The Church Musicians Workshop

The Conference of Roman Catholic Cathedral Musicians (CRCCM) met in Washington, D.C., January 6–9 at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception (National Shrine) for its 31st annual gathering. Members of the National Shrine’s music staff—Peter Latona, director of music; Richard Fitzgerald, associate director of music; and Benjamin LaPrairie, assistant director of music—designed and directed the conference gathering with help from the National Shrine’s support staff. Assistance was also provided by the CRCCM steering committee: Michael Batcho, director of music at the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Milwaukee; Marie Rubis Bauer, director of music for the Archdiocese of Omaha and at St. Cecilia Cathedral, Omaha; Anthony DiCello, director of music at the Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains, Cincinnati; Donald Fellows, director of music at St. Paul Cathedral, Pittsburgh; Ezequiel Menéndez, director of music at the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford; Christoph Tietze, director of music and organist at the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Assumption, San Francisco; Leo Nestor and Gerald Muller, advising.

Monday, January 6

Conference participants arrived in Washington and were welcomed to the National Shrine. They enjoyed open bench access to the gallery organs of the Upper Church, attended daily Mass in the Crypt Church, and toured the basilica before the meeting officially opened with evening prayer in the Crypt Church, with Monsignor Walter Rossi, rector of the National Shrine, presiding; Monsignor Charles Antonicelli, vicar for canonical services of the Archdiocese of Washington, delivered the homily; and Peter Latona, Richard Fitzgerald, Benjamin LaPrairie, and the Choir of the National Shrine provided the liturgical music. Following evening prayer, participants enjoyed refreshments and fellowship at Monsignor Rossi’s welcome reception; the CRCCM Statement of Purpose was read aloud, after which the participants introduced themselves and described their work in their cathedral churches.

The CRCCM welcomed new members and first-time conference participants for 2014: Joseph Balistreri, director of the office of worship for the Archdiocese of Detroit and co-director of music at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament, Detroit; Robert Carr, director of music at the Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, Spokane; Richard Fitzgerald, associate director of music at the National Shrine; McDowell Fogle, director of music and principal organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah; Brian Gurley, director of music and organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Albany, New York; Stephen Handrigan, director of the Choir School of St. Michael Cathedral, Toronto, Canada; and Mary Rooney of the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Savannah.

Tuesday, January 7

The day began with the Reverend Robert A. Skeris presenting a lecture, “Laus Vocalis Necessaria: The Music Must Pray, the Prayer Must Sing.” Father Skeris shared reflections on the necessary integration of musica sacra with the Logos in the liturgy: “Chant and liturgy have one nature; they belong together like belief and prayer.” Father Skeris currently serves as director of the Center of Ward Method Studies at the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at the Catholic University of America (CUA). From 1986 to 1989, he served as professor and prefetto della casa at the Pontifical Institute of Sacred Music in Rome, Italy.

After the lecture, the day continued with a tour of the Blessed John Paul II Institute. A gift of the Archdiocese of Detroit, the institute is owned and operated by the Knights of Columbus and is currently under renovation. Jem Sullivan, director of research at the institute, led conference participants through several exhibits, including a biographical exhibit of the life of Blessed John Paul II, and an exhibit depicting the election of Pope Francis and the process of the conclave.

The conference participants met at 12:15 p.m. for midday prayer with the Dominican Friars at the Dominican House of Studies. Father James Junipero Moore, O.P., welcomed everyone in the chapel and explained some of the Dominican traditions that were manifest in the liturgy. One example was that the alternatim practice of praying the psalms includes alternate standing and sitting. Standing represents preaching, while sitting represents the reception of preaching.

Following midday prayer, Father Moore conducted a brief concert sung by the Schola Cantorum of the Dominican Friars. Repertoire included the Dominican hymn O spem miram (plainsong), Sancta et immaculata by Francisco Guerrero, and Salvation Is Created by Pavel Tchesnokov. One of the singers in the schola is an expert in Church Slavonic, so the friars learned the text and sang it in the original language. Father Moore indicated that only two or three of the friars were music majors, and that they only rehearse for one hour per week. Lunch followed at the National Shrine.

At 2 p.m., Father Moore gave a talk entitled “The Spiritual Life of the Musician” in the Dominican Rosary Chapel of the National Shrine. Among the many exhortations he made to the conference participants, Father Moore encouraged everyone to maintain an active prayer life and to avoid the sins of pride and being underprepared.

The afternoon continued with the first of two business meetings, during which Anthony DiCello presented the proposed schedules and locations of upcoming CRCCM gatherings. He also described the duties and the rotation process of the steering committee. Marc Cerisier, organist of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Memphis, Tennessee, demonstrated updates to the CRCCM website and reminded everyone that service leaflets, compositions, and other resources may be uploaded for sharing among CRCCM members. DiCello presented his project of setting the collects of the Roman Missal (3rd edition) to modern notation. These documents are available for PDF download on the website of the Athenaeum of Ohio (www.athenaeum.edu/liturgical-resources.aspx).

Following the business meeting, Richard Fitzgerald led a session on improvisation techniques on the South Gallery Organ of the National Shrine. Fitzgerald’s doctoral dissertation at the Peabody Institute focused on improvisation techniques; he shared original musical examples as well as templates from organ literature, which can provide the basis for improvisation in liturgy. Workshop participants included Ricardo Ramirez, director of music and organist at Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, Illinois, Joseph Balistreri, and Brian Gurley.

Conference participants enjoyed fellowship at the Washington Court Hotel lobby and bar and found dinner on their own.

Wednesday, January 8

The first event of the morning was a lecture-presentation by Bertrand Cattiaux, organ builder and Curator of Organs at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France. Cattiaux surveyed six centuries of French organ building, incorporating audio and visual examples in his thorough presentation.

The morning continued with a lecture given by the Reverend Monsignor Kevin Irwin, entitled “What We Have Done and What We Have Failed To Do,” focusing on state of liturgical and musical reforms since the Second Vatican Council. Monsignor Irwin invited his audience to consider whether or not the liturgical music prepared in their cathedrals fits the liturgy of the Roman Rite. He proposed a reexamination of repertoires consisting primarily of Protestant hymnody—which tend to be didactic in nature—at the expense of the proper antiphons of the Gradual. Monsignor Irwin is a priest of the Archdiocese of New York and served as dean of the School of Theology and Religious Studies at the Catholic University of America from 2005–2011. He currently holds the Walter J. Schmitz Chair of Liturgical Studies. His latest book, What We Have Done and What We Have Failed To Do (2014), assesses the liturgical reforms of Vatican II and is available through Paulist Press.

At 12:15 p.m., Richard Fitzgerald presented a lunchtime organ recital at St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square. Fitzgerald’s program consisted of varied improvisations inspired by the stained glass windows of St. John’s Church. Following the recital, Benjamin Hutto, organist and director of music ministry at St. John’s Church, welcomed CRCCM conference participants and gave a brief tour of the 2009 Lively-Fulcher organ. 

At 3 p.m., the conference participants visited Washington National Cathedral (WNC). Director of music, Canon Michael McCarthy, led a workshop,  “Techniques for the Choral Conductor,” in the lower chapel of WNC. McCarthy encouraged participants to maintain vocal health and to seek periodic vocal instruction and coaching, which would strengthen their work with their own choirs.

At 5:15 p.m., Monsignor Rossi celebrated Mass and preached in the Crypt Church of the National Shrine, during which prayers were offered for deceased members of the CRCCM. As is custom, the CRCCM necrology was read during the Universal Prayer. Liturgical music (Lassus, Kyrie from Missa Quinti toni; Clemens non Papa, Magi viderunt stellam; Friedell, Song of Mary) was provided by Peter Latona, Richard Fitzgerald, Benjamin LaPrairie, and the Choir of the National Shrine.

Following Mass, the Choir of the National Shrine presented a concert entitled “Moveable Feasts: Sacred Music for the Church Year.” The program included the Epiphany Proclamation for 2014, with repertoire selected for each feast. Repertoire included works by Whitacre, Dove, Palestrina, Lukaszewski, L’héritier, Allegri, Stanford, Mendelssohn, Harris, Byrd, and Vierne (organ). Peter Latona conducted the choir, and Benjamin LaPrairie accompanied from the Crypt Church’s 1987 Schudi organ. 

Thursday, January 9

Thursday morning began with the second of two business meetings, held in the chapel of the Theological College of CUA. Gerald Muller, director of music at the Theological College (TC), described the musical and liturgical formation of the seminary students. During the meeting, participants suggested possible programs or scholarships that CRCCM could fund and oversee. These would be especially focused on the formation of future church musicians. Additional agenda items included the nomination of CRCCM members to the steering committee, as well as further discussion of possible locations for future conference meetings.

The business meeting was followed by the composers’ reading session, also held in the TC Chapel. Participants were joined by members of the Choir of the National Shrine to read through new compositions.

Later Thursday morning, Grayson Wagstaff, professor of music, director of the Latin American Music Center, and dean of the Benjamin T. Rome School of Music at CUA, gave a lecture-presentation on the influence of the Spanish Renaissance on the sacred music of the New World. Wagstaff surveyed the latest scholarship on the topic, which has attracted the attention of many musicologists in recent years. He discussed evidence of Spanish Salve services, which were devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary and resulted in a great number of settings of the Marian votive antiphon Salve Regina. Wagstaff encouraged the continued pursuit of this scholarship, since it presents an opportunity to help people appreciate historically important music that is intimately tied to Hispanic liturgical, musical, and cultural heritage. 

Johann Vexo, choir organist at the Cathedral of Notre Dame, Paris, presented a survey of sacred liturgical music at Notre Dame. He described the responsibilities of the organists, the singing practices at cathedral liturgies, and the Choir School. Later that evening, Vexo played a brilliant program of French masterworks on the organs of the Upper Church at the National Shrine; repertoire included music of Vierne, Franck, Dupré, and Duruflé. Prior to the concert, Robert Grogan, carillonneur and organist emeritus of the National Shrine, gave a prelude concert on the carillon of the Knights of Columbus bell tower. Repertoire included carillon literature and works arranged for carillon.

Conference participants enjoyed an elegant closing banquet at Johnny’s Half-Shell, located on North Capitol Street NW. Sincere gratitude and appreciation were extended to Peter Latona, Richard Fitzgerald, and Benjamin LaPrairie for hosting a very successful week.

The 2015 meeting of the CRCCM will take place in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota. It will be hosted by the Basilica of St. Mary (Minneapolis) and the Cathedral of St. Paul (St. Paul) in conjunction with the Cathedral Ministries Convention. 

Marcia Van Oyen earned master’s and doctoral degrees in organ and church music at the University of Michigan, where she studied organ with Robert Glasgow. She is associate director of music/organist at Plymouth First United Methodist Church in Plymouth, Michigan. She is on the steering committee for the 2006 national AGO convention and serves on two national AGO committees. More information is available online at .

Organ conferences centered on repertoire, performance practice, and history rather than purely practical matters are few and far between. Outside of the American Guild of Organists conventions and pedagogy conferences, or single-topic workshops given by other entities, the annual University of Michigan Organ Conference stands out for its breadth and depth. The conference’s three days, packed with presentations by local, national and international experts, offer a terrific opportunity to delve into academic topics and re-engage with the details of the organ and its history. In addition, the conference is a bonus for Michigan students, exposing them to topics, lecturers and performances beyond the tutelage of the excellent Michigan faculty.
The annual organ conference is the brainchild of Dr. Marilyn Mason. When asked how long she has been involved with the conference, she replied:
Yes, I have been responsible for all of them!! I began the first conference in 1961 because my manager, Lillian Murtagh, had written that Anton Heiller would be coming to the USA. Right then I said we wanted him in October, and we signed him for the first Conference on Organ Music. Through the years I have had assistance from both James Kibbie and Michele Johns, but I have been responsible (with a conference committee) for the program and presenters.
All of the conference events this year, except for one lecture and one concert, were held at Hill Auditorium, home of the Frieze Memorial Organ. Having survived several tonal re-workings, water damage two decades ago, and gloriously emerging following an extensive renovation of the auditorium completed in late 2004, the organ is in fine shape. In expert hands and played with clarity, this instrument is quite versatile. The deepened color scheme of the auditorium and the organ’s newly gold front pipes lend an aura of warmth and ambiance previously lacking, and in this environment the organ’s smoky-sounding strings, full-bodied principals, and high-pressure reeds shine. Conference lectures took place in a pleasant, light-filled meeting room on the mezzanine level of the facility, allowing easy access to the auditorium downstairs and the array of colorful restaurants in Ann Arbor’s downtown area. Anticipation was in the air as the first lecturer, Christoph Wolff, the world’s foremost Bach scholar, took the podium.
Christoph Wolff, born and educated in Germany, is Adams University Professor at Harvard University. He has published widely on the history of music from the 15th to the 20th centuries; recent books include Bach: Essays on His Life and Music, The New Bach Reader, and Johann Sebastian Bach: The Learned Musician. Wolff is simultaneously erudite and engaging, bringing the listener into his research process, sharing how he has arrived at connections and conclusions. He is an articulate speaker, and conference attendees were privileged to hear him present four lectures on J. S. Bach and his music.

Bach lectures by Christoph Wolff

Wolff’s first lecture, “J. S. Bach and His Circle,” offered insight into the societal and musical influences surrounding the great master. The circle, as defined by Wolff, consisted of musicians of the Bach family, influential musicians outside the family, students of Bach, and patrons of Bach. The historical depth of his musical family is unique to Bach. The combination of profundity and expressivity in the music his relatives composed is fundamental to understanding Bach’s work. The young Bach was immersed in this music, full of innovative practices.
One of the prominent musicians influencing the young J. S. Bach was family friend Johann Pachelbel, who trained keyboardists with a mixed repertoire of Italian, French and German music. Central Germany was a colorful cultural scene, with many small political entities, and this was reflected in its music. German composers took the best of what existed from eclectic sources and combined it in a new way, creating a cosmopolitan style. Pachelbel was an important transmitter of this mixed style.
As a teacher, Bach allowed his students to develop along their own path, according to their own tastes and pace, and nurtured their best individual qualities. His students worked with him all day every day, and those with professional ambitions became his assistants.
The query “Did Bach write concertos for organ and orchestra?” provided the motivation for Wolff’s second lecture. His conclusion is that the bulk of Bach’s harpsichord concertos originated as organ concertos that were later reworked into cantata movements. He guided listeners along the trail that led to this thesis. Some of the signposts along the trail included these facts: The bulk of the orchestral repertoire is from the Leipzig period. The Brandenburg Concerti, though dedicated in 1721, are actually pre-Cöthen and have a relationship to the Weimar cantatas; these works could not have been written in Cöthen for political reasons. Idiomatic writing in the E-major harpsichord concerto and its keys, range, and style point to organ performance. Wolff plans to present an edition of concertos using the right hand parts Bach typically wrote out (he improvised the left hand) and the full harpsichord part.
Wolff’s third lecture was “Bach and the Silbermann Connection.” Johann Sebastian Bach and organbuilder Gottfried Silbermann met in 1724 when Bach played a concert in Dresden on the new organ at the church of St. Sofia. Bach was a technical expert, able to converse at Silbermann’s level, and frequently examined the structure, mechanics, and acoustics of new organs. Another important meeting occurred in 1736 when Bach played the dedication of a new Silbermann organ at the Frauenkirche. When Silbermann was experimenting with building a fortepiano, he called on Bach to examine the prototype. The two were also known to have examined a new organ in Naumburg in 1746, the largest instrument built by Hildebrandt.
Wolff’s final lecture was on the Clavierübung Part III. Both Kuhnau and Lübeck had published volumes titled “Clavierübung” to train performers and composers, and Bach selected this title in order to accommodate several volumes of his work. At the St. Thomas School and Leipzig University, Bach was surrounded by colleagues who were publishing. Bach was at a disadvantage because he had no academic degree, but needed to establish that he had the credentials to teach. He wanted to publish a series that would show he was a very experienced, innovative, scholarly musician, highly qualified to serve as music director and cantor at St. Thomas. In 1723, Bach added a title page to the Orgelbüchlein (composed in Weimar), doing the same for the Inventions and Sinfonias and the Well-Tempered Clavier in order to document his teaching method.
While Part IV of the Clavierübung, the Goldberg Variations, portrayed Bach as a keyboard master, it was Part III that identified him as an organist, confirming his public reputation. Such a collection of organ music was unprecedented, including works at the upper limits of organ technique, testing Bach’s ability as a composer as well. At the time, there were probably only twelve organists with the ability to play the large chorales in the collection, so as a marketing strategy, Bach added the smaller chorales and duets, which could be played on the harpsichord or clavichord. In addition, the pieces are a musical catechism to be studied daily, using teachings of the Lutheran faith and hymns of the Mass. The title page of the Part III includes the phrase “for the recreation and education of the soul,” and is the only volume of the four that refers to education. In addition, it is the most comprehensively thought out and profound of all Bach’s collections, standing at the threshold of Bach’s late works.
The Clavierübung was a systematically developed project, composed in the second half of the 1730s, and published in 1739. Part III is an ideal organ concert as Bach would have conceived it, beginning with a prelude, ending with a fugue, with chorales in between; he may have played the large pieces for the dedication of the Silbermann organ in the Frauenkirche in Dresden in 1736. On the heels of Wolff’s lecture on Part III, doctoral students of Marilyn Mason (David Saunders, Andrew Meagher, Marcia Heirman, Kirsten Hellman, Monica Sparzak, and Kim Manz) played the complete work on the Fisk organ in Blanche Anderson Moore Hall at the School of Music. Wolff gave a brief description and guide for listening to each piece.
Typically, the chorales or the prelude and fugue are excerpted for concert use, but hearing the collection as a whole brings to light Bach’s carefully planned compositional architecture and enhances the beauty of the works. By the time the final fugue is played, no introduction or explanatory note is necessary—the work is heard as a natural conclusion to what has come before. Hearing the pieces in one sitting is demanding for the listener, weighty stuff even for the organ crowd, but it is a very satisfying experience.
Dr. Mason’s students played the demanding pieces very ably, handling the sensitive action of the Fisk organ well. This organ is an important historical teaching tool, and its tonal palette and unequal temperament provided the requisite colors to elucidate Bach’s works.

The Global Bach Community

Following the Bach concert, conference attendees were invited to join a lunch-time discussion with leaders of the Global Bach Community: president Samuel Swansen, vice president Marilyn Mason, secretary Toni Vogel Carey, and advisory board member Christoph Wolff. The community was founded in 2000 with the following mission: to recognize and foster the common spirit that exists universally among lovers of Bach’s music, to facilitate Bach-centered projects worldwide—artistic, educational, social and spiritual, to help the Bach community flourish, in part through the ability to raise funds not normally available to individual Bach organizations. In cooperation with The Bach Festival of Philadelphia’s website, the Global Bach Community has emerged as the central resource for Bach organizations worldwide (www.bach-net.org).

Lectures—Innig, Hamilton, and Barone

Rudolf Innig has concertized throughout the world and made numerous recordings for radio broadcast as well as commercial sale, including the complete works of Messiaen. His organ teachers include Gaston Litaize and Michael Schneider. He won the competition of the Conservatories of the Federal Republic of Germany in the organ category in 1975. His current project is recording the complete organ works of Rheinberger on 12 CDs, and he lectured on this music. The soft-spoken Innig confessed his initial skepticism about recording Rheinberger, but having become fond of Rheinberger’s music, then told the audience, “I want not only to inform, but to convince.” Compared to his contemporaries Mendelssohn, Brahms, and Liszt, Rheinberger’s life and education at the Munich conservatory were unremarkable. He wrote music simply to express joy, his style was provincial rather than cosmopolitan, and his music is not innovative. Innig asserted that Rheinberger’s music has receded into history due to these factors. By the time he began to write organ sonatas late in life, Rheinberger had already composed numerous symphonies, operas and songs. It is in the organ sonatas that he truly developed his personal style, composing at least one large organ work per year 1875–1894. Innig hopes to garner attention for these works with his recording series.
Stephen Hamilton is minister of music at the historic Church of the Holy Trinity (Episcopal) in New York City and has recorded Marcel Dupré’s La Chemin de la Croix to great acclaim. He studied with Marie-Claire Alain, had the opportunity to play L’Ascension for Messiaen, and has an extensive collection of correspondence between Marcel Dupré and both Arthur Poister and Robert Shepfer. During his lecture, “The French Connection,” he shared anecdotes, recounting his experiences with various teachers, including Russell Saunders (who taught the fourth-grade Hamilton), as well as personal reflections. The bulk of his presentation dealt with the life of Marcel Dupré and his value as a pedagogue. He distributed a complete listing of Dupré’s organ works, encouraging the performance of the extensive oeuvre beyond the six or seven typically played works.
Michael Barone, host of the radio program “Pipedreams,” and self-proclaimed master of playing CDs rather than playing the organ, is clearly more comfortable when fiddling with the knobs and controls of hi-fi equipment rather than giving a formal lecture. He has the self-confidence and sense to let the music speak for itself, rather than interrupting or pre-empting it with unnecessary chatter. He reminded the audience that the art of recording the pipe organ is relatively new, coming into its own after the invention of electricity in the 1920s. His presentation was an enjoyable musical survey of playing styles entitled, “They Did It That Way?!”
Drawing from his vast library of recordings, Barone made his point by juxtaposing Widor’s performance of his Toccata at age 80 with a lightning-fast rendition played by G. D. Cunningham, Dupré’s whirlwind take on his own G-minor Prelude and Fugue in his youth and a much older Dupré playing one of the Preludes and Fugues from Opus 36. He offered a “kaleidoscope of interpretive possibilities” by playing several contrasting renditions of Bach’s first Trio Sonata and injected some levity with an outlandish performance of Bach’s D-minor Toccata. Most interesting was a performance of Franck’s B-minor Choral played on the piano by Vladimir Viardo of the University of North Texas. (If you play or are fond of this piece, this is a must-have recording, available from .)
Every so often, Barone would punctuate the music with a subtly humorous facial expression and a cryptic comment—vintage Barone. At the end of the session, he offered this thought, demonstrating his own openness to and fascination with the variety present in the pipe organ world: “There is never any one way any more than there is any one player.” He closed with one more recording: the Toccata from Boëllmann’s Suite Gothique played by an accordion band. “It’s the ultimate in flexible wind,” Barone quipped.

Organ concerts—Hamilton, Disselhorst and Innig

Three artists presented evening concerts in Hill Auditorium: Stephen Hamilton, Delbert Disselhorst, and Rudolph Innig. Hamilton’s selection of repertoire, labeled “Alain and His Circle,” included L’Ascension by Messiaen, the Te Deum by Langlais, Trois Mouvements pour orgue et flute by Jehan Alain, and Prelude and Fugue in B major by Dupré. Hamilton’s playing is fluid and virtuosic, and he knows how to coax the loveliest sounds from the Hill organ. He is expressive with his physical movement at the console, even “conducting” with a free arm at times. His performance of the sustained prayer in L’Ascension didn’t seem static, but felt alive, moving forward. He attributes this feeling of forward motion to a year spent accompanying for Robert Shaw: subdivide always. Flautist Donald Fischel joined Hamilton for Alain’s Trois Mouvements for organ and flute, a work that deserves to be heard far more often. Particularly in the second and third movements, the organ and flute blend seamlessly with beautiful effect. The Dupré B-major began brilliantly, but spun out of control due to a glitch with the piston sequencer. Despite an accelerated tempo, Hamilton held the piece together to finish with success. Hamilton returned for an encore—Alain’s Litanies—played with a frantic, exciting, if blurry, rush of virtuosity.
Delbert Disselhorst, professor of organ at the University of Iowa and graduate of Michigan, is an organ conference regular, performing every few years. His memorized program was ambitious, opening with the Prelude and Fugue in G minor by Brahms, negotiated with seamless manual changes, perfectly under control. Following the chorale prelude and fugue on Meine Seele by Bach, he launched into another tour de force, a Passacaglia by Swiss composer Otto Barblan. This Brahmsian work includes rhythms reminiscent of the Bach C-minor Passacaglia dressed in weighty, dense harmonic clothing. After intermission, Disselhorst offered a solid rendition of Mendelssohn’s Sonata III, followed by Bach’s Sonata III, played with an unfussy neutral touch. The Theme with Variations by Johann Friedrich Ludwig Thiele, a virtuosic torrent of notes, closed the program with moto perpetuo pedal and a cadenza for the manuals. Disselhorst delivered an heroic performance with a pleasing variety of texture and drama in the repertoire selected.
Rudolph Innig has clearly developed a passion for Rheinberger’s organ music. He approached the console and took command immediately with expressive, dramatic playing. His program consisted of three sonatas, including the F major, op. 20, the last sonata Rheinberger composed (1899). This sonata is subtitled “Zur Friedensfeier”—for the ceremony of peace, and celebrates the confidence in Germany at the time that a world war in the near future would be avoided. Rheinberger’s sonata forms are irregular, but the movements are often related to one another with common themes and intervals. Sequential writing, as in the D-minor Sonata, op. 148, often lends shape to the movements. The works are rhythmically energetic, akin to Mendelssohn but with denser writing, although they are not dissonant or highly chromatic. Innig’s registration consisted of foundation stops with reeds at various volume levels for the most part.
Following Innig’s concert, university carilloneur Stephen Ball and his students hosted a candlelit reception in Burton Tower, home of the Baird memorial carillon. Guests had the opportunity to view the massive bells and try out the carillon’s keyboards. Recently, Michigan has recently become home to a second carillon, located in a modernistic tower on the north campus.

Student recitals

Three doctoral recitals by students of Marilyn Mason afforded the performers a larger audience than they otherwise would have had and a nice opportunity to play for professional colleagues. Seth Nelson played the complete Widor First Symphony, whose fifth movement is the famous “Marche Pontificale.” Performing gargantuan works such as this from memory happens only in the rarefied atmosphere of intense study and focus, a feat always eliciting admiration from an audience. Doctoral candidates Shin-Ae Chun and Alan Knight also performed dissertation recitals, Ms. Chun particularly shining in her rendition of the Liszt Prelude and Fugue on B-A-C-H. Joseph Balistreri, Michael Stefanek, Elizabeth Claar, Matthew Bogart, students of James Kibbie, played a concert at Hill Auditorium on Tuesday afternoon, each giving a commendable performance.

Church music at the conference

For a number of years, the conference has opened with a worship service or hymn festival, and has included a lecture or two on a worship-related topic. The inclusion of church music elements in an otherwise scholarly conference acknowledges the importance of service-playing skills for organists, gives a good opportunity for the local AGO chapter to participate, and provides another event to which the public can be invited. This year, the Ann Arbor AGO chapter organized a choral festival, dedicated to the late Donald Williams, and Herman Taylor gave a lecture entitled “The Joys and Sorrows of Contemporary Church Music.”
At the choral festival, Ann Arbor AGO Dean Edward Maki-Schramm gave opening remarks, pointing out that this effort relies upon the copious hours of dedication and practice of many volunteers. He illustrated his point by attempting to tabulate the cumulative number of practice hours for all involved in the service, which featured a choir comprising volunteer singers from the AGO board members’ churches. The choir sang two anthems by Vaughan Williams and Mendelssohn tentatively, but seemed to relax and enjoy singing Moses Hogan’s Music Down in My Soul. Dr. Schramm confidently accompanied the choir, and David Hufford played the prelude, a solo within the service, and a solid performance of the Toccata from Duruflé’s Suite for the postlude.
The festival service included the singing of several hymns as well, capably led by Dr. Schramm at the console, among them Sing a New Song to God, with its athletic but very singable tune composed by Kevin Bylsma. Unfortunately, for all its charms, Hill Auditorium is not conducive to worship, and is deadly for congregational singing, especially when the “congregation” is spread out among the padded seats. Future planners of the conference’s worship event would do well to choose one of the nearby churches as the venue rather than the 4000-seat auditorium.
One highlight of the choral festival was the homily given by the Reverend JoAnn Kennedy Slater, J.D., Ann Arbor AGO chaplain. “Music,” she said, “is one of the more visceral, organic thresholds to God. Because of God’s incredible trust and vulnerability we each then have a share in that divinity and that joy and wonder; and music is one way to create and sustain such a sacred space in our bodies, mind, and souls, in the sacred spaces of our places of worship as well as in the secular world of music as entertainment.” Her remarks were heartfelt and sincere, descriptive rather than didactic, displaying an understanding of the ephemeral art of music.
On a more practical note, Herman Taylor presented a lecture/demonstration he dubbed “The Joys and Sorrows of Contemporary Church Music.” Having retired from teaching at Eastern Illinois University, he now serves as organist at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Charleston, Illinois. He earned his master’s and doctoral degrees at Michigan, and is a presenter or performer at the conference every few years.
For Taylor, the sorrow is that contemporary (read: pop style) church music in its raw state is overly simplistic, devoid of through-composition, modified strophic forms, or creative harmonization. Recognizing quality in many of the “contemporary” melodies and texts, however, Taylor finds joy in enhancing the songs with more sophisticated harmony. He realizes that many composers of contemporary songs simply lack the musical training to harmonize their melodies with any complexity. He has contacted them about modifying and elaborating on the harmony of their songs, receiving positive responses. Taylor’s harmonic alterations are subtle but do add richness to the songs, which he invited the audience to sing while he demonstrated his techniques. His wife, Vivian Hicks Taylor, served as cantor. Dr. Taylor also addressed “gospelizing” hymns, a practice that includes adding rhythm and passing tones to create a Gospel feel.

A tribute to Robert Glasgow

Professor Robert Glasgow has formally retired from teaching, and as a tribute, nine of his former students played a concert at Hill Auditorium. Thomas Bara, Monte Thomas, Charles Kennedy, Christopher Lees, Ronald Krebs, Joel Hastings, Deborah Friauff, Douglas Reed, and Jeremy David Tarrant demonstrated the Glasgow legacy with excellent performances of a wide variety of repertoire. Tom Bara’s taut, compelling rendition of Mendelssohn’s Allegro, Chorale and Fugue was particularly noteworthy, and Charles Kennedy played the Brahms Chorale and Fugue on “O Traurigkeit” with understated elegance. Joel Hastings played Vierne’s Naïades to perfection, the fountain of notes bubbling effortlessly and unaffectedly, and Jeremy David Tarrant negotiated the mammoth Prelude, Andante and Toccata by Fleury with ease. Douglas Reed lent a touch of humor to the program by choosing to play two movements from De Spiritum by William Albright, a work requiring two assistants. Following the program, guests mingled at a reception on the stage, offering their greetings and congratulations to Dr. Glasgow. One was struck by the legacy Glasgow leaves in the form of his many fine students. He taught as much by the example of his own playing as he ever did with words. Observing his quiet and elegant technique, coupled with masterful and expressive interpretations, was a year’s worth of lessons in itself.
Marilyn Mason’s considerable energy, enthusiasm, and extensive connections in the organ world make the Michigan organ conference a high quality event, serving both current Michigan students and dozens of attendees from out of town. She has done yeoman service by offering a conference brimming with serious academic content over a wide a range of topics, sustaining her efforts for nearly half a century to present a valuable, educational opportunity each autumn. Kudos to you, Dr. Mason.
 

125 years of music at Michigan
1880–2005

Organists loom large in the establishment of the School of Music, perhaps none more prominently than classics scholar Henry Simmons Frieze. Music, though his avocation, was his passion. Known for his deep religious faith and keyboard skill, Frieze had supported himself as a church organist and music director prior to launching his academic career. It was Frieze, then professor and acting university president, who instigated the formation of a Messiah Club involving four Ann Arbor churches in 1879, formalizing a collaboration that had been active since 1860. The Club was soon reorganized as the Choral Union.
The following year, the University Musical Society was founded, bringing together the Choral Union and the student orchestra, with Leipzig-trained Calvin B. Cady as director. At Frieze’s suggestion, Cady was also hired as instructor of music in the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Cady started the Ann Arbor School of Music, precursor of the Michigan School of Music, in 1880 with four teachers. Cady taught piano, organ, harmony and composition.
Following half a century of European artists holding sway in the realm of serious music-making in the United States, after about 1850 Americans began to establish their own institutions for musical training. In 1862, Harvard University appointed an instructor of music, and within the next two decades a number of colleges and universities had followed suit, including Michigan. Conservatories also began to be established in the East, Peabody in Baltimore the first of these.
Cady’s successor, Albert A. Stanley, a composer and organist from Providence, Rhode Island, also had studied at the Leipzig Conservatory and gave frequent organ recitals to establish his authority as a performer. In 1888, he was hired as professor in the university as well as director of the Ann Arbor School of Music, with 248 students enrolled. By 1889 the Ann Arbor School of Music was floundering, and Stanley resigned as director.
In 1892, the Ann Arbor School of Music was reorganized as the University School of Music, with Albert Stanley as director. Lacking a decent instrument, the University Musical Society acquired the Columbian Exposition organ in 1893, an instrument built by Farrand & Votey of Detroit for the occasion. This organ had been heard by thousands in Chicago during 1893, and its installation in University Hall in Ann Arbor sparked interest in organ playing. Stanley played the dedication concert before a packed house, including the governor of Michigan. The organ was designated the Frieze Memorial Organ in tribute to Henry Simmons Frieze, who had died in 1889. In 1913, the organ was moved to the newly constructed Hill Auditorium, which has been its home ever since.
When the time came to appoint a new director for the School of Music, Archibald T. Davison of Harvard and Gustav Holst were considered, but it was organist Earl V. Moore who was appointed professor of music in the University, director of the Choral Union, and musical director of the School of Music in 1923. Moore had come to the university in 1908, completing his B.A. in 1912. He was appointed head of the organ department in 1913, and became university organist in 1914. Moore was made Dean of the School of Music in 1946, a post he held for thirty-seven years. The present School of Music building, designed by Eero Saarinen and built in 1964, was named the Earl V. Moore building in 1975. Palmer Christian had succeeded Moore as university organist in 1924, holding the position until 1947, and he in turn has been succeeded by only two others: Robert Noehren (1949–1976) and Marilyn Mason (1976–).
Several noteworthy facts offer insight into the development of the Michigan School of Music. In 1929, the School of Music was accepted into the University of Michigan, giving faculty members academic rank in the university. The master’s degree was also created at this time. In 1940, the School of Music was made an autonomous unit of the University of Michigan, with professors on salary rather than relying on student fees, and in 1941 the School of Music began to provide summer programs at Interlochen. In 1945, the school offered a Ph.D. in musicology and music education, and less than a decade later in 1953 the D.M.A. in composition and performance was created to certify teachers for new college positions.
The Michigan School of Music, one of the oldest and largest such schools in the country, celebrates its 125th anniversary this academic year. Musicology professor Mark Clague cites the following hallmarks of the music school’s history: excellence in performance and scholarship, entrepreneurial spirit, service to the university and community, balance of openness and tradition, and sensitivity to race and gender. A fine example of these hallmarks is William Bolcom’s epic Songs of Innocence and Experience, which has received three Grammy awards, including Best Classical Album. In the vein of entrepreneurial spirit, the School of Music has recently launched Block M Records, giving Michigan students and faculty the opportunity to record, produce and distribute original material without having to go through an outside company. This venture affords students hands-on experience with recording and production, and allows University-based musicians to receive greater benefit from recording sales. All recordings are distributed via the Internet at , which is a particular boon for avant-garde artists seeking an audience.

Jerry Jelsema is organist and music director at the First United Methodist Church in Evanston, Illinois. He earned a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan where he studied with Robert Glasgow, while his undergraduate studies took place at Central College in Pella, Iowa, a liberal arts college affiliated with the Reformed Church of America.

The 47th annual conference on organ music took place on the University of Michigan campus from September 30 through October 3, with a major emphasis on the life and work of North German composer and organist, Dieterich Buxtehude. Commemorating the 300th anniversary of the composer’s death, numerous recitals featuring his music were presented and the well-known Buxtehude scholar, Kerala J. Snyder, presented a series of lectures concerning his organ music. Her topics included the composer’s origins in Denmark, his move to Lübeck, his contact with other significant composers and organists of the time, as well as source materials and performance options for the contemporary player.
The only all-Buxtehude organ recital of the conference took place at the School of Music on the two-manual Fisk organ, an instrument fashioned on the famed Gottfried Silbermann organ at the Georgenkirche in Rötha, Germany. Marcia Heirman, a doctoral candidate at the school, played a wonderful program of works including several chorale preludes, two large praeludia as well as the Toccata in D Minor and the Ciacona in C Minor.
Polish organist Jozef Kotowicz presented a stunning recital featuring music of Buxtehude, Bach, Petr Eben and contemporary Polish composers on Monday evening. Heard on the Karl Wilhelm organ at the First Congregational Church, Buxtehude’s Prelude and Fugue in F Minor and Bach’s well-known Passacaglia in C Minor were especially suited to this instrument with modified Werckmeister III tuning.
An additional Buxtehude concert of organ and vocal works also took place at the Congregational church on Tuesday evening. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra and the Collegium Musicum from Eastern Michigan University alternated music for organ with pieces for various voice and stringed instrument combinations.The solo songs accompanied by viola da gamba and organ continuo were especially engaging. This creative and energetic program gave a more complete picture of Buxtehude as composer and church musician.
The final day of the conference began with an elegant recital by Les Deux Clavecins, composed of duo harpsichordists Thomas Marshall and Allen Shaffer, both former students of the university’s music school. They performed transcriptions of Bach’s Suite No. 3 in D Major and Buxtehude’s Fantasia on “Nun freut euch.” The final piece on the program was a work commissioned by the duo from composer Pamela Decker, entitled Portales. Composed in 2000, Portales uses as a springboard a number of Spanish dances including the tango, fandango and charrada. The writing as well as the performance of this piece was virtuosic.
Also part of the conference was a lecture-recital by Timothy J. Tikker on a single work by French composer Jean-Louis Florentz, Debout sur le Soleil: Chant de Resurrection, pour orgue (Standing on the Sun: Song of Resurrection, for organ). A short recital of organ works by American composers was performed by Michele Johns at Bethlehem United Church of Christ on Tuesday. Sowerby’s Comes Autumn Time and Bolcom’s What A Friend We Have in Jesus showed the colors of the Casavant Frères organ of 54 stops. On Wednesday, the final day of the conference, two recitals were presented by students currently in various degree programs at the university, with both events held at Hill Auditorium.
Two lectures complementing the conference’s Buxtehude theme included Bela Feher’s impressive video presentation of churches and organs in Northern Germany and southern Denmark. Based on last summer’s tour of the University of Michigan’s annual organ travels, the presentation followed the steps of Bach and Buxtehude including churches, museums and monuments. An additional session included Pipedreams personality Michael Barone, who detailed the available recordings showcasing the organ works of Dieterich Buxtehude.
The Global Bach Community held an open meeting during the lunch hour on Wednesday, to introduce people to the organization. The GBC was written up in The Diapason in May 2006. Its mission is to foster a sense of community among Bach lovers, performers and scholars worldwide. Formed in 2000, in addition to individual members, about 25 Bach organizations now belong to the GBC, which recently awarded its first small grant. The GBC advisory board includes Christoph Wolff and Helmuth Rilling; its board of directors includes Marilyn Mason and Richard Benedum.
The 47th conference on organ music was especially significant in that it was a celebration of leadership, dedication and artistry embodied in the work and life of Marilyn Mason, who marks her 60th year of teaching at the University of Michigan. Faculty, students (both current and former), and friends gathered for a splendid banquet honoring Dr. Mason on Monday evening. Former students gave testimony to her teaching, her wonderful sense of humor, her commitment to the instrument, her encouragement in careers and her graciousness and generosity. Fellow faculty members also spoke of her dedication to the school of music and to the university itself. The current dean of the school, Christopher Kendall, announced at the end of the ceremonies that Dr. Mason will leave a very generous bequest to the School of Music, which will endow the organ chair in perpetuity. The announcement was followed by a standing ovation and thunderous applause, all in appreciation of a respected and loved organist and musician.
The banquet festivities were followed by an impressive program of great organ favorites, played by former students of Marilyn Mason. Jonathan Tuuk opened the recital with a commanding performance of Tournemire’s Victimae paschali. N. Seth Nelson deftly played the Fantasie, K. 608 of Mozart, followed by an inspired Pièce Héroïque performed by Shin-Ae Chun. Herman Taylor gave us Si bemol-mineur from Deux Esquisses by Dupré, and Joseph Galema stylishly dashed off Naïades and Toccata by Louis Vierne. The program closed with the toe-tapping music of William Albright: Tango and Alla Marcia from his Flights of Fancy, both brilliantly played by Douglas Reed.
The 47th conference on organ music at the University of Michigan was indeed a worthwhile event centered around the life and work of Buxtehude. The additional celebration of the life and work of Dr. Marilyn Mason made the conference even more exciting and wonderful.

Marilyn Mason 60th anniversary tributes
Many tributes on the occasion of Marilyn Mason’s 60th anniversary at the University of Michigan were offered at the banquet Monday evening at the Michigan League. The following is a sampling.

Marilyn Mason. There are few organists and lovers of the instrument who do not know your name. Your influence is far-reaching. Performing over the years on six continents, adjudicating at major competitions, and, importantly, leading the European tours to hear and play historical organs, you have opened the minds and ears of those fortunate to attend.
Wide-ranging in your interests—poetry, English literature—your gift of welcoming with warmth is gratefully remembered. Enthusiastic in all you undertake, be it walking, quoting poetry—yes, and cooking—all is accomplished with an infectious fervor. Your sense of humor, with your bon mots, is memorable.
Congratulations, Marilyn, on the magnificent achievement of 60 years at the University of Michigan, from one who was privileged to be your student. Thousands of students and audience members today say “Thank you.”
—Gordon Atkinson, MMus
formerly of Canada and the USA, now retired in Melbourne

My earliest memory of our class was a party in the MM Organ Studio celebrating the 450th anniversary of the Reformation. In just 10 years we will celebrate the 500th anniversary! We all wore Halloween costumes. I played Ein feste Burg. In those days before the European tours, we traveled with Marilyn around Michigan. We took the trio sonatas and the Clavier-Übung III to Olivet College, Mariner’s Church, and Andrews University.
Our Marilyn is like a “jewel.” She has many facets: the nurturing teacher, the professional, the gourmet, the bon vivant, the raconteur, and the deeply prayerful, reflective and grateful human being. And like a jewel she is precious to us all!
—Gale Kramer, DMA
organist emeritus, Metropolitan
Methodist Church, Detroit

I don’t remember the exact day, time, or place. What I do remember is that during my lesson, as I played, I had the uneasy feeling that Prof. Mason was becoming more and more agitated. After several more pages, she shouted, “Stop, you are working too hard at that piece. Watching you play that is like me trying to eat peas with a knife.” Then she said something that I will always remember: “Let the instrument be your teacher. The instrument will tell you exactly how it wants to be played, if you will just listen.”
I have found that statement to be true; and those of us who have journeyed on the University of Michigan Historic Organ Tours have studied with some of the world’s oldest and greatest teachers. This became clear when in Bologna, Italy, I found myself standing in the magnificent Church of San Petronio. The tour members were to play a recital that afternoon, and the organist asked if I wanted to play the “old” organ or the “new” organ. The old organ was completed around 1470, and the new one somewhere around 1510. I played the old organ and I listened. As it predated Columbus’s voyage, it had a lot to say.
I have been fortunate to tour with Prof. Mason on five Historic Organ Tours. She is always the consummate hostess for her aficionados. She does, however, like to take the occasional nap during the bus tour portions of the day. One particular day, our Italian tour guide stopped the bus in front of a house and proudly said, “This is where Marconi invented the radio.” Roused from her sleep and not yet fully awake, Prof. Mason piped up, “How convenient—the house where macaroni was invented.”
The University of Michigan organ tours allow a student to soak up the sights, sounds, and yes, even smells of a particular region. You hear the music as it would have actually sounded—sometimes sweet, sometimes harsh, and sometimes even out of tune. You just try keeping a 16th-century Trompeta Real in a freezing cold Spanish cathedral in tune sometime! As Prof. Mason would often say to us as we grimaced at the sounds, “It is not out of tune. It is authentic.”
Traveling with her, you will find that in Spain, Tapas, Tia Maria, and Tientos do go nicely together. In Italy it is Pedals, Pipes, and Pizza. And in Germany it is true enough that Beer and Bratwurst do make Bach better. I skipped the French tours and over the years, I have regretted it as I still struggle with the age-old question, “When playing Franck, does one serve red or white wine?”
Prof. Mason has often said that the most important person to know is the man with the key. I once remarked to a gentleman with a huge ring of keys attached to his belt, “Wow, you must be very important.” He replied, “No, if I were important, I would have only one key—the master key.”
Prof. Mason, you are indeed a Master Key. You have unlocked the potential in each person under your tutelage. You have been the key to successful careers in music. And, you continue to unlock a world greater than any we could imagine on our own, or ever experience.
—Philip Burgess, DMA
St. Luke’s Episcopal Church
Salisbury, NC

When Michele Johns called with the invitation to say a few words about Marilyn this evening, I had just been to the bookstore and gotten Doris Kearns Goodwin’s chronicle of the World War II years of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt. I have borrowed the title of her book, No Ordinary Time, because I think that it best describes time with Marilyn, and why generations of students, and hundreds of organ aficionados on her tours have been attracted to her. Ordinary time is also that portion of the church year when there are no large festival times or feast days—but time with Marilyn usually seems like a festival, and often involves a feast.
Three important personality traits stand out whenever I think of Marilyn: her immense vitality, her ability to celebrate and be “in the moment,” and her insatiable curiosity. We students, in my era, had two nicknames of affection for Miss Mason: one was “Our Lady of Perpetual Motion,” and the other was “Ms. Monsoon,” because she truly is a force of nature! This vitality is focused into the joy and importance of the moment, resulting in lessons where it seemed that the most important thing in life was playing and understanding the composition that was being studied. She also makes every second count. No time is wasted, and while “multi-tasking” is a recent buzzword, she has been a master at it for six decades.
Marilyn’s insatiable curiosity has resulted in her having played almost every organ composition of significance. In addition to the many commissions and premiers of new music, her repertoire is voluminous, and covers every era and school of composition. This same curiosity has led to invitations to many renowned performers and scholars related to the organ, and consequently their presentations of recitals and master classes here in Ann Arbor. No one is ever more attentive at these, and a better student, than Marilyn herself. This is evident at lessons when she remarks, “Marie Claire Alain says this or that,” “Maurice Duruflé said to play it this way,” “Anton Heiller suggests this phrasing,” or “Peter Williams advocates this registration.”
Yes, Marilyn, for six decades now, it has been NO ORDINARY TIME, in fact it has been quite an EXTRAORDINARY TIME! Thank you!
—James Hammann, DMA
University of New Orleans
Chapel of the Holy Comforter

The Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, in response to the generosity of Marilyn Mason over the years, is pleased to announce the establishment of the “Marilyn Mason Young Musicians Scholarship Fund.” This fund will provide financial assistance to pre-college organ students to attend a Pipe Organ Encounter such as will take place in Holland, Michigan during summer 2008. By offering this opportunity to the community, the Ann Arbor AGO hopes to honor one of our founding members who has given so much for the advancement of organ playing.  
—James H. Wagner, A.Mus.D.
Dean, Ann Arbor AGO chapter

Thanks from Marilyn Mason
This is to thank all who participated in my 60th anniversary celebrations during the 47th U-M Conference on Organ Music. I have had, in 60 years of teaching, many distinguished and wonderful students. I have taught future administrators, deans, and chairs of organ departments. BUT, I did not realize that my legacy included a Buxtehude scholar, Kerala Snyder. She reminded me, at the occasion of her four splendid lectures during our conference, that she studied the organ with me at Columbia University during the summers of 1954 and 1955.
—Marilyn Mason
University Organist
Chair, Organ Department
University of Michigan
School of Music

The seventh French Organ Music Seminar took place in Paris and Marseilles with daily lectures, master classes, coaching sessions and private lessons. Side trips to Meudon, Rueil-Malmaison, Aix-en-Provence, Aubagne, Saint-Maximin, Roquevaire, and Cotignac, with opportunities to play the historic instruments of those cities, were also included for the sixty-five participants. The seminar had three principal leaders: Christina Harmon of Dallas, Texas, the organizer of the seminar;  Marie-Louise Langlais, noted teacher at the National Regional Conservatory of Paris and the Schola Cantorum, and widow of the composer-organist Jean Langlais; and Robert Martin, organist at the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde in Marseilles. Assisting Harmon as seminar secretary was Cliff Varnon of Dallas.

The seminar began in Paris with an introductory meeting held in the Hotel Lorette, not far from the church of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette where César Franck had served as organist before going to Sainte-Clotilde. Madame Langlais guided the group to the church of Notre-Dame-des-Champs, the parish church of organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, where we were greeted by its titulaire Marie-Bernadette Dufourcet.  Dufourcet, wife of Naji Hakim, organist at  La Trinité, introduced the group to the two-manual Cavaillé-Coll from 1877 in a recital of her own compositions and works by Olivier Messiaen, Naji Hakim, Jean Langlais, Augustin Barié, Vincent d'Indy, and René Vierne, a former titulaire and brother of Louis Vierne. FOMS participants were invited to try the instrument themselves; many took advantage of their first of many opportunities to play a Cavaillé-Coll organ. Madame Langlais invited the group to join her at the church of Saint-Gervais in evaluating the organ built in the 17th century and played by members of the Couperin family from 1653-1826.  Many listeners heard--for the first time--the sounds of a real French Classic instrument in music by François Couperin and Nicolas de Grigny.    Even though the organ was in  a state of disrepair, the opportunity to hear the historic reeds, cornets, and plein jeu was unforgettable. The group spent the evening with Naji Hakim at the church of La Trinité. Hakim's demonstration of the organ, once presided over by such luminaries as Alexandre Guilmant and Olivier Messiaen, followed by an exciting symphonic improvisation, brought the first day to an end.

Day two began at the church of Saint-Augustin with a recital by its titulaire of over fifty years Suzanne Chaisemartin, a former student of Marcel Dupré and an instructor at Paris's École Normale de Musique. Since the grand Barker/Cavaillé-Coll organ, once presided over by Eugène Gigout and his assistant Léon Boëllmann, was being repaired, Madame Chaisemartin and FOMS participants played the choir organ. Built by Mutin/Cavaillé-Coll in 1899 with additions by Gonzalez in 1973, many consider it to be the most brilliant choir organ in Paris. Never far from the console, Chaisemartin offered helpful comments to players about interpretation and registration. The next stop was the National Regional Conservatory of Paris and an opportunity to hear and play the new Grenzig organ in the recently-completed organ recital hall. Madame Langlais and several of her students demonstrated the organ, teaching the group about the proper interpretation, registration,  and performance style  of French Baroque music.  FOMS participants then made their way to the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde for an introduction to the organ of César Franck, Gabriel Pierné, Charles Tournemire, Joseph Ermend-Bonnal, and Jean Langlais. Madame Langlais and her students demonstrated the famous Cavaillé-Coll instrument of 1859, and playing time was available to those who wished to climb the outside stairs to the organ gallery.  The experience of playing music composed by Franck and Langlais for this particular organ was unforgettable and revealing, as no recording does justice to the sound of this majestic instrument. The evening was spent with Olivier Latry at Notre-Dame Cathedral. Latry, one of the three titulaires, was joined in the gallery by choir organist Yves Castagnet for a demonstration of the vast instrument.  Group members were invited to play this instrument made famous by such musicians as Louis Vierne, Marcel Dupré, and Pierre Cochereau.  Some FOMS group members played works by those composers on this instrument, even though many tonal and mechanical changes have been made to it in the past few decades, changing significantly the tonal palette known by Vierne and Dupré. Olivier Latry closed the evening with an improvisation and a thrilling performance of Vierne's "Carillon de Westminster."

The schedule for the third day included visits to three different locations, each with its own distinctive organ. Beginning at the fashionable church of La Madeleine, FOMS participants were introduced to François-Henri Houbart and the elegant four-manual Cavaillé-Coll organ from 1846. Titulaire since 1979, Houbart follows in a line of noted organists such as Camille Saint-Saëns, Gabriel Fauré, Théodore Dubois, and Jeanne Demessieux. Those who wished to play the organ climbed the stairs to what was at one time known as the  most famous organ-loft in the world. Stories of Saint-Saëns and celebrated musicians, artists, and literary figures who visited his tribune on Sundays were endless. From La Madeleine, the group traveled to the church of Saint-Roch and heard its three organs: the one-manual instrument built in 1830 by the Abbey firm; the choir organ built in 1865 by Cavaillé-Coll; and the tribune organ, which evolved  from its original installation in 1751 by the Lesclop firm, through  rebuilds by Clicquot in 1770 and by Cavaillé-Coll from 1840-1862,  to its most recent restoration in 1992 by Renaud. Masterful demonstrations by the present titulaire Françoise Levinchin introduced the group to the organs played by her predecessors Claude Balbastre, Louis-James-Alfred Lefébure-Wély, and Pierre Cochereau.   Madame Levinchin graciously assisted and coached members who wished to play the tribune organ. The group traveled by train to Meudon for an introduction to the organ in the former home of Marcel Dupré. The four-manual instrument, once owned by Alexandre Guilmant, was expertly demonstrated by the charming Pascale Mélis, a former student of Marie-Louise and Jean Langlais and Rolande Falcinelli, and the titular organist at the church of Saint-Cloud in Paris where she has served for fifteen years.  As some group members played the Cavaillé-Coll organ, others investigated the many treasures in the  salon d'orgue decorated with historic woodwork given to the Duprés in 1926 by their friend Claude Johnson, then President of Rolls-Royce. That evening, many in the group took advantage of an improvisation class taught by Naji Hakim at La Trinité.

FOMS participants began the next morning with a visit to the Schola Cantorum, the institution founded by Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy. The Schola's list of organ professors through the years includes Guilmant, Louis Vierne, Abel Decaux, Olivier Messiaen, Maurice Duruflé, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, Jean Langlais, Gaston Litaize, Michel Chapuis, André Fleury, Naji Hakim, André Isoir, and Marie-Louise Langlais.  The group was treated to a demonstration/recital in the concert hall by two students of Madame Langlais, one a seventeen-year-old wonder who played the "Allegro vivace" from the Fifth Symphony of Widor, the Dupré Prelude and Fugue in g minor and the Duruflé Toccata. Members of the group also had the opportunity to perform on the 1902 Cavaillé-Coll.   The next musical encounter was at Saint-Sulpice, the church of such former titulaires as Louis-James-Alfred Lefébure-Wély, Charles-Marie Widor, and Marcel Dupré. Present organist Daniel Roth lectured about the history of the parish, the church, the organ, and his musical predecessors. An added treat was the opportunity to visit the crypt to view the final resting place of  Widor. The group returned to Sainte-Clotilde for a lecture by Madame Langlais on the music of César Franck, with a master class specifically concerning his Chorale in b minor. That evening, the group returned to Saint-Sulpice, this time treated to a grand improvisation by Daniel Roth, followed by playing time for group members on the well-preserved five-manual instrument. Playing music of Widor and Dupré on this organ provided exciting experiences for the group, as the instrument has changed little since the masters' tenures.

The seminar continued the following day with a trip to the Basilica of Sacré-Coeur in the Montmartre district. As the basilica is a site of perpetual prayer and adoration of the sacrament, group playing time was not possible. The titulaire, Philippe Brandeis, demonstrated the 1898 Cavaillé-Coll with an extended prelude to the Friday noon mass by playing Franck's Grande Pièce Symphonique and the "Andante sostenuto" from Widor's Symphonie Gothique. The group returned once again to Sainte-Clotilde for playing time assisted by Madame Langlais, who actually coached each player with a mini-lesson on each individual's chosen piece. Throughout the week, Madame Langlais and several of the other master teachers offered private lessons to individuals who desired a deeper understanding of the French organ and its literature. Their insightful comments and affirming compliments were greatly appreciated by those who chose to spend extra time learning.

Saturday began with a trip to the Conservatory at Rueil-Malmaison and lectures by the eminent teacher Susan Landale. Her lectures on Louis Vierne and Charles Tournemire were full of thought-provoking insights into the lives, careers, and influences upon the two composers. The evening was spent at the Parisian church of Saint-Etienne-du-Mont as guests of Thierry Escaich, the present titulaire and successor of Maurice and Marie-Madeleine Duruflé. A master improviser, Escaich demonstrated the organ containing pipes made as early as 1633, and which has been altered through the centuries by such builders as Clicquot, Cavaillé-Coll, and Gonzalez.

On Sunday morning, FOMS participants were welcomed to the tribunes of Notre-Dame, Saint-Sulpice, La Trinité, and Saint-Eustache to observe the Parisian organists at work making music to enhance the celebration of the Mass. These experiences were not only educational, but were personally inspiring to the Americans who eagerly  watched and listened intently.

Following the morning of hearing thrilling improvisations and the playing of standard literature, FOMS participants departed Paris--some by plane, others by train--for the south of France and their destination of the Mediterranean seaport of Marseilles.

The group was greeted in Marseilles by Madame Langlais, several of her students from Paris, and Robert Martin, organist of the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde. FOMS participants were shuttled through Marseilles to Notre-Dame de la Garde located at the top of a mountain overlooking the Mediterranean, where the nuns had prepared a hearty welcome meal for their guests; the view from the church was magnificent. After a long day, the Americans were glad to see the Hotel Tonic, headquarters for the next few days. 

On Monday morning, the group drove to the ancient city of Aix-en-Provence for a tour of its historic organs. Led down cobble-stone streets, past sprinkling fountains, the old clock tower, open-air markets, and beautiful gardens, the first stop was in the Cathedral of Saint-Sauveur, whose carved doors date from the 16th century. The cathedral organ of three manuals, originally built by Isnard in 1743, has undergone rebuilds by such firms as Cavaillé-Coll and Merklin. Group members played the historic instrument before moving on to the Reformed Temple to see the one-manual organ dating from the time of Louis XVI. At noon, a delightful reception in honor of FOMS participants was given by the Archbishop of Aix-en-Provence. The next stops were the churches of Saint-Esprit and La Madeleine, whose organs provided the group with opportunities to play three-manual instruments from the 17th and 18th centuries. In the early evening, a public recital was held at the Cathedral featuring music of Nicolas de Grigny, Jean-Adam Guilain, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, Théodore Dubois, Maurice Duruflé, Louis Vierne, and Jean Langlais performed by FOMS participants Polly Brecht, Matthew Samelak, Anita Werling, David Erwin, Peter DuBois, Yun Kim, and Jeff Binford. Following the recital, the group dined in one of the many intimate restaurants in the old city.

Tuesday was spent in Marseilles, hearing and playing a wide range of historic and modern instruments. The first order of the day was a visit to the abbey church of Saint-Victor, whose four-manual organ blends stops from the 17th and 18th centuries with those of the 20th century. Next, the group was introduced to the Grignan Temple, a Reformed Church in which Madame Langlais had served as organist. The two-manual Kern organ of 1982 was designed by Madame Langlais. At noon, the group went to the city hall to be welcomed by the mayor of Marseilles at a lavish reception. The three-manual instrument at the church of Saint-Joseph was heard next; the organ and its impressive case, built in the 19th century, had its most recent restoration in 1988. The afternoon was spent at  the Basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde. The Romanesque and Byzantine church crowns a 162-meter rocky mountain that dominates the city of Marseilles. Topped by a huge gilt statue of the Madonna and Child, and covered with mosaics, the basilica has become a symbol  of the Good Mother to the people of the city. The basilica contains a one-manual choir organ built by Merklin in 1925, a transept organ of two manuals built by Grenzig in 1978, and the tribune organ which was originally built by Merklin in 1926 and revised in 1981.  All of these instruments were masterfully demonstrated by the basilica's titulaire, Robert Martin. Martin is a noted authority on Cavaillé-Coll and the author of a definitive tome on the historic instruments built by Isnard. After a ride along the Mediterranean coast, the group returned to the basilica for dinner and many opportunities to take photographs of the city and the sea from high atop the mountain.

The last day of the seminar began with a trip to the town of Aubagne to play the 1784  instrument of three manuals in the church of Saint-Sauveur. After driving to the small town of Roquevaire, the group visited the church of Saint-Vincent in which an imposing instrument was in the process of being built. With pipes taken from the old church organ and using the studio organ of Pierre Cochereau as a base, this new five-manual instrument will be one of the largest and most important in France. A unique situation exists here, in that the people of this peaceful town have made numerous sacrificial gifts to pay for this particular organ; plans are already underway for an extensive concert series which will bring the world's greatest organists not to Paris, but to a small town in the heart of Provence. The group was welcomed to Roquevaire by the town's mayor with an elaborate reception at which  FOMS participants took up a collection to purchase a pipe to be inscribed and used in the new organ. The seminar continued in the town of Saint-Maximin and a visit to the Basilica of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine to hear and play the Isnard organ built in 1772.  Pierre Bardon, the titulaire, demonstrated the marvelous instrument and graciously invited FOMS participants to play. Madame Langlais and Bardon assisted players in the proper selection of stops for the French Baroque literature they played, and offered additional registration possibilities. The four-manual instrument of forty-three stops provided the organists with a step back in time to hear the actual sounds of a true French Classic instrument. As a festive end to the 1997 FOMS, the group was invited to an elegant evening of dinner and relaxation deep in the heart of Provence, near the town of Cotignac. The journey into the quaint French countryside brought the group to the beautiful home of our host and hostess, Gonzague and Christiane de Bayser. Great supporters of the arts in southern France, the couple planned an unforgettable evening that included a typical Provencale wedding feast served in their perfectly landscaped back yard. The meal consisted of broiled fish and squid with aioli sauce from the region, boiled potatoes, steamed carrots and cauliflower, boiled eggs, and cheese. When the dinner dishes were cleared, Madame de Bayser surprised the group with a huge chocolate cake decorated to look like an American flag with the words "Welcome to Cotignac" piped on top. Musical entertainment followed dessert in the music room, provided by group members. All in all, this was the perfect way to end what had been an unforgettable seminar for all the participants.

The group departed Marseilles early the next morning; many returned to the United States, while others journeyed by train to London for a brief seminar on British organ music.

While in London, the group heard and played the organs in several historic churches. James O'Donnell demonstrated the organ of Westminster Cathedral and assisted seminar participants who wished to play; he also lectured the group about the Westminster Cathedral choral tradition. At Westminster Abbey, Martin Neary talked about the Abbey musical tradition, and allowed for playing time by the group. Paul Stubbings demonstrated the organ at St. Martin-in-the-Fields, assisted those who wished to play, and gave a lecture on the music of Sir Edward Bairstow. John Scott invited the group to Choral Evensong at St. Paul's Cathedral and demonstrated the organ, as the group walked through the vast space. Richard Townend played a recital at St. Stephen, Walbrook, delivered a lecture on 18th-century English voluntaries, and demonstrated the organ at St. Margaret, Lothbury. The group was treated to a special evening in the home of London Times music critic Felix Aprahamian; dinner was served  followed by a recital played on Aprahamian's house organ by the young blind organist David Liddle. Other lectures by Nicholas Plumley and John Norman, with recitals by Malcolm Rudland and Martin Neary, rounded out the rest of the brief seminar in London. After many group members departed for the United States, several participants journeyed to York for a visit with Dr. Francis Jackson at York Minster. For the participants in the French Organ Music Seminar and the British Organ Music Seminar, opportunities for musical growth, performance, and inspiration were too numerous to count.    Those attending would agree that these types of hands-on seminars are of untold value in their development as musicians. Many thanks must be extended to Marie-Louise Langlais, Robert Martin, and Christina Harmon for their tireless efforts in making the seminars totally successful.

February Florida Festival

The 14th International Carillon Festival at Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales, Florida, will occur February 20-28, featuring carillonneurs Geert D'hollander, Todd Fair, Ulla Laage, Carlo van Ulft, Milford Myhre and William De Turk. Events include daily 3 pm carillon recitals, a moonlight recital  on February 27, lectures and exhibits in the new Education & Visitor Center, and several non-carillon concerts. For more information, contact Bill De Turk, Bok Tower Gardens, 1151 Tower Blvd., Lake Wales, FL 33853-3412; phone: 941/676-1154; fax: 941/676-6770; E-mail: <[email protected]>.

Berkeley Congress Report

The 56th Congress of the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America was held at the University of California at Berkeley, 17-20 June 1998 with 126 persons in attendance. University Carillonneur Geert D'hollander was the host. Held in conjunction with the Fifth Berkeley International Carillon Festival, the 1998 meeting focused on the life and work of Emilien Allard and honored the memory of Ronald Barnes. Madeleine Allard was present as an honored guest. Also honored were Evelyn Chambers and other members of the Class of 1928, patrons of the Berkeley Carillon and its International Carillon Festival.

Recitalists for the Congress were Lisa Lonie of Philadelphia; George Gregory of San Antonio, Texas; Claude Aubin of Montréal, Québec, Canada; Gideon Bodden of The Netherlands; Andrea McCrady of Spokane, Washington; and the carillonneurs of Berkeley: Geert D'hollander, John Agraz, Jeff Davis, David Hunsberger, and Liesbeth Janssens. The Berkeley Brass Quintet conducted by David Milnes joined Geert D'hollander and Liesbeth Janssens in a special program of music arranged for bells and brass by Ms.  Janssens. D'hollander gave the premiere performances of the winning pieces in the 1998 Johan Franco Composition Competition. The first prize was awarded to Mr. D'hollander himself for his Modal Nocturne. Ennis Fruhauf's Passacaglia was awarded second prize.

John Agraz gave a workshop on basic carillon maintenance. Masterclasses were taught by John Gouwens on interpretation and by Geert D'hollander on effective ways to learn new music. Two presentations on the music of Emilien Allard were given: Milford Myhre played historic recordings from Bok Tower, and Liesbeth Janssen shared her findings based on theoretical analyses of some of Allard's pieces.

Following successful examination recitals, ten members were accorded Carillonneur status by vote of the Guild: Steven Ball of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Linda Dzuris of Ann Arbor, Michigan; Chuck Barland of Lawrence, Kansas; Andy Greene of Berkeley, California; Andrew Capule of Berkeley, California; Liesbeth Janssens of Berkeley, California; Helena Chen of Berkeley, California; Sabin Levi of Provo, Utah; Geert D'hollander of Berkeley, California;  and Lynne Tidwell  of Lawrence, Kansas.

Dr. Joseph F. Marsh, Jr., former president of Concord College, and Alicia Porter Washam and Rufus "Buddy" Porter of Highland Park United Methodist Church, Dallas, were recommended and approved for Honorary Membership. Janet Dundore was awarded the Extraordinary Service Award for her many contributions to the Guild and to the profession, most particularly her original, audience-friendly approach to recitals. Emilien Allard, Evelyn Chambers, the Class of 1928, Janet Dundore, and Karel and Linda Keldermans received Berkeley Medals. A memorial fund in the name of Ronald Barnes was established to provide scholarships for North Americans to study the North American Carillon Art in North America.

The next congress of the GCNA will be held at Iowa State University, Ames, 16-19 June 1999. Tin-shi Tan will be our host. In the year 2000, the CGNA congress will be held in the city of Frederick, Maryland as well as at the Mercersburg Academy in Mercersburg, Pennsylvania. John Widmann and Jim Smith will be our hosts. Also in 2000 will be a congress of the World Carillon Federation in Springfield, Illinois, hosted by Karel Keldermans.

News from Iowa State

Iowa State University Carillonneur Tin-shi Tam sends the following news.

Spring carillon festival 1998

Iowa State University (ISU) hosted the Spring Carillon Festival 1998 and the Carillon Composition Competition during the weekend of April 24-26. Guest carillonneur was Albert Gerken, Carillonneur at the University of Kansas, Lawrence. He performed a recital featuring carillon music by Gary C. White, Professor Emeritus of Composition at ISU. He also conducted a seminar on "The importance of musical considerations in building or renovating a carillon." The Festival also included a Family concert featuring ISU student carillonneurs, the Ames Children's Preparatory Choir, ISU Dance and ISU/Ames Flute Ensemble. Tin-shi Tam, ISU University Carillonneur, presented a faculty recital during the Festival that included Emilien Allard's Sonata (1968).

In conjunction with the Festival, a Carillon Composition Competition was held to encourage the writing of original carillon compositions by young composers. Contestants from all parts of the country and overseas submitted entries. No award was given this year.

In 1999, Iowa State University will celebrate  the centennial anniversary of the Stanton Memorial Carillon. ISU will host the 57th Congress of The Guild of Carillonneurs in North America from June 16-19. Additional celebrations have also been planned.

Summer keyboard camp

The Sixth Annual Keyboard Exploration was hosted by Iowa State University Music Department from June 22 through 27. The summer music camp was for keyboard students who were entering grades 7-12. Participants experienced first-hand the thrill of playing various kinds of keyboard instruments including organ, harpsichord, piano and carillon. Nine students studied carillon under ISU University Carillonneur, Tin-shi Tam. Two carillon concerts were performed by students towards the end of the week.

News from Springfield

Karel Keldermans, carillonneur for the Springfield, Illinois, park district, sends the following news.

Midwest regional conference

The second Midwest Regional Conference of the GCNA was held in Springfield, Illinois, on Saturday, May 30, 1998. Participants from Kansas, Kentucky, Iowa, Illinois, and Denmark were hosted by Karel Keldermans.

John Courter of Berea College began the presentations with a description of his personal compositional style and indicated the importance of Gregorian chant in his music. He played a recording of two of his carillon fantasies, and a lively discussion ensued. Albert Gerken of the University of Kansas at Lawrence then took the podium to make the first of his two presentations for the conference. Bert gave an excellent analysis relative to the usefulness of C-sharp and D-sharp in the bass of the carillon. To this end, he gave an insightful explanation as to why Pieter Hemony several centuries ago had in fact been incorrect in asserting that C-sharp and D-sharp were "useless." With cogent examples from the  De Gruytters Carillon Book and various Van den Gheyn Preludes--music appropriate to the period under discussion--Bert then demonstrated musically why a carillon indeed needs to be fully chromatic.

Informal discussions continued as a catered lunch was served in the parlor, courtesy of the Springfield Park District. Following the lunch break, Ann-Kirstine Christiansen, a Danish carillonneur and administrator at the Scandinavian Carillon School in Løgumkloster, Denmark, gave her presentation on the formation of the School and explained how courses are set up, the number of students attending, and the number graduated. After Ann-Kirstine's presentation, the group transferred to the Rees Carillon where Bert Gerken took the second afternoon session--that of music notation. Bert has developed a unique system of handling and pedaling on his scores, and the group was very interested in his techniques as he demonstrated them at the keyboard of the Rees Carillon. The conference adjourned in the late afternoon with some of the attendees remaining in Springfield for the International Carillon Festival.

Annual Springfield festival

The 37th International Carillon Festival in Springfield, Illinois, was held at the Rees Memorial Carillon in Washington Park from May 31 through June 7, 1998. The eight days of the Festival were filled with carillon-related activities, culminating each evening in two or three recitals by guest carillonneurs.  This year's recitalists were Albert Gerken, Kansas; Ann-Kirstine Christiansen, Denmark; Ray McLellan, Michigan; Bob van Wely, The Netherlands; Gert Oldenbeuving, The Netherlands; Koen Cosaert, Belgium; Sue Jones, Illinois; and host Karel Keldermans.

The first evening of recitals featured Albert Gerken and Karel Keldermans performing original compositions and arrangements by Ronald Barnes (1927-1997). This evening of special tribute to North America's premier composer for the instrument was especially meaningful to festival audiences who had come to know Ron Barnes as a frequent participant and visitor to the Festival. During the rest of the week, Barnes' works were prominently featured in recitals by other guest carillonneurs. Huge crowds gathered Saturday evening for the traditional gala fireworks to the accompaniment of carillon music.

Prospectus: French Carillon School

The French Carillon School was established in 1971 in Tourcoing and has been associated with the Conservatoire National de Région de Douai since September, 1997. During the academic year, instruction is given at all levels: beginners, amateurs, professional, advanced, and virtuosity. Lessons are given regularly on Wednesday and Saturday mornings and are available on other days by appointment. Intensive sessions are available for those traveling from afar. Applied lessons are given alternately on practice consoles, the mobile carillon, and the belfry carillon. There is a mid-year exam, and a final exam with an international jury is held in mid-June to determine the award to be presented according to the guidelines of the National Music Conservatories: * Mentions: at the initial, preparatory, and elementary levels * Medals and Practice Diploma: at the middle level * Carillonneur Diploma: upon completion of program of study * Gold, Vermeil, Silver, and Bronze Medals: advanced level * Prizes and Certificates of Merit: superior level. (The Master Carillonneur Diploma is awarded as the Premier Prix at this level.) Since its inception, the French Carillon School has awarded twenty carillonneur diplomas (nine to foreigners) and ten Master Carillonneur Diplomas (three to foreigners). A class of virtuosity, a class for the preparation for international competitions, and a special course for the preparation for the State Diploma and Certificate of Aptitude for carillon instruction were recently established. There is an annual registration fee but no tuition. For information and registration, contact: Ecole Française de Carillon; 39, rue de l'Université; 59500 Douai; France. Phone/Fax: 33.3.27.93.58.33. Lessons are available in Tourcoing-contact Bruno Membrey; rue Paul Doumer; 59200 Tourcoing. Beginners can study in Dijon-contact M. Alain Chobert; 2 rue de Tillot; 21000 Dijon.