Nunc Dimittis

Robert E. Fort, Jr. died on January 29 in DeLand, Florida. A native of Ocala, Florida, he was a graduate of the University of Florida, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Eastman School of Music, where he studied with David Craighead. He earned a doctor of sacred music degree from the School of Music of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, where he studied with Vernon deTar. Dr. Fort taught at Coker College in Hartsville, South Carolina, and at Stetson University, and was a lifelong church musician, serving most recently as organist-choirmaster at the First Presbyterian Church in DeLand. Active in the Presbyterian Association of Musicians, he was an honorary lifetime member and had served as its president; he also served as dean of the Central Florida AGO chapter and was a member of the Hymn Society and the American Choral Directors Association. Dr. Fort wrote widely on church music topics and led workshops and hymn festivals throughout the country. Robert Fort is survived by his wife of 49 years, Patricia Mims Fort, and his children, Robert Fort III and Carolyn Fort.

Timothy J. Oliver died in Frankfort, Kentucky on January 5. He was 71. Born in Cincinnati, he earned a bachelor’s degree from San Diego State College and subsequently studied organ with Arnold Blackburn at the University of Kentucky, where he earned a master of music degree. Active in the Lexington, Kentucky AGO chapter, Oliver initiated and for many years maintained the chapter’s organ academy; he had also been a member of the music and liturgy commission of the Episcopal Diocese of Lexington, helping to plan and rehearse the 1995 diocesan centennial service. Timothy Oliver had served as organist at Midway Presbyterian Church, following his retirement as organist-choirmaster at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Versailles after a long tenure. He held a similar position at Versailles Presbyterian Church, establishing a children’s and a handbell choir, and leading the renovation of the church’s Pilcher organ; he also served at Church of the Ascension in Frankfort. He twice directed the Woodford Community Choir and was a member of the Association of Anglican Musicians and the Organ Historical Society. Timothy Oliver is survived by many friends and several cousins.

French organist Michel Pinte died of a heart attack in Malaga, Spain, on October 21, 2008. Born on July 21, 1936 in Etrepagny (Eure, in Normandy), he was buried in the nearby cemetery in Doudeauville-en-Vexin. A Requiem Mass was celebrated in his memory on November 8, 2008, at the Saint-Augustin church in Paris, where he had served as organist for 29 years.
Michel Pinte began to play the organ for Masses at the parish church in his home town at the age of ten. Two years later, he began organ lessons in Rouen with Jules Lambert (substituting for him) and then with Marcel Lanquetuit. In 1956, during his military service, he served as organist at the Saint-Philippe cathedral in Algiers. When he returned to Paris in 1962, he studied piano with Irène Baume-Psichari, harmony with Yves Margat, Gregorian chant with Henri Potiron at the Institut grégorien, and organ with Jean Langlais at the Schola Cantorum, where he received his diploma in virtuosic organ interpretation and improvisation in 1964. He also studied later with Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier, Marie-Louise Girod, and Suzanne Chaisemartin.
After substituting at numerous churches (notably in Paris at Notre-Dame-de-Grâce in Passy and on the choir organs at Saint-Augustin and the Versailles cathedral), in 1968 Pinte was named titular of the Cavaillé-Coll/Mutin choir organ at the Saint-Augustin church in Paris. In 1973, he requested Victor Gonzalez to enlarge this organ to 32 stops with six adjustable pistons, enabling him to play the entire repertory comfortably. He later entrusted the maintenance of this organ to Bernard Dargassies. In 1979, Michel Pinte also assisted Suzanne Chaisemartin on the 1868 Barker/Cavaillé-Coll/Mutin Grand Orgue (III/53) and was appointed as her co-titular in 1990. He retired in June 1997, and spent his final years in Marbella, Spain (Malaga).
During his retirement, Michel Pinte performed even more concerts in Europe and the United States. In Spain, he performed for the organ weeks in Grenada in 1999 and in Madrid in 2000, and at the Palau de la Música in Valencia in 2007 (for more details, see <www.musimem.com&gt;). Audiences appreciated his eclectic programs that highlighted nineteenth and twentieth-century repertory (notably works by Demessieux, Vierne, and Widor as well as lesser-known works) and were captivated by his final brilliant improvisation on a well-known theme.
His solid technique and his open spirit allowed him to express himself easily and freely, to fully share his vital love of music with others. To cite one example, those who attended his concert at St. John’s Church in Washington, D.C. on November 13, 1986, will never forget his stunning improvisation on America the Beautiful. This cultural ambassador will long be remembered for his vast artistic knowledge, his creative imagination, and his good sense of humor.
—Carolyn Shuster Fournier
Paris, France

Travis R. Powell, age 36, died on January 19 in Carey, Ohio. A student of Donald MacDonald, he earned a bachelor of church music degree from Westminster Choir College, and a master of sacred music degree from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, where he was a student of Robert Anderson. Powell was director of music–organist at the Basilica and National Shrine of Our Lady of Consolation in Carey, Ohio, where he directed the shrine chorale and a children’s choir and played over 650 Masses a year. He also taught general music at Our Lady of Consolation School and was artistic director of the Carey Ecumenical Choir; he had previously served at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Cathedral Shrine of the Virgin of Guadalupe Cathedral in Dallas. He was a member of the American Guild of Organists, National Association of Pastoral Musicians, Organ Historical Society, American Choral Directors Association, Choristers Guild, and the Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians.

Robert Wendell Robe died on January 24 in Tampa, Florida. He was 79. Born July 8, 1929, in Zanesville, Ohio, he attended Meredith College in Zanesville and Capitol University. A church musician for 64 years, he began his musical career as organist for St. Luke’s Lutheran Church and played for “The Coffee Club,” a local radio program. He held organist positions at Webb City Presbyterian Church, New Haven Presbyterian Church, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Forest Hills Presbyterian and Wellspring United Methodist churches, both in Tampa, Florida, and until last year at the Kirk of Dunedin Community Church in Dunedin, Florida. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Mary Robe, two daughters and three sisters.

Mary Landon Russell died November 20, 2008, in Montoursville, Pennsylvania, at age 95. She attended Dickinson Junior College and in 1936 earned a bachelor of music degree from Susquehanna University. In 1957 she earned a master of arts degree from Pennsylvania State University, and did further study at the Chautauqua Institution School of Music, the Juilliard School, and the Eastman School of Music. She taught at Lycoming College from 1936 until her retirement in 1978, when she was named associate professor of music emerita and continued as a part-time piano teacher there for another twenty years.
Mrs. Russell was a member of numerous professional organizations, including the American Guild of Organists, of which she was a past dean of the Williamsport chapter, the Williamsport Music Club, and the National and Pennsylvania Federations of Music Clubs. She was also a 50-year member and honorary regent of the Lycoming Chapter, Daughters of the America Revolution, and was awarded the Martha Washington Medal from the Tiadaghton Chapter (Sons of the American Revolution) for her “History of the Music of Williamsport, Pennsylvania.” She is listed in Outstanding Educators of America; during her 50th year of teaching at Lycoming College, the school’s Alumni Association established the Mary Landon Russell Applied Music Fund, which provides financial aid to musically gifted students. Mrs. Russell frequently served as organist at Covenant-Central Presbyterian Church, and in other area churches.

John Eargle died May 9 at his home in Hollywood Hills, California, at the age of 76. An award-winning audio engineer, his long career included work for a number of record labels and for JBL and Harman International Industries. An organist before he became a recording engineer, Eargle received the BMus from the Eastman School of Music and the MMus from the University of Michigan. His teachers included Marilyn Mason and Catharine Crozier.
Eargle was born on January 6, 1931, in Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to his music degrees, he also earned degrees in electrical engineering from the University of Texas and Cooper Union, and then became a recording engineer, first for RCA and then for Mercury. In 1957 he headed the Klipschtape division of Klipsch and Associates and performed two recitals on the Aeolian-Skinner instruments in Longview and Kilgore, Texas, which were issued as recordings by the company.
John Eargle joined JBL as a consultant in 1976, and shortly thereafter became vice president of product development. In the early 1980s he returned to a consulting role with the title senior director, product development and application, the position he held for the rest of his life. Eargle had just completed the book The JBL Story: 60 Years of Audio Innovation and had previously co-authored JBL Audio Engineering for Sound Reinforcement, which are among ten books on audio, loudspeakers, microphones and recording that he had authored.
He was also director of recording for Delos International and engineered and produced many organ recordings, including releases by David Britton, Catharine Crozier, Michael Farris, David Higgs, Robert Noehren, Todd Wilson, and others. A member of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), he had engineered and/or produced over 275 compact discs. He was at the forefront of the development of multi-channel surround sound. In 2001 he was awarded the Grammy for Best-Engineered Album, Classical for Dvorák: Requiem, op. 89; Symphony No. 9, op. 95.
Eargle had a deep commitment to education, presenting at many forums as a guest lecturer and serving on numerous panels and committees. He taught at the Aspen Audio Recording Institute for more than 20 years, in concert with JBL and Harman support of the Aspen Music Festival and School, and was a member of their corporate board.

Pierce Allen Getz died March 30 in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Born in 1929 in Denver, Pennsylvania, he earned a BS degree in music education from Lebanon Valley College, an MSM from Union Theological Seminary in New York City, and the DMA from the Eastman School of Music. Dr. Getz did further organ study in the U.S., Canada, the Netherlands, and at the North German Organ Academy, and also studied historical organs in Europe. A professor of music at Lebanon Valley College for 31 years, he served Market Square Presbyterian Church in Harrisburg as organist and director of music from 1987 to the present; his previous positions included serving Annville United Methodist Church for 21 years. He founded the Alumni Chorale of Lebanon Valley College in 1978 and served as its director until his death. Getz received numerous awards and honors, including the 2003 Distinguished Alumnus Award from Lebanon Valley College and the 2004 American Choral Directors Association of Pennsylvania’s Elaine Brown Award. Pierce Getz is survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Gene Shelley Getz, a daughter and son, and two grandsons. A memorial service was held at Market Square Presbyterian Church, to which memorial contributions may be made to the Music Program, Market Square Presbyterian Church, 20 S. Second St., Harrisburg, PA 17101.

Erna Kopitz Heiller died February 4 in Vienna at the age of 85. The wife of Anton Heiller, she was an artist in her own right and became widely known as a harpsichordist; her recordings that she made with her husband Anton of the Soler Concertos for Two Keyboards and the Bach harpsichord concertos were well known. She studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna during the years preceding and including World War II, following which she was part of the revival of music by composers whose music had been banned by the Nazis. She specialized in the music of Hindemith, Mendelssohn, Martin, Poulenc, and Schoenberg. Erna Heiller is survived by a daughter, a son, and five grandchildren.

Evelyn Wall Robbins died in Atlanta on February 5. Born in Lake City, South Carolina, Mrs. Robbins earned a music degree from Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, and a graduate degree from the Juilliard School. She was a student of Clarence Dickinson for 15 years, and shared a lifelong friendship with him. During her studies with Dickinson, she served as assistant organist at the Brick Presbyterian Church in New York City. In 1950 she married Homer Erwin Robbins Jr. at the Riverside Church; Virgil Fox was the organist.
Mrs. Robbins was an organist-choirmaster for many churches in Georgia, including First Presbyterian Church in Marietta, Druid Hills United Methodist Church in Decatur, and St. James Methodist Church and Peachtree Road United Methodist Church in Atlanta, and also served Salem United Church of Christ in Allentown, Pennsylvania, where she also taught organ and directed the chapel choir at Cedar Crest College. She was an active member of Choristers Guild and the American Guild of Organists, serving twice as dean of the Lehigh Valley chapter. Services were held at Belvedere United Methodist Church in Atlanta on February 8. Donations may be made to the Clarence Dickinson Society.

Stefania Björnson Denbow died October 18 in Athens, Ohio. She was 91. Born in Minneota, Minnesota, to Icelandic immigrants, she earned BA and MA degrees from the University of Minnesota, where she studied organ with Arthur Poister, and where she established an organ scholarship a decade ago. A homemaker, organist, scholar of Greek history and art history, and composer, Denbow based a number of her compositions on Icelandic poetry. Her works included Surtsey String Quintet, Four Songs of the Eremite Isle, Magnificat, an anthem based on Jesus, Thou Divine Companion, and Exaltatio, which was premiered by G. Dene Barnard at the First Congregational Church in Columbus, Ohio, later broadcast on Pipedreams, and also performed in Germany by Stephen Tharp. Stefania Denbow served as a church organist, including at the Church of the Good Shepherd and Christ Lutheran Church, in Athens, Ohio. She was a member of the Southeast Ohio AGO chapter, Mu Phi Epsilon, and Phi Alpha Theta. Stefania Denbow is survived by two daughters, a son, six grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and nieces and nephews.

Constance Hunter Greenwell (Connie) died on February 8. Born in 1927 in Knoxville, Tennessee, she was a long-time member of the Dallas chapter of the American Guild of Organists; she served as membership secretary, and as hospitality chair for the 1994 AGO national convention in Dallas. She was a church organist and her other interests included horses, sailing, and travel. Constance Hunter Greenwell was preceded in death by her husband of 57 years, Gene.

Joel H. Kuznik, 72, died on April 3 at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan, where he had been since suffering a stroke in late February. Born June 29, 1936 in Waukegan, Illinois, he began his education at the local public school, but then attended Northwestern Prep and College in Watertown, Wisconsin to begin studying for the ministry, later attending Concordia Senior College in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, where he received a BA summa cum laude in 1959.
Realizing that he was called to the ministry of sacred music, he entered Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he received a Master of Divinity in 1962. Joel often spoke of his Vicarage year at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, as one of the best years of his life. During his last year at seminary, he studied at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he received a Master of Music degree in 1963.
Kuznik was ready for a call in 1963, but the seminary offered a year-long fellowship that led to his Master of Sacred Theology in 1969. He was ordained a pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Waukegan, Illinois, in August 1964. He began his career as a professor at Concordia College, St. Paul, Minnesota, where he was assistant professor of religion and conductor of the college choir. In 1966 he received a call from his alma mater, Concordia Senior College, where he became associate professor of music and college organist through 1976. In 1975 he spent a sabbatical leave in Paris, Haarlem, and Cambridge.
When the college closed in 1976, Joel moved to New York. In 1979 he began his career in the insurance industry, retiring in 1995 from MetLife. Most recently, he served as assistant pastor at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New York City, until August 2008. At the time of his death, he was serving as an assistant priest at St. Luke in the Fields Episcopal Church.
Joel’s love affair with organ music (and Bach in particular) began very early in his life. He would call Bach “The fifth Evangelist,” and once he retired he began to become involved again in organizations and activities that celebrated Bach’s music and life. He attended the Bachfest in Leipzig in 2003, which was the beginning of a flurry of activity centered around anything related to classical music, the organ and most often Bach. He has over 60 articles in print and was working on at least three new articles at the time of his death.
Joel Kuznik was named to the Music Critics Society of North America in May 2005. He was a member of the American Bach Society and served on the board of the Bach Vespers at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in New York. He was a long time member of the American Guild of Organists and served as dean of the Ft. Wayne chapter, on the executive board of the New York City chapter, and on the national financial board. He studied organ with Austin C. Lovelace, Frederick Swann, Ronald Arnatt, David Craighead, Jean Langlais, Marie-Madeleine Duruflé-Chevalier and Anton Heiller.
—Sean M. Scheller

Jacques Mequet Littlefield died January 7 at the age of 59 in Portola Valley, California. A member of the Peninsula AGO chapter, Littlefield received bachelor’s and MBA degrees from Stanford University, where he studied under Stanford University organist Herbert Nanney; a large 45-stop Fisk organ is housed in a custom-built hall attached to his home. He worked for Hewlett-Packard as a manufacturing engineer before focusing solely on building his museum and restoration facility for his collection of more than 150 military vehicles, which included a World War II-era U.S. Army M3A1 wheeled scout car, a Soviet-era Scud missile launcher, and Sherman and Patton tanks. In 1998, Littlefield set up the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation, to manage the collection and help serve the interests of authors, historians, veterans groups, and others. Jacques Littlefield is survived by his wife, Sandy Montenegro Littlefield, five children, his mother, brother, sister, and a grandson.

Jeffrey M. Peterson, 48, of Staunton, Virginia, passed away in Erie, Pennsylvania on January 18. Born in Erie June 9, 1960, he was the son of Ronald and Virginia Buzanowski Peterson, and graduated from Fort LeBeouf High School, Erie, Pennsylvania. He was a pipe maker, first with Rodgers Organ Company in Hillsboro, Oregon, then at Organ Supply Industries in Erie, Pennsylvania. Since 1997 he worked at Taylor & Boody Organ Builders in Staunton, Virginia.
Peterson enjoyed his Harley and was a member of A.B.A.T.E. He was a hunter and enjoyed shooting and playing cards, and belonged to the Moose Club in Virginia. He is survived by his parents, Ronald and Virginia, of Summit Township, two brothers, Chris Peterson of Staunton and Brian Peterson, of Erie; a nephew, Nicholas Peterson and a niece, Laura Peterson.
—John H. Boody

Clyde J. “Cj” Sambach, age 60, died in Brick, New Jersey on February 27. He earned a degree in organ performance from Westminster Choir College; he served as organist-choir director at Holmdel Community Church, and as organist at St. Agnes Roman Catholic Church in Clark, New Jersey. Sambach concertized extensively and was a frequent conference clinician; he developed a special program, The Pipe Organ INformance®, to interest young people in the organ. Using large display posters, organ pipes, musical excerpts, and simple explanations, Sambach provided a basic understanding of the instrument from both the performer’s and the listener’s viewpoints. He also worked at Ocean County College and at Ocean County Vocational and Technical School in their accounting department. Cj Sambach is predeceased by his parents, Warren and Thalia Sambach; he is survived by his brothers Warren and Dean, cousins, and longtime friend Anthony Snyder.

Charles E. Hallman, 81, died on April 18. Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Springfield Twp. High School in 1948 and served in the U.S. Army National Guard in Germany during the Korean War. Mr. Hallman began his career as a pipe organ technician in 1948 with Frederick Burness, and in 1967, with Howard Gamble and Alan Furman, established Burness Associates. He was also state qualified in basic fire fighting and had been a member of the Abington Twp. and Springfield Twp. volunteer fire companies. Charles E. Hallman is survived by his wife of 57 years, Anne (Bower) Hallman, four daughters, twelve grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and a sister.

John H. Melcher died at his home in Elgin, Illinois, June 27, after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 73. Born in Perth, Ontario, Canada on March 1, 1936, John Melcher came with his family to the United States when he was still young. He attended Steinmetz High School in Chicago, and gained his U.S. citizenship through service in the U.S. Air Force. He received a bachelor’s degree from Beloit College, a master’s from the University of Michigan, and a Master of Sacred Music degree from Union Theological Seminary. He studied organ with Leo Sowerby, Robert Noehren, and Flor Peeters, and harpsichord with Isolde Ahlgrimm. He studied conducting with Margaret Hillis and Robert Shaw, and voice with Thomas Wikman and Henri Noel.
Melcher’s longest appointment was his over thirty years as the music director of the Northwest Choral Society. A member of the American Guild of Organists, he served as organist-choirmaster at St. Mark Lutheran Church, Chicago (1968–71), St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, Des Plaines (1971–80), and Morgan Park Methodist Church (1980–83); then as minister of music at the First United Methodist Church in Park Ridge (1983–97). He joined the staff of Christ the Lord Lutheran Church in Elgin, Illinois, in 1997, serving as cantor, organist, choral and handbell choir director. In March 2006, Melcher joined Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Elgin as director of music ministries.
In 1998, Melcher joined the staff of the Suzuki School of Elgin, where through March 2008 he served as accompanist and coach for the ensemble classes. From 1999–2007, he conducted the ELCA Lutheran Outdoor Ministries Swing Choir for high school students in its summer choir tour of southern and central Illinois. John H. Melcher is survived by his long-time partner, John Morrison.

William “Bill” D. Usher II died April 30 in Los Angeles at the age of 40. He studied at Westminster Choir College and received a bachelor’s degree in organ performance and church music from the University of Louisville, and a master’s degree in organ performance from the University of Southern California. His organ studies were with Searle Wright, Donald McDonald, Melvin Dickinson, and Cherry Rhodes. Usher served at Parsippany United Methodist Church in Parsippany, New Jersey, St. Stephen United Church of Christ in Louisville, the Church of the Incarnation in Glendale, California, and St. Mel Roman Catholic Church in Woodland Hills, California. He was director of music at Holy Trinity Church in Georgetown, District of Columbia (parish of President John F. Kennedy) from 1995–2006; there he led the music ministry of the 3,500-household parish and established the Music at Trinity concert series. At the time of his death, he was director of music and organist at St. Gregory the Great Church in Whittier, California, which also began a concert series, featuring Usher’s Mass in Honor of St. Jude at its inaugural event in 2008. William D. Usher II is survived by his domestic partner, Christopher Sioco, his mother, Marjorie M. Usher, sisters Valerie S. Usher and Vickie Morf, and two nieces.

D. DeWitt Wasson of Cornwall, Pennsylvania, died June 23 at age 88. He earned the Diploma in Sacred Music from Nyack Missionary Training Institute, a bachelor’s degree from Eastern Baptist Seminary, a master’s and doctorate in sacred music from Union Theological Seminary. He held church music positions in Virginia, Maryland, New York and Pennsylvania, and was a reviewer of organ music reviewer for The American Organist. He edited the two-volume Free Harmonizations of Hymn Tunes published by Hinshaw Music and the three-volume Hymntune Index and Related Hymn Materials published by Rowman and Littlefield. He played fifty organ concerts in Europe on alternate years and represented America in numerous international organ festivals. He was founder and musical director of the Westchester Baroque Chorus and Orchestra for more than thirty years and dean of the Westchester County, New York AGO chapter 1961–63 and 1985–87. He established a research collection of organ music at the Westminster Choir College of Ryder University in Princeton, New Jersey. D. DeWitt Wasson married Josephine Diener in June 1947; she died in January of this year.