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. 

Augusta Stone Presbyterian Church -- Maundy Thursday March 28, 2011.

Organ was originally a Moller from the 1920’s in the left front of the church.  In the 1960’s was moved to the rear gallery and rebuilt by Mark Wetzel.  Great pipework is on a chest cantilevered from the gallery rail.   The bottom 12 of the Open Diapason are open woods on the back wall of the gallery.  Great stop list:  Open Diapason 8,  Bourdon 8,  Octave 4  Flute d’Amour 4 (not working)  Super Octave 2  Blockflote 2   Mixture III.   Great to great 4,  Swell to great 8, 4

Swell stop list:  Gedeckt 8,  Dulciana 8,  Voix Celeste 8 (tc), Principal 4, Flute 4 (from Gedeckt) Nazard 2 ⅔,  Flautino 2,  Larigot 1 ⅓   Oboe Horn 8.  Swell to Great 16, Unison off  4.  (Unison off is now wired to play the gedeckt 16, an extension of the gedeckt 8) 

Pedal stop list: Bourdon 16,  Lieblich Gedeckt 16, Bass Flute 8,  Gedeckt 8,  Flute 4,  Swell to pedal 8,  Great to pedal 8.    (Organ has no tremolo.)   The organ has some very nice sounds in the very resonant room dating from the 1750’s.  The action has some irregularities which seem to be related to worn out console contacts and a power supply that can’t quite keep up with demand.  The builder, Mark Wetzel, as best I can remember, was active in Waynesboro VA from the late 1940’s until the early 1970’s.  He emigrated to the US from Austria, where he learned his trade, to work for Klann Organ Supply, as arranged by his uncle Pete Wetzel who worked at Klann from the 1920’s and did organ servicing and installations “on the side.”   

Prelude:

Epitaphe from 24 Pieces in Free Style,  Louis Vierne.  (1870-1937)

The Last Supper from Bible Poems…. Jaromír Weinberger  (1896-1967)

Both of these pieces are Romantic-Impressionistic.  Both are rather quiet.  The Vierne is a bit more impressionistic, the Weinberger a bit more romantic in the manner of cinema music of the 1930's.  

For Epitaphe the registration is:  Swell: Dulciana and Voix Celestre,  Great Bourdon 8, Swell to Great

Pedal:  Bourdon 16, Gedeckt 16, Swell to pedal   Manual changes are as indicated by the composer except for a few places where the left hand is taken on the great to make it audible. 

For The Last Supper I take off the Swell to Great 8 and the pedal Bourdon 16.   

The string stops are rather robust, so the swell box stays closed or nearly so much of the time.  The Gedeckt 16 is inside the swell box, so this works well for the quiet ending of The Last Supper.  

Voluntaries during Communion:

When I Survey The Wondrous Cross…. Garrett Parker  (b?)  

Ecce Jam Noctis….  Garth Edmundson (1892-1971) 

When I Survey is a 3 verse continuous set of variations.  The first verse is in two voices with the melody on the Bourdon 8 on the Great and the counterpoint on the Swell strings.   Verse 2 is on the Swell Strings with the Gedeckt 16 in the pedal with some “contemporary” chord progressions.  Verse 3 accompanies the Bourdon 8 melody with ostinato chords on the strings and quiet pedal.  The piece ends with a fragment of the first verse going into a quiet tonic chord under the solo melody.  Garrett Parker has written quite a bit of church music for several publishers, but no biographical information seems to be available.  

Ecce Jam Noctis has the chant melody on the Great Bourdon 8, accompanied by the Swell strings with the Gedeckt 16 with swell coupled in the pedal.  The accompanimental line is often of just two voices in a quasi counterpoint using the dissonant notes of the underlying chord, implying seventh and ninth chords but heard as quietly dissonant counterpoint.  The dissonance abates gradually throughout the piece, which ends finally on a very quiet major chord. 

March 24, Palm Sunday….  First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville VA

Prelude-- 3 pieces

Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 557….  J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

     There has been considerable discussion about whether Bach himself wrote the 8 Short Preludes and Fugues.  In any event they are nice, enjoyable and useful pieces.  I rather like the idea that at least some of them were conceived for the pedal clavichord, and play this one in that vein.  Finding a "Hauptwerk" registration that gives clarity in all voices was challenging, as many registers are out of tune. 

Two Verses on “What God Ordains is Always Good”…. Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748)

    The first setting is a contrast between “Oberwerk” and “Ruckpositiv.”   On the rather French Casavant, I use the Positif as the Oberwerk and the Recit as the Ruckpositiv, given the available resources on each.   The second setting is a canon between soprano and bass.  The hands play on the Grand Orgue 4’ Flute and the feet play on the Recit Hautbois with a few select flue stops and the tremulant.  

“Hosanna” from Bible Poems…………..Jaromír Weinberger (1896-1967)

    This short movement was written in 1939 shortly after Weinberger had emigrated from Prague to the United States the second time.  It was written with the typical 4-manual Austin Organs of NYC in mind, as Weinberger was living on Long Island at the time, but seems to want to have the sounds of a WurliTzer. The solo line is played on the Recit Trompette, with foundations and the tremulant added.  The accompaniment is played on Grand Orgue Fonundations (Montre, Rohrflote, Harmonic Flute 4) with 32, 16, and 8’ pedal stops.  The fortissimo full organ sections are accomplished on the Grand Orgue by use of the Crescendo Pedal.   Appropriate for a grand entrance, it ends fortissimo. 

The opening hymn is the traditional “All Glory Laud and Honor”  I am using a fanfare by Joyce Jones as part of the introduction.  Alternate harmonizations are used on the first and last verses. 

Offertory is “Slow March” from the 4th Sonata by William Boyce (1711-1779).  This is found in volume one of “The Village Organist” published by Novello and now in public domain and available from the Sibley Library online.  

Doxology (Old Hundredth) harmonization is from Hymns for the Family of God. 

Postlude is a Chorale Prelude on “All Glory Laud and Honor” by Flor Peeters (1903-1986)

The chorale in four-part harmony is interrupted by single line rhapsodic interludes, very much like Bach’s “In Dulci Jubilo” chorale prelude. 

I’m quite glad that the First Presbyterian Casavant is scheduled to be tuned on April 1 so that it will be ready for the Oratorio Society and guest accompanist Christopher Jacobson.  The top octaves of everything are pretty wildly out of tune. To get any brilliance, the secondary manuals need to be coupled to the Grand Orgue at 4' pitch, so the top octaves of mixtures, 2' stops, and mutations really need to be in tune for the greatest clarity of inner parts.  

February 24, March 10, and some thoughts

First Presbyterian Church March 10, 2012  About 200 in attendance. 

We had a terrific violinist play the Prelude and Offertory.  Candace Burton from Gordonsville was accompanied by Pat Davis, First Pres. Choir accompanist.  She played “Song Without Words”, Op 19, #1 by Mendelssohn for the prelude, and “Adoration” by F. Borowski for the offertory. The congregation was in rapt silence at the end of both.  Since I didn’t have to prepare a prelude and an offertory I concentrated on the hymns a bit more.  

The opening hymn was “The King of Love My Shepherd is” and I used the Missouri Synod Lutheran hymnal for the intro and first verse in D.  The second and third verses,also in D,  were by Charles Callahan, with a modulation to Eb for the fourth verse from the Presbyterian Hymnal in Eb, followed by the fifth verse in Eb by Noel Rawsthorne.  

The response to the assurance of pardon was to the tune Detroit, and I used Charles Callahan’s harmonization.  The melody was soloed out on 8’ Diapasons accompanied by light flutes and 16’ pedal. 

The second hymn was “Amazing Grace.”  For the intro and first verse I used the first section of Don Hustad’s prelude on this hymn.  For the intro I played just the melody line on the Positif Gedeckt 8, Flute Dolce 8, and Flute Celeste 8, down to the word “me” and then switched to the beginning of the Hustad, using Strings, flutes, and the Swell Diapason 8 down through the word “found”.  Everyone started the first verse together on this same registration!   The second verse was straight from the Presbyterian Hymnal using foundations on all manuals up to 1’ but no off unison or mixture stops and down to 32’ in the pedal.  The third verse was a rather dissonant setting by Charles Callahan on mostly 8’ stops with 16’ pedal.  The 4th verse was foundations up to 1’ switching the mixtures on after the second phrase, again by Charles Callahan .  At the end of the verse I went into the modulation from The Celebration Hymnal to Ab and used the “gospely” setting from that hymnal, with all its fanfares and altered chords. 

For the Doxology to “Old Hundredth” (quarter note version) I used the setting from “Hymns for the Family of God” from the United Church of Christ.  It has some nice secondary dominants in it.  The registration was plenum with pedal reeds and high pitched mixtures.  The intro started with the first phrase in the pedal, followed by the last phrase, going to an e minor deceptive cadence and then to the one chord.  

The final hymn was “Great is thy Faithfulness”.  I used the Presbyterian hymnal for the first two verses in D.  Intro started with melody, added tenor, then alto, then bass, ending before the chorus.  First verse was foundations to 1’ with 32 in the pedal, but no off unison or mixtures.  

Second verse was mostly 8’ foundations in the manuals with pedals to 32, switching mixtures on for the chorus.  A modulation at the end of the chorus led to the key of Eb, and I used the version from the Armed Forces Hymnal.

The benediction response by the congregation was the first verse of What Wondrous Love Is this, using the 3rd setting from Charles Callahan’s “Art of Hymn Playing.”  

Postlude started in key of G  with no pause right after the above concluded in D (same key relationship as the offertory and Doxology) with Don Hustad’s variations and fugue on “Beecher”  “Love Diving All Loves Excelling.”   Don Hustad (b 1918) has been a recognized leader in evangelical church music for six decades. Although he is an esteemed musician, composer, and teacher, Hustad’s richest legacy resides in his informed criticism of evangelical church music and his well-developed philosophy of worship communicated through lectures, articles, and books.  Hustad’s musical skills provided the financial support needed during his undergraduate education at John Fletcher College near Oskaloosa, Iowa. In addition to directing the college band and leading a male quartet, he taught himself basic organ technique and became organist at First Methodist Church in Oskaloosa during his last year of school. After graduation in 1940, he moved to the Chicago area, where he was employed as a church organist and continued studies in piano and organ.  Hustad’s musical skills provided the financial support needed during his undergraduate education at John Fletcher College near Oskaloosa, Iowa. In addition to directing the college band and leading a male quartet, he taught himself basic organ technique and became organist at First Methodist Church in Oskaloosa during his last year of school. After graduation in 1940, he moved to the Chicago area, where he was employed as a church organist and continued studies in piano and organ. Hustad enrolled in Northwestern University’s doctoral program in the fall of 1955. His applied performance areas (organ, choral conducting, and service playing) together with his research projects (the choral works of Ralph Vaughan Williams and the organ works of Paul Hindemith) augmented his previous experience and training. Hustad’s transition from Director of Music at MBI to full-time organist with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association allowed him to complete his doctorate in 1963.  Hustad’s choral, vocal, and keyboard compositions and arrangements. Hustad held the position of chief editorial consultant with Hope from 1950 to 1961, although his counsel as a musical advisor for the firm continued for three more decades. His knowledge of hymnody and his understanding of trends in church music helped to guide the development of Hope. Hustad’s catalog includes over 100 octavos and many vocal and keyboard volumes. Among His editorial contributions are fourteen song books and hymnals, as well as dozens of collections. Hustad’s twenty-year tenure with the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary began in 1966. This opportunity allowed him to teach courses that paralleled his wide array of interests and offered him flexibility to lecture and perform beyond the seminary. Sabbatical leaves provided time for major writing projects and further study. He also earned diplomas as an Associate of the American Guild of Organists (AAGO) and a Fellow of the Royal College of Organists (FRCO), London. His retirement in December 1986 was in fact only semi-retirement, as he continued to teach courses and offer lectures at the seminary for the next two decades.

First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville VA   Feb 24. 

The bell choir played the prelude and offertory.  I played the hymns and postlude.  For the Postlude I played Buxtehude’s Toccata in F Major from Volume 1 of Wedding Music, published by Concordia in the 1960’s.  It was played on Plenum with the 8’ Montre on the Grand Orgue omitted, and all mixtures blazing, along with a big reed in the pedal. 

A comment on Preludes and Postludes in various denominations.  

I have heard organists complain about talking, even loud talking during preludes and postludes. It is a “given” that talking is distracting and annoying to the organist.  There is, however, historical precedent for the presence or absence of talking. 

In the relatively early Anglican tradition the Prelude and Postlude were called “Voluntary” as they are not part of the ordinary or propers, but are voluntarily chosen by the organist.  Still, worship in this tradition and in the Roman Catholic tradition begins when one enters the church, so silence is kept and individual prayer is the order of the day. The organist has a canvas of silence on which to paint a picture in sound to set the mood according to the lectionary of the day.  In some congregations, many remain for the closing voluntary, and often at an evensong the congregation is asked to remain seated and quiet during the closing voluntary.  In others half the congregation is gone by the end of the recessional hymn. 

In the Calvanist churches, instrumental music was not allowed from the reformation until the late 19th century.  In the Netherlands, the love of the organ “spilled over” from neighboring Germany, and the people wanted to hear organ music.  Organs were installed in the churches, but were owned by the town.  The organist was a town employee.  The organ was played before and after the church service and in concerts at other times.  Therefore the organ music was considered entertainment, and the worship only began with the minister’s “call to worship” and ended with the “benediction.”  The Pilgrims arriving in New England brought the Netherlands tradition with them to some extent, so the New England churches had organs.  The Presbyterian churches in the US were founded by Scottish and Scotch-Irish immigrants and up until the late 1800s were designed so it was difficult to install a pipe organ.  The square, Greek Revival buildings of the 1850’s through the 1900’s were later fitted with small free-standing organs in a front corner, many built by either Estey or Moller.  Today in many Presbyterian and other Calvanist churches the tradition of visiting with other churchgoers during the prelude continues, and silence only happens when the pastor stands to call the congregation to worship. So the prelude and postlude are still not considered part of the service per se.  Some congregations have moved announcements to a position before the prelude, so that all worshippers are generally seated and quiet for that music.  Others add “please feel free to remain seated for the postlude” in their bulletins.  Local customs vary widely. 

Lutheran churches vary widely between the two extremes above, again mostly through local tradition.  

In my experience, most Baptist and other churches from that historical background tend to observe silence before worship, but again local tradition takes precedence. 

First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville VA February 10, 2013

February 10: Transfiguration Sunday First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville VA.
First Reading – Psalm 99
Second Reading – Luke 9:28-36

Theme: In the story of the transfiguration of the Lord, there is a lot of communication during the experience. Jesus praying, Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, Peter, and finally God from the cloud. Only Peter doesn’t know what he is talking about, “not knowing what he said” (9:33). And aren’t we like Peter, not know what to say about our experiences of God? This sermon will affirm that reality and explore the way the church gives us speech about God, (like the Apostles’ Creed) so that we can bring to articulation what is impossible to fully say.

Prelude 

Deo Gracias....(Hymn # 75)……………………..John Dunstable, arr. E. Power Biggs

Praise God From Whom All Blessings Flow........Johann Gottfried Walther

Prelude..................................................................Jean Langlais

The Deo Gracias is the tune for hymn 75 which is a Transfiguration Sunday Hymn. 

Originally called the Agincourt Carol, it dates from the early 15th Century.  The original is located in the Wren Library of Trinity College, Cambridge.  It has been attributed to John Dunstable (1370-1453).  The arrangement for organ by E Power Biggs (1906-1977) became the basis for the harmonization in many hymnals.  The original carol was for two voices.  Everything else was added by Biggs in the late 1940’s in his “Treasury of Early Organ Music” published by Mercury Press. 

The “Doxology” tune “Old Hundredth” had its origin in the German chorale Nun' lob' mein' seel' den Herren which is the setting used here.  It was set by a number of Baroque composers including Buxtehude, Bach, and Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748), J. S. Bach’s cousin and contemporary.  The opening phrases of the chorale melody form the basis for the opening counterpoint.  The melody is carried by the pedal throughout, and the manuals move from chorale-related counterpoint to free fantasia. 

Prelude from “Organ Book” (1956)  by Jean Langlais (1907-1991) is a short work in a post-impressionistic style.  I chose to include it here because the chord changes echo, in a slightly slanted way, the changes in “Old Hundredth.”  This piece would have been “new” when First Presbyterian Church’s building on this site was dedicated.  It uses “fonds de 8 pieds” on the Positif (Principal 8) and the Recit (Diapason 8, Gamba) in contrast, anchored by the Pedal Bourdon 16.  

Also notice that the composers’ names all start with J.  That was unintended, but does remind us of I John, II John, and III John, which is a good thing. 

Opening Hymn: # 460  Holy God We Praise Your Name  (Grosser Gott air Loben Dich) 

Congregational Response to Forgiveness: #63, v. 4  (As with Gladdness Men of Old)

Anthem: How Lovely Are the Messengers – Mendelssohn 

How lovely are the messengers that preach us the gospel of peace.
To all the nations is gone forth the sound of their words, throughout all the lands their glad tidings.

Sermon. 

Hymn: # 426  “Lord Speak to Me that I may Speak”  (Canonbury)

Offertory:    How Brightly Shines the Morning Star…. Georg Philip Telemann (1681-1767)

This is the most typical of all Epiphany hymns and is particularly appropriate for Transfiguration Sunday, as it speaks of bright shining.  Telemann’s sprightly, bouncy little organ setting is in two voices, with the chorale melody up top and the counterpoint on the left hand.  The melody is on Positif 8’ Bourdon,  2 ⅔ Nazard, and 1 ⅗ Tierce.   The counterpoint is on the Recit (with box almost closed) 16’ Trompette,  4’ Principal, 2’ Octavin.   The counterpoint reminds me of “Sailor’s Hornpipe” which was from another age and another country.  The choice of this setting rather than any number of other ones was to parallel the idea of transformation.  

 Doxology : #68, v. 4  “To God the Father, God the Son”  (Puer Nobis Nascitur) 

Closing Hymn: 425  Lord of Light, Your Name Outshining  (Abbot’s Leigh)

Benediction Response: 305, v. 1   Jesus Our Divine Companion (Pleading Savior)

Postlude: Postlude in F Major..  Caleb Simper (1856-1942) 

Simper was an organist in Barnstaple, England.  He was a prolific composer of organ works and anthems.  Over 5 million of his compositions had been sold worldwide by the 1920’s.  This is from Book 4 of “Seventeen Voluntaries” and is in simple ABA form.  It features the Trompette Royal against the full organ. 

Alternate hymn harmoinzations used in this service include ones by Charles Callahan, Noel Rawsthorne, Michael Burkhart, V. Earle Copes, and T. Tertius Noble. 

First Presbyterian Church Charlottesville VA Feb. 3 2013

First Presbyterian Church, Charlottesville VA  February 3.  Casavant organ. 

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

Luke 4: 21-30

Sermon theme--- there is no “us” and “them” with God. In the Luke passage Jesus speaks in his hometown synagogue, telling the congregation the story of the widow of Zarephath and the story of the Syrian army general with leprosy named Naaman.  The congregation reacted quite negatively.  

Preludes: 

The preludes include a chorale prelude on the first hymn by a 17th century German Baroque composer and a prelude reminiscent of Hebrew song by a Jewish American composer of the 20th century.  The Bloch piece is intended as a portrait of the congregation in Luke 4. 

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

   Walther was a contemporary of his cousin, J. S. Bach.  He is best known as the compiler of the first dictionary of music and musical terms, and for his transcriptions of Italian and German orchestral concerti for the organ. His output included 132 chorale preludes.  

Prelude I ……… Ernest Bloch (1880-1959)

Bloch was born in Switzerland and began playing violin at age 9 and started composing soon thereafter. He studied at the conservatories in Brussels, Frankfurt, and Paris and settled in the United States in 1916, becoming a citizen in 1924.  He was the first Musical Director of the Cleveland Institute of Music and later director of the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.  He wrote operas, Symphonies, works for violin and piano, works for chorus and orchestra,  This is the first piece of a book of six preludes for organ published in 1949.  

Hymn: Praise Ye the Lord, the Almighty.   Fanfare on the Trumpet Royale by Joyce Jones.  2nd Verse harmonization by Noel Rawsthorne, 3rd verse with descant. 

Anthem: “The Gift of Love” by Hal Hopson  (with piano by Bryce Hayes, interim choir director)

Hymn: In Christ There is No East or West..  Introductory fanfare by Joyce Jones.  Final verse harmonization by Noel Rawsthorne

Offertory:  Ah, Holy Jesus, How Has Thou Offended? …… Helmut Walcha (1907-1991)

Born in Leipzig, Walcha was blinded after a smallpox vaccination at age 19.  He entered the Leipzig Conservatory and became assistant to the organist at Thomaskirche. His recordings of the complete organ works of Bach are considered among the best.  He learned by memorizing part by part by hearing the works played by others.  Walcha wrote four volumes of chorale preludes on Lutheran hymns and arrangements for organ of orchestral works by others.  

The first of the 18 verses of this hymn on which this chorale is based looks at the response by the congregation in the synagogue to the sermon by Jesus in today’s scripture.  The chorale prelude is registered with the Bourdon 16 and Rohrflote 4 in the pedal playing the ostinato,  the Positif 4' Flute a Fuseau and 4' Principal played down an octave for the drone, and the Recit Hautbois 8  with tremolo for the chorale cantus.  

Doxology-- tune of Puer Nobis Nascitur 

Music during communion chosen from:

Miniatures for Organ-- Flor Peeters (1903-1986)  Featuring the strings and flutes. 

 A native of Belgium, Peeters studied at the Lemmens Institute, named for the composer, and returned to teach there as well at other colleges.  He was a renowned organist and composer in the 20^th century. 

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross -- Garrett Parker

Garrett Parker is currently working as a staff composer for the Lorenz Publishing Company.  He writes useful and tuneful music for church use.  The three variations on When I Survey The Wondrous Cross are a part of “Continuous Communion Meditations for Organ.”

Two Chorale Preludes by Robert Graham (1912-92):  “Jesus Loves Me” and “Do Lord”

Robert Graham  graduated cum laude from the Eastman School of Music, and served as a chaplain’s assistant at Camp Hood TX during World War iI and later in Yokohama Japan.  He returned to Japan as a missionary in 1951 as a missionary teacher of music under the direction of the National Council of the Episcopal Church.  There he became head of the music department for Rikkyo Jo Gakuin School in Tokyo, now known as “St. Margaret’s School” where a Taylor and Boody organ was installed in 1998.  He was also a lecturer for All-Japan Church Music Institute, and analyst for Sei-kwo Hymnal Revision Committee.  As of 1960 he had 147 compositions in print through 21 publishers.  He wrote more than a hundred choral compositions and cantatas, numerous songs, organ solos, piano pieces, and orchestral works.  He retired to Arizona in 1956. Bob presented Graham’s cantata “Dawn of Redeeming Grace” while organist/choirmaster at Hinton Avenue Methodist in 1962 and at Covenant Presbyterian in 1968l

Hymn: Jesus Our Divine Compassion, tune: Pleading Savior  

First verse by the choir.  Second verse by the congregation.

The first verse is then used with choir and congregation as the benediction response with harmonization by Charles Callahan. 

Postlude:  “Prelude and Fugue in F Major BWV 556…… attr. J. S. Bach (1685-1750)

One of “Eight Short Preludes and Fugues”, this piece is listed with a BWV number.  The eight short preludes and fugues were attributed to Bach until the 20th century when scholars began to doubt if he actually composed this series of pieces.  Some suggested that either Tobias Krebs or Ludwig Krebs, both students of Bach, composed them.  More recent scholarship suggests that Bach may have composed them himself, but for Pedal Clavichord, not organ.  The Pedal Clavichord was the “home practice organ” of the 17th century.  Of quiet tone, it allowed quiet practice in the home, a boon to performers in the colder months when churches were not heated. 

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH 1/20/2013

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, CHARLOTTESVILLE VA

January 20, 2013

For organ details see the January 6 entry in this blog. 

The sermon is from the Epistle Reading 1 Corinthians 12:11-31a, which deals with the Holy Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. 

The Gospel reading is the story of the wedding at Cana.  

So how do we pick organ music that covers these diverse topics?  We could have done Buxtehude's chorale prelude on "Come Holy Spirit" or the alio modo one by Telemann.  But we decided to take a different tack this time.   I also considered "The Wedding at Cana" from Jaromir Weinberger's "Bible Poems" suite.  It was a little too short for the circumstances.  

We therefore look to the Trinity, which of course includes the Holy Spirit, and we look inside the music and outside the music in its surroundings for Trinitarian symbolism. 

Plus we include a piece that is associated with Royal Weddings, as the Church is the bride of the King of Kings. 

PRELUDE:

Sanctus from Mass for Parishes..... François Couperin "Le Grand." (1668-1733) Organist to Louis XIV in Paris

It is supposed that this organ mass was written for his own use at the church of Saint-Gervais, Paris.  The custom of the time was for the organ, on occasion,  to alternate verses with the choir on the propers of the mass.  The registrations, ornaments, and rubato are based on the 1950's  recording by Andre Marchal on the Cliquot/Gonzales instrument in a military school chapel in the Pyrenees, recorded by Erato and released on a monaural LP by Westminster.  

As was the custom in the Baroque period, there is Trinitarian symbolism throughout the piece.  There are three movements.  In the second and third sections there are three distinct layers of sound--- the melody, the accompaniment in the hands, and the bass line.  In the registration, the use of the three rank Cornet for the solo voice of the second movement is also symbolic. 

The cantus firmus of the movements comes from Cunctipotens genitor Deus (Mass IV) and appears in the first couplet with a Grand Jeu registration of reeds and mixtures with the tierce included.  The double pedal gives a grand exclamation of "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts."  

The second couplet sets the text "Heaven and Earth show forth Thy Majesty" in a reflective mood of wonder and awe.  The left hand accompanies on the Positif with an 8' Principal and 4' Flute, undergirded by Bourdons 16' and 8' in the pedal.  The soaring ornamented melody in the right hand is the Grand Orgue Cornet III (2 ⅔, 2, 1⅗) undergirded by the Flute Double 8, and the Praestant 4 with tremulant.  The Flute Double was retained by Casavant from the previous organ, which I think started in the previous building as a Roosevelt. 

The third movement, separately titled "Benedictus" sets the text "Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord."   This text is often used to refer to John the Baptist or the Christ, but can just as easily refer to the Holy Spirit I suppose.   With melody in the tenor using Cromorne 8,  Bourdon 8, Principal 4, and Tierce 1⅗ with tremulant, the accompaniment is on the rather quinty Recit Flute Major 8' with tremulant, accompanied by Bourdons 16 and 8 in the pedal.  

The edition being used is the 1947 one from Liturgical Music Press. 

Trumpet Voluntary by Jeremiah Clarke (1674-1707) Organist of the Chapel Royal in London. 

The version included here is from the harpsichord "Suite in D Major."   It is mostly in two voices, contrasting a reed stop (actually the Trumpet Royal of the Positif and the Recit Trompette in echo, accompanied by foundations 8' and 2'.  The obvious reference here is to the wedding at Cana.  The setting is found in the "Wedding Music" volume of "The Parish Organist" from Concordia. 

OFFERTORY:

Andante Expressivo op 28, no. 2………….Dudley Buck (1839-1909)

This is the second exercise in "Eighteen Studies in Pedal Phrasing for the Organ."  Published in 1885, 1917, and 1922, this is from the second edition.   The right hand and pedal play a melody in canon (Father and Son) while the left hand accompanies with sustained chords (Holy Spirit.)  The registration is intended to capture the sound of the Hook and Hastings organs throughout New England at the time of its publication.  The right hand uses the Recit Hautbois and Major Flute, coupled to the Grand Orgue with Montre, both with tremolo.  The left hand uses the Positif Flute Celeste and Bourdon, coupled 4' with tremolo.  The pedal uses the Subbas 16, Rohrflote 4, and Recit to pedal 8.  The composer specifies a reed in the right hand, coupled into the pedal so that the canon is heard on the same reed stop.  This reed is heavier in the bass, so we used the Montre 8 with it for the right hand.  The first edition is now public domain and the sheet music can be downloaded from imslp.org. 

Dudley Buck was America's most prolific nineteenth century composer.  Born in Hartford CT, he took his first piano lessons at age sixteen and then attended Trinity College. In 1858 he moved to Germany and studied at the Leipzig Conservatory, with further studies in Dresden and Paris. In 1861 he returned to his native Hartford and assumed the organist position at the North Congregational Church and began touring as a concert organist, dedicated to elevating the taste of the American public through transcriptions of orchestral works and premieres of works by Bach and Mendelssohn. From 1869 to 1871 he was organist at St. James Episcopal in Chicago, where many of his manuscripts and his studio pipe organ perished in the "great fire."  He returned to Boston and accepted a position at the New England Conservatory and was organist for the Music Hall Association.  In 1875 he moved to New York to become assistant conductor of the Theodore Thomas Orchestra's Central Park Garden Concerts.   From 1877 to 1902 was organist at Holy Trinity Church in Brooklyn and founded the Apollo Club Male Chorus,  as well as traveling to Boston regularly to teach organ at the New England Conservatory. He also worked in production of major festivals with orchestra for which he wrote the music.   He taught private music lessons throughout his career, and one of his students was Charles Ives.  He composed large scale works, 4 cantatas, 55 anthems, and 20 sacred songs.  He played a central role in the development of organ and choral music in the United States. Buck's large-scale works exhibit an attention to practicality.  His twelve secular cantatas received more reported performances than any other American choral works during the 1880s. Buck was able to strike a successful balance between popular taste and his high musical ideals. His most performed and recorded concert organ works are the Grand Sonata on The Star Spangled Banner, and the Grand Sonata on The Last Rose of Summer. 

POSTLUDE:

The Open Diapason March…………Louis Meyer (d. 1897)

Louis Meyer came to St Louis, Missouri, in 1880, from New Orleans, Louisiana, to conduct their opera house orchestra. Prior to that, he wrote many songs and piano pieces and published them himself in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the same street as F A North, the publisher of this piece. He was accomplished on all the stringed instruments and conducted the St Louis Orchestra during the summers of 1886 and 1887. He was chosen as a member of Wagner’s orchestra in Zurich, Switzerland, and regarded as an excellent composer of orchestral pieces and as an arranger for string ensembles and military brass bands. He arranged The Open Diapason March for brass band in addition to the organ solo and duet versions.  It works as well on a "pump organ" as on a grand pipe organ. 

Why include this piece in a service about the Holy Spirit?  Again it is a reference to the Trinity, but an oblique and architectural one.  The OPEN DIAPASON is the set of organ pipes in the front of the organ at First Presbyterian.  On the First Presbyterian Casavant it is called Montre, which means mounted, as the pipes are mounted on the front.  The pipes of the Open Diapason are in 3 sections… a large center section symbolizing the Father, the section on its right symbolizing the Son, and the section on its left (or right as you look at it) symbolizing the "Holy Ghost" as would have been the reference in the time in which it was written.   The style is typical of the camp meeting hymns of the day.  Surely the Holy Spirit is as happy as this music sounds!

This edition is the recently-released republication from Michael's Music Service.  There are several recordings of the piece on their web site, played on period instruments including a reed "pump" organ.

First Hymn "Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee"  tune  "Hymn to Joy" from the blue Presbyterian Hymnal.  Intro by Don Hustad from his chorale prelude. First verse from Hymnal.  2nd verse by Charles Callahan.  3rd verse by Mark Newlon, available from scoreexchange.com .

First Lesson Psalm 36 in verse, sung to O Waly Waly.   Intro canon by Charles Callahan.  First verse by choir with accompaniment from With One Voice.  Second Verse by choir and congregation with accompaniment, melody in tenor on 8' Diapasons accompanied by treble flutes, by Charles Callahan.  Third verse by choir and congregation with accompaniment by John Weaver from the hymnal.

Closing Hymn "Arise Your Light Has Come" to "Festal Hymn."  Final verse by John D. Herr