First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville VA, April 28, 2013

First Presbyterian, Charlottesville VA, April 28.

This is my last Sunday in this every-other-week interim.  Dr. Jeremy Thompson will be assuming the director of music position in June, and in May the subbing will be in the capable hands (and feet) of Linda Hanson, David Diggs, and Roger Authers.   It has been a pleasure working with them and with Bryce Hayes, who has done a great job with the choir in the interim.   I heard Jeremy's audition service and am quite pleased that he was the one selected among the 70 applicants and three who auditioned.  The music program in this wonderful church will be in excellent hands. 

I chose the music for today to complement the sermon and to expand on the texts of the weeks after Easter. 

Prelude:

Zeuch an die Macht, du Arm des Herrn (Isaiah 51:9)…………..  Ernst Pepping

Basse et Dessus de Trompette from “Suite on the First Tone”…….Clerambault

Es ist das Heil uns kommen her…………………………………………….Komponist unbekannt

The Pepping is a jaunty, jolly little piece, rather sparse in the “alio modo” tradition. The text loosely translates  “Go to strength, Arm of the Lord”  I listened to some YouTube renditions where the Plenum was used and decided that was a bit too sedate for this piece.  The registration, all on one manual combines the 16’ Trompette, the 2’ Octavin on the Recit coupled 8’ to the Grand Orgue with the 4’ Principal and 2’ Quarte de Nasard of the Positif coupled 4’.   I was trying to capture the sound of E. Power Biggs’s recording of this chorale prelude on the Harvard Flentrop, where he used the 8’ Krummhorn and 2’ Principal. 

The Clerambault requires a real French Baroque approach on this French Canadian Casavant.  Where I would use a flute 8 and Principal 4 against a Trumpet on an “American Classic” instrument, this one requires that the Grand Orgue Trumpet be augmented with the Flûte à cheminée 8 and Doublette 2, to balance the octaves better.  The accompaniment is on the Positif Principal 8, Octave 4, and Quarte de nazard 2. 

The “anonymous” chorale prelude on “Salvation Has Come to Us” appears in the Peters Edition “80 Chorale Preludes” and in “The Church Organist’s Golden Treasury, Vol 1.”   It is a typical 3-voice German Baroque chorale prelude.  My guess is that it was written by Kneller.    To get a clear but light pedal on this organ is a challenge.  There are no soft stops in the pedal, just loud and louder.  So on this one I use the 16’ Soubasse on the Pedal along with the 8’ Gamba coupled down from the Grand Orgue.   The melody is on the Cornet decompose of the Positif, using  Bourdon 8, Principal 4, Nazard 2 2/3 and Tierce 1 3/5 with Tremulant.  Thanks to David Storey for fixing the trems on this instrument when he tuned it for the Oratorio Society performance accompanied by Kit Jacobson earlier this month, and for brightening up the upperwork with good tuning.  The left hand uses the Flute Majure 8 and Flute Harmonique on the Recit.   Thanks to the miracle of couplers, I played the Recit on the bottom manual and the Positif on the middle manual.  This instrument has a “GO/Pos swap” coupler and I always put the GO on the bottom, Pos. in the middle, and the Recit on top.  Sometimes the Recit gets to be a Solo, just by using the Trompette Royal (but not in this piece.)

Offertory:  On the Lake of Galilee  (John 21: 1-23)………………Isaac Barton MD

Isaac Barton was a Physician (Eye, Ear, Nose, Throat mostly) in Philadelphia at the turn of the 20^th century.  He was also an excellent concert organist and composer.   This piece appears in Annus Ecclesiasticus-music for the church year, published in 1954 by G. Schirmer, edited by J. Julius Baird.   It is a typically picturesque tone poem from 1912 or so.   A toccata like right hand is accompanied with left hand chords, with the bass line in the pedal.  There is a slower middle section with a very romantic melody with a bit of chromaticism in the accompanying chords.  The first theme returns and it ends with a burst of descending arpeggios and then a concluding three chord coda.   The right hand is on the Positif  using the 8’ Principal, 4’ Octave, and 1 1/3 Larigot.  The left hand uses the Viole de Gambe 8 and Voix Celeste 8 of the Recit, and the Pedal uses the 16’ Soubasse and couples the 8’ Gamba from the Grand Orgue.   For the center section, the Positif adds the Nazard, Tierce, 4’ coupler, and Tremolo, for a rather “Hope Jones” effect. 

Postlude:  Prelude and Fugue in F Major BWV 556…………………..J. S. Bach

This, one of the “8 Little Preludes and Fugues” variously attributed to J. S. Bach, or others.  I take it at a “Virgil Fox” (quick) tempo, having heard it played in this style some 50 years ago on the 4 manual Ernest Skinner in St. Paul’s Memorial Church, Charlottesville, by a University friend Ron Davis, a Fox student,  who is now retired from college teaching and does opening recitals for A. E. Schlueter organ company.   I play it rather detached, but with “baroque phrasing.”  

It is on the same manual plenum throughout.  The Grand Orgue chorus with both mixtures is augented with the Recit coupled at 8’  with the Trompette 16 Octavin 2 and Plein Jeu IV.  The Positif chorus including the Cymbale is coupled at 4’   The pedal uses the softer of the two 32’ Resultants, the Soubasse 16, the Bourdon 16, with the Swell Coupled.  Also in the pedal are the Octavebasse 8,  Octave 4, and Mixture IV. 

 I now will be taking a few weeks off and will return to the bench at First Presbyterian Harrisonburg in June and July, with two weeks at the Allen in Bethany Presbyterian, Staunton. 

First Presbyterian Church, April 14, 2013

First Presbyterian Church, April 14, 2013, Third Sunday of Easter

John 20: 19-23;  Acts 5:27-32

Preludes--- focusing on the Trinity.

The Son: “ In Death Strong Grasp the Savior Lay”……………… J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

The Spirit (and the Trinity): “Come Holy Ghost, God, and Lord” ……   Frederich Wilhelm Zachau (1663-1712)

The Father: “All Glory Be to God on High”……………………….   Georg Phillip Telemann (1681-1767)

This is the Casavant organ mentioned earlier.  It was tuned on April 1, so this is the first Sunday that I have played it since.  The mixtures are much brighter and the tremulants have been repaired and all work.  Sounds really nice. 

In the Bach I use an Organo Pleno based on the 8’ Rohrflote rather than the Montre, which is a bit too heavy and obscures the upperwork.  The Positif is coupled to the Grand Orgue at 4’ to get the Cymbale up to a higher pitch.  The pedal uses the Trompette 16 from the Recit along with the Bourdon 16 and the Resultant 32, with the Recit coupled for brightness.  The Recit Diapason 8 and Plein Jeu IV give breadth and clarity.

For the Zachau I use the Clochettes (Zimbelstern) and the Recit Major Flute 8 and Ocavin 2.  

For the Telemann, which is a 2-voice alio modo I take a tack toward metaphor.  The right hand is seen as the voice from Heaven, with the chorale melody, and the left hand with the counterpoint is seen as mankind scurrying around willy nilly.  In that vein the right hand uses the Positif Cornet decompose´ with Bourdon 8, Principal 4, Nazard, Quarte de Nazard 2, and Tierce, with tremulant.  The left hand plays on the Recit with the swell box almost closed.  The registration is Trompette 16, Principal 4, and Octavin 2.  A beautiful singing line is contrasted with a snarling, busy line. 

Anthem: “Christ is our Cornerstone” by David Thorne, from Oxford Easy Anthems.  Being a “British” work I use a typical English Full Swell.   On the Recit I use the Diapason 8, Octave 4, Octavin 2, Plein Jeu IV, and Hautbois 8. The Trumpet 16 is too heavy, so was not used.  This is coupled to the Positif flutes 8 & 4.    In the Pedal I use the Bourdon 16 and Resultant 32 with Recit to Pedal. I use both expression pedals together, from partially open to mostly closed until the end when I open them up for the ff ending.  The pedal is heavy but will not obscure the singers. 

Offertory:  “Fuge or Voluntary” ………………………….Wm. Selby  (1738-1798),  ed. Daniel Pinkham (1923-2006)

Selby was a friend of Handel, and was organist at King’s Chapel, Boston from 1771 until his death. He introduced Handel’s music to the new world, and organized the first concert series in the new nation.   The voluntary is in typical English style, for two manuals without pedal.  

The “Great Organ” sound is on the Grand Orgue with Rohrflote 8, Octave 4, Doublette 2, and Fourniture IV.

The “Chair Organ” sound is on the Recit using the Major Flute 8 and the Octavin 2.   

Postlude: “O Lord we Praise Thee, Bless Thee, and Adore Thee” ……. Heirich Scheidemann (1595-1663)

Scheidemann was of the generation before Bach, Zachau, and Telemann.  To approximate the sound of the Plenum on an organ of the period, the full chorus on the Grand Orgue, Positif and Recit are coupled, with the secondary manuals at 8’ and 4’ for brilliance.  The 16’ Trompette is added to the Recit for gravity and fire.  Reeds, the Tierce, and the Cornet are included to get the 3rd sounding ranks into the texture.  In the pedal the full resources are used, with the Recit coupled for a bright mixture.   The cantos is carried in the pedal.  The registration emphasizes both fire and brilliance, with appropriate weight in the pedal.  If you have heard recordings of the Weingarten organ by Gabler, that's pretty close to the sound. 

Hymns:  

All Creatures of Our God and King.  Introduction includes a portion of Fanfare in D by C. S. Lang, going into the final two phrases of the hymn in D.  The first 4 verses are in D.  There is a modulation to Eb for the  (1891-1971) fifth verse with hymnal harmony, followed by the final verse in Eb with harmonization by Noel Rawsthorne (b. 1929)

Congregational Response:  Final verse of “Jesus Christ is Risen Today.” Tune “Easter Hymn.”  Hymnal version.

Take My Life and Let It Be:  Hymnal version--tune “Hendon.”  Three verses after the sermon, final three verses just before benediction.  Final verse harmonization in each set by V. Earle Copes (b.1921) 

First Presbyerian Church, Harrisonburg VA April 7 2013

First Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg VA  April 7 2013

Gress Miles 3-manual organ from the 1970’s.   43 stops.  

This is one of my favorite organs to play.  It is full, bright, clear, and fills the room.
The Basse de Cornet III is taken from the swell trumpet stop and gives a believable 32' reed impression.
The mixtures sparkle. The strings are sweet and lush.  Overall a fun instrument to play and hear. 

See stoplist at http://database.organsociety.org/SingleOrganDetails.php?OrganID=49758

Prelude:

Prelude and Fugue in G Major BWV 557  …..... J.S. Bach

Simple Gifts……………………………………..Russell Schulz-Widmar
This is from "The Church Organist's Library" compiled by Wayne Leupold
The composer sets this beautiful tune simply.  The great Rohrflote 8 is accompanied by the Positiv Spitzflote 8 and the pedal Subbas 16.  Just 3 stops but lovely ones. 

Postlude:

Praise to the Lord, The Almighty……………….Johann Gottfried Walther

Hymns:

Holy Holy Holy.   Introduction by Joyce Jones from “The King of Instruments.”   Final verse by Noel Rawsthorne.  I do some passing tones and chord substitutions here and there. 

Glorious Things of Thee are Spoken.  Final verse by Noel Rawsthorne

There’s Power in the Blood.  This isn’t in the Presbyterian Hymnal.  Words are in the bulletin.  I’m playing the first 2 verses out of the Celebration Hymnal and the final verse, whole step higher with a 2-chord modulation, out of the Baptist Hymnal.  It will be speedy and enthusiastic. 

Offering-- solo by Shannon Kiser, the music director… O Lamb of God-- Mozart.