Samuel Renn

Samuel Renn (10 June 1786 – 11 January 1845) was an English organ builder who ran a business in Stockport, and later he traded in Manchester. The surviving instruments are mainly in churches, although a house organ is also known.[1][2]

Renn was born in Kedleston, Derbyshire, where his father was employed at Kedleston Hall. In 1799 he was apprenticed to his uncle, James Davis, an organ builder in London. Renn became his foreman and supervised organ installations and maintenance in London and in Lancashire. When Davis retired Renn went into partnership with John Boston and traded as Renn & Boston in Stockport from 1822 to 1825 and then in Manchester. He died in Manchester in 1845.[3]

Renn developed a factory system for building organs, using standardised dimensions, thereby reducing the costs, while continuing to produce artistic designs. Between 1822 and 1845 over 100 organs were produced by Renn. Their musical properties have been praised by critics and material from the organs has frequently been re-used in their restorations. Many of the organs have been lost due to closure of churches. The best surviving Renn organ is in St Philip's Church, Salford.[3]

Surviving Renn organs and cases

References
  1. "Make Christmas last forever". 2016.
  2. "A Samuel Renn House-Organ from 1823-24". The Organ. Number 384. May–July 2018.
  3. Sayer, Michael (2001). "Renn, Samuel". In Root, Deane L. (ed.). The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians. Oxford University Press. ‎
  4. Cheshire, Bollington, St. John the Baptist, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 1 October 2008
  5. History, St Mary's Church, Disley, retrieved 1 October 2008
  6. Disley, St. Mary the Virgin, British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 1 October 2008
  7. Restoration of the 1839 Samuel Renn organ at St Mary And All Saints, Great Budworth, Cheshire, Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynne, archived from the original on 8 September 2008, retrieved 1 October 2008
  8. The Renn Organ, St Mary and All Saints Church, Great Budworth, retrieved 1 October 2008
  9. Conference Facilities, Macclesfield Borough Council, retrieved 1 October 2008
  10. Derbyshire Churches and Chapels, Rev. Clive Thrower, archived from the original on 15 June 2008, retrieved 1 October 2008
  11. Lancashire (Manchester, Greater), Salford--Pendleton, St. Thomas (N02173), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 30 January 2012
  12. Lancashire (Manchester, Greater), Salford, St. Philip and St. Stephen (N01588), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 12 December 2011
  13. Cheshire (Manchester, Greater), Stockport, St. Thomas (N01993), British Institute of Organ Studies, retrieved 14 December 2011

Further reading
  • Sayer, Michael (1974), Samuel Renn: English Organ Builder, Chichester: Phillimore & Co, ISBN 978-0-85033-078-6
  • Thistlethwaite, Nicholas (1990), The Making of the Victorian Organ, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, ISBN 978-0-521-34345-9
  • Boeringer, James; Freeman, Andrew (1983), Organa Britannica: Organs in Great Britain 1660–1860, Bucknell University Press, ISBN 978-0-8387-1894-0
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