Fruit of the Spirit

Johann Christian Geisler (1729-1815) was born in Toppliwoda, Silesia, and learned to play the organ and harp at an early age. At sixteen, he was instrumental in starting a trombone choir for the Gnadenfrei congregation in Silesia. He knew Christian Gregor and other leading Moravian musicians of the period and may have been a teacher of Johannes Herbst. Geisler served as minister to several congregations in Europe and became a member of the Unity Elders Conference, the Moravian Church's chief governing board. He began to compose in 1760 and by 1805 had written approximately 300 musical works. Although he never visited America, most of his pieces found their way into Moravian collections here. He died in Berthelsdorf (Germany), near Herrnhut, on April 14, 1815. This three-part arrangement of The Fruit of the Spirit has been simplified and transposed into a lower key, based upon the edition from manuscript parts in the Salem Congregation and Herbst Collections.

The funding for this publication was provided by the Moravian Music Foundation Board of Trustees in honor of College Hill Moravian Church, in appreciation of their partnership in the ministry of Moravian Music Foundation Assistant Director Gwyneth Michel, who also serves as Director of Music at College Hill.