960; established Noack Organ Co. of Lawrence, MA, 1960; relocated firm to Andover, MA, 1965; relocated firm to Georgetown, MA, 1970; instructor at New England Conservatory of Music; active 1996.

Staff (1991): Jeff Amsrud; John H. Boody; Ruth Bowers; George Bozeman, Jr.; John Brombaugh; Robert Byrd; Moises M. Carrasco; Jeremy Cooper; Kenneth Coulter; Allen W. Dean; Donald Eisenhaur; John A. Farmer; Jurgen Magiera; John F. Nordlie; Norman Ryan; David Stoll; Martin Taylor; Dudley A. Terrill; Joseph G. Zamberlan; Darren Wissinger.

Sources:

• The American Institute of Organbuilders (AIO): 1982 membership directory, 21.
Letter [to David H. Fox].
• Organ Handbook: 1989 (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society), 50. [Published yearly in connection with the OHS annual convention.]
• Uwe Pape, The Tracker Organ Revival in America, (Berlin: Pape Verlag, 1978), 424.
• The American Organist, August 1987, 41.

From Organ Database Builders editor Stephen Hall, April 14, 2018. -

Fritz Noack apprenticed with Rudolph von Beckerath, 1954-1958; he was with Klaus Becker and Ahrend & Brunzema of Germany, 1958-1959. He immigrated to United States in 1959; where he first worked with Estey Organ Co. of Brattleboro, Vermont; then with Andover Organ Co. of Methuen, Massachsetts, 1959-1960. He established Noack Organ Co. of Lawrence, Massachsetts, in 1960; the firm was relocated to Andover, Massachsetts, in 1965; and then relocated to Georgetown, Massachsetts, in 1970. In addition to his organ building work, Mr. Noack has been an instructor at the New England Conservatory of Music.

The Noack firm specializes in the building of encased mechanical key-action organs, using Valotti temperament. As of 2015, it has completed 158 instruments with two under construction in the shop.

Active in 2015; Staff: Fritz Noack - founder, tonal design and voicing; Didier Grassin - firm leader; Eric Kenney - organ builder; Dean Smith - casework and wood carving; David Rooney - service; Aaron Tellers - organ building and wiring; Mary Beth Digenova - voicing and organ building

Source:

• David H. Fox, "Fritz Noack", A Guide to North American Organbuilders (Richmond, Va.: Organ Historical Society, 1991, rev. ed. 1997), 221.
• The Noack Organ Company, Inc. website, accessed Nov 20, 2015, http://www.noackorgan.com/.