SEPTEMBER, 2007

First United Methodist ChurchBirmingham, Michigan

Cover feature on pages 30–31

T H E D I A PA S O N

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“A musician’s musician who plays with great elegance, butalso, when needed, with fire.” The American Organist

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THE DIAPASONA Scranton Gillette Publication

Ninety-eighth Year: No. 9, Whole No. 1174 SEPTEMBER, 2007Established in 1909 ISSN 0012-2378

An International Monthly Devoted to the Organ,the Harpsichord, the Carillon and Church Music

Editor & Publisher JEROME BUTERAjbutera@sgcmail.com

847/391-1045

Associate Editor JOYCE ROBINSONjrobinson@sgcmail.com

847/391-1044

Contributing Editors LARRY PALMERHarpsichord

JAMES McCRAYChoral Music

BRIAN SWAGERCarillon

HERBERT L. HUESTISOrganNet Report

Osiris Organ Archivewww.mdi.ca/hhuestis/osiris

e-mail: hhuestis@mdi.ca

Prepress Operations DAN SOLTIS

CONTENTS

FEATURES

Boston 2007:Early Music “A La Carte”

by Larry Palmer 22

Healing in the Christian AssemblyThe 59th session of the Institute of Liturgical Studies

by Cheryl E. Dieter 24

1932 Kimball Restoration by Reuter Organ Company—Minot State University

by David Engen 25

NEWS Here & There 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12Appointments 6Nunc Dimittis 10In the wind . . . by John Bishop 14On Teaching by Gavin Black 15Das Orgeleinbuch by Leonardo Ciampa 18

REVIEWSMusic for Voices and Organ 16New Recordings 18New Organ Music 20

NEW ORGANS 32

CALENDAR 33

ORGAN RECITALS 37

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 38

THE DIAPASON (ISSN 0012-2378) is published monthly byScranton Gillette Communications, Inc., 3030 W. SaltCreek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Phone847/391-1045. Fax (847) 390-0408. Telex: 206041 MSG RLYEmail: jbutera@sgcmail.com web: TheDiapason.com

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Copyright ©2007. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

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Here & There

The Music Institute of Chicago,which recently launched an organ andearly music program, is the recipient ofa 1936 Kimball organ from Vance Fish-er of Michigan (fourth from left). Theinstrument consists of three ranks and ishoused in an art deco case. Also pic-

tured (from left) are Robert Beird(organist of the former First Church ofChrist Scientist), Margaret Kemper(organ faculty), Jeff Weiler (organ cura-tor), Vance Fisher, Sandy Fisher, andJames Russell Brown (organ faculty andhead of the department).

Music Institute of Chicago

It’s time to plan on advertising in THEDIAPASON 2008 Resource Directory.Be sure your company is included in theonly comprehensive directory and buy-er’s guide for the organ and churchmusic fields. The Directory is printed ina 53⁄4″ x 8″ handbook format and mailedwith the January issue of THE DIAPA-SON. It features an alphabetical listing ofcompanies and individuals, with com-plete contact information, includingweb and e-mail addresses, and a prod-uct/service directory.

Advertising deadline is November 1,2007. Contact the editor, JeromeButera, at 847/391-1045; .

The Church of St. Louis, King ofFrance, in St. Paul, Minnesota, presentsits ninth season of Tuesday lunchtimerecitals at 12:35 pm: September 4,Bradley Althoff; 9/11, David Bartlett;9/18, Cathy Rodland; 9/25, Julian Bewig;

October 2, John Salveson; 10/9,Lawrence Archbold; 10/16, Diana LeeLucker; 10/23, Raymond Johnston;10/30, James Callahan;

November 6, Ralph Johansen, 11/13,Dean Billmeyer; 11/20, David Jenkins;11/27, David Saunders. For informa-tion: .

The 10th annual Albert SchweitzerOrgan Festival/USA takes place Sep-tember 7–9, hosted by First Church ofChrist in Wethersfield, Connecticut.The festival opens with a concert on Fri-day night, featuring Paul Jacobs, DianeMeredith Belcher, and FrederickHohman. The competition rounds takeplace Saturday, and Sunday’s scheduleincludes worship services, a masterclass,and the awards presentation. For infor-mation: 860/529-1575, ext. 209; .

The Cathedral of St. Philip,Atlanta, Georgia, presents a new seasonof organ recitals followed by ChoralEvensong on Sundays at 3:15 and 4 pm:September 9, Bruce Neswick; 9/16, BillCallaway; 9/23, Michael McGhee; 9/30,Rachel Gragson; October 7, AlvinBlount; 10/14, David Jernigan; 10/21,Eric Dombrowski; November 4, DavidLamb; 11/11, John Alexander; 11/18,Richard Pilliner; 11/25, David Schelat.For information: .

Festival Organistico Inter-nazionale takes place at various loca-tions in Treviso, Italy, and environsbeginning September 9 and continuing

through October 28. Concerts takeplace on historic organs from the 17thand 18th centuries (by such builders asCallido, Nacchini, and De Lorenzi) andalso on significant newer instruments(Zanin, Dell’Orto Lanzini, and Carli).Francesco Cera will perform the inau-gural concert on September 9; otherperformers include Michael Harris(9/14), Frank van Wijk (9/22), LiuweTamminga (October 19), Andrea Maci-nanti (10/26), Ludger Lohmann (10/28),and many others. In addition to con-certs, there will be a course on inter-preting French Romantic organ reper-toire, led by Michael Harris and Rober-to Antonello. For information: .

The Cathedral of St. Patrick, NewYork City, has announced the fall organseries on Sundays at 4:45 pm: Septem-ber 16, Karen Beaumont; 9/30, DouglasBruce; October 28, Robert P. Ridgell;and November 11, Richard Pilliner. Forinformation: 212/753-2261, ext. 245;.

Music of the Baroque begins its2007–08 season: Haydn, The Seasons,September 16 (First United MethodistChurch, Evanston) and 17 (Harris The-ater, Chicago); “The French Connec-tion,” October 28 (Evanston) and 29(Chicago); Holiday brass and choralconcerts, December 13 (Grace Luther-an Church, River Forest), 14 (St.Michael’s Church, Chicago), 22 and 23

(Divine Word Chapel, Techny). Forinformation: .

Christ Church Cathedral, Lexing-ton, Kentucky, presents its fall musicseries: September 16, Choral Evensong;October 7, The Ashland Trio: 10/21,Choral Evensong; November 4,Schuyler Robinson, followed by SolemnChoral Evensong; 11/18, Choral Even-song,; 11/30, Messiah; December 2,Advent Procession; 12/16, Nine Lessonsand Carols. For information: 859/254-4497 ext. 117; .

Park Congregational Church,Grand Rapids, Michigan, presents its fallrecital series on Tuesdays at 12:15 pm:September 18, James R. Metzler; Octo-ber 2, Michael Stefanek; October 16,John Hamersma; October 30, JoySchroeder. For information: 616/459-3203, ext. 29; .

The Dominican Priory and theChurch of St. Vincent, New York City,presents its fall music series: September19, Mark Bani; October 10, John Scott;November 2, Fauré, Requiem; Decem-ber 2, Handel, Messiah. For informa-tion: 212/744-2080, ext. 114.

The Church of St. Ignatius Loy-ola, New York City, announces its 19thconcert season, celebrating the 15thanniversary of the Mander pipe organ:September 23, Kent Tritle, with bari-tone Christopher DeVage; November 4,

The Parish Choir of St. Elisa-beth’s Episcopal Church, Bartlett,Tennessee, conducted a 10-day pilgrim-age to England, culminating in a resi-dency in Taunton in Somerset County.The choir sang Evensong and Eucharistservices in St. Mary Magdalene and St.John’s Anglican churches, presentingmusic by Frank Ferko, David Hogan,

Jane Marshall, Craig Phillips, DavidAshley White, and other contemporaryAmerican composers. The ReverendKaren Barfield, canon for communityministries at St. Mary’s EpiscopalCathedral, Memphis, accompanied thepilgrimage. Jim Walsmith is director ofmusic at St. Elisabeth’s, and Lynn Bau-man is organist.

The Parish Choir of St. Elisabeth’s Episcopal Church

4 THE DIAPASON

In preparation for their Americantour, 46 young gentlemen from Flori-da’s Singing Sons Boychoir enjoyeda “Pipe Organ Discovery” at the FirstPresbyterian Church of PompanoBeach (The Pink Church) on June 7.The program was in honor of the workof Jeffri Bantz as music director of theboychoir.

Mark Jones demonstrated thechurch’s four-manual pipe organ andplayed Bach’s famous Toccata in DMinor. The young men then climbedthe pipe chambers to see the thousandsof wooden and metal pipes. Then Mr.Jones allowed the “organ scholars” to sitat the console and try the organ sounds.

The discovery was the idea of DanielCopher, accompanist and director ofmusic at All Saints Episcopal Church inFort Lauderdale. During their tour, theyoung men had the opportunity to see,hear, and be accompanied by severalfamous pipe organs, such as the Wana-maker Organ in Philadelphia.

In the interest of heightening theawareness of the pipe organ, the pro-gram was the collaborative effort of

Mark Jones, Daniel Copher, DianaAkers, Matthew Steynor (organist at St.Thomas Episcopal Parish in CoralGables and Fellow of the Royal Col-lege of Organists) and Craig Denison,artistic director of Florida’s SingingSons Boychoir.

Kerala Snyder, and Christoph Wolff,along with the U-M faculty. For infor-mation: .

The Church Music Association ofAmerica presents “Missa in Cantu: ASeminar in the Sung Mass for Cele-brants,” at St. John Cantius parish inChicago, Illinois, October 17–19.

The seminar includes tracks for thenew and old forms of the Roman Rite,and covers the basics of common tones;singing the parts of the Mass; musicalrubrics for the Roman rite; vocal pro-duction and style; and more.

The faculty includes Fr. C. FrankPhillips, C.R., pastor of St. John Can-tius; Fr. Scott Haynes, St. John Cantius;William Mahrt, Stanford University(President of the Church Music Associ-ation of America); and Scott Turking-ton, Stamford Schola Gregoriana (Gre-gorian chant masterclass).

The Instituto de Órganos Históri-cos de Oaxaca A.C. presents the SixthInternational Organ and Early MusicFestival, Oaxaca, Mexico, November8–13. This year’s festival will include forthe first time concerts on all seven ofOaxaca’s restored organs (OaxacaCathedral, the Basílica de la Soledad,Tamazulapan, Yanhuitlán, Zautla, Tla-cochahuaya and Tlaxiaco), as well asorgan masterclasses, a clavichord con-cert, seminars, and visits to variousunrestored organs in the Mixteca Altaregion. Presenters include KimberlyMarshall, Bernard Brauchli, CeciliaWinter, Rafael Cárdenas, and others.For information: .

The Organ Historical Society hasestablished a new program designed toaward recognition to authors and topublished work on the history of theorgan. Similar to the Bessaraboff andDensmore Prizes of the AmericanMusical Instrument Society, the OHSwill award prizes to the most significantarticle-length and book-length publica-

tions about the organ in the English lan-guage in alternating years. The firstprize to be awarded will be in 2008 forthe article cycle, for articles publishedin 2005 and 2006. The initial book cyclewill occur in 2009 for books publishedin 2006 and 2007, and thereafter thecycles will repeat accordingly. Copies ofthe program description and criteria, aswell as nomination forms, are availablefrom the OHS at P.O. Box 26811, Rich-mond, VA 23261, or via e-mail at . Thedeadline for submitting nominations isNovember 30, 2007.

The vestry of Trinity Church WallStreet has affirmed Trinity’s long termcommitment to its Marshall & Ogletreevirtual pipe organ by authorizing thedisposition of the parts from its decom-missioned Aeolian-Skinner pipe organ.As a further endorsement of Trinity’svirtual pipe organ, the vestry alsoannounced that it would begin afundraising effort to acquire a similarstate-of-the-art organ for St. Paul’sChapel, to replace its decommissionedinstrument. Both pipe organs were cov-ered with debris and sustained heavydamage when the World Trade Centertowers fell on September 11, 2001.

Following September 11, the churchpurchased a Marshall & Ogletree virtualorgan as a temporary measure, while theAeolian-Skinner organ was evaluatedand restored. Installed in 2003, Trinity’sMarshall & Ogletree “Opus 1” instru-ment is actually two 85-stop organs com-posed of two consoles, a 2,000-poundtone generation system, two audio sys-tems, and proprietary software operatingon the Linux platform. In the more thannearly four years since it was installed, ithas gone through many changes andimprovements as Marshall & Ogletreehas further developed its technology.

Early Music America announcesthe winners of its 2007 awards recogniz-ing outstanding accomplishments inearly music, which were presented at

Craig Denison, Mark Jones, Matthew Steynor, Daniel Copher; in front: Diana Akers

David Briggs; February 24, JohannesUnger; April 9, Nancianne Parrella,with violinist Jorge Ávila and cellistArthur Fiacco; 4/27, Renée AnneLouprette. For information: 212/288-2520; .

St. Lorenz Lutheran Church,Frankenmuth, Michigan, announces itsfall music events: September 23, PaulGerhardt Hymn Festival; October 28,Steven Wente; December 8, 9, 57thannual Christmas concert. For informa-tion: 989/652-6141; .

Presbyterian Homes, Evanston,Illinois, presents its fall series of organrecitals: September 24, Douglas Bruce;October 5, Uwe Karsten Gross; 10/22,Janette Fishell and Colin Andrews;November 26, Marsha Webster.

St. Luke’s Chapel, Medical Universi-ty, Charleston, South Carolina, presentsits fall series of recitals: September 25,Seung-Lan Kim; October 2, William D.Gudger; 10/16, Charles Farley.

The Cathedral Church of theAdvent, Birmingham, Alabama, pre-sents its fall music series: September 28,Stephen G. Schaeffer; October 14,Choral Evensong; 10/26, Gene Fam-brough, percussion; November 16,Richard Webb; December 2, AdventLessons and Carols; 12/14, The Cathe-dral Ringers Handbell Choir. For infor-mation: 205/226-3505; .

The 12th Toulouse internationalorgan and cultural festival, Toulouseles Orgues, begins September 28 andcontinues through October 14. Concertstake place at dawn, noontime, evening,or during Mass, and feature works fromall periods, for solo organ and organ withsymphony orchestra and vocal ensem-bles. The festival also includes master-classes, conferences by Nicole Symon-not-Gueye and Gilles Cantagrel, a com-petition sponsored by the Centre d’É-tudes Supérieures de Musique et deDanse de Toulouse, cultural/gastronom-ic daytrips to nearby regions, and eventsfor children. Toulouse will also host thecongress marking the 10th year ofECHO (European Cities of HistoricOrgans), with representatives from 11European cities. For information:.

Washington Cathedral presents itscentennial organ series: September 30,cathedral organist; October 14, OlivierLatry; November 18, Thomas Trotter;December 25, Christmas Day organconcert with the cathedral organists.For information: .

The 47th Conference on OrganMusic takes place September 30–Octo-ber 3 at the University of Michigan, AnnArbor, with the theme “Bach and Buxte-hude” in commemoration of the 300thanniversary of Buxtehude’s death. Pre-senters include Michael Barone, PamelaRuiter-Feenstra, Peggy Kelly Reinburg,

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“A few years ago, St. Paul’s had a newpipe organ installed by Schoenstein& Co.; it is now one of the finest in-struments in the city, remarkable forits palette of color, tonal variety andbalance. Devotees of the pipe organshould seek out this surpassinginstrument.”

Pierre RuheThe Washington Post

Dedicated to Expandingthe Tonal Color

and Dynamic Rangeof the Pipe Organ

3101 Twentieth Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

(415) MIssion 7–5132

Sir Joshua Reynolds

INVENTION is one of the great marksof genius, but if we

consult experience, weshall find that it is bybeing conversant with

the inventions ofothers that we learn toinvent: as by reading

the thoughts of otherswe learn to think.

Daniel Copher coaches Singing Sonsmember

THE DIAPASON2008 Resource Directory

The only comprehensive directoryand buyer’s guide for the organ

and church music fields

Advertising deadline:November 1, 2007

Contact editor Jerome Butera847/391-1045

PACCARDCast bronze bellsDigital carillons

www.christophpaccard.com800/849-6670

SEPTEMBER, 2007 5

Gregory PetersonOrganist

College Organist andAssistant Professor of Music

Luther CollegeDecorah, Iowa

Stephen RobertsOrganist/Harpsichordist/Lecturer

Instructor of OrganWestern CT State University

Director of MusicSt. Peter Church

Danbury, Connecticut

Clair RozierOrganist/Lecturer

Director of MusicSt. David's Episcopal Church

Wayne, Pennsylvania

Larry PalmerHarpsichordist/Organist

Professor of Harpsichord and OrganMeadows School of the Arts

Southern Methodist UniversityDallas, Texas

Roman PeruckiOrganist/Lecturer/Recording Artist

Director, Frederic Chopin Polish Baltic Philharmonic

International Organ Music FestivalJ.P. Sweelinck Organ Music Competition

Organist, Oliwa CathedralGdansk, Poland

Lisa Scrivani-TiddOrganist/Lecturer

Assistant Professor of MusicSUNY at Jefferson

Watertown, New YorkUniversity Organist

St. Lawrence UniversityCanton, New York

Heinrich WaltherOrganist/Clavichordist/Virginalist/

Recording ArtistFaculty, University of Music

Freiburg, GermanyFaculties, Church Music Schools

Heidelberg and RottenburgGermany

Yoon-Mi LimOrganist

2004 NYACOP WinnerDirector of Music

Fairlawn Presbyterian ChurchColumbus, Indiana

Mary MozelleOrganist/Recording Artist

Associate Organist The National Presbyterian Church

Washington DC“The Sights & Sounds

of the Pipe Organ”

David F. OliverOrganist/Lecturer/Recording ArtistCollege Organist

Assistant ProfessorDepartment of MusicMorehouse College

Atlanta, Georgia

Jane WattsOrganist

Exclusive Recording ArtistPriory Records

First RCO Performer of the YearOrganist of the Bach Choir

London, England

Duo MajoyaOrgan and Piano

Recording ArtistsMarnie Giesbrecht and Joachim Segger

Professors of MusicUniversity of Alberta

The King’s University CollegeEdmonton, Alberta, Canada

ConcertArtistCooperative

Michael StefanekOrganist

Director of MusicAldersgate United Methodist Church

Redford, Michigan

Ines MaidreOrganist/Pianist/Harpsichordist

Associate Professor of OrganGrieg Academy of Music

Bergen, Norway

Sabin LeviOrganist/Harpsichordist/Carillonneur/

Lecturer/Recording ArtistOrganist and Composer in Residence

First Christian Church of IndependenceAssistant Music Director

Shireinu Choir of Kansas CityKansas City, Missouri

www.ConcertArtistCooperative.comBeth Zucchino, Founder and Director

7710 Lynch Road, Sebastopol, CA 95472PH: (707) 824-5611 FX: (707) 824-0956

Established in 1988

20ththANNIVERSARY

the EMA annual meeting during theBoston Early Music Festival on June 15in Boston.

Mary Springfels received the HowardMayer Brown Award for lifetimeachievement in the field of early music.Musician-in-residence at the NewberryLibrary since 1982, she is founder anddirector of the Newberry Consort and asenior lecturer at both the University ofChicago and Northwestern University.

Sarah Mead received the ThomasBinkley Award for outstanding achieve-ment in performance and scholarship bythe director of a university or collegeCollegium Musicum. This year she cel-ebrated her 25th year directing theEarly Music Ensemble at Brandeis Uni-versity, where she also frequently servesas a guest choral conductor. She is theauthor of Plain and Easy: A PracticalGuide to Renaissance Theory and a con-tributor to Schirmer’s Performer’sGuide to Renaissance Music.

The Sarasa Ensemble is the recipientof the Early Music Outreach Award,which honors ensembles or individual

in Stuttgart, also won the £500 audi-ence prize.

The £2,500 second prize went toSouth African Rudy de Vos, 26, who iscurrently studying at the EastmanSchool of Music. The winner of the£800 Douglas May Award for a com-petitor giving the best performance onthe festival’s own Collins organ, but notwining another prize, went to BálintKarosi, 28, from Hungary.

A special €1,000 prize to mark the100th anniversary of the birth of theblind French organist Jean Langlais, whodied in 1991, was won by Linda Sitková,26, from the Czech Republic. The prizewas donated by Langlais’ widow and waspresented by festival judge Lynne Davis,who was a pupil of Langlais in Paris.

For the first time in the 44-year histo-ry of the St Albans competition, thejudges decided not to award a prize inthe Improvisation Competition. Thejudges were Lynne Davis and PaulJacobs from the USA, Martin Baker andDavid Titterington from the UK, andLudger Lohmann from Germany.

Corrections & clarificationsThe recital program by Michel Bou-

vard (Organ Recitals, July 2007, p. 32),listed the wrong composer for TroisDanses; it should read Alain.

Sebastian Bach and the organ—another testimony to a livinglegacy

Most DIAPASON readers are awarethat since his 21st birthday in 2006,Felix Hell has performed the completeorgan works of J. S. Bach on threeseperate occasions: in his native Ger-many, at the Peabody Institute in Balti-more, Maryland, and in “TheBach/Christmas City” of Bethlehem,Pennsylvania. The German projectenjoyed packed houses and standingovations, the Maryland performancesreceived the overwhelming support ofhis fellow conservatory students, whosported badges reading “I’ve been toHell and Bach, again!” and in Bethle-hem, Pennsylvania during the year ofthe 100th anniversary of the BethlehemBach Choir Festival, in addition to

artists for excellence in early music out-reach and/or educational projects forchildren or adults. The ensemble per-forms music from the early Baroquethrough the Romantic eras, and pro-duces the Sarasa Chamber Music Seriesin Cambridge and Concord, Massachu-setts, and summer concerts based inPutney, Vermont.

Early Music America also presentedscholarships to five outstanding stu-dents. Among this year’s winners is key-boardist Hsuan Chang, a graduate stu-dent at Indiana University, who willattend the Tafelmusik Baroque Sum-mer Institute.

For more information, contact EarlyMusic America at 206/720-6270 or888/SACKBUT, or visit .

The International Organ Festi-val at St Albans has announced thisyear’s prize winners. German organistUlrich Walther was the winner of the£6,000 first prize in the interpretationcompetition. Ulrich, 26, who studies

6 THE DIAPASON

Heinrich Christensen is featuredon a new recording on the C. B. Fiskorgan at King’s Chapel, Boston (ArsisSACD 402). The program includesBruhns, Praeludium in e; Bach, Sonatain C, BWV 529, Toccata and Fugue in d,BWV 538; Pinkham, A Flourish, aVision and a Commandment; Madsen,Three Chorale Preludes; Laukvik, Suite;and Mozart, Andante, K. 616. For infor-mation: .

Richard A. Darne, DMA, will be hon-ored by the congregation of the CedarLane Unitarian-Universalist Church ofBethesda, Maryland at a special service onSeptember 23, in recognition of his 40years of distinguished service as theirdirector of music-organist. During thattime he developed a large music program,which includes an Adult Choir, ChamberChoir, two Youth Choirs, and HandbellChoir, as well as a long-running concertseries. Dr. Darne oversaw the design andinstallation of a four-manual, 51-rankCannarsa organ in 1987, and is nowinvolved in planning major additions tothe instrument with the Walker TechnicalCompany. His organ studies were at theCurtis Institute with Alexander McCurdy,after which he received the Master ofChurch Music at the College of ChurchMusicians at Washington Cathedral. Hethen attended the Catholic University ofAmerica, where he was granted the firstDoctor of Musical Arts degree awardedby the university.

Ronald Ebrecht has arranged a pro-gram centering on Duruflé for the NewHaven Symphony Orchestra scheduledfor October 18 in Woolsey Hall, YaleUniversity. This concert is the first withthe orchestra’s new music director,William Boughton, and will feature theFauré Pelleas Suite, Poulenc Concerto(Ronald Ebrecht, soloist), and DurufléRequiem, with the Yale Camerata. Theworld premiere of Duruflé’s orchestra-tion of the Sicilienne from the Suite, op.5(b), will also be performed. (The Scher-zo, op. 2, is the only other organ piecethat Duruflé orchestrated.) For informa-tion: .

Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of MusicMaster of MusicArtist Diploma

School of MusicNewly appointedFrederick Swann

Artist Teacher of Organ& University Organist

On-Campus Performance instruments:1927 Casavant Opus 1230 4/61 (fully restored)1965 Schlicker 2/221882 George Stephens

For more information: (909) 748-8014

music@redlands.eduwww.redlands.edu/music

know I learned a lot from watching himplay. People kept telling me how surprisedthey were to see me, a kid, at yet anotherconcert, but for me it was like being in aspecial club. I kept seeing the same nicepeople and we were all enjoying the musictogether and talking about it at intermis-sion and afterwards. Felix was extremelynice to me. He even showed me some coolcard tricks after the very last concert. Oneman who watched him do these tricks saidthat he now knew how Felix played all theBach pieces so beautifully: it was magic!

And so, the legacy is passed on yetagain, one young person at a time!

—George BoyerOrganist, director of music,

Park Avenue United MethodistChurch, New York City

Chorusmaster, Allentown SymphonyOrchestra Chorus

Musical Director, Bel Canto Singersand The Summer Harmony Men’s Chorus

newspaper and radio interviews inwhich Felix spoke the praises of ourbeloved instrument, testimonies such asthe following flooded in. Here we havethe reaction of a 10-year-old to the per-formance of a 21-year old, born in theyear of the 300th birthday of the greatmusic master. It begins with an intro-duction by the father of the youngBach/Hell fan, Dr. Larry Lipkis, Profes-sor of Music at Moravian College.

We received a notice in the mail aboutthe Felix Hell concert series and immedi-ately became subscribers. My wife Lindaand I are both very involved with the BachChoir of Bethlehem—she as an alto in thechoir, and I as a member of the Board ofManagers and pre-concert lecturer—andour children are both fledgling musicianswho have already had significant encoun-ters with Bach. We figured this would bean entertaining way to spend a few familyevenings together. Rory, our 10-year oldwho has been studying organ for about ayear but is a veteran concert attendee,quickly became enamored of the experi-ence and made it his personal mission toattend all ten concerts! As a musicologist,I appreciated how thoughtfully Felix puttogether the programs to create musicalvariety and liturgical sense. Each concertwas amazing and revelatory in its own way,and one had to marvel at Felix’s remark-able technique, maturity and musicality.Ten-year-old Rory writes:

I feel Felix Hell’s concert series was aninspiration to all organists. I have juststarted studying the organ and I wasamazed that Felix Hell could learn all ofthis very hard music and keep playingpiece after piece, concert after concert,without getting tired. I paid close atten-tion to see how he used his hands and feetand what registrations he chose, and I

Rory Lipkis

the choirs, directing the training choir,coordinating the guest choir program,and founding and directing CathedralVoices, the cathedral’s new volunteerchoir. Before working at the cathedral,he completed graduate studies at theUniversity of Michigan in choral con-ducting, organ performance, and churchmusic, having studied with Robert Glas-gow, Jerry Blackstone, and TheodoreMorrison. Hanoian has recently finisheda recording of the complete organ worksof Johannes Brahms to be released inthe coming months on the JAV label.

Frederick Swann has been appoint-ed University Organist, Artist in Resi-dence, and Artist Teacher at the Uni-versity of Redlands, where he is com-mitted to helping the university restoreits organ program. He currently holdsthe office of National President of theAmerican Guild of Organists, and servesas Organist Emeritus of the CrystalCathedral, and Organ Artist-in-resi-dence at St. Margaret’s EpiscopalChurch in Palm Desert, California.

In 2001, after completing a 60-yearcareer as a church organist, Swannretired from church work in order todevote his full time to concertizing. Hiscareer has included posts as organist atthe Riverside Church in New York City(1957–1982), the Crystal Cathedral(1982–1998) and First CongregationalChurch of Los Angeles (1998–2001). Inaddition to his prominent church posi-tions, he was for ten years chair of theorgan department at the ManhattanSchool of Music and served on the fac-ulties of the School of Sacred Music atUnion Theological Seminary as well asTeacher’s College of Columbia Univer-sity, New York City.

Swann holds degrees from North-western University and the School of

Sacred Music at Union TheologicalSeminary, each granted “with distinc-tion.” In 2002 he was named2002–2003 Performer of the Year bythe New York City chapter of theAmerican Guild of Organists.

Frederick Swann, who turns 76 thisfall, is keeping a busy recital schedulein his “retirement.” Among the recitalsthis fall are the following: September 9,University of Redlands, Redlands, CA;9/16, Immaculate Conception, Tow-son, MD; 9/18, First Presbyterian, St.Petersburg, FL; 9/23, First Congrega-tional, Columbus, OH; October 14,Hosmer Hall, SUNY, Potsdam, NY;10/16, St. Stanislaus, Buffalo, NY;10/19, Providence Presbyterian, Fair-fax, VA; 10/26, All Saints, Worcester,MA; 10/28, Mechanics Hall, Worces-ter, MA; November 2 and 4, St. Luke’sCathedral, Portland, ME.

Appointments

Scott Hanoian

Scott Hanoian has been appointedDirector of Music and Organist atChrist Episcopal Church in GrossePointe Farms, Michigan. In addition toserving as the church’s organist andchoirmaster, he will direct an activemusic program that includes the Choirof Men and Boys, Choir of Men andGirls, and Christ Church Chorale, acommunity-based choir that sings majorchoral-orchestral works throughout theyear. He will also oversee the annualChrist Church Concert Series, whichconsists of special services, recitals, andconcerts throughout the year.

Hanoian leaves his post as assistantorganist and assistant director of musicat Washington National Cathedral,where his duties included accompanying

Frederick Swann

Here & There

Heinrich Christensen

8 THE DIAPASON

Waterbury AGO chapter. On Thursdayand Friday, prior to the public concert,Ms. Gómez will present three concertsfor Waterbury public school fifth-gradestudents. These concerts at First Con-gregational Church, now in their twelfthyear, have introduced more than 30,000young people to the organ.

Ms. Gómez was born into a musicalLong Island family, and began studyingorgan privately with Bronson Ragan ofthe Juilliard School at 16. In 1977, shemarried a Mexican businessman andmoved to Mexico City, where, afterstudying with prominent musicians, shebegan her career as music editor, organrecitalist, and recording artist. She hasboth revived historic works and com-missioned new works. In 2001, she wasnamed founding president of Organistasde México.

Gerre Hancock is featured on Vol-ume IV of the AGO Master Series ofeducational videos. The DVD profilesthe professional and personal sides ofDr. Hancock with interviews and perfor-mances, including his performance ofFête by Langlais. The video is availablefrom the AGO bookstore ($25 plus ship-ping); 212/870-2310, .

Nigel Potts will perform a series oforgan recitals honoring the 150thanniversary of Edward Elgar’s birth(June 1857). The series will includerecitals at St. Paul’s Parish, K St., Wash-ington, DC (October 19); St.

Bartholomew’s Church, New York City(October 24); and St. Philip’s Cathedral,Atlanta, Georgia (November 13). Theseall-Elgar concerts will include transcrip-tions and the Sonata in G major and aresupported by The Elgar Society. For further informa-tion: .

Roger Sayer is featured on a newrecording, Roger Sayer plays organmusic from Rochester, on the Regentlabel (The English Cathedral Series,Vol. XIII, REG CD 227). Recorded onthe 1905 J. W. Walker and Sons/1989 N.P. Mander Ltd. organ at RochesterCathedral (UK), the program includesDupré, Deuxième Symphonie, op. 26,Prelude and Fugue in A-flat, op. 36, no.2; Heiller, Tanz-Toccata; Whitlock, Ply-mouth Suite; Ayres, Exite Fidelis; andDuruflé, Suite, op. 5. For information: .

Timothy Edward Smith, ministerof music at First CongregationalChurch in Columbus, Ohio, tran-scribed The Carnival of the Animals byCamille Saint-Saëns and plays it as afeatured work on a new two-CD set onthe Raven label. The recording fea-tures the newly restored 1931 W. W.Kimball organ, op. 7066, of four manu-als and 66 ranks at the front of the

church as well as the 1972 Rudolf vonBeckerath organ in the west gallery.The recording is available online from for $14.98 withfree delivery worldwide.

The organ restoration by Peebles-Herzog of Columbus was funded by abequest from church member Dr. JeanMacNevin in memory of her husband,Dr. William MacNevin. Both werechemists, and he chaired the chemistrydepartment at Ohio State University.During her life, she had provided fundsto keep portions of the Kimball playing.

A.E. Schlueter Pipe Organ Company and Atlanta First United Methodist Churchare pleased to announce that the installation of their new 5-manual, 93-rank pipe organ has begun.

Go to www.pipe-organ.com to view the complete specification of this and other projects.

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Janette Fishell, D.Mus, was hon-ored by East Carolina University as thefirst recipient of that institution’s Cen-tennial Award for Excellence, “in recog-nition of ambition, as evidenced by aninnovative and entrepreneurial mindset,of critical analysis that defies the con-ventional wisdom, and action that leadsto a creation that is beneficial to thelarger community.” In bestowing thishonor, Chancellor Steven Ballard notedProfessor Fishell’s commitment tobuilding and maintaining a strong pro-gram in organ performance and sacredmusic studies at East Carolina Universi-ty’s School of Music and, most impor-tantly, her leadership in designing andraising funds for the C. B. Fisk Opus126 organ, which now serves both theuniversity community and St. Paul’sEpiscopal Church. Janette Fishell isDistinguished Professor of Music,Director of Organ Performance andSacred Music Studies, and Chair of theKeyboard Department. She concertizesin the United States under the manage-ment of Karen McFarlane Artists.

Prolific editor and “Mexico’s FirstLady of the Organ,” Rossina Vrionidesde Gómez will perform an organ recitalat 4 pm on October 7 at First Congre-gational Church, Waterbury, Connecti-cut. Her program will include works ofBach, Franck and Mexican composers.This concert is co-sponsored by the

Nigel Potts

Janette Fishell

Rossina Vrionides de Gómez

Gerre Hancock

(l to r) Marshall Yaeger, David Ogletree, John Weaver, Cameron Carpenter,Douglas Marshall, Richard Torrence, Michael Barone (photo by Len Levasseur)

John Weaver was honored at areception hosted by Torrence &Yaeger following Cameron Carpenter’sJuly 5 concert to open the TrinityChurch Conservatory Stars Organ Fes-tival. Dr. Weaver was head of theOrgan Department at the Curtis Insti-tute of Music in Philadelphia from1972 to 2003, and also chair of theOrgan Department at the JuilliardSchool from 1987 to 2004. Five of theartists involved with the 2007 festivalare former Weaver students: CameronCarpenter, Felix Hell, Alan Morrison,and Paul Jacobs; and David Ogletree of

Marshall & Ogletree, builder of theTrinity Church organ.

The entire festival, which includesNathan Laube and Tom Trenney, iswebcast live and on-demand at. Carpen-ter’s concert was attended by a capacitycrowd of 650 people, including dele-gates to the AGO and ATOS conven-tions held in New York during the firstweek of July. Within one week, Trinity’swebsite had more than 21,000 viewersfor the opening concert, which wasreviewed by The New York Times().

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10 THE DIAPASON

Works on the program include“Andante Rustico” (Sonata Cromatica),Yon; Baroques, Bingham; “Fanfares”(Suite I), Hampton; Le Jardin Sus-pendu, Alain; and pieces by CharlesEdgar Ford, Frank Howard Warner, H.Leroy Baumgartner, Mendelssohn,Brahms, Buxtehude, Jakob Praetorius,Hanff, and J. S. Bach.

Timothy Edward Smith has servedFirst Congregational since 2003. Anative of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, hehas appeared twice with the BostonSymphony Orchestra under Seiji Ozawaand has played recitals for elevennational conventions of the Organ His-torical Society. He is also an organ-builder and organ consultant.

Thomas Trotter is featured on anew recording, Chanson de Matin: SirEdward Elgar—Works for Organ, onthe Regent label (REGCD 256).Recorded on the “Father” Willis organof Salisbury Cathedral, the programincludes Sonata in G, op. 28; Can-tique, op. 3, no. 1; Vesper Voluntaries,op. 14; Sonata No. 2, op. 87a; Chansonde Matin (transcr. Brewer); Nimrod(transcr. Harris); and Pomp and Cir-cumstance No. 4 in G, op. 39 (transcr.Sinclair). For information: .

1920 in Prague, Janacek was the last stu-dent of professor Bedrich Antonin Wie-dermann at the Prague Conservatory.Already in his student years he made aname for himself as a brilliant organ vir-tuoso. In 1948, due to severe changes inpolitical events, he did not return froma concert trip to Scandinavia and settledin southern Sweden. From there hecontinued his concert activities, not onlyin Scandinavian countries, but also inWestern Europe (he played severaltimes at the Royal Festival Hall in Lon-don) and in the USA. Later he wasactive as a church organist in severalSwedish churches, notably in the cathe-dral of Lund, from 1965 until 1985.After one of his concerts in Rome, hemet Bohuslav Martinu and inspired himto compose his only organ work, Vigilia.Martinu died before finishing the pieceand Janacek sensitively completed it,having added a few closing bars.

In the last two decades he dedicatedhimself to composition and creatednumerous liturgical and concert worksfor organ solo, voices and instruments,many of them published in this countryby Alliance Publications, Inc., 9171Spring Road, Fish Creek, WI 54212-9619; .

Gordon Clark Ramsey died June21. He was born on May 28, 1941 inHartford, Connecticut. A graduate ofWestminster School in Simsbury, Con-necticut, and Yale College class of ’63,Gordon was equally at home in theworlds of academia, history and music.A past president of the Avon HistoricalSociety, he also was historian anddirector of financial development forthe Avon Old Farms School, whichnamed him ’80 Honoree. Prior to hisretirement, Gordon served the Univer-sity of Hartford for 18 years as secre-tary to the faculty senate and adjunctinstructor in English, rhetoric, lan-guage and culture, history, and the all-university curriculum. His exceptionalskills with language were highlyregarded; he was Dame AgathaChristie’s first biographer and the onlyone to have known her personally.

Gordon showed an early interest inthe organ, writing record reviews forThe American Organist in the 1960s,

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Here & There

Breitkopf & Härtel has announcedthe publication of Bach’s Mass in BMinor, BWV 232, in a “definitive ver-sion” edited by Joshua Rifkin. The newedition draws on all relevant sources torestore the Mass to its original condi-tion, eliminating the additions by C.P.E.Bach. Rifkin was joined by Alfred Dürr,who provided a piano-vocal score andorgan part characterized by textualauthenticity and idiomatic keyboardwriting. For information: .

The Gothic Catalog announces therelease of An Hour to Dance, a newrecording of choral works by Americancomposer Gwyneth Walker. Recordedin 2006 at Whitman College in WallaWalla, Washington, with the choirsdirected by Robert Bode, head ofchoral/vocal studies and professor ofmusic at Whitman, the CD features 17new works, set to the poetry of LangstonHughes, Thomas Merton, Anne MorrowLindbergh and others. The compositionsrange from entirely original works set toevocative American poetry to “contem-porary adaptations” of traditional folksongs and spirituals. The CD booklet’snotes include full song texts. For infor-mation: .

Lyrichord announces new CDreleases. Baroque Masterworks (LEMS8058), performed by the Ama DeusEnsemble, Valentin Radu, conductorand organist, presents favorite 18th-cen-tury works, including Bach’s Toccataand Fugue in D Minor and Prelude andFugue in E-flat Major, Handel’s OrganConcerto, op. 4, no. 2, and Vivaldi’sOboe Concerto in D Minor, with oboistSarah Davol. The CD was recorded atArch Street United Methodist Church inPhiladelphia, on its Standbridge organ.

Valentin Radu and the Ama DeusEnsemble also are featured on a newrecording of Purcell’s Dido & Aeneas(LEMS 8057), with Julianne Baird asDido and Timothy Bentch as Aeneas.For information: .

Pro Organo announces the releaseof Go Tell it on the Mountain. This is thepremiere CD featuring the Men andBoys of Grace Cathedral, San Francis-co, under recently appointed canondirector of music and organist, Dr. Jef-frey Smith. The program features anarray of Christmas music, including newarrangements of existing standards inthe literature, and a brassy jazz trio andchoir setting of “Go Tell it on the Moun-tain.” Composers and arrangers includeHancock, Near, Purvis, Sowerby, JamesBassi, Hugh Keyte, Andrew Parrott,McNeil Robinson, Jeffrey Smith, andothers. Pro Organo CD 7212, $15.00.For information: .

JAV Recordings has announced therelease of César Franck: Intégrale del’oeuvre vocale avec orgue. This AeolusCD includes Franck’s offertories forvoice, various organ pieces, and motetsfor the “devotion to the holy sacrament.”The ensemble comprises 14 childrenfrom the Maitrîse of the Conservatory ofGeneva with six tenors and six basses ofthe “Solistes de Lyon—Bernard Tétu”and soprano, tenor and bass soloists. Thesurround-sound recording, made in2006 at St. François de Sales in Lyon,

and studying organ playing with AnnGilman, Richard Griffin, and G. Hunt-ington Byles. In 1983 he was appointedorganist of the Second Church ofChrist, Scientist in Hartford, a positionhe held for 24 years, where he verymuch enjoyed playing the beautifulthree-manual 1929 Skinner organ, Opus793. Gordon also recorded organ musicand accompanied soloists for the AFKAlabel on that instrument.

Well known for his facility with theEnglish language, he amused his friendswith original and outrageous stories fea-turing fictitious characters that were justplausible enough to have been takenfrom real life. Gordon’s sense of humorranged from the absurd to the mordant.A past president and member of theJeremiah Wadsworth Branch of theSons of the American Revolution, heonce observed that “conservatives needto adopt a sense of irony, especiallyabout themselves.” One of his favoritepoems was written by Dame ElizabethWordsworth (1840-1932) and titled“Good and Clever:”

If all the good people were clever,And all clever people were good,

The world would be nicer than everWe thought that it possibly could.

But somehow ’tis seldom or neverThe two hit it off as they should,

The good are so harsh to the clever,The clever, so rude to the good!

So friends, let it be our endeavourTo make each by each understood;

For few can be good, like the clever,Or clever, so well as the good.

Gordon managed to be both goodand clever; he was a gentleman whoappreciated the finest things life has tooffer, all the while aware of the value offriendship, integrity and a keenly devel-oped sense of humor. He died on June21, leaving no immediate survivors; amemorial service will be held in thechapel of Avon Old Farms School at atime to be announced.

—William Nierintz and Joseph Dzeda

Harriette Slack Richardson diedAugust 8, 2006, after a long battle withAlzheimer’s disease. She was 86. Bornon July 3, 1920 in Springfield, Vermont,she began piano lessons before she start-ed school and was playing the organ atSt. Mark’s Episcopal Church at age 11.She graduated from the Eastman Schoolof Music in 1941,where she studied withHarold Gleason and Catherine Crozier,and also received the master’s degreeand Artist’s Diploma from Eastman.

Dr. Richardson served as organist atEmmanuel Lutheran Church inRochester, New York; Grace EpiscopalChurch, Hammond, Louisiana; and St.James’ Episcopal Church in Alexandria,Louisiana. In October, 1948 shereturned to her original position at St.Mark’s Episcopal Church in Springfield,Vermont, where she remained as organ-ist-choirmaster and director of musicuntil her retirement with 72 years ofservice in April 2004.

She was assistant professor of music atColby-Sawyer College in New London,New Hampshire 1970–78. She taughtpiano and organ at SoutheasternLouisiana University in the early 1940sand also taught at Dartmouth, Vassar andthe Community College of Vermont. Sheleaves her husband of 60 years, HubbardRichardson, two daughters, a cousin, andseveral nieces and nephews.

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Ralph E. Carver, formerly ofBoston, longtime resident of Mashpee,Massachusetts, died May 31 at the age of91. A longtime member of the AmericanGuild of Organists, he helped restoreorgans in various churches in the North-east, and was actively involved at theChurch of the Advent in Boston. Carverenlisted in the Army during World WarII as a surgical technician. He served inNorth Africa, Sicily, and Italy. Later heserved in the Navy as a nurse orderly ona destroyer during the Korean War andthen in the Navy Reserve. His careerincluded 30 years as a registered nursein the Veterans Administration hospitalsin Boston and Jamaica Plain.

Swedish organist and composer ofCzech origin Bedrich Janacek diedJune 1, in Lund, Sweden. Born May 18,

Gordon Clark Ramsey

Thomas Trotter

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12 THE DIAPASON

note transposing keyboards and will beavailable in spring 2008. By visiting thebuilder’s website (, click on Project Gallery),readers can see regularly updated pho-tos of the instruments under construc-tion. For information: 541/521-7348; e-mail: .

When the Aeolian-Skinner pipeorgan at New York City’s TrinityChurch was damaged by dust anddebris from the terrorist attack in 2001,the church dismantled the instrumentand planned to restore or replace it. Asa temporary replacement, the churchinstalled a “virtual pipe organ” that usesdigital samples of real pipe organsounds, played through a computerizedaudio system and nearly 100 speakershidden behind dummy pipes. The digi-tal organ, built by Marshall & Ogle-tree, has had a thorough workout sinceits installation in 2003, and Trinity hasnow decided to make the Marshall &Ogletree its permanent organ, and tocommission a second for St. Paul’sChapel. The church will sell off theparts of the lamented Aeolian-Skinner.

The organ was featured in a Conser-vatory Stars Organ Festival, whoseopening concert in July featuredCameron Carpenter, playing at a con-cert for the regional convention of theAmerican Guild of Organists and thenational convention of the AmericanTheatre Organ Society. Both halves ofMr. Carpenter’s recital, in a programsplit between organ classics and auda-cious arrangements of piano works,orchestral scores, film music and popsongs, drew standing ovations. Alsoadded to the 170 stops normally avail-able on the Trinity organ were another125 theatre organ stops. For informa-tion: .

Carlo Curley played a concert July 15at St. Andrew United Methodist Churchin Highland Ranch, Colorado, on aRodgers Trillium MasterpieceSeries 958 digital/pipe combinationorgan. The pipe organ was originallybuilt in 1976 by the Layton Organ Com-pany of Denver for the previous churchlocation in Centennial, Colorado. Reno-vations and additions were made to theorgan by Morel & Associates, Inc. PipeOrgan Builders of Denver in the early1990s. In January 2004, the churchmoved into Phase I of its new 16-acrecampus, which included a multipurposeroom to be used as a sanctuary until theplanned sanctuary is built. To continuethe tradition of a pipe organ in thechurch, Morel & Associates moved theexisting 15-rank pipe instrument to itsnew location and Church Organs ofColorado replaced the console with theRodgers console and audio systems,adding digital voices to expand the tonalresources of the instrument to fill thelarger space. For information:.

France, features the 3-manual Cavaillé-Coll organ (1880, 45 stops). AE-10013,$27.00. For information: .

New England Organbuilders,LLC, Willimantic, Connecticut, hasrecently completed a new organ for Dr.Joseph Flummerfelt. A portative organof two stops, it was used in the perfor-mance of the St. John Passion at thePrinceton (New Jersey) Bach Festival.One of the firm’s current projects is therestoration of an anonymous 18th-cen-tury German clock organ for the PeaseCollection of Historical Instruments,housed in Palmer, Massachusetts. Forinformation: 860/377-4927; e-mail:.

David Petty & Associates, Organ-builders of Eugene, Oregon are cur-rently building two portative organs,one of four stops and one of five stops.Both instruments will feature 8′, 4′, 22⁄3′and 2′ stops; the larger instrument willhave an 8′ Regal. The four-stop instru-ment will have a quarter-sawn white oakcase with white oak carvings; the five-stop instrument will have a painted casewith gilded carvings. All of the fluepipes in both instruments will be ofsolid hardwoods, which include whiteoak, cherry and purpleheart. The Regalwill have wooden blocks with high-leadalloy resonators. Both instruments willfeature quiet electric blowers and 51-

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Schoenstein open house (photo credit: Oliver Jaggi)

An open bench was the highlight atthe open house held at Schoenstein &Co. on June 10. Employees welcomedlocal AGO chapter members and gueststo the new plant in Benicia, California(45 miles north east of San Francisco).All were invited to play the newly fin-ished 6-rank organ for the chapel at theWesley Memorial United MethodistChurch in High Point, North Carolina,and view other organs being built forvarious churches in New York City.

Guests toured the 25,000 sq. ft. facility,including the 42′ tall erecting room, themill shop, metal shop, spray booth,assembly shop, administration offices,and loading docks, and the newly com-pleted 5,000 sq. ft. addition, which willhouse pipe-making, voicing rooms, aleather-gluing room, archives and stor-age. Currently, voicing is done in thehistoric San Francisco factory, built in1928. For information: .

A Johannus organ is planned for the800-seat chapel of Georgetown College,to be used for worship, convocations,celebrations, and teaching. The neworgan comprises two instruments: theCavaillé-Coll, with 112 voices, has 132ranks, 4 manuals, and an AGO pedal-board; there are 4 independent pipefaçades and 158 loudspeakers. The VanRhijn Baroque Organ has 31 voices, 38ranks, 2 manuals and a BDO pedal-board. It is sampled from a Silbermannpipe organ of the year 1726 and includesa positive pipe façade. The responsibledealer for this project is RivierstadOrgan Consultants from Kentucky.

The organ will be named theOsborne-Tilford Family Organ; fundingwas bequeathed by Mrs. MildredOsborne and by Bradley Tilford, son ofProfessor Daniel Tilford, who hastaught for 40 years on the music facultyof the college. Prof. Tilford’s other son,Stephen, who succeeded his father as

Prof. Daniel Tilford, Shirley Tilford, Susan Tilford, Bradley Tilford and the Rivier-stad Organ Consultants dealer Dan Benjamin, and Gert Stoffer, vp of JohannusOrgelbouw b.v.

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piano teacher on the music faculty ofGeorgetown College, recently died ofcancer. The organ memorializes bothMrs. Osborne and Stephen Tilford. Theorgan will be inaugurated in September,with celebratory concerts featuring theorgan along with instruments and vocalperformance. For information: .

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14 THE DIAPASON

Is it real?Fifteen or twenty years ago there was

an ad campaign for Memorex® cassettetapes in which various setups were cre-ated to compare “live” music withrecorded music to see whether bothwould break a piece of fancy stemware.A popular singer would be featuredoffering a terrible, powerful high note,and inevitably the glass would shatter.

What did it prove? I’ve heard some singers who could

make me cringe, but how plausible is itthat the actual, acoustic human voicewould break a glass? Conversely, I won-der if any other recorded sound playedback with enough wattage would breakthe glass—a hummingbird’s wings forexample or a cat on a hot tin roof. I thinkthe Memorex demonstration was at leasta little bit disingenuous, and of coursewe heard the whole thing through what-ever speakers came with our televisionset. Television advertisements for televi-sions imply that what you see on thescreen may be better than real life, butagain, your appreciation of the ad is lim-ited by the quality of your present TV.

The American Heritage Dictionary(Houghton Mifflin Company, 2000)defines the word virtual: “1. Existing orresulting in essence or effect though notin actual fact, form, or name . . . ” and“2. Existing in the mind, especially as aproduct of the imagination.”

I introduce the word virtual in thiscontext of what I might call the “unreal-ity of reality.” In recent years we’vebeen given the phrase virtual reality,defined in the same dictionary as “acomputer simulation of a real or imagi-nary system that enables a user to per-form operations on the simulated sys-tem and shows the effects in real time.”

An oxymoron is not a person addictedto painkillers, it’s a “rhetorical figure inwhich incongruous or contradictoryterms are combined.” To my ears, virtu-al reality is an oxymoron.

Let’s be real.We might imagine that Bach would

have stopped at 175 cantatas if he hadbeen subject to phone calls from theclergy, or Mozart’s 30th symphonywould have been his last had he beendistracted by television, or—God for-bid—video games. But simple thingslike hot water in the house and electriclights are taken for granted, and morecomplicated things like computers havebecome something close to necessities.I’m in favor of technology. The other dayI stumbled over a box of detritus storedin an organ chamber by a long-goneorganist. I was amused to see a 56Kcompact disc. 56K? How Stone Age.There’s a half-used 100-pack of 700MBCDs on my desk. Big deal. I replaced myprevious 2GB laptop with a 60GB jobbecause of the number of photos I carryaround. There’s a 2GB memory card inmy camera. What’s next? RememberNASA engineers using slide rules duringApollo flights? (I know that’s truebecause I saw it in a movie.) With a $400GPS we have more navigation ability ina 20-foot motorboat than the entireBritish Navy had during the Napoleonicwars. How much more computing speedor data-storage capacity do we need?

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Apply that same question to cameras(mine has more mega-pixels than yours),automobiles (mine has more horsepowerthan yours), or cell phones (mine’s acamera, a calculator, a calendar, an alarmclock . . . ). How much more can theyoffer before they stop getting better?

Many of us in the organbuildingworld are devoted to the pipe-organ-technology of the early 20th century—what Ernest Skinner considered ade-quate console equipment should begood enough for anyone. But let’sremember that hundreds of terrificHook organs were replaced by Skinner’snew-fangled electric things where theorganist was 40 feet away from theinstrument. What makes the early elec-tro-pneumatic pipe organ the ideal?How many organbuilders and organistsdisdained Skinner’s innovations assuperfluous or unnecessary? “If Godhad intended us to push pistons wewould have been all thumbs.” At whatpoint in the development of any tech-nology does one take a snapshot anddeclare the ideal, after which there’s noneed for further development?

Electronics in the worship spaceIt’s more than 50 years since church-

es began purchasing electronic organsto replace pipe organs. I think many,even most of us will admit that the 30-and 40-year-old models that are stilllaboring along are pretty poor. Whilethey have pipe organ names on theirstop tablets, they never did sound likeorgans. They were cheaply made andnot durable. A church I served as musicdirector had a 20-year-old electronic inthe chapel that wasn’t in tune, accordingto the technician couldn’t be tuned, andneeded parts that weren’t available.Have you ever tried to get a three-year-old computer repaired?

While it’s always risky to generalize, itseems to me that the average churchthat was once proud of owning a modestpipe organ is inclined to buy an elec-tronic console that emulates a 60- or 70-stop “real” organ. What sense does itmake to have an “organ” with 32′sounds, batteries of reeds, and sec-ondary and tertiary choruses in a sanc-tuary that seats fewer than 200 people?Is it so you can play music that wasintended for buildings ten times thesize? It’s a violation of scale, an anom-aly, and artless expression. As I wrote acouple months ago, “the Widor” doesn’twork in every church.

The Virtual Pipe OrganTrinity Church (Episcopal), Wall

Street, New York, is a prominent, beau-tiful, historically significant edifice thathouses a large and vibrant parish withan extraordinary music program.According to the church’s website, the parishwas founded “by charter of KingWilliam III of England in 1697.” Thepresent Gothic Revival building,designed by Richard Upjohn, was con-secrated on May 1, 1846. The websiteincludes an Historical Timeline thattells us that some of the church’s vestry-men were members of the ContinentalCongresses, that the parishioners weredivided politically as the RevolutionaryWar progressed, but that the clergysided with the crown. An Americanpatriot, the Rev. Dr. Samuel Provoost,was appointed rector in 1784, and theNew York State Legislature “ratifie[d]the charter of Trinity Church,” deleting

the provision that asserted its loyalty tothe King of England.

In 1770, just 28 years after GeorgFrederick Handel’s Messiah was pre-miered in Dublin, Ireland, it received itsAmerican premiere at Trinity Church.Today’s spectacular and highly regardedTrinity Choir is heard on many record-ings. Their annual performances of Mes-siah are legendary throughout the city.Bernard Holland of the New York Timeswrote, “All the ‘Messiah’ outings tocome in the next two weeks will have towork hard to match this one.” And in2005, the Times called Trinity’s perfor-mance of the great oratorio, “the ‘Messi-ah’ to beat.” (Now there’s an image!)What a wonderful heritage.

On September 11, 2001, TrinityChurch assumed an essential nationalrole by chance of place. Located adja-cent to the World Trade Center, thechurch and its people were thrust intothe center of that tragic story. St. Paul’sChapel, part of Trinity’s “campus” andlocated a couple blocks away, becamean inspiring comfort station for firefight-ers and other emergency workers.Through the ensuing months, as therubble was unraveled, the chapel wasstaffed by the people of the church whoprovided food, refreshment, and a rest-ing place for the rescue workers. Theresponse of the clergy, staff, and parish-ioners to that national catastrophe wasas inspirational as it was essential.

At the moment of the attack, a servicewas in progress in Trinity Church, theorgan blower was running, and the greatcloud of dust that filled the entire neigh-borhood found its way into the organ. Itwas later determined that the organcould not be used without extensivecleaning and renovation. A temporarysolution was offered. Douglas Marshalland David Ogletree, dealers of Rodgersorgans in New England, had beendeveloping the “Virtual Pipe Organ,”using a technology they namedPipeSourced® voices. A large instru-ment using this technology was installedat Trinity Church as a temporary solu-tion while the church researched thecondition of the Aeolian-Skinner.

A year or so after the Virtual PipeOrgan was installed, I attended a serviceto hear the instrument and wasimpressed by the volume and intensityof the sound. The massive building wasfilled with the sound of an organ. Therewas no distortion. People were singing,and I’m willing to bet that many of themwere well satisfied, even thrilled by thesound. I had not expected to be con-vinced that the Virtual Organ wouldreally sound like a pipe organ. In factI’m not sure how I could eliminate thebias of a lifetime as an “acoustic organguy.” As full and intense as the sound ofthe Virtual Organ was, it was not thesound of a pipe organ. It lacked theessential majesty of presence, the spe-cial physicality, the particular “realness”of the sound of a great pipe organ.

The experience of listening to the Vir-tual Organ might be compared to listen-ing to a recording of a great pipe organ,as the sound of both comes from speak-ers. I understand that sampling technol-ogy is not the same as recordings, and Iexpect that proponents of the virtualorgan will object to my analogy, but it’sthose speakers that make the essentialdifference. Sound coming from a speak-er will always be distinguishable fromsound coming from organ pipes.

I can recall the depth of my impressionswhen as a young teenager I first heard theBoston Symphony Orchestra playing inSymphony Hall. I think I expected thehuge volume of sound and the intensity ofthe differences of the timbres, but I had noway of anticipating the presence, themajesty, the physicality of all that acousticsound as enhanced by the magnificentroom. Oh, those double basses!

In the wind . . .by John Bishop

SEPTEMBER, 2007 15

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There are few musical presentationsmore expensive than a symphonyorchestra (except opera and ballet inwhich the symphony orchestra is com-bined with the theater). A hundred seri-ous musicians on stage in a 300-million-dollar concert hall require importantorganization to sustain, but we don’thear a move to replace that experiencewith digital sampling. We want to hearthe real thing. The symphony orchestraand the pipe organ are special in ourculture because they’re so expensive. Idon’t mean that the money itself isimpressive—but that the money repre-sents how majestic the expression is.

In conversations with church mem-bers I frequently hear people say thatthe sound of a digital instrument is“good enough” for the untrained ear.One might respond, unless your fiancéeis a jeweler, why bother with a real dia-mond? She’ll never know the difference.

I don’t want to eat a chemically pro-duced substitute for lobster. I want thereal lobster, and for goodness sake,don’t mess with the butter!

I read on Marshall & Ogletree’s web-site thatthey sample complete pipe organs:“PipeSourced® sounds, which are skill-ful note-by-note, stop-by-stop record-ings of famous pipe organs (90% ofthem vintage Aeolian-Skinners), con-tribute unprecedented virtual reality toMarshall & Ogletree instruments, aswell as to its combination organs andcustom additions for new and existingpipe organs.” That’s a long, long wayfrom the previous generation of sam-pling techniques, and proverbial light-years from the early rounds of tone-gen-erators on which the development ofthe electronic instrument was founded.

There have been a number of articleswritten in praise of the Virtual PipeOrgan, including Allen Kozinn’s reviewof a recital played by Cameron Carpen-ter published in the New York Times onJuly 7, 2007, with the headline: “A ‘Vir-tual’ Organ Wins New Converts at aRecital.” And Dr. Burdick has writtenan apologia defending the church’sdecision to sell the dismantled Aeolian-Skinner, retain the Marshall & OgletreeVirtual Organ, and to commissionanother virtual instrument for St. Paul’sChapel, which concludes,

Trinity Church is proud of its role indeveloping the “virtual pipe organ,” whichcould only exist in this new centurybecause of the continuing exponentialgrowth of computer speed and memory.Without the brilliance of Douglas Mar-shall and David Ogletree, whose researchbegan in 1997 to develop an entirely newapproach to the digital organ, we couldnever have achieved an instrument such asthis. Furthermore, without Trinity Churchhaving taken advantage of its historicopportunity by daring to consider such aninterim instrument, the music worldwould not now have this dramatic new21st century success: like an automobilewith horsepower but no horses, a virtualpipe organ with musical potentials beyondanyone’s imagination.

There’s little doubt that Trinity’s Aeo-lian-Skinner organ was not as distin-guished as many other instruments pro-duced by that firm. (It’s at least a littleironic that there’s agreement that Trini-ty’s Aeolian-Skinner organ was less thangreat, but it’s replaced by somethingbased on sampling “vintage Aeolian-Skinners.”) There’s no doubt at all thatthe Virtual Pipe Organ represents but afraction of the cost of commissioning aReal Organ. After all, we live in the ageof the seven-figure organ. There’s nodoubt that Trinity Church has realized asignificant short-term economy by elim-inating the immense maintenance bud-get required by a large pipe organ. Infact, Dr. Burdick reports that they hadbeen spending $56,000 annually to carefor the Aeolian-Skinner—a speciousargument in that there are many muchlarger and much older organs that aremaintained effectively for less money.The organ world rumor-mill, that mostactive of subcultures, has reported manydifferent numbers representing the costof the Virtual Organ. I don’t know whatthe actual price was, but it’s safe to guess

Introduction

I’m a firm believer in the theory thatpeople only do their best at things theytruly enjoy. It is difficult to excel at some-thing you don’t enjoy.

—Jack Nicklaus

I am very pleased to be starting thisnew column for THE DIAPASON. The

that it was a significant number of hun-dreds of thousands of dollars.

Is it true stewardship of a church’sresources to spend such a volume ofmoney on artifice? For centuries, Chris-tians have given their all trying to maketheir worship spaces approach theirrespect for their faith. Huge treasureswere spent in 12th-century Francebuilding cathedrals that still inspire us.Fortunes have been spent on stained-glass that fills church interiors with mag-ical, mystical light. Trinity Church WallStreet is a spectacular edifice with beau-tiful vaulted ceilings, stained-glass win-dows, carved wood architectural ele-ments and furniture. Hundreds ofimportant preachers, humanitarians,and politicians have spoken there. Towalk inside is to respect the care andvision with which the place was created.To walk inside is to find respite from afrenetic city and inspiration from all thathas happened there. To walk inside is toworship. This is not a place for artifice.

As I’ve spoken about Trinity Church,I encourage you to read about St. Paul’sChapel at . Built in 1766, it’s theoldest public building in Manhattanthat’s been in continuous use. Here’s anexcerpt from that website:

George Washington worshiped here onInauguration Day, April 30, 1789, andattended services at St. Paul’s during the

two years New York City was the country’scapital. Above his pew is an 18th-centuryoil painting of the Great Seal of the Unit-ed States, which was adopted in 1782.

Directly across the chapel is the Gover-nor’s pew, which George Clinton, the firstGovernor of the State of New York, usedwhen he visited St. Paul’s. The Arms ofthe State of New York are on the wallabove the pew.

Among other notable historical figureswho worshiped at St. Paul’s were PrinceWilliam, later King William IV of England;Lord Cornwallis, who is most famous in thiscountry for surrendering at the Battle ofYorktown in 1781; Lord Howe, who com-manded the British forces in New York,and Presidents Grover Cleveland, Ben-jamin Harrison, and George H. W. Bush.

St. Paul’s Chapel stands as a shrine forall that happened in that neighborhoodand to this country on September 11,2001. This is also not a place for artifice.

In his Apologia, Dr. Burdick reports,“Because of insurance matters after9/11, there was no question that we’dhave to wait five to seven years for adecent replacement pipe organ, duringwhich time I felt that we’d be starvingfor good organ sound.” Fair enough.That’s why the purchase of the VirtualPipe Organ for temporary use was agood solution. But I am sorry that sucha church in such a place with such a his-tory would miss their opportunity to addnot to the virtual world, but the realworld of the pipe organ. �

On Teachingby Gavin Black

16 THE DIAPASON

Ringing and singing: promiseskept

Gay bells or sad; they bring you memories Of half-forgotten innocent old places.

—W. B. Yeats (1893)The Dedication to a Book of Stories of

Irish Novelists

Church handbell ringers and choralsingers are responsibly loyal to theirchoirs. Abraham Lincoln could havebeen referring to them when he said,“We must promise what we ought not,lest we be called on to perform what wecannot.” They promise and they per-form! Those in a handbell choir are par-ticularly dedicated since they know that,unlike their choral counterparts, if theymiss a performance there may not besomeone there to pick up the bell at theright time. In most vocal choirs thereare several in a section, so a missingsinger does not eliminate those assignednotes as it might in a handbell group.

One problem, however, is that inmany churches there are those whoparticipate in both bell and vocalchoirs. These dedicated congregationmembers, who have a love of andbackground in music, greatly enjoy theweekly rehearsals and service contri-butions. The conundrum is that whenthe groups perform together, as in themusic reviewed below, their prioritymust be the bell choir for the reasonmentioned above. Does this discour-age joint performance? It probablydoes in smaller churches whereensembles are small.

Another delicate issue concerns theconductors. Typically the choir directorserves as conductor when both groupsperform, but on some occasions it isappropriate for the handbell director toconduct the combined groups. Thisclearly will encourage the handbellchoir and their director in a very posi-tive way. Avoiding a “worker-bee” sta-tus should be a paramount concern,and toward that goal readers are urgedto look carefully at the final review

tions or becoming a touring virtuoso.(Though very early on indeed I decidedthat I wanted someday to record thecomplete organ music of Bach!) I was abit of a late-bloomer as a player, and itmay have been partly my insecurityabout the performing life that led me tothink so much about teaching, but Ibelieve that it was primarily a real, fer-vent joy in the idea of teaching itself.

After graduating from college, Ispent some time practicing on my own,taking occasional private lessons, andbeginning to play concerts and get asense of where my life as a musicianmight take me, before thinking aboutgraduate school. This allowed me toobserve, as an adult, the progress of myown learning as a musician. Most ofwhat I know about music or can actual-ly do as a player I learned at a timewhen I was quite conscious of what Iwas learning and how I was learning it.At this time, just by chance, two peoplecame along and requested lessons. Thiswas in spite of the fact that I had, at thetime, no teaching experience and notrack record as a performer. Both ofthese would-be students were friendsof mine, and each believed that he wasso bad that it would be embarrassing togo to a “real” (i.e., experienced)teacher. That experience got my toeswet as a teacher. In effect, I spent thoseyears teaching myself how to teach oth-ers. Partly of necessity, partly because itseemed right to me philosophically, andpartly because it increasingly seemed towork, I treated all aspects of teaching asbeing governed primarily by commonsense and by a combination of observa-tion and logical analysis, not by any pre-existing methodology.

Since then I have taught severalhundred students, including virtuosoprofessional performers (often lookingto add an instrument, such as a pianistwanting to learn organ, or an organistwanting to learn harpsichord), veryaccomplished “advanced” students,adult beginners (even a few startingfrom scratch in their seventies),teenagers, the occasional young child,and more. I am convinced that eachstudent has a particular combination ofneeds, desires, interests, pre-existingskills, aptitudes, etc., and therefore thebest way to teach anyone is to approachthe situation as a tabula rasa. Ofcourse, many exercises, practice tech-niques, fingering ideas, etc., end upbeing right for more than one student,or even for most students. For exam-ple, I especially like the Bach Pedalex-ercitium (whether it is really by JSB ornot, it’s a remarkably efficient andeffective exercise). I would guess thatabout half of the students who have

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subject of the column is teaching—specifically the teaching of organ, harp-sichord, keyboard-playing as such, and,to some extent, anything having to dowith music and musicianship. I willdraw on my experience—fast approach-ing 30 years—in teaching those thingsto a large number and a wide variety ofstudents, and also on my experience—50 years’ worth—of having had manywonderful teachers, in music and inother areas of life.

Each column will be fairly short, butthe column will run every month. Thiswill permit and encourage me to letthings unfold slowly and naturally. Noone column can say everything andsolve all problems. (For example, Iexpect to devote three or four columnsto the fascinating and occasionally vex-ing issue of the teaching of pedal-play-ing.) It will also make it easy to incorpo-rate feedback. I strongly encouragereaders to write to me with any and allreactions—big or small, favorable orunfavorable—and, in particular, toshare any of their own experiences. Iwill incorporate some of these commu-nications in future columns.

This first column will be introductory,touching on my background, experi-ence, interests and biases, and sketchingout what the column will be like—thephilosophy and overall structure,including some of the specifics that Ihope to cover over the first severalmonths. I spend my days teachingorgan, harpsichord, clavichord, and con-tinuo-playing, and once in a while some-thing about music history, theory, orinstrument maintenance. I do moreteaching than practicing and perform-ing, though I try to keep my playing ingood shape and to perform as much asmy schedule permits. As a performer Iam definitely a specialist in musicbefore 1750; I have played later reper-toire only somewhat rarely, and more inchurch than in concert. As a teacher Iconsider it important to know how tooffer students real help with whateverthey are interested in studying. There-fore, it is important to know how to findout about things that I don’t alreadyknow and about which I might not havemuch experience to date.

I grew up knowing that I wanted toteach. My parents were university pro-fessors, as were most of the adults Iknew growing up; and many of the peo-ple whom I most admired were my ownteachers. As I began to take musiclessons—especially when I discoveredthe organ at age 13, and the harpsichorda bit thereafter—I cast most of my casu-al daydreams about a career in music inimages of teaching and of being respect-ed as a teacher, not in winning competi-

ever studied pedal-playing with mehave used it. However, the priority isthe student’s needs, not the exercise ormy own routine.

This column will be addressed to sev-eral sorts of people all at once: very cen-trally to those who are starting out asteachers of organ or harpsichord, andwho want help in learning “how toteach” (or want some ideas and tech-niques to incorporate into their ownteaching); to experienced teachers whoare interested in looking over some newideas; and to students who want to takeon some of the joys and anxieties ofteaching themselves or of participatingas actively as possible in their own learn-ing. I will share ideas that stem from thecommon-sense, flexible, and in a sense,improvisatory teaching approach allud-ed to above. This kind of teaching is, infact, radically anti-authoritarian: I have,as far as I know, never told a studentthat he or she “must” or even “should”do such-and-such, whether in choice ofrepertoire, technique, or in matters ofinterpretation or artistry. Instead, I tryto help students understand the likelyresults of doing one thing or another,and then encourage them to makechoices of their own. I believe that thisapproach is the most interesting and themost fun, both for teachers and for stu-dents, and gives the best practicalresults. I hope in this column to showthat this is the case.

Next month, I will write about relax-ation, hand position, and posture. Ibelieve that physical relaxation is some-where between the most importanttechnical imperative in organ and harp-sichord playing and the only one. I willalso write about the related matter ofhelping experienced pianists to becomecomfortable with organ or harpsichordtechnique. Then, in a multi-part seriesbeginning in November, I will tackleaspects of pedal-playing. �

Gavin Black is director of the PrincetonEarly Keyboard Center, Inc. in Princeton,New Jersey, where he teaches organ, harpsi-chord, clavichord, continuo-playing, andrelated arts. He also teaches organ at theWestminster Conservatory of Music, and hastaught at Westminster Choir College and inthe Westminster Summer Session. He hasrecorded organ music of Buxtehude, Lübeck,Pachelbel and others, and harpsichord musicof Buxtehude, Froberger, Kuhnau and othersfor PGM recordings, music of Sweelinck forCentaur Records, and music of the Americancomposer Moondog for Musical HeritageSociety. He is currently at work on a record-ing of Frescobaldi works, played on a 17th-century Italian harpsichord, also for Cen-taur. He has performed (but not yet record-ed!) the complete organ music of Bach, plusthe Art of the Fugue.

He served as assistant university organist at

Specialists in Choraland Organ Music

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Princeton University from 1977 to 1979, andas organist and senior choir director at Hills-borough Reformed Church in Millstone, NewJersey, from 1988 to 1994. Gavin Black’s prin-cipal teachers were Paul Jordan and the lateProf. Eugene Roan. Gavin may be reached byemail at .

Expanded versions of each of thesecolumns, with footnotes, other references,and feedback, can be found at the PEKCwebsite .

Music for Voices and Organby James McCray

SEPTEMBER, 2007 17

Stella coeli–Salve porta paradise, andGaude virgo gratiosa. The handbell andpercussion music is included separatelyin the score. Percussion includes tam-bourine or hand drum with optionalimprovised finger cymbals. The hand-bells have very few notes and create anatmospheric quality, often merely play-ing two sustained notes. Both percus-sion and handbell parts are easy enoughto be played by choir members. Veryethereal music with Latin texts takenfrom Renaissance collections of musicdating from the 13th–15th centuries.Highly recommended.

Handbells plus organ

Psalm 34: Drink in the Richness ofGod, Michael Joncas. SATB, organ,and 21 handbells, GIA Publications,G-4915, $1.40 (E).

After a soloist (cantor) sings therefrain, it is then repeated by the choirand assembly. There are four verses,which are sung by various combinationsof voices, and each refrain also returnsin a variety of musical arrangements.Handbells play throughout; their musicis published separately (G-4915 INST)and is relatively easy. The assemblyrefrain is on the back cover for easyduplication.

Prayer of St. Benedict, Robert Ben-son. SATB, organ, and 24 handbells,