June 23 and June 30, 2013

Bethany Presbyterian Church, Staunton VA  June 23 2013

Prelude: 

2 Verses on "What E'er Our God Ordains is Good"................Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

"Andante Moderato" from Pedal Studies..................................Dudley Buck (1839-1909)

Offertory:

Simple Gifts....................................................................................Russell Shulz-Widmar (b. 1944)

Postlude:

Prelude and Fugue in F Major BWV 556...................................Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

The congregation also sang the hymn “What E’er Our God Ordains” and the pastor sang “It Is Enough” from Mendelssohn’s Elijah as part of his sermon.  

The first verse of the Walther contrasted Flute 8, Octave 4 on the Great with Flutes 8, 2, & 1 on the Swell.  The second verse was the Koppelflote 4 in the swell  and the Great English Horn 8 with tremolo coupled to the pedal and played an octave higher.  

The Buck used great strings (Dulciana, Dulciana Celeste, Flauto Dolce) in the left hand, and my favorite ersatz Cromorne of Hautbois 8, Koppelflote 4, and Tierce 1 ⅗ with tremolo as the right hand.  The pedal had all 3 16’ stops with the swell coupled.  The right hand and pedal are in canon through much of the piece, and in other spots are in sort of a “question and answer” effect 

Simple Gifts used the Swell Gedeckt 8 and Nazard 2 ⅔  against the great strings with a single 16’ in the pedal.  At the conclusion of this piece a modulation was done on the great strings, while a pedal piston was pushed to bring on the Bombarde, so that the “Old Hundredth” melody first phrase could be introduced, followed by the last phrase with a deceptive cadence to the III chord and then V-I.  

The Bach F Major was played at what could be called a Carlo Curley (or Virgil Fox his teacher) tempo.  

June 30, First Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg VA.

The wonderful Gress-Miles organ will again be up to the task of filling the room with beautiful music. The organ has electromechanical (direct electric) action and is quite responsive.  

Prelude:   Prière.......................Léon Boëlmann  (1862-1897)

Offertory:  Prelude in C...........William Selby (1738-1798)

Postlude:  Give Thanks Unto God....... Emma Louise Ashford (1850-1930)

Yes this is the soft movement from Suite Gothique with a slightly shortened name.  The sermon is based on a text from I Kings, so the music was chosen accordingly.

The Boellmann is played with the left hand on the swell 8’ Gedeckt, Viole, and Viole Celeste.  The strings are broad, almost to the point of being a geigen.   The solo on the positif is Cromone 8, Gedeckt 8, Montre 8, Rohrflote 4, and tremolo.  

The Selby has the swell flutes 8, 4, and 1 in the right hand and the great Rohrflote 8 in the left hand.  Some chiff is evident in the 8’ stops on both manuals.  

Give Thanks Unto God was published in 1909.  Emma Louise Hindle was musically precocious and by the age of twelve was organist at the Episcopal Church in Kewanee, Illinois. Her family moved frequently and at one of their musical evenings in Connecticut, when she was seventeen, she met John Ashford, a young engineer and amateur singer from Bath, England. They married soon after and moved to Chicago, Illinois, where she became the solo alto at St. John's Episcopal Church as well as a church organist and teacher of harmony. In 1884, the couple moved to Nashville, where Mr. Ashford became the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds at Vanderbilt University. Mrs. Ashford began to compose and to immerse herself in the musical life of the university and the community. Mrs. Ashford was a prolific composer, as well as a frequent conductor of her work. She composed over 600 pieces of music, including organ voluntaries, sacred cantatas, hymns, song cycles, anthems, and graded works for piano and organ instruction. She traveled throughout this country and abroad, performing or conducting her work. In addition to this recognition, she won numerous prizes in international song and anthem contests. She published her work under the name E. L. Ashford.

The registration for the Ashford will be full organ from highest mixtures (1') to lowest pedal (32) including manual reed at 16'.  It is fiery and brilliant.  

The “Anthem” for the service is the recit and aria “Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel from Mendelssohn’s Elijah.  It will be sung by Shannon Kiser, director of music at the church.  It will be accompanied by swell strings and flute 8.  For the pedal I use the Great 16' Pommer which is derived from a positif flute and the pedal subbas.  I stay out of the lower pedal octave in quieter sections as it is a bit louder than the rest of the pedal.  

With this type of action, any rank can be made to play at any pitch.  Judicious borrowing and duplexing from several ranks can add to the usefulness of the instrument. Couplers on the instrument are only unison, except for an Octaves Graves on the Swell, which I use on the Postlude.  It couples through.  

Bethany Presbyterian, Staunton VA, June 16, 2013

Bethany Presbyterian, Staunton VA, June 16, 2013

 The organ is an Allen 305-B.   It’s of the MOS-2 generation with reeds, principals, flutes, strings, string celestes, and Mixtures on both manuals.  The pedal starts at 16’ and includes 3 16’ stops, several 8’s and 4’s, a mixture, and reeds at 16 & 8.

The card reader system is inoperative, as are the chorus, vibrato, and reverb.  The instrument is quite usable, however.   The tonal effect resembles a Holtkamp pipe organ from the 1950’s or 1960’s.  The room is heavily carpeted with next to no reverberation or tonal bloom. Sound reinforcement is used for the pastor and choir. Still, the instrument speaks well and quickly and works well for most all literature. 

Prelude:

Praise to the Lord, The Almighty, The King of Creation……Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee………………………  Harold R. Vetter (1931-2010)

Prayer Meditation:

#35 in B major from 35 Miniatures for Organ………………  Flor Peeters (1903-1986)

Offertory:

The Penitent’s Prayer…………………………………………  Leslie F. Watson (1859-1933)

Postlude:

Toccata in F Major……………………………………………   Diedrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)

The choir is on vacation from rehearsals, but sings on Sunday after a brief run through.  This Sunday’s anthem is “Faith of Our Fathers.”  I plan to use harmonizations by Charles Callahan on two verses.  For an introit they are using one verse of “When Morning Gilds the Sky.

Hymns:

“Let All Things Now Living” …..  “Here I am Lord”…. “Trust and Obey”

Closing response: “They’ll Know We are Christians By Our Love.”

The Walther uses full organ with mixtures and a 16’ reed in the manuals and in the pedal a heavier 16’ reed in addition to the 16’ Diapason, Violone, and Bourdon in the pedal, coupled to the Great and Swell.   Fragments of the melody appear in the hands and the main melody spins out in the pedal. 

The Vetter uses Quintaton 16, Spitzflote 4, and Blockflote 2 in the Great for the counterpoint in the left hand and my “ersatz Krummhorn” registration of 8’ string, 4’ Flute, 1 ⅗’ Tierce, and 8’ Hautbois with tremolo for the melody in the right hand.  Though written in the 20th Century, the piece is reminiscent of a 2-part “alio modo” setting from the 17th century. 

The Peeters is played on the antiphonal using the great stops Dulciana 8, Dulciana Celeste 8, Hohlflote 8, and Flauto Dolce 8, with tremolo.  The dynamic level ranges from pop to pp. 

Leslie Watson was the first president of the Virginia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and was a prominent Richmond VA musician at the turn of the 20th Century.  Besides being organist in two Richmond churches, he conducted the Richmond Philharmonic and had numerous published compositions for organ, orchestra, and other instruments.   The left hand uses the Dulciana 8, Dulciana Celeste 8, and Flauto Dolce 8 on the Great.  The pedal uses the 16’ Bourdon coupled to the Great.  The right hand melody is carried by flutes 8, 2 ⅔ and 1 ⅗  with tremolo in the “flute plus sesquialtera” registration.  In the center “angelic chorus” section the great is used with the expression shoe nearly closed.  In the A and A recap sections the expression shoe is fully open. 

The Buxtehude Toccata uses a blazing full organ with 16’ manual reed and all mixtures, with 16’ reed and flues in the pedal with manuals coupled. 

First Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg VA, June 9, 2013

This is the first official Sunday of the new Senior Pastor.  The order of worship has changed greatly.  There are two anthems--one after the first reading of scripture and the other at the offering.  The Gloria Patri and Doxology have been restored to the order of worship.

Prelude: 

Praise to the Lord, The Almighty...............Johann Gottfried Walther  (1684-1748)

The Penitent's Prayer....................................Leslie F. Watson (1859-1933)

My Inmost Heart Now Raises......................Johann Christoph Bach (1642-1703)

Postlude

Toccata in F Major..........................................Diedrich Buxtehude (1637-1707)

Hymn introductory fanfares are by Joyce Jones.

Alternate Harmonizations are by Noel Rawsthorne

Preludes and Postlude continue the vein of J. S. Bach's cousins and friends.  

Leslie F. Watson was the first Dean of the Virginia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, which was later the Richmond VA. Chapter.  He and his wife also were the first couple (or persons) in that chapter to pass an AGO exam.  He and his wife were organists in several Richmond VA churches in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.  He also conducted the Richmond Philharmonic and had numerous published works.  The Penitent's Prayer is in "A Richmond Organ Anthology" edited by Donald Traser. 

First Presbyterian Church, Harrisonburg VA June 3, 2013

This was Senior Sunday where the graduating high school seniors did most of the readings and the sermon.  Also it was Confirmation Sunday with a large class joining the church including one who was baptized.

Prelude:

Two verses on What e'er Our God Ordains is Good...........Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

If Thou But Suffer God to Guide Thee.....................................Harold R. Vetter  (1931-2010)

Postlude:

Chorale Prelude in Canon: Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow.......Johann Gottfried Walther

The titles make a mini-sermon if read in sequence. 

The first verse of the Walther piece for the prelude has the melody in the soprano, ornamented with contrasting segments on two manuals.  Rohrflote 8, Octave 4 on the Great vs. Gedeckt 8, Principal 2, Cymbel III on the Swell with box partially closed. 

The second verse of the Walther "What e'er" is a canon between the soprano and pedal.  The manuals were Spitzflote 4, Viola 4 (actually a mild principal).  The pedal was Cromorne 8, Gedeckt 8 Tremolo on the Positiv coupled to the pedal, played an octave higher.  

The Vetter is a 2 voice "alio modo" in 17th century style.   The left hand was Bassoon 16,  Viola 4, Principal 2 on the Swell.   The right hand was Gedeckt 8, Cromorne 8, Principal 4, Plein Jeu IV and tremolo on the Positiv.   The unornamented melody was in the right hand, with a bouncy, running and jumping counterpoint in the left hand. 

The Postlude was full organ including a manual 16' reed, and 32' Flues and Reeds in the pedal with everything coupled.