Bless O Lord, us thyservants who minister inthy temple. Grant thatwhat we sing with ourlips we may believe in ourhearts, and what we believein our hearts we may showforth in our lives, throughJesus Christ our Lord,Amen.

Inside this issue:RSCM ReleasesLatest Edition ofThe Chorister’s Companion

2

Cynthia DeDakis to Receivea Fellowship of the RSCM

3

2009 Voice for LifeAwards Examinations

3

RSCM America 2010Summer Training Courses

4-5

Music Reviews 6-7

A Note from theCoordinator

8

Royal School of Church Music in AmericaRoyal School of Church Music in America

Volume 5, Issue 2 Winter 2009

New Jersey RSCM Festival to be Held in February 2010The first New Jersey Festi-val of the Royal School ofChurch Music will be heldFebruary 20-21, 2010 attwo churches in the Episco-pal Diocese of Newark.Choristers from all RSCM-affiliated churchesthroughout the state ofNew Jersey are invited toparticipate.

“The idea behind this festi-val is similar to the RSCMSummer Courses, but on aweekend rather than awhole week,” said JamesDouglas, Organist and Di-rector of Music at AllSaints’ Episcopal Church inMillington, N.J. “Our goal isto bring together RSCMA-affiliated churches…tolearn and sing together ona more intimate, intermedi-ate level.”

The schedule for Saturday,February 20 includes cho-

ral rehearsals, workshops,music games, and an in-structed Evensong, all heldat St. Peter’s EpiscopalChurch in Essex Fells, N.J.This first day finishes withdinner and an organ recitalby Adrienne M. Pavur. Sun-day, February 21 featuresan additional rehearsaland a concluding Even-song held at Calvary Epis-copal Church in Summit,N.J.

Repertoire for the SundayEvensong service will in-clude Preces and Re-sponses by William Smith,“Hail, gladdening light” byCharles Wood, Stanford’sMagnificat and Nunc Dimit-tis in B-flat, and Fauré’s“Ave verum corpus” and“Cantique de Jean Racine.”

A partial list of participantsincludes choristers from AllSaints’ Episcopal Church,

Millington; St. Peter’s Epis-copal Church, Morristown(Brian P. Harlow, Organistand Director of Music);Grace Episcopal Church,Madison (Anne Matlack,Organist and Choirmaster);and St. Peter’s EpiscopalChurch, Essex Fells(Andrew Krystopolski, Di-rector of Music).

For further information orto register your choir,please contact AndrewKrystopolski atversadrew1@yahoo.com.When writing, please in-clude the number of cho-risters that are interestedin participating (adults andchildren), the choristers’names and their voiceparts. Registration costs$10 per adult participantand $5 per child partici-pant.

During the week of June 8to 11, 2009 the EpiscopalChapel of St. John the Di-vine in Champaign, Illinoishosted a Choir Camp for itsown “Canterbury Choris-ters” and choristers fromChampaign’s EmmanuelMemorial Episcopal

Church. Modeled aftertraining courses for ad-vanced singers held by theRoyal School of ChurchMusic, the nine choristerswere “in residence” fordaily Evensongs, conclud-ing the week with a sungMass.

Ranging in age from 8 to17, the Choristers werechallenged to learn andperform different musiceach day. Repertoire in-cluded: a set of Preces andResponses by StephenDarlington; Evening Canti-

Episcopal Chapel of St. John the Divine Sponsors Summer Choir Camp

(continued on page 5)

Page 2 Royal School of Church Music in America

The Royal School of ChurchMusic has just launched acontemporary version of apopular reference book forthose who sing in churchesand cathedrals. The latestedition of The Chorister’sCompanion, commendedby singer and broadcasterAled Jones, is the latest ina long line of pocket-booksdating back to 1934.

The RSCM Voice for LifeChorister’s Companion con-tains everything a new cho-rister needs to know in onehandy pocket-sized book.Complete with color photo-graphs and illustrations, itincludes chapters on basicmusic notation and theory,how the voice works andhow to use it properly,some background on thehistory of church music, ahelpful glossary of musicalterms, and hints and tipsabout being part of a musi-cal team, namely, a choir.

Written with candidates forthe RSCM’s Bronze and Sil-ver singing awards also inmind, the pocket book in-cludes explanations ofchurch seasons and keydates of the church year.There are also chapters onvarious types of church ser-vice such as Holy Commun-ion, an illustrated guide tochurch architecture, andeven a section on robesand liturgical colors.There’s also a chapter ex-plaining the mechanics of achurch and cathedral or-gan, and a comprehensivereference list (with a time-line) of key church musi-cians and composers.

The new publication is thelatest version in a long lineof revisions. The first suchguide, called The Choir-boy’s Pocket Book, waspublished in 1934, andsold a total of 140,000copies until a major re-write and re-naming asThe Chorister’s Compan-ion in 1980. At the time,the then Director Dr. LionelDakers wrote that “somuch had changed in thelife of the Church since thedays before the SecondWorld War when the bookwas first published.”

In turn and thirty years on,Lindsay Gray, the presentDirector of the RSCM says,“the need for a total revi-sion has never beengreater. The church todayis almost unrecognizablefrom the church served bymy predecessor and foun-der of the RSCM, Sir Syd-ney Nicholson.”

Tim Ruffer, the RSCM’sHead of Publishing andeditor of the book, claimsthis latest companion iscomprehensive in givingchoristers (of all ages)some easily readablebackground material.“Whether you belong to achoir which sings in a ca-thedral, or in a small ruralchurch, The Chorister’sCompanion will be a valu-able reference book forlife! It’s been fascinating towork on this latest versionfor the modern-day churchmusician.”

Commending the new pub-lication in a Foreword,broadcaster and singer

RSCM Releases Latest Edition of The Chorister’s CompanionAled Jones writes, “TheChorister’s Companion willhelp you to serve yourchurch or school commu-

nity, and to use your voiceto the best of your ability.Singing is enriching and re-warding in so many ways.”

The children’s choir of the Lamington PresbyterianChurch in Bedminster, N.J. visited the CathedralChurch of Saint John the Divine in New York Cityrecently to hear the Cathedral Choristers sing anEvensong service. Pictured with the children on thecathedral steps are Alex Benestelli, Lamington’s Di-rector of Music, and Katie Comstock, leader of theLamington Youth Music Ministries.

The Voice for Life Chorister’s Companion(price £7.95*) can be ordered thus:

online www.rscm.comemail musicdirect@rscm.com.phone 0845 021 7726 (option 2)fax 0845 021 8826post RSCM Music Direct, St Mary’s Works,

St Mary’s Plain, NORWICH NR3 3BH.* 25% discount for RSCM Affiliates and Individual Members.

Page 3

Cynthia DeDakis to Receive a Fellowship of the RSCMCynthia DeDakis, Presidentof the Royal School ofChurch Music (RSCM) inAmerica, is to receive a Fel-lowship of the Royal Schoolof Church Music (FRSCM),the highest honorary awardfrom the international char-ity which supports and pro-motes church music. Itspatron is Her Majesty theQueen.

Ms. DeDakis, from FortWashington, Pennsylvania,is RSCM America’s first fe-male President and hasbeen active for many years

as a course manager andmusic director. She hasalso acted as a consultantfor the RSCM’s Voice forLife program, a populartraining scheme for singersin many churches in the USand around the world. Dur-ing her presidency she hasdone much to change theoperation and image of theRSCM in the United States,including the setting up ofthe RSCM America office atWestminster Choir Collegein Princeton, New Jersey.She is Minister of Music at

St. Thomas' Church, White-marsh, in Fort Washingtonand is a well-respectedchoral conductor andsinger in her own right. Shewas awarded an Associate-ship of the RSCM in 2004.

Commenting on the award,Lindsay Gray, the Directorof the RSCM says, “I amdelighted that Cynthia is toreceive a Fellowship; shehas worked tirelessly forthe cause of good music-making in worship.” Thepresentation will be madeeither in May 2010 in the

UK, or in July when LindsayGray will be visiting theUnited States.

2009 Voice for Life Awards Examinations ResultsCongratulations to all of our examinees!

GoldJenna Kay Freudenburg (with Honors): St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, Kalamazoo, Mich.

Emmalee Rachael Schauf: Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh, Pa.

SilverRachel MacIver Hicks (with Merit): St. John’s Episcopal Church, Charlotte, N.C.

Henry Peyronnin (with Merit): First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.Markos Michael Simopoulos (with Merit): The Catholic Community of St. Thomas More, Chapel Hill, N.C.

Ian David Sponseller (with Distinction): First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.

BronzeAbigail Fleming: First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.

Joanna Fleming (with Distinction): First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.Allie Hitchcock (with Merit): First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.

Katherine Hitchcock (with Merit): First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.Matthew Joshua Pahl (with Merit): St. John's Episcopal Church, Charlotte, N.C.

John Charles Riddle (with Distinction): St. John's Episcopal Church, Charlotte, N.C.Ian David Sponseller (with Distinction): First Presbyterian Church, Evansville, Ind.

Joshua Steinbach (with Distinction): St. Francis in the Fields Episcopal Church, Harrods Creek, Ky.Anna Weil (with Distinction): St. John's Episcopal Church, Charlotte, N.C.

Page 4 Royal School of Church Music in America

RSCM America 2010 Summer Training CoursesGULF COAST COURSEParticipants: 20 girls, age 10–18, and 10 adultsDates: June 14–20, 2010Music Director: Garmon AshbyResidential Venue: University of St. Thomas, Houston, Tex.Concerts/Services Venues: Palmer Memorial EpiscopalChurch, the Chapel of St. Basil and St. Paul’s United Meth-odist Church, HoustonCourse Fees: $495. RSCM members receive a $30 dis-countContact: Courtney Daniell-Knapp, Course Manager,cdknapp@palmerchurch.org

WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE/RSCMCOURSEParticipants: Rising high school juniors & seniors, collegestudents, and adult observersDates: June 27–July 4, 2010Music Director: Joe MillerOrganist: Ken CowanResidential Venues: Westminster Choir College, Princeton,N.J., and New York CityConcerts/Services Venues: The Cathedral of St. John theDivine, New York CityCourse Fees: $750 for participants, $225 for adult ob-servers. RSCM members receive a $25 discount. 2 gradu-ate credits are also available for an additional $500Contact: Kevin Radtke, Coordinator of RSCM America andSacred Music at Westminster, 609.921.7100 ext. 8277or office@rscmamerica.org

ST. LOUIS COURSEParticipants: 25 girls, 25 boys, 25 adults, and 1 organscholarDates: July 5-11, 2010Music Director: Simon LoleResidential Venue: Todd Hall Retreat Center, Columbia, Ill.Concerts/Services Venues: Cathedral Basilica of St. Louisand Grace Episcopal Church, Kirkwood, Mo.Course Fees: $525. RSCM members receive a $25 dis-countContact: Phillip Brunswick, Course Manager,bvmcentral@aol.com

CAROLINA COURSEParticipants: 40 girls, age 10–18, and 25 adultsDates: July 12–18, 2010Music Director: Michael KleinschmidtResidential Venue: Saint Mary’s School, Raleigh, N.C.Concerts/Services Venues: Various churches in the Ra-leigh area

Course Fees: $550. RSCM members receive a $25 dis-count. $100 deposit due April 1, balance due June 1.Contact: Nancy Hendricks, Course Manager843.889.0428 or carolinarscm@gmail.comMore Information: www.carolinarscm.org

TULSA COURSEParticipants: 40 boys, age 10–18, and 15 adultsDates: July 12–18, 2010Music Director: Bruce NeswickOrganist: Casey CantwellResidential Venue: University of Tulsa, Okla.Concerts/Services Venues: Trinity Episcopal Church, TulsaCourse Fees: $525 resident, $350 commuter. RSCMmembers receive a $25 discountContact: Sara Arnold, Course Manager 918.640.4274 orsaraarno@swbell.net; Casey Cantwell, Course Manager918.582.4128 or ccantwell@trinitytulsa.orgMore Information: www.rscmtulsa.org

CHARLOTTE COURSEParticipants: 60 young singers age 10–18, 30 adults, and2 organ scholarsDates: July 19–25, 2010Music Director: Richard WebsterOrganist: Marilyn KeiserResidential Venue: Queens University of Charlotte, N.C.Concerts/Services Venues: St. John’s Episcopal Churchand Myers Park Baptist Church, CharlotteCourse Fees: $495 before April 1, $525 after April 1.RSCM members receive a $25 discountContact: Alan Reed, Course Manager 704.408.7489 orrscmcharlotte@aol.com; Tracy Reed, Course Manager704.849.9791More Information: www.saintjohns-charlotte.org/rscm

KING’S COLLEGE COURSEParticipants: 60 girls, 40 boys, 30 teens/young adults, 20adults, and 2 organ scholarsDates: July 26–August 1, 2010Music Director: Barry RoseOrganist: Mark LaubachResidential Venue: The Campus of King’s College, Wilkes-Barre, Pa.Concerts/Services Venues: St. Stephen’s ProCathedral,Wilkes-Barre, Pa.Course Fees: $525. RSCM members receive a $25 dis-countContact: Rev. Linda Rosengren, Course Manager,kingscourse@bellsouth.netMore Information: www.kingscollegecourse.com

Page 5

RSCM America 2010 Summer Training Courses (continued)

WASHINGTON COURSEFOR ADVANCED TREBLESParticipants: 8 boys and 22 girls of advanced ability (redor yellow ribbon, or equivalent)Dates: July 26–August 1, 2010Music Director: David OgdenResidential Venue: St. Albans School, Washington, D.C.Concerts/Services Venues: Resident choir at WashingtonNational CathedralCourse Fees: $625 for trebles in residence, $375 foradult day observers. RSCM members receive a $25discountContact: RSCM America Office, 609.921.3012 oroffice@rscmamerica.org

RHODE ISLAND COURSE AT NEWPORTParticipants: Boys and girls, age 9-17Dates: August 2–8, 2010Music Director: Ben HuttoResidential Venue: Salve Regina University, Newport

Concerts/Services Venue: Emmanuel Church, NewportCourse Fees: $575, not including music. RSCM membersreceive a $25 discountContact: Priscilla Rigg, Course Manager, or Allen J. Hill,Registrar, rscmri@emmanuelnewport.org

Also in North America:MONTREAL COURSE – 50th Anniversary Year!

Participants: 40 boys, age 10–18, and 25 adultsDates: August 1–8, 2010Music Director: Malcolm ArcherOrganist: Patrick WeddResidential Venue: Sedbergh School, Montebello, Quebec,CanadaConcerts/Services Venue: Christ Church Cathedral, Mont-real, QuebecCourse Fees: $690, American or Canadian. Includes ananniversary polo shirtContact: Larry Tremsky, Executive Director, 516.746.2956ext. 18 or mbcc.canada@yahoo.comMore Information: www.mbcc.ca

Episcopal Chapel of St. John the Divine Sponsors Summer Choir Camp (continued from page 1)

cles in G Major by JohnWood and Herbert Sum-sion; a set by David Hoganentitled “Washington”; twosettings of the Phos Hilaronby Richard Proulx andDavid Hogan; “Hail, glad-dening light” by C. S. Lang,enhanced by the additionof the “vicars choral” –a.k.a. “The Chorister Dads”;plainsong chanting of thedaily psalms; “How Like anAngel I Came Down” byMalcolm Archer; “Hebedeine Augen auf” (“Liftthine eyes” sung in Germanfrom Elijah) by Felix Men-delssohn; and “Give us thewings of faith” by MarkBlatchly. The last day fea-tured the Missa Brevis byBenjamin Britten on thefeast of St. Barnabas. Thegroup of 9 young choristersaccomplished a great dealin four days!

The Canterbury Choristersand Choristers of Em-manuel Parish are:Katherine Buzard, EmmaLloyd, Elizabeth Russell,Ethan Russell, Abigail She-lato, Emily Warren, SamWarren, Samantha Wellsand Celia Williams.

Keith Williams, Organistand Music Director of St.John’s Lutheran Church,Champaign, assisted in theorgan-playing duties for theMass.

The Episcopal Chapel of St.John the Divine is the Cam-pus Ministry at the Univer-sity of Illinois, whose parishis comprised of students,faculty, staff, and area resi-dents, located in the heartof the campus. The Chapelhas a fine musical tradi-tion, including an RSCM-affiliated chorister program

that integrates the choris-ters into the adult choir.Recently expanded andcompleted in its Perpen-dicular Gothic style, theChapel’s reverberantacoustics have been en-hanced, making it a won-

derful room for choral sing-ing.

Submitted by Linda Buzard,Organist and Choirmaster,The Episcopal Chapel of St.John the Divine

Page 6 Royal School of Church Music in America

By Ray Urwin

Josef Rheinberger: 12Monologues, Op. 162.Amadeus, BP 2592; 12Fughetten strengen Stilsfur de Orgel, Op. 123A,123B [two volumes]. CarusVerlag.

I use all three of these vol-umes very frequently(especially the Mono-logues) for weddings, fu-nerals, summer voluntar-ies, etc., as they are short,easy, and appealing to lis-teners. The fugues, whilenot overtly dramatic (thedrama is in the musicalarchitecture), are moresubstantial music thanboth the Monologues andthe typical flashy toccatasoften used as postludes.Each volume includes 12fugues (24 in all), thus ei-ther or both volumes are abargain, especially if oneuses many or most of thepieces. While those in Op.123B are somewhat moreadventurous, only two orthree pieces over all threevolumes are of any realdifficulty: the pieces arenot for sight-reading, butthe vast majority can bequickly learned. Averagelength is only two pages,with each fugue about 3 to3.5 minutes long. I highlyrecommend all threebooks.

David Cherwein: Postludeson Well known Hymns.Augsburg Fortress, 11-10795.Cherwein is a fine arrangerand composer, and does agood job with this volume.While the music itself is

very good, another virtueof this book is the scarcityof other organ settings(good or otherwise) formost of these tunes. Tunesset include Ode to Joy, St.Anne, Lobet den Herren,Nun danket alle Gott, andSine Nomine. The Lobetsetting is for me a bit tooacademically Baroque, butthe rest do not suffer fromthis, and are fine and exu-berant settings, thoughthey are not for beginnersand will take some seriouspracticing (the setting ofNun danket, for example,is double-pedal!) My ownfavorite is Sine Nomine,and I use this setting(inspired by stz. 7 and per-haps the best piece in thevolume) as the prelude onAll Saints Sunday everyyear. Highly recommended.

Organ Music based on‘Adoro te devote,’ Ubi cari-tas et amor,’ and ‘O filii etfiliae.’Adoro te devote (Hymn314) is one of the bestknown, best loved, andmost frequently used ofplainsongs, and Ubi caritas(Hymn 606) is for me oneof the most beautiful of allchants in both words andtheology. And, in terms ofservice planning, for manyyears the great tune O filiiet filiae always caught meby surprise on the Sundayafter Easter – when I wastoo exhausted to learnmuch if any new organ mu-sic! I have always wishedthere were more organsettings especially of Ubicaritas, and have found asurprising lack of settingsfor all three of these great

hymns. So this issue’s mu-sic reviews are settings ofthese which I have foundover many years. While Iam of course partial tosome of these more thanothers, I have used all ofthem at least twice (andmost of them much more)over the years. Though itcan take some work andadvance planning, someinspiring as well as unifiedservices can be put to-gether around somehymns, especially as herewith a rather day-specifictune such as O filii. Andmusic based on the othertwo chants is of courseapplicable most of theChurch year. Best of all, Ihave done this diggingwork for you! In fact, I keepcopies of my settings forthe first of these chantstogether in an “Adoro te”folder rather than in theirnormal place in my organlibrary, for ease of planningand retrieval. One mightprofitably compile severalsuch folders of music, fortunes such as Lobet denHerren, Ode to Joy, Hyfry-dol, Amazing grace, etc.,perhaps using copiesrather than originals if incollections. I highly recom-mend this, as it makes ef-fective planning so mucheasier and faster. I hopeyou will learn some of thepieces here, and plansome services aroundthem. You could even try toget your clergy to give thatday’s sermon on the cho-sen tune as well – theymight even be sung, withcommentary, during thesermon time. One caveat:give yourself enough time

Music Reviews: Winter 2009to do justice to some of themore ambitious settingshere. I would start learningsome of the O filii settingsthe previous summer orfall, to avoid the rush!

Jean Langlais: Improvisa-tion (Elevation) from SuiteMedievale en forme deMesse Basse. EditionsSalabert (1950). The thirdmovement of this famoussuite briefly uses the Adorochant. It is the easiest, butalso the shortest, of themovements reviewed here;if not used as a regularservice voluntary it mightbe used as an introduc-tion, interlude, or coda tosinging the hymn duringCommunion. The 4thmovement, Meditation,uses the Ubi caritas chant(Hymn 606) – but is alsomuch more difficult thanthis movement!

Hermann Schroeder:Hymni ad Communionemfur Orgel. Musikverlag Al-fred Coppenrath (1980).Fine settings (likely origi-nating as improvisations)of Lauda Sion and Pangelingua as well as Adoro.

Raymond Weidner: SevenLiturgical Preludes. Para-clete Press, PPM 00127(2001).Fine and easy setting ofAdoro. Other settings in-clude Conditor almesiderum, Divinum myste-rium, Vexilla Regis, TeDeum, Veni creator Spiri-tus, and O lux beata trini-tas.

(continued on page 7)

Page 7

Music Reviews: Winter 2009 (continued from page 6)

Sam Batt Owens: Adoro tedevote (No. 5), from SixMeditations on PlainsongMelodies. Morning Star,MSM-10-531 (1999).Other settings: Conditoralme siderum, Divinum, Inparadisum, Pange lingua,and Stabat mater dolo-rosa.

Gerald Near: St.Augustine’s Organ Book:ten preludes on GregorianChant Melodies. Aureole,AE 86 (1996). This volumehas settings of both Adoroand Ubi. Both are equallyfine. Adoro is set as atheme and variations,which can be done aloneor alternating with choir,and is probably my per-sonal favorite and the one Iuse most frequently. Thesetting of Ubi includes gen-tly undulating syncopationsand interesting modula-tions, and I often use it onMaundy Thursday. Thebook has several otherbeautiful and useful set-tings of other chants. Noneof the pieces are difficult. Ihighly recommend this re-markable collection.

Arthur Hutchings: Sea-sonal Preludes for Organ.Novello, 01 0188 05(1984). This is a fine col-lection of music on com-monly used hymn tunes forwhich there are not manyorgan settings, includingIrby and Sine Nomine aswell as Adoro te and O filii.Adoro te devote is a softlybubbling trio. Though thetexture is exposed and themusic does go a bit farafield, the tempo is slow,so all is still well! O filii et

filiae is a rollicking giguebut not technically difficult,and is the setting I usuallyuse on Easter 2. The Irbysetting is a meditationrather than the usualstraight-through-the-tunesetting, with bits of variousphrases appearing (notnecessarily in order!),sometimes combined witheach other, or in a quasi-canon. While this is per-haps the most musicallyinteresting piece in thevolume, it is not as techni-cally difficult as my de-scription may have made itsound! The setting of SineNomine is the best shortorgan setting of this tune Ihave seen. It is to thepoint, short, simple, butinteresting, and I use it asthe Postlude on almostevery All Saints Sunday.Highly recommended.

Jeanne Demessieux:Twelve Choral Preludes.Summy-Birchard/WarnerBros. This excellent collec-tion has beautiful but noteasy settings of both Ubiand O filii et filiae. It alsohas splendid settings ofAttende Domine for Lent,Adeste fideles, and an es-pecially fine setting of theVeni Creator which I usu-ally use as my closing vol-untary on Pentecost. Onecould also play some ofthese excellent servicepieces as a small group onrecitals.

Leo Sowerby: O filii et filiae(Postludium), from Adventto Whitsuntide: Organ Mu-sic for the Church yearbased on Six Hymns forthe great Festivals.

Hinrichsen, H. E. No. 743b.This interesting collection,published in 1963, was aneffort by established byolder composers to writesuitable but modern musicfor the less Romantic,“leaner and meaner” in-struments being built, andeach volume was availablefor either manuals only ormanuals and pedal. Vol-ume 1 was by Hendrik An-driessen, Vol. 2 by GordonPhillips, and Vol. 4 was bySowerby. His setting of theEaster tune is fine, if stillsomewhat overblown. Theother settings in this vol-ume are Veni Emmanuel,In dulci jubilo, Heinlein(Forty days and Fortynights), O sacred Head,and Veni Creator. AlthoughI find Heinlein similarly toooverblown, all the othersare very good music andwell worth learning (I haveused this setting of In dulcijubilo most years, andhave used it in recitals aswell), thus making thewhole collection well worthhaving. Includes interest-ing historical notes on thetunes by the late Erik Rout-ley.

Emma Lou Diemer: O filiiet filiae, from CommunionHymns for Organ: Music ofCelebration and Introspec-tion. Sacred Music Press,70/1106S. Sometimesserendipity is the bestguide. One would not asso-ciate this Easter tune withCommunion (at least in theEpiscopal Church), and Iconfess I only found thissetting of O filii havingbought the volume for an-

other piece! No matter - it’sa fine setting, with the tune(rhythmic version) accom-panied with a syncopated,quasi-pizzicato pedal andrunning eight-note chordsor scales in the left hand.Other equally fine settingsin this volume include Ren-dez a Dieu, Afron, O LammGottes, and Salzburg.

Ray Urwin: Three ChoralePreludes. St. James MusicPress, 1998. I hope I won’tbe accused too much ofblowing my own horn byreviewing these littlepieces here. Settings of Ofilii et filiae and Wieschoen leuchtet derMorgenstern, they werecommissioned by the Se-wanee Conference in1998, when I served onthe faculty there. So far,they are my only organ mu-sic. Dedicated to myteacher Charles Krigbaum,they were written with thevon Beckerath instrumentin Yale’s Dwight Chapel inmind, especially its 16’Rankett. Since O filii is aFrench tune, I gave it aFrench Classical treatmentin terms of the registration- set as a trio, with the tunein the pedal. There are ac-tually two settings in thevolume, corresponding tothe two settings in theHymnal 1982 (Hymns and203). The subtitle for themis “with apologies to JSB,”because the right handuses the melody of theBach Minuet in G (in minor)against the hymn tune! Wieschoen is more difficult,and might best be de-scribed as an irascible trio.

RSCM AmericaBoard of Directors

Cynthia DeDakis, ARSCMPresident

Enid Oberholtzer, HonRSCMPresident-elect

Ernest PlunkettSecretary/Treasurer

Lori MullerTraining Courses

Committee Representative

Garmon AshbyFrank Boles

Karen KnowlesAndrew SheranianRandel L. Wolfe

Ex Officio membersof the Board:

Kevin RadtkeCoordinator, RSCM America

The Rev. Edmund PickupPastoral Advisor/Chaplain

Email: office@rscmamerica.orgTel: 609-921-3012Website: www.rscmamerica.org

Royal School of Church Music in America

Westminster Choir College101 Walnut LanePrinceton, NJ 08540

Greetings to all from theRSCM America office. I’d liketo use this space to brieflyremind you about RSCMAmerica’s involvement withGoodSearch.com.

GoodSearch.com is a Yahoo-powered search engine thatdonates half of its advertis-ing revenue, about a pennyper search, to the charitiesits users designate. RSCMAmerica has been a regis-tered charity withGoodSearch.com since2007. This means, ofcourse, that you can helpour organization to earndonations by using Good-Search.com each time youwant to search the Internet.Simply visitwww.goodsearch.com, enter“RSCM” into the “Who doyou GoodSearch for?” box,

click “Verify”, and search asusual. You’ll receive excel-lent Yahoo-powered searchresults, and RSCM Americawill receive about one cent!

At the time of this writing,RSCM America’s supportershave performed 3,575searches in two-and-a-halfyears, earning RSCM Amer-ica no less than $44.29.Thank you! Here is an amaz-ing statistic, however: ifeach of our 600 membersperformed just 2 searchesper day onGoodSearch.com, RSCMAmerica would earn $4,380in one year. It goes withoutsaying that RSCM America’smany educational and train-

ing opportunities, resourcesand publications – and byextension you, your choris-ters and your programs! –would benefit immenselyfrom that a donation of thatsize.

To all those who continue toGoodSearch for RSCM Amer-ica, thank you. To all thosewho haven’t yet started, wecan’t wait to thank you! Weinvite you to search atwww.goodsearch.com today.

A blessed Advent andChristmas to all,

Kevin RadtkeCoordinatorRSCM America

A Note from the Coordinator