School Sisters of St. Francis composition competition

September 5–7, 2014

David Spicer began as Minister of Music and the Arts at First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1986. In 1996, he and Dr. Harold Robles founded the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. Spicer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Dr. Alexander McCurdy, and is a graduate of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

To encourage young organists—this has been our raison d’être for the past seventeen years of the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival, something with which all of us in the profession agree.

It was indeed a treat to hear such wonderfully prepared young organists at the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival in September! One can marvel at these students developing their talents and be grateful for their excellent teachers. That, combined with wonderful organ music, set the stage for the seventeenth annual festival. We are grateful to be able to encourage young organists with this competition. We had some wonderful applicants who sent in outstanding CDs. Judges for this year’s festival were Diane Meredith Belcher, Charles Callahan, and Ken Cowan.

On Friday evening, September 5, our traditional opening concert was held. The service/choral portions were played by the author: Andante (Grand Pièce Symphonique, op. 17), Psalm 150, Franck; Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation (Christ Church), Dirksen; Kyrie (from Messe Solennelle, op. 16), Vierne; He Comes to Us (text by Albert Schweitzer), Marshall; Go Ye Into All the World, Wetzler; Let Heaven Rejoice (text by Hal M. Helms; tune, Rock Harbor, by Alan MacMillan).

Each of the judges played selections of their own choosing on the Austin organ at the opening event. A video camera, via closed-circuit television, projected a view of the organists in the balcony onto a screen downstairs. The selections were: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, BWV 662, Bach, and Passacaglia on a Theme by Dunstable, Weaver, played by Diane Meredith Belcher; Lyric Prelude and Fugue, Callahan, and Risoluto, op. 68, Parker, played by Charles Callahan; Fantasie in F Minor, K. 608, Mozart, played by Ken Cowan.

Saturday morning, from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, the high school division finalists played the required repertoire; at 2 p.m. the young professional division finalists were heard. All finalists were required to play the hymn tune St. Thomas (Williams).

The high school division finalists and the works they played were:

Clara Gerdes—Bach, Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543; Widor, Adagio (from Symphony No. 5); Messiaen, Transports de Joie (from L’Ascension); hymn, Coronation.

Alexander Pattavina—Bach, Fantasia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 537; Widor, Meditation (from Symphony No. 1); Langlais, Fête; hymn, Ein’ Feste Burg.

Richard Gress—Bach, Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541; Widor, Andante Cantabile (from Symphony No. 5 in F Minor); Messiaen, Transports de Joie (from L’Ascension); hymn, Veni Creator (1940 Hymnal #217).

The young professional division finalists and the works they played were:

Evan Cogswell—Franck, Choral No. 2 in B Minor; Messiaen, Communion (from Messe de la Pentecôte); Bach, Fantasy and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 542; hymn, Slane.

Brian Glikes—Bach, Trio Sonata No. 5, BWV 529; Franck, Choral No. 2 in B Minor; Messiaen, Offrande et Alléluia final; hymn, Diademata.

Nicholas Quardokus—Bach, Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532; Franck, Choral No. 1 in E Major; Vierne, Finale (from Symphonie VI); hymn, Ein’ Feste Burg.

Later that evening, all finalists and judges had a chance for interaction and discussion over a delicious meal provided by Dana Spicer at the Solomon Welles House in Wethersfield.

On Sunday, September 7, the young professional finalists played portions of the 8:45 a.m. worship service. In addition, we thank Ezequiel Menéndez, who invited the finalists to play portions of the 11 a.m. Mass at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. In Wethersfield at 1:30 p.m., a masterclass with the three judges was held. Many important topics were covered and awards were presented.

The judges’ decisions

High school division: first place, Clara Gerdes from Davidson, North Carolina, a student of Alan Morrison at the Curtis Institute of Music; second place, Alexander Pattavina from Stoughton, Massachusetts, a student of Paul Jacobs at the Juilliard School of Music; third place, Richard Gress from Newmarket, New Hampshire, student of Bruce Adami.

Young professional division: first place, Nicholas Quardokus from Bridgeman, Michigan, student of Janette Fishell at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University; second place, Brian Glikes from Rochester, New York, student of David Higgs at the Eastman School of Music; third place, Evan Cogswell from Glastonbury, Connecticut, student of Patricia Snyder, and a recent graduate of the Hartt School of Music.

We are grateful to Robert Bausmith and Jill Peters-Gee, M.D. for giving the young professional division first prize of $3,500; the young professional division second prize of $1,500 came from several individuals in the First Church of Christ community and others. Our thanks to the Helen L. Reinfrank Music Fund for the $2,000 award for first prize in the high school division and to Marilyn Austin and family for the high school division second place prize of $1,000. Thanks go to John Gorton and Richard Pilch for providing $1,000 for the David Spicer Hymn Playing Award, which was given to young professional division finalist Nicholas Quardokus.

Special thanks go to Bon Smith of Austin Organ Service Company of Avon, Connecticut, who was on hand throughout the Saturday competition to offer volunteer assistance, should the organ have needed it. Thanks to Linda Henderson, festival coordinator and associate, for so ably performing the organizational work that made the festival run smoothly and efficiently.

Churches that allowed their instruments to be used for additional practice included the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Hartford, Ezequiel Menéndez, director of music; First Church of Christ, Glastonbury, Angela Salcedo, director of music ministries; and Trinity Episcopal Church, Wethersfield, the Reverend Lois Keen, interim rector.

We are taking steps to move this festival to a more community-based organization. Robert Bausmith is the chairperson, and a board of directors has been formed; I will remain as the artistic director. We are looking forward to having this wonderful event at alternate sites in the future. In our efforts to make this happen, the two first-place winners, Clara Gerdes (high school division) and Nicholas Quardokus (young professional division) will return to play their recitals at Trinity College Chapel, Hartford, Connecticut, on June 14, 2015, at 7 p.m.

Plans are underway for the 2015 Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival September 11–13, 2015. Information about the festival and current competition requirements are available by telephone at 860/529-1575, ext. 209, by e-mail at [email protected], or at the ASOF website: www.firstchurch.org/ASOF. 

David Spicer began as minister of music and the arts at the First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, Connecticut, in 1986. In 1996 he and Dr. Harold Robles founded the Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival. Spicer is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where he studied with Dr. Alexander McCurdy, and is a graduate of the Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is married to Dana, and they have a blended family of seven children and twelve grandchildren.

At age 18, we are going to college! The Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival is moving to its new home at Trinity College in Hartford! After enjoying eighteen glorious years of this annual festival at the First Church of Christ in Wethersfield, we look forward to even greater community participation moving forward. At this time of transition, I would like to offer a brief history of the festival, along with a report on our 2015 weekend—plus a glimpse of the future. 

The Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival began as an overtone. An inventor-type entrepreneur, Bernard Baruch Surkis, had joined the First Church of Christ, and during a service, he felt that God wanted him to give his newest invention to the Albert Schweitzer Hospital in Haiti. His invention was a machine that turned salt water into drinking water. While other machines already did this, his had a special feature, the purpose of which I do not recall. At any rate, Mr. Surkis wished to make fresh water easily accessible for the hospital. Tragically, he died in a car accident, and since he was a friend of mine, I spoke at his memorial service and shared his vision, saying that I would follow through on his idea for the Haitian hospital. I later learned that a machine would cost $100,000! I gulped, but made an appointment with the Albert Schweitzer Institute, then housed in Wallingford, Connecticut. The director at that time, Harold Robles, met with Ruth Brennan, chairperson of my music committee, and Nancy Andersen, from the First Church of Christ, and informed us that our offer to give the machine was wonderful, but not needed, because a donor had given funds to drill a well that would provide fresh water for the hospital.

After a silent sigh of relief that I was “off the hook” for raising the funds to complete Bernie’s dream, I noticed posters on the wall about Albert Schweitzer’s organ recitals. I asked about them, and Mr. Robles stated that there had been an Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival in Holland, and that “we would like to have a festival in America.” We kept talking, and the energy was flowing. I volunteered our church as a possible site—and the rest is history.

We launched the idea of a competition by presenting Thurston Moore’s multimedia production, “Words of Albert Schweitzer and the Music of Bach,” which had been debuted by the Tennessee Players a few years earlier. Organists who played for this were Ronald Ebrecht, Ellen Hunt, Ezequiel Menendez, Christa Rakich, Catherine Rodland, John Rose, and Ralph Valentine. Guest narrators were Joanne Nesti, Gilbert Bond, and the Rev. Donald W. Morgan. The organ works of Bach were interspersed with readings about or by Albert Schweitzer. The pieces included: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor, Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, and the St. Anne Fugue, among others. We had to have overflow seating! Thurston Moore and his wife, Georgianna, were with us for this event.

We tried to fashion the competition after its European counterpart, as it was described to us. The adjudicators opened the event to inspire the finalists, then the competition was the next day. We were told that a large, black curtain hid the players from the judges. 

We decided that Friday night would be our judges’ performance night. The competition was launched. We chose to have the festival on the first weekend after Labor Day, which would always run close to Dr. Schweitzer’s death date (September 4, 1965). His birth date was in January (January 14, 1875), and it was felt that, in Connecticut, the weather might be a little colder than most would wish for.

I selected the repertoire for the competition, which reflected the Schweitzer posters and his friendship with Charles-Marie Widor. As a young boy, I fondly remember those big, grey copies of my music, even though they now lack covers and the pages have become separated. Even so, I still use them!

Hymns were included, because most of us end up in a church position, and it seemed to me that most teachers were not stressing the importance of hymns and their interpretation of the texts. Finalists were to play—the High School Division: a major Bach work, a Widor slow movement, a work from a composer born after 1850, and two hymns; the Young Professional Division: one of the Franck Chorales, a major Bach work, a Widor slow movement, and two hymns. One of the two hymns, which is required, was St. Thomas (Williams)—”I Love Thy Kingdom, Lord.” This became our “Schweitzer Hymn” because the words were by Timothy Dwight (1752–1817), then the president of Yale. He and his grandfather Jonathan Edwards (1703–58) spent time together in the Wethersfield area. The only steeple around was that of the meetinghouse in Wethersfield (still used here at First Church), so they most likely were quite familiar with its beauty. In the second verse of the hymn, Dwight wrote: “I love Thy Church, O God; Her walls before Thee stand. . . .” Reverend Donald W. Morgan felt sure that Dwight had the meetinghouse steeple in mind when he penned those words. 

We felt that three judges would be best, and, like the European model, they would not be able to see the finalists when playing.

We determined that three finalists would be invited in the High School Division and three from the Young Professional Division, to be chosen from the applicants. The level of playing has been incredibly high! On the opening night, we invited the three judges to play 8–10 minutes each and we formed a Festival Choir to sing. Complementing the judges’ selections, our usual repertoire was composed by organists: 

Prelude – (played by me)

Psalm 150, César Franck 

Hymn: Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation, hymn tune: Christ Church, Richard Dirksen

Kyrie (Messe Solennelle, op. 16), Louis Vierne 

He Comes to Us, Jane Marshall (The text is from The Quest for the Historical Jesus, by Albert Schweitzer)

 Go Ye Into All the World, Robert Wetzler

Hymn: Let Heaven Rejoice,                 hymn tune: Rock Harbor, music by Alan McMillan, text by Hal M. Helms.

John Walker, a judge for 2015, writes: 

“Emerging from the six brilliant finalists in the eighteenth annual Albert
Schweitzer Organ Festival, Monica Czausz won first place in the Young Professional Division, and Adrian Binkley took top honors in the High School Division. All contestants played at an impressively high level, everyone therefore being declared a winner. Having been nurtured for almost two decades by its founder, David Spicer, ASOF is far more than a performance competition: featured events of the weekend included a festival concert with massed choirs and organ, the competition, opportunities for all contestants to play in services of worship at the First Church of Christ (Wethersfield) and the Cathedral of St. Joseph (Hartford), an organ masterclass with the adjudicators, a field trip to the Austin Organ factory, and shared meals with competitors, adjudicators, and board members of ASOF. Following that memorable weekend, everyone departed with renewed inspiration and confidence in the future of our chosen vocation.”        

Diane Meredith Belcher, judge, writes:

“The eighteenth annual Albert
Schweitzer Festival has a history of bringing together student, volunteer, and professional church musicians, and this year was no exception. It was exhilarating to see the combination of so many talented high school and college/graduate school organists, combined church choirs and vocal soloists, and seasoned professional organists serving as performers, teachers, mentors, and/or judges. As usual, David Spicer led his flock of finalists, assisting musicians, volunteers, and guest judges (Peter Conte and John Walker) with energy and commitment that is astounding. What I continue to love most about this festival is that it truly is about what most organists do and what church music is about: serving God and being at service to others in the church through music. Finalists not only compete, they perform in church and in masterclasses and observe others rehearsing choirs and playing for services. A more collaborative, inspirational, and heartwarming competition/festival one finds only rarely in our profession. Kudos to David Spicer and the board of the ASOF for another wonderful success, and congratulations to all six finalists, who were winners before even arriving.”

I would like to thank the First Church of Christ for eighteen glorious years! A special note of thanks to ministers Donald W. Morgan, J. Jey Deifell, Jr., and Deryk Richenburg for their support and encouragement. It has been wonderful to have so many talented organists with us, along with supporters who travel from as far as the Czech Republic, Wisconsin, and Florida, and have faithfully attended, hearing the church’s magnificent Austin organ. A special note of thanks is given to Austin Organ Service of Avon, Connecticut—Bon Smith, president, and to Alex Belair and Michael Tanguay, for the gracious gift of servicing the organ for this festival. We also thank the additional practice sites for making their instruments available: Trinity Episcopal Church and St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Wethersfield, Connecticut; Bethany Covenant Church, Berlin; the Cathedral of St. Joseph, Trinity College, and Asylum Hill Congregational Church in Hartford; St. John’s Episcopal Church and St. James’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford; and First Church of Christ, Congregational, in Glastonbury. The graciousness of the congregation, staff, and the community was truly
a blessing!

This year’s festival featured judges Diane Meredith Belcher, Peter Richard Conte, and John Walker, and opened on Friday, September 11, with a Festival Choir composed of representatives from Center Church in Hartford, the Cathedral of Saint Joseph, and the First Church of Christ. Ezequiel Menendez accompanied, and I conducted.

Here are this year’s finalists.

High School Division

1st Place ($2,000): Adrian Binkley from Madison, Wisconsin, a student of Thomas Bara, Interlochen Center for the Arts. This prize is provided by the Marjorie Jolidon Fund of the Greater Hartford Chapter, American Guild of Organists.

2nd Place ($1,000): Aaron Patterson from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a student of Dennis Elwell.

3rd Place ($500): Elena Baquerizo from Miami, Florida, a student of Thomas Schuster.

Young Professional Division

1st Place ($3,500): Monica Czausz from Houston, Texas, a student of Ken Cowan, Rice University.

2nd Place ($1,500): Robin Ericksen from Macon, Georgia.

3rd Place ($750): Mary Pan from Burlington, Connecticut, currently studying with Thomas Murray, Yale School of Music.

The David Spicer Hymn Playing Award ($1000): Adrian Binkley.

Save the dates: the festival is moving to the last weekend in September—Friday, September 30, to Sunday, October 2, 2016, with an opening concert at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford. The competition will be held at Trinity College on Saturday, October 1, and  the 2015 first-prize winners will return on Saturday night to play a recital at St. John’s Episcopal Church in West Hartford. A masterclass ending the festival will be held on Sunday afternoon at Trinity College.

We are grateful to our newly formed board of directors for their vision and support. Board members include: Robert Bausmith, chair, Marilyn Austin, Stewart Battle, Robert Clement, William L. Dean, Newton R. Gilchrist, John Gorton, Vaughn Mauren, Ezequiel Menendez, Soo Hwan Pai, John Rose, and Phillip Truckenbrod.

For more information about the festival weekend and next year’s competition requirements, please see our website at www.schweitzerfestival.org, or contact 860/529-1575, ext. 209. The deadline for application is June 7, 2016.

Bernard Surkis would be pleased that a fresh supply, not of water, but of support for young organists, has been created!

Maxine Thévenot has served the Cathedral of St. John, Albuquerque, New Mexico, as Canon Precentor-Director of Cathedral Music and Organist since January 2010. Prior to that she served as Associate Organist-Choir Director since 2005. She is also an adjunct faculty member at the University of New Mexico. She is founding and artistic director of New Mexico’s first resident professional choral ensemble, Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico. Maxine is one half of the duo Air & Hammers with her husband, English baritone Edmund Connolly. She has published works with Paraclete Press and has numerous organ and choral recordings with Raven Recordings.

A native of Saskatchewan, Canada, Thévenot received her bachelor’s degree in music education from the University of Saskatchewan and her master of music and doctor of musical arts degrees from Manhattan School of Music. She is an Associate of the Royal Canadian College of Organists and the Royal Conservatory of Music, Toronto, and is an Honorary Fellow of the National College of Music, London, U. K. Her website is
www.maxinethevenot.com.

Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico, in which is located the Cathedral of St. John, seat of the Bishop of the Diocese of the Rio Grande. Since moving to Albuquerque from New York City in June 2005, I’ve watched this unique city become a bit faster-paced, expand its city limits, and acquire a few more new, fabulous restaurants. I’ve seen a few more movie stars up close and personal. And I’ve watched the classical and new music scene grow exponentially and had the pleasure of helping to invite and welcome composers, guest singers, instrumentalists, and conductors from across North America and Great Britain to the cathedral, located in downtown Albuquerque.

Background

Cathedral Commissions was started in 2006 by my predecessor, Iain Quinn, under the auspices of the Friends of Cathedral Music program, which is a donor-funded entity of like-minded individuals and receives no funding from the cathedral’s operating budget. Gifts to Friends of Cathedral Music come as donations “in memory,” “in thanksgiving,” or through designated giving such as United Way. Friends of Cathedral Music funds special concerts (orchestral, chamber, and choral), educational projects about our pipe organ (the largest in the state), and other worthy educational events. Now in its 23rd season, Friends of Cathedral Music continues to be a blessing for our congregation and community.

Having support from the clergy and congregation is key to running a successful commissioning program. The Cathedral Commissions weekend has always been a joyous time in the life of our cathedral: a celebration of creating, together, something completely unique for the liturgy. Becoming an active participant in creating a musical legacy for the congregation and choir members of the future is a process that enriches the broader Christian Church and surmounts denominational boundaries. 

Dean’s Message

I asked the Dean of the Cathedral of St. John, the Very Rev. J. Mark Goodman, to offer a few words about the Cathedral Commissions program.

The role of cathedrals in the Church has shifted significantly from Medieval times to the present. While cathedrals continue to be civic and cultural centers in community life in England and Europe, that position has diminished as societies have become more secular and multicultural. Particularly in the United States, the place of cathedrals in the community has undergone profound change, with only a few, like the Washington National Cathedral or St. John the Divine, having the stature they once enjoyed.

As the place of cathedrals has changed, there is one aspect of the life of these churches that has continued to draw attention. Cathedrals are still centers of cultural life, experimentation, and patronage. Visual, theatrical, and musical arts, as well as dance, sculpture, and architectural expressions, are supported by cathedrals throughout the Episcopal Church. The Cathedral of St. John is no exception.

A growing and vital part of St. John’s support of music has been its underwriting of special commissions over the years. Dr. Maxine Thévenot, Canon Precentor-Director of Cathedral Music, has reached across the world of composers of sacred music to ensure that inspiring and powerful choral works continue to feed the hearts and souls of people in Albuquerque, and that the commissioned composers are encouraged in their vocation.

The premiere of each year’s commission is a time of excitement and anticipation for the choir and the congregation. Each of the works to date, unique in form and genre, has been challenging for the choir and warmly received by cathedral members. 

When the time comes for the rehearsals and first performance, the composer arrives in Albuquerque for a residence of between one and three weeks. This is a time eagerly awaited by those who serve as hosts, for sharing meals and quiet conversation together opens a window into the mind of the composer and aspects of his or her life that provide glimpses into the currents that flow into musical creativity. To serve as hosts for Andrew Carter, the 2014 Commission Composer, was a time of joy and sharing for our entire family, an experience we won’t forget.

The Cathedral Commissions Program is a powerful and vibrant part of the musical and spiritual life of the community of faith that is the Cathedral of St. John.

In ten years of Cathedral Commissions, we have hosted composers from America, Canada, and Great Britain. Many of these composers have become friends of our congregation, clergy, and choir, and have made special pilgrimages to hear our choir when we travel overseas. As part of this ongoing relationship, composers continue to send their works to be considered for inclusion in our liturgical services and even send Christmas cards each year. 

The commissioning process

The process of commissioning a new work can be approached in almost as many ways as there are composers out there to commission. Guidelines on commissioning can found on the Internet; a good place to start is the American Composers Forum website (composersforum.org) under “Programs.” What follows offers an insight into the distinctive features of our own Cathedral Commissions program. 

An essential part of our Cathedral Commissions process, once we have decided on our commissioned composer, found sponsors, and completed the necessary negotiations, is to invite the composer to the Cathedral of St. John to work directly with the choir and choristers, either by conducting the premiere, accompanying the premiere, or by coaching the choir in rehearsals and enjoying the premiere from the pew. 

The composer’s personal presence is important to us: as part of the Sunday worship service, the composer can meet other congregants and form a special connection with our community. We invite the composer to speak to the congregation and choir about their work as formally or informally as they feel comfortable (either before or following the liturgy at our Dean’s Forum), which further reinforces that important connection. 

Some of our commissioned composers have chosen to stay for extended periods in the Albuquerque area (New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment for a reason!), thereby strengthening the relationship between us all, leaving room for a true friendship to blossom and grow. 

In February 2012, we had the pleasure of hosting Philip Moore as our commissioned composer. He stayed in Albuquerque for a two-week period to facilitate the rehearsal and performance of his commissioned work, combined with a concert with orchestra a week later. The concert included two large-scale works, one of which was Philip’s Concerto for Organ and Strings for which I played the organ part and he conducted. The orchestra, comprising a mix of New Mexico Philharmonic and Santa Fe Symphony players, loved working with Philip as conductor. He truly brought the best out of them. The other half of the program was Fauré’s Requiem, sung by the Cathedral Choirs; I conducted and Philip played the organ part alongside the chamber orchestra. Philip’s ears for romantic registration on our Reuter organ were truly inspiring, and having occasion to work with him collaboratively has been one of my most memorable musical experiences to date.

In May 2014 we welcomed the wonderfully gregarious British composer Andrew Carter, who stayed in Albuquerque for nine days. His energy was infectious (at the time of his visit he was 75!), and he not only wrote us a gorgeous anthem on a Christina Rossetti text, but also helped by conducting (with tremendous enthusiasm) a one-hour public concert of his music, including the second known American performance of his Organ Concerto in C, for which I played the organ part. This gave him extended time with our choir members and also allowed him to work with professional orchestral musicians in New Mexico, thereby enlarging the circle of connection.

Relationship

An especially important relationship is that between sponsor and composer. We always aim to provide the opportunity for social time for the sponsors and the composer over a shared meal or two, and where possible we arrange a choir party to coincide with the composer’s visit. Meeting the creator of a new work can make a world of difference to how we respond to the music placed
before us.

Finding the right sponsor for a particular composer, therefore, requires knowing the personalities of both parties somewhat and should be the responsibility of the director of music, or whoever runs the commissioning program. It is important that when the composer and donor meet in person that you are as sure as possible that they are compatible people, and, of course, that nothing should jeopardize the fulfillment of the contractual terms. In our commissioning scheme the donor and composer are never directly in touch until the donor receives a copy of the new work to be premiered. The donors are invited to attend the first rehearsal of the newly commissioned piece with the choir, organ, and composer, and are encouraged to observe the continuation of the creative process as we all strive to realize the composer’s intentions. Following that first, often very exciting rehearsal, there is usually the opportunity for important social time for everyone involved.

Resources

A commission should aim to make the best use of the resources available. We have a fabulous organ at the Cathedral of St. John (Reuter Organ Company Opus 2210, 65 ranks), and so it makes sense to showcase its wonderful tonal and color palette. The organ has a terrific Tuba and a memorable Trompette en Chamade, in addition to beautiful flutes and strings. It is important that the composer gratify those who have invested in the long-term use of the cathedral organ, and therefore it is important that he or she can write idiomatically for the instrument. 

We also look for composers who can write music tailored to our cathedral choir(s). Over the years, as is common to all choirs, our choir personnel change. One season you might have a particularly strong bass section, the next you might find yourself with an excellent 11-member tenor section! You’ll want the composer to exploit that wonderful musical gift in the commission. It is important to help guide the composer with a clear set of parameters for what you are after in a work. Do you want four choral parts throughout, or are you happy with a little or a lot of divisi? Do you have soaring high sopranos or rich low basses? It helps the composer if they know how your particular choir sounds at its best. 

In the case of our cathedral choirs, in more recent years we have had the pleasure of our senior girl and boy choristers joining the ranks of the Cathedral Choir, and so writing specifically with those voices in mind has also become an option for a commissioned composer. We have some very fine soloists within the choir, and that, too, is something for the composer potentially to incorporate, at his or her discretion. It is important, therefore, that you, the commissioning party, know which strengths and weaknesses to communicate to your commissioned composer.

Text

Selection of text is usually the first point of artistic discussion. The choice of text is initially dictated by the liturgical season in which the premiere is to take place. Beyond that, sometimes the donor wishes to help select a text and sometimes the composer wishes to have complete control over the text used. Keeping a clear line of communication is key to coming to any agreement. I can say from experience that choosing a text that isn’t too specific will encourage many more future performances, and this is something that makes your donor beam with great pride: a second or third hearing of “their piece.” Be sure to let them know when you’ve scheduled “their” work. Donors often love inviting friends and family to hear the work they helped bring into the world.

Asking composers to write something fresh and new on a familiar text is particularly exciting and potentially very challenging. Imagine being asked to write a new anthem on the text of “In the bleak midwinter.” Yes, it can be done, but the composer will have to somehow overcome the inevitable comparisons with Darke and Holst. Writing music for an unfamiliar text can be equally inspiring, with the possibility of creating a new favorite text to uplift people in their liturgical experience.

Response

The first read-through of a newly commissioned work is akin to presenting a family member with their Christmas gift: you really hope they’ll like it immediately. I usually receive the score weeks before introducing it to the choir, and, having worked with this choir for 11 years now, I have a sense of whether it will be love at first sight(read), or whether the work is one that will grow on them with time. 

The collective response of the congregation, too, immediately following the premiere performance, always manages to surprise me. The commissioned works have evoked a variety of responses, from an immediate appreciation shown by a burst of applause (something, which, as Episcopalians, we very rarely allow ourselves), to a hushed sense of the whole room holding its breath for a moment while the final sounds dissipate into the acoustical space and time of the cathedral sanctuary.

However appreciation is expressed, we will all have been changed by hearing a new marriage between this new music and this text for the very first time. Singing a new work by a composer whose name you had only previously seen in print but whom you have now met in the flesh is thrilling. Singing music especially written for your choir and congregation under the direction of the person who created it brings a new perspective when singing any other piece of music by that same composer. The Asian proverb, “Better to see something once, than hear about it a thousand times,” resonates strongly when we have the opportunity to know and work with a composer. 

In October 2016 we performed all of the Cathedral Commissions to date in a public concert. Several of the works on the program had, over the years, become “go to” anthems for all sorts of occasions including international and national tours and special occasion services such as ordinations, funerals, and weddings. A few of the works, however, had only received one performance, their premiere, until our tenth anniversary concert this past October.

Having the opportunity to restudy and relearn some of the less-performed anthems we’ve commissioned allowed us all to see our own growth as musicians and as storytellers. It allowed those of us who have been there for each commission to see this story of creation by our cathedral body, to share in the joy of renewing relationships with past donors, and to share stories of our time with each composer who came to visit us in Albuquerque and make new music with us. 

Our next opportunity to celebrate a new work written for us will be Sunday, March 5, 2017 (Lent I), when we will give the first performance of a new work by the celebrated, award-winning U. K. composer, Cecilia McDowall. 

I encourage any reader of this article who has a choir and a good organ accompanist to contact these composers or their publishers, secure a perusal copy of these anthems/canticles, and see if any of these works might be a good fit for your choir. We have recorded several of these commissioned works and hope to record the remainder of the works in the near future.

At the right is a listing of all of the works commissioned since the Cathedral Commissions project began in 2006. The listing shows the month in which the work was premiered, the commissioned composer, the title of the work, the sponsor(s), those who either conducted or accompanied the cathedral choir(s) for the premiere performances, and lastly how a person can best acquire a copy of any of these commissions.

Situated on a hill overlooking the city of Lewiston, Maine, the Gothic Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul is visible from a great distance in any direction. Its grand architecture beckons visitors from all over. The interior of the basilica is as sumptuous as its exterior. And among the many treasures of the edifice are the organs.

Lewiston was founded in 1795 along the Androscoggin River. Its industry was supported by cotton mills for many years. By the 1850s the Bates Mill, named for Benjamin E. Bates, for whom Bates College is also named, became the largest employer in Lewiston, remaining so for a century. In the late 1850s, French Canadians began to migrate to Lewiston for job opportunities. A section of Lewiston became known as “Little Canada,” and the city has celebrated its French Canadian character to this day.

Various Protestant congregations were formed, but it would be 1857 before the first Catholic parish, Saint Joseph, was founded. The parish, which was English speaking and serving primarily Irish immigrants, laid the cornerstone for a church along Main Street on June 13, 1864, and finished construction in 1867. The architect was Patrick C. Keely.

The Catholic Bishop of Portland assigned the Reverend Louis Mutsaers to minister to the French-speaking Catholics of Saint Joseph Church. With more than 1,000 souls in the French-speaking Catholic community, Saint Peter Church was founded in 1870, the first French ethnic parish in the diocese. Father Edouard Létourneau of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, was named first pastor. The fledgling congregation moved to Saint John Chapel, the second floor of a house on Lincoln Street, coincidentally the first home of Saint Joseph Church. The first Mass, a wedding, was said on July 2, 1870. The Reverend Pierre Hévey became pastor the following year.

The first church

Father Hévey constructed a Gothic church building on Ayers Hill, on Bartlett Street between Ash and College Streets. The cornerstone was laid July 7, 1872, and the edifice was dedicated on May 4, 1873. The substantial building was 116 feet long, 32 feet wide, and crowned by a 160-foot bell tower. The total cost of the building, including land and furnishings, was approximately $100,000. The dedication Mass, attended by 2,000 and presided over by the Bishop of Portland, also witnessed the confirmation of 215 children. The parish school was opened in 1878, and a cemetery was developed. The Sisters of Charity of Saint-Hyacinthe would also establish a hospital, an orphan asylum, and a home for the aged, in addition to teaching in the school. A five-story brick school building accommodating 700 students was opened in 1883 at Lincoln and Chestnut Streets. A second school, for boys, was opened on Bates Street in 1887. By the close of the century, there were 1,721 students in the parish schools.

When Father Hévey left the parish in 1881, administration was turned over to the Dominican Fathers of Lille, France. About this time, Saint Peter became known as Saints Peter and Paul Church. By the late 1890s, church membership neared 10,000 persons, and galleries were added to the church nave, and the building’s basement was enlarged. A brick monastery was built for the Dominicans on Bartlett Street, a building that still stands behind the basilica today. The Dominicans would live here until they returned the parish to the diocese in 1987.

In 1902, Saint Louis Church was founded in Auburn, across the river, but this did little to lessen overcrowding at Saints Peter and Paul Church. In 1904, Father Alexandre Louis Mothon, OP, then pastor of the parish, retained Belgian-native Noël Coumont of Lewiston to design a neo-Gothic edifice to be built of Maine granite at an estimated cost of $250,000. Portland diocesan authorities were duly impressed with Coumont’s work and named him diocesan architect.

Building the present church

The final Mass in the old church was celebrated on February 5, 1905, after which the building was dismantled and demolished. A temporary wooden structure seating 1,200 persons was erected. Adjacent property was acquired, and construction of the lower church was commenced on February 22, 1906. Despite the collapse of a wall on November 9, the lower church was in use for Midnight Mass at Christmas, December 25, 1906. Father Mouthon had resigned and was replaced by the Reverend Antonin Dellaire, OP.

The parish would not complete the upper church for another three decades. In the interim, the diocese created three other parishes in Lewiston: Saint Mary, founded in 1907 in “Little Canada” with 820 families; Holy Family, founded in 1923; and Holy Cross, founded that same year with 575 families.

The diocese granted the Reverend Mannès Marchand, OP, pastor, permission to complete the upper church in 1933. A bid of $361,510 was accepted in April of the following year. Timothy G. O’Connell of Boston had become architect. Construction began in May, and the project would require some 516 boxcars of granite. Slate, copper, and limestone support the roofs.

The exterior was completed in 1935, crowned by twin steeples rising 168 feet with eight spires of granite and concrete. Two fairs would be held in the unfinished interior to raise funds for its completion. The interior was finished on July 18, 1936. The Most Reverend Joseph E. McCarthy, DD, dedicated Saints Peter and Paul Church on October 23, 1938. An all-male choir, recently formed, provided music for the occasion. The total construction price was estimated at $625,000. Five bells, cast for the previous church in 1884 by the McShane foundry of Baltimore, Maryland, were retained for the new towers. In 1948, the magnificent stained glass windows of the nave were installed to the designs of Boston’s Terence O’Duggan, at a cost of $40,000. The building measures 330 feet long, 135 feet wide, and the ceiling rises 64 feet. The pews seat 1,800 persons.

There was considerable posturing to making Saints Peter and Paul the cathedral of the diocese, supplanting Portland’s Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, founded in 1856 with its church built between 1866 and 1869 to the designs of Patrick C. Keely. Postcards of the Lewiston church were printed and sold, designating it a “cathedral.” However, the move of the seat of the bishop from Portland to Lewiston never occurred.

The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on July 14 (Bastille Day), 1983. The second-largest Catholic church in New England, Saints Peter and Paul is exceeded only by Saint Joseph Cathedral of Hartford, Connecticut. In the past two decades, the building has been restored, a heroic multi-million dollar project. The first part of the project, the exterior, took nine years to complete. The interior restoration of the upper church was completed in 2002.

The church’s music history is remarkable. In 1872, a reed organ was acquired, and a Mrs. Martel became organist. Mr. Alcibiad Beique succeeded her. Considered an accomplished organist as he had studied in Belgium, Beique would play the opening program/Mass on the church’s first pipe organ, described below. Beique would leave Lewiston to become organist for the church of Notre Dame in Montréal, Canada. Mr. F. Desanniers next served the parish, though he died about a year after beginning service, having consumed poison thinking it was medicine. Henry F. Roy then served Saints Peter and Paul, remaining until 1925. George C. Giboin then served from 1925 until his death in 1945. From 1945 until 1966, Bernard Piché was organist, while Roland Pineau directed the choirs. Piché was of considerable repute, and was managed as a recitalist by the Colbert-Laberge management group. Pineau continued as organist and choir director until 1973. Luciene Bédard also served as organist, beginning in 1942 and continuing for 54 years. Ida Rocheleau provided music from 1973 until 1982. Kathy Brooks was named music director in 1990. Scott Vaillancourt became music director in 2003 and continues today.

In addition to choral groups for children and adults, the parish sponsored a boys’ band (Fanfare Ste. Cécile) from 1898 until 1947. An extensive boys’ choir for grades 5 through 8 (Les Petits Chanteurs de Lewiston) was established in 1945 and performed operettas and other works in Lewiston and throughout New England until it was disbanded in 1964.

The pipe organs

The first pipe organ for the parish was 1880 Hook & Hastings Opus 1011, a two-manual, 24-rank instrument located in the 1873 church. The case of ash measured 25 feet high, 13 feet wide, nine feet deep. The organ cost $3,500 and was dedicated on Thanksgiving Day, November 25.

The organ was removed from the building prior to demolition and reinstalled in the new lower church in 1906. It was rebuilt and enlarged by Casavant Frères of Saint-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada, in 1916, as their Opus 665, retaining the Hook & Hastings case and much of the pipework.

In 2004, Casavant Opus 665 was sold to the Church of the Resurrection (Episcopal), New York City, where it was moved and rebuilt by the Organ Clearing House. A series of dedicatory recitals were held for this organ in its new home in 2011.

The upper church Casavant organs together make up the largest church organ in Maine. There are 4,695 pipes in five divisions in the rear gallery, 737 in three divisions in the sanctuary. A four-manual, drawknob console controls the entire organ from the rear gallery; a two-manual console in the sanctuary, which does not function at this time, controls the sanctuary divisions. The organ was designed by Charles-Marie Courboin of Saint Patrick Cathedral, New York City. The contract specification was dated April 4, 1937. Manual compass is 61 notes (C–C); pedal compass (concave, radiating pedalboard) is 32 notes (C–G). The instrument cost $28,000 for the gallery organ, $10,000 for the sanctuary organ. A fifteen-horsepower blower was provided for the gallery organ, and a one-horsepower blower for the sanctuary organ.

Courboin, who travelled to Saint-Hyacinthe to inspect the organ in the factory, played the opening recital on the completed organ, October 4, 1938. An estimated 2,000 persons filled the nave of the church, the first public event to occur in the upper church. The following was his program (a local choral group, Orpheon, also presented three works):

Part I

Concert Overture R. Maitland

Aria No. 3, Suite in D
Johann Sebastian Bach

Sketch No. 3 Schumann

Cantabile Cesar Franck 

Pastorale 2d Symphony
Charles-Marie Widor

Passacaglia and Fugue, C minor
J. S. Bach

Part II

Ave Maria Schubert-Courboin

Choral Prelude J. S. Bach

Choral No. 3 Cesar Franck 

The Lost Chord Sullivan-Courboin

March Heroique Saint-Saens

Casavant crafted the extensive woodworking lining the church nave, including an ornate screen in the sanctuary and the extensive wood supporting the organ and choir gallery, the transept galleries, and the narthex. The project utilizing Maine native red cedar and oak took a year and a half to complete.

Over the years, various renowned organists have concertized on the upper church organs. For instance, the Lewiston-Auburn Chapter of the American Guild of Organists sponsored Marcel Dupré in recital on Monday evening, October 4, 1948, along with three selections presented by the Saint Paul Choral Society. (Admission was $1.20, tax included, students $0.75.) The program for the organ’s tenth anniversary included works by Johann Sebastian Bach, George Frederick Handel, Eric DeLamarter, César Franck, Mr. Dupré, as well as an improvisation on submitted themes—Yankee Doodle and Turkeys in the Tree Top.

The fiftieth anniversary of the Casavant organs was celebrated with a concert on October 4, 1988, given by Brian Franck, organist, with l’Orpheon, conducted by Alexis Cote and accompanied by Luciene Bédard. Alan Laufman of the Organ Historical Society presented Historic Organ Citation #100 for the upper church organs. The upper church organs were heard in recitals during the national convention of the Organ Historical Society on August 19, 1992.

The gallery Casavant has experienced only three tonal alterations since installation. During Mr. Pinché’s tenure, the Grand Orgue 16′ Bombarde was replaced by an 8′ Bourdon. The Solo 16′ Tuba Magna was replaced by a 4′ Orchestral Flute. And the Récit 8′ Trompette was replaced by an 8′ open flute. The 8′ Trompette rank was used for many years in the Casavant in the lower church. It is now in storage, awaiting restoration and reinstallation, or perhaps replacement with a copy, if necessary.

Saints Peter and Paul experienced its largest membership in the 1950s, with more than 15,000 souls on the records. Twenty years later, membership was less than half that number. In 1986, the Dominicans turned administration of the parish back to the diocese. In June of 1996, Saints Peter and Paul was “twinned” with nearby Saint Patrick Catholic Church.

On October 4, 2004, the Vatican raised Saints Peter and Paul Church to the dignity of a minor basilica. The basilica was inaugurated on May 22, 2005, by the Most Reverend Richard Malone, Bishop of Portland. In 2008, the basilica became part of the newly-formed Prince of Peace Parish, which in due time has included all the Catholic parishes of Lewiston. The parish today includes the basilica, Holy Cross, Holy Family, as well as cluster parishes: Holy Trinity, Lisbon Falls, Our Lady of the Rosary, Sabattus, and Saint Francis Mission, Greene (in the summer only). Holy Cross Church has a Casavant organ of two manuals, 25 ranks, installed in 1967.

Saint Mary Church would close in 2000 and become the home of the Franco-American Heritage Center. The Gothic edifice of stone was completed in 1927 to the designs of the same architect as Saints Peter and Paul. It is now used as a performing arts and cultural center, preserving much of the feel of the old church, including its stained glass windows. A photograph at the center’s website reveals that at least the twin cases of the church’s Frazee organ are still present. The organ itself is in storage at the center, awaiting funding for reinstallation.

Saint Joseph Catholic Church was closed October 13, 2009, and sits empty. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Now owned by Central Maine Healthcare, the redbrick Gothic building has been threatened with demolition, though these plans are on hold as of this writing. The building once housed a two-manual Henry Erben organ from 1870, long since replaced by an electronic substitute.

Saint Patrick Catholic Church, facing Kennedy Park along Bates Street at Walnut Street, was founded in 1886. The parish, under the leadership of Monsignor Thomas Wallace, built a grand Gothic church, completed in 1890. Monsignor Wallace was buried in the church crypt. On October 27, 2009, Saint Patrick closed its doors. Its 1893 two-manual Hook & Hastings organ, Opus 1580 (electrified about 1960 by Rostron Kershaw, with minor tonal changes), was removed for relocation to Holy Family Catholic Church of Lewiston, a project partially completed by the Faucher Organ Company of Biddeford, Maine. Completion awaits sufficient funding. This is the first pipe organ for Holy Family Church.

Despite losing its claim as an industrial center in the state, Lewiston today remains the second largest city in Maine, behind Portland. Auburn is located across the Androscoggin River from Lewiston, and the two communities are often considered a single entity. The Lewiston community has experienced a renaissance in recent years.

The seventy-fifth anniversary of the Casavant organs in the upper church was celebrated throughout 2013. The parish sponsors a summer recital series, and that year’s performers included: Karel Paukert; Chris Ganza with Karen Pierce (vocalist); Albert Melton; Randall Mullin; Jacques Boucher with Anne Robert (violinist); Ray Cornils; Julie Huang; Harold Stover; Sean Fleming; and the author. The final program of this series occurred on September 27, featuring Kevin Birch, organist, the Androscoggin Chorale, John Corrie, conductor, and the Men’s Choir of the Basilica, Scott Vaillancourt, director. The program included: Prelude and Fugue in E-flat, BWV 552i, Johann Sebastian Bach; Andante Sostenuto, Symphonie IV, Charles-Marie Widor; Cloches, Marcel Fournier; Carillon de Westminster, Louis Vierne; Sonata I, Alexandre Guilmant, and the Mass for Two Choirs and Two Organs, Widor. Some restorative repairs have been made to the Casavant organs by the Faucher Organ Company of Biddeford, Maine. Ongoing efforts are made to raise funds to complete the project and bring this world-class organ back to its original glory. 

Sources

A Rich Past—A Challenging Future: A Tribute to Ss. Peter and Paul Parish, Saints Peter and Paul Parish, Lewiston, Maine, 1996.

Organ Handbook 1992, Alan M. Laufman, editor, The Organ Historical Society, Richmond, Virginia, 1992, pp. 60–63.

“The Organs of the Church of Ss. Peter & Paul Lewiston, Maine,” Brian Franck and Alan Laufman, The Tracker, vol. 36, no. 2, 1992, pp. 8–13.

Newspaper clippings, Casavant contract information from the basilica archives.

Photography by Stephen Schnurr, except as noted.

The University of Michigan 52nd Conference on Organ Music presented works ranging from the 16th-century organ Mass Missa Kyrie fons bonitatis, to the world premiere of Three Pieces for Organ by Czech composer Jirí Teml, along with a new event—an improvisation competition

Marijim Thoene received a D.M.A. in organ performance/church music from the University of Michigan in 1984. She is an active recitalist and director of music at St. John Lutheran Church in Dundee, Michigan. Her two CDs, Mystics and Spirits and Wind Song are available through Raven Recordings. She is a frequent presenter at medieval conferences on the topic of the image of the pipe organ in medieval manuscripts. 

Gale Kramer, DMA, is organist emeritus of Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Detroit, Michigan, and a former assistant professor of organ at Wayne State University. As a student and graduate of the University of Michigan he has attended no fewer than 44 of the annual conferences on organ music. He is a regular reviewer and occasional contributor to The Diapason. His article, “Food References in the Short Chorales of Clavierübung III,” appeared in the April 1984 issue of The Diapason.

The University of Michigan 52nd Conference on Organ Music took place September 30–October 3. The annual conference is organized by Marilyn Mason, who has brought world-class performers and scholars to Ann Arbor for some 51 years. The conference offered a feast of sounds, from the 16th-century organ Mass Missa Kyrie fons bonitatis, to the world premiere of Three Pieces for Organ by Czech composer Jirí Teml; performers ranged in age from “twenty-somethings” to seasoned veterans. This year’s conference inaugurated a new event—an improvisation competition. The five contestants dazzled the audience with their ingenuity, creativity, and ability to transform a simple melody into new music. As Michael Barone commented, “The organ is a magnificent creation, but it only comes alive when people play it.” 

Sunday, September 30

4 pm, Hill Auditorium

The opening event, Kipp Cortez’s master’s degree recital, signaled the excellence and vitality that were to mark the entire conference. His formidable technique was apparent in his program: Carillon by Leo Sowerby; Prelude, adagio et choral varié sur le thème du ‘Veni Creator’, op. 4, by Maurice Duruflé (the performance was enhanced by the singing of the Gregorian hymn by St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church compline ensemble, directed by Deborah Friauff); Les Corps Glorieux (Le mystère de la Sainte Trinité, VII) by Olivier Messiaen; Rhapsody in D-flat Major, op. 17, no. 1, by Herbert Howells; and Variations sur un vieux Noël by Marcel Dupré. The latter was a tour de force. The crowd stood and cheered his playing. 

8 pm, Hill Auditorium

Almut Roessler, the renowned interpreter of Messiaen’s organ works, was scheduled to perform; however, due to circumstances beyond her control, she had to cancel her U.S. tour only two weeks before the conference. David Wagner was chosen to play the concert in her place. He was a great choice: a native Michigander, born and raised in Detroit, a sought-after recitalist, a well-known radio personality, and professor of music and university organist at Madonna University in Livonia, Michigan. He is the program director and music host of the classical music station WRCJ-FM in Detroit. He opened and closed his recital with William Mathias’s Processional (1964) and Recessional—pieces that exploited the instrument’s broad and rich spectrum of colors. Dr. Dave “the artist” and Dr. Dave “the raconteur” delighted the crowd with four centuries of organ music and commentary, explaining the connection between these disparate works: Versets on Veni Creator Spiritus by Nicolas de Grigny; Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor, BWV 582, by J. S. Bach; and Sonata No. 1, op. 42, by Alexandre Guilmant. These composers are linked together by fortuitous events. Wagner pointed out that while no autograph copies from de Grigny exist, we have J. S. Bach’s hand-copied manuscript of de Grigny. He also related that in 1908 Guilmant directed the first publication of de Grigny’s organ works and that Guilmant played the basis of his Symphony No. 1 on the organ built by the Farrand & Votey Company in 1893 for the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago, which was purchased by the University of Michigan in 1894 and has since been named the Frieze Memorial Organ. It was rebuilt and reconditioned by the Aeolian-Skinner Organ Company of Boston and resides in Hill Auditorium. 

Tuesday, October 2

Michael Barone, host of Pipedreams, presented a fascinating pastiche of recordings culled from his vast library in his lecture, “Imagining the Future, Celebrating the Past.” He presented organ music by contemporary composers who are stretching the boundaries of old forms, combining other instruments with the organ, and implementing Danish and Norwegian folk songs, jazz, and blues in new ways. Barone played numerous examples of intriguing new music for the organ that finds inspiration in J. S. Bach and old hymn tunes.

The first composer on his list of “cutting edge” composers was Henry Martin, who teaches composition at Rutgers University; he received the 1991 National Composers Competition and the Barlow International Composition Competition in 1998 for his Preludes and Fugues for Piano. Barone commissioned him to compose organ preludes and fugues in G major and E minor for the 25th anniversary concert of Pipedreams that took place at the 2008 AGO convention in Minneapolis; Ken Cowan premiered the works. Since then Barone has commissioned preludes and fugues in D major and B minor, which Cowan premiered in 2009; Prelude and Fugue in E Major, premiered by Isabelle Demers in 2012; and Stephen Tharp has agreed to premiere the next set of preludes and fugues. 

Henry Martin’s “new music” interjects jazz, burly elements of dissonance, kaleidoscopic colors, and shifting textures into the constructs of the preludes and fugues of Bach’s Well Tempered Clavier. In his Prelude and Fugue in G Major the virtuosic demands are apparent in the perpetual motion of the prelude and the driving intensity of the fugue.  

To illustrate the pulsing life of organ music today, Barone played many recordings of live improvisations as well as new music. This list includes only a few of the recordings presented: Gunnar Idenstam, Folkjule: A Swedish Folk Song Christmas and Songs for Jukksjarvi: Swedish Folk Songs; Matt Curlee/Neos Ensemble of jazz-styled arrangements for organ, violin, vibraphone, and drums; Barbara Dennerlein playing jazz on the pipe organ; and Monte Mason, Psalm 139 for choir, organ and electronics.

Barone continued by pointing out that Paul Winter in his Winter Solstice concerts at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine uses the organ as the bedrock of his composition, and that Cameron Carpenter, playing in the Royal Albert Hall in London at end of the Olympics, stretched the boundaries of organ composition and made us feel as uncomfortable as Bach’s contemporaries were with him. Barone admonished us to find new audiences for the organ, to go beyond all the wonderful pieces we know, and explore the huge amount of repertoire that’s not played and can be adapted “if you push the right crescendo pedal.”

One of the most enlightening and entertaining events of the conference was Steven Ball’s lecture/recital, “Introduction to the Theater Organ,” given at the Michigan Theater, which proudly houses a 1927 Barton theater organ, the oldest unaltered organ in Ann Arbor. Steven Ball wears several hats—organist at the Michigan Theater, University of Michigan carillonneur, and manager of the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, as well as director of music at the Catholic Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit. 

Ball began his presentation with a quiz. We were given the specifications of four pipe organs and asked to identify the country of origin, location, builder, date, and whether it was a theater organ. The last question was difficult: how can you tell from the specifications if the organ is a theater organ? The answer is, you can’t! Dr. Ball’s lecture was fueled by the criteria applied to the selection of each of the 2,500 instruments in the Stearns Collection: i.e., each piece was chosen to show how instruments evolve, aid in the study of organology, and promote the understanding of world cultures and music.

Ball explained what happens when a musical instrument evolves, and pointed out there is a cultural relevance and progression accompanying this evolution. (1) There is a dialogue between builders and composers. When the Barker Lever was introduced in 1837 to the organ at St. Denis, an envelope was being pushed, facilitating the composition of new organ music. (2) Change is marked by acoustical evolution: sound gets louder and the compass expands. He noted that the theater organ was specifically voiced and designed to duplicate the sounds of an orchestra, and using analog technology first produced what we know as “surround sound.” (3) As instruments evolve, they become more vocal in nature—organ students are constantly told to let the music “breathe.”

Steven Ball offered a brief history of the theater organ, commenting that Robert Hope-Jones created more patents for the theater organ than anyone. He invented the Tibia Clausa, stoptabs instead of drawknobs, increased the wind pressures (ranging from 10 to 50 inches), and enclosed the pipes behind walls and thick swell shades for greater expression. The merger of his company with Wurlitzer in 1914 ended in disappointment and led to his suicide in 1915. In 1927 Wurlitzer cranked out an organ a day for a demanding market, and organists were paid for playing in the theater.

The Michigan Theater organ, opus 245, was built in 1927 by the Barton Company, which employed 150 people, taught students to play, and placed them in theaters throughout the Midwest. The instrument is only one of 40 that exists in its original home with its original operating system intact, which includes combination action and console lift. 

Steven Ball also proved to be the consummate entertainer. For 30 minutes we watched “One Week,” a silent film starring Buster Keaton, while he improvised on the Barton organ. What fun to watch and hear the misadventures of Buster Keaton in high style. 

Improvisation competition

For the first time in the conference’s long history, an improvisation competition was included. One could feel the excitement as the audience filed into the sanctuary of St. Francis of Assisi Church for the final round. The sacred space, with its live acoustic and three-manual, 1994 Létourneau Opus 38, provided a perfect venue for the competition. The five finalists were chosen from a preliminary round based on submitted recordings. Judges of the preliminary round included Joanne Vollendorf Clark, Gale Kramer, and Darlene Kuperus. The judges for the final round were Karel Paukert, William Jean Randall, and Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra. 

The five finalists were given 30 minutes without an instrument to plan their improvisation, which was to combine a prelude, a toccata, or a fantasia with a fugue on the tune Picardy, and also include a free improvisation on a given theme. Their complete performance time was to last no more that 15 minutes.  

It was intriguing to listen to each competitor’s treatment of the themes, to hear music composed before us with marvelous fluidity and agility. We heard borrowings from the medieval ages to the present. No one envied the judges.  

Bálint Karosi was awarded the Earl Moore first prize of $3,000; Timothy Tikker was awarded the Palmer Christian second prize of $2,000; Naki Sung Kripfgans the Robert G. Glasgow third prize of $1,000; and Steven Hoffman and Matthew Samelak the runner-up prizes of $500.

The behind-the-scenes organizer, Michele Johns, and her committee of Gale Kramer, Darlene Kuperus, and Marcia Van Oyen did a superb job in planning this remarkable event.

8 pm, Hill Auditorium

It was a privilege to hear Karel Paukert perform Czech organ music as well as pieces that embody the spirit of improvisation. His program gave ample evidence that the repertoire for organ is crossing new boundaries, using colors and timbres in new ways. His playing of Frammenti by Karel Husa (b. 1921), Toccata and Fugue in F Minor by Bedrich Antonín Wiedermann (1884–1951), and Adagio and Postludium from Glagolitic Mass by Leos Janácek (1854–1951) was infused with rare sensitivity and energy. He played cutting edge music by Jirí Teml (b. 1963) and Greg D’Alessio (b. 1963) with the same intensity. We were honored to hear Paukert play the world premiere of Jirí Teml’s Three Pieces for Organ.  

Paukert’s choice of “Albion II” from Albion by Greg D’Alessio was a shining example of what can emerge in organ repertoire when tapping into the resources made available in the digital age. Paukert played a score for organ and electronic tape with sounds, he explained, “derived from the electronically processed tonal palette of the McMyler Organ by Holtkamp at the Cleveland Museum of Art.” This piece for organ and electronic accompaniment is definitely New Age music; spellbinding magic resulted by combining digitally manipulated with acoustic sounds of the pipe organ. He concluded his concert with two well-known works, both of which are improvisatory in character and spirit: Jehan Alain’s Deuxième Fantaisie and Franz Liszt’s Prelude and Fugue on the Name of B.A.C.H.

Wednesday, October 3 

9:30 am, Blanche Anderson Moore Hall

The 16th-century organ Mass, Missa Kyrie fons bonitatis, was performed by students of Professor James Kibbie: Andrew Earhart and Colin Knapp, with chants sung by Joseph Balistreri. The score will be published by Wayne Leupold in 2013 and is the culmination of ten years of research by Scott Hyslop.   

The performance was followed by Scott Hyslop’s lecture, “Pierre Attaingnant: The Royal Printer and the Organ Masses of 1531.” Hyslop’s interest in classical French music was the basis for his doctoral thesis. His continued work on the topic is about to see its fruition in his publication of the performance edition of Attaingnant’s Missa Kyrie fons bonitatis. Hyslop explained that it was a unique accomplishment for Attaingnant to be able to print three items (staff lines, notes, and text) simultaneously and that in 1537 Attaingnant became the official printer and book seller to King Francis I of France. Unlike the popular Missa Cunctipotens, the Missa Kyrie fons bonitatis contains the Credo, which agrees with Paris usage. The new edition will include an accessible essay on musica ficta written by Kimberly Marshall. 

2 pm, Hill Auditorium, 

lower lobby

Renate McLaughlin, a graduate student of Marilyn Mason, lectured on “Karg-Elert: a musician at the wrong place and the wrong time.” She documented events in the life of the composer that had a negative influence in keeping him from enjoying the recognition he deserved during his lifetime. She presented interesting biographical details that showed him to be out of touch with reality and a man lacking in common sense. Her question of why his dreams of fame and glory were never realized was answered in her lecture topic. 

3 pm, Hill Auditorium 

The students of James Kibbie played Symphonie No. 6 in G Minor, op. 42, no. 2, by Charles-Marie Widor. His students gave polished performances. The performers and the movements they played were: Colin Knapp (Allegro), Matthew Kim (Adagio), Matthew Dempsey (Intermezzo), Stephanie Yu (Cantabile), and Andrew Lang (Finale). 

8 pm, Hill Auditorium

Timothy Tikker, a doctoral candidate studying with Professor Marilyn Mason, programmed an interesting mix of well-known and lesser-known repertoire. Well-known pieces included Mendelssohn’s Sonata in B-flat Major, op. 65, no. 4; J. S. Bach’s Partite diverse sopra il Corale Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig, BWV 768; Max Reger’s Toccata and Fugue in d/D, op. 59, nos. 5 and 6; and Messiaen’s Dieu Parmi Nous from La Nativité du Seigneur. It was in the lesser-known pieces that Tikker communicated what seemed to be the essence and soul of the music. He captured the intensity and drama of Ross Lee Finney’s The Leaves on the Trees Spoke. Tikker set the stage of Vincent Persichetti’s Do Not Go Gentle for organ pedals alone, op. 132, by playing a recording of Dylan Thomas reading his poem. Likewise, he seemed to revel in the lyricism and quiet loveliness of Herbert Howells’ Quasi lento, tranquillo from Sonata for Organ. 

Conclusion

We thank Marilyn Mason and all who participated in the 52nd Conference on Organ Music. You offered us a sip of the elixir of life and we left refreshed. 

—Marijim Thoene

Marijim Thoene received a D.M.A. in organ performance/church music from the University of Michigan in 1984. She is an active recitalist and director of music at St. John Lutheran Church in Dundee, Michigan. Her two CDs, Mystics and Spirits and Wind Song are available through Raven Recordings. She is a frequent presenter at medieval conferences on the topic of the image of the pipe organ in medieval manuscripts. 

Monday events

Guest lecturer Susanne Diedrich of Wupperthal, Germany described rhetorical/musical devices used in Bach’s Orgelbüchlein, such as circulatio, suspiratio, katabasis, anabasis, and exclamatio, which were illustrated in performances by U of M students Timothy Tikker, Renate McLaughlin, Josh Boyd, and Kipp Cortez.  

Speaking on the history of organ improvisation, Devon Howard of Chattanooga, a graduate of the University of Arizona, outlined possible reasons for the decline of improvisation in this country, as well as for its resurgence. He urged students to learn improvisation as a way to understand composed works more thoroughly. Howard’s model of imitation, assimilation, and innovation presaged the method described by the next speaker.

Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra proposed a model of construction, deconstruction, and reconstruction, by which one might create an improvisation by imitating extant compositions. In illustration of her book Bach and the Art of Improvisation, she performed a recital of five works by Bach, Pachelbel, and others, following each with an improvisation derived from some aspect of its model. She also highlighted some of the pedagogical resources available for teaching improvisation, distinguishing three different approaches and three levels of proficiency.

Seven high school students from the Interlochen Arts Academy, prepared by their teacher Thomas Bara, performed a stunning program in the afternoon slot. Joseph Russell, Garrett Law, Hannah Loeffler, Michael Caraher, Emily Blandon, David Heinze, and Bryan Dunnewald played with poise, spirit, maturity, and musicality.

Professor James Kibbie and his colleague Professor David Jackson and the University of Michigan Trombone Ensemble (19 players) brought the evening to a high point. Kibbie and Jackson presented works for organ and trombone by Koetsier, Schiffmann, and Eben. The trombones (senza organo) made an impact in a canzona by Gabrieli and a transcription from Morten Lauridsen. Kibbie’s solo performance of “Moto ostinato” and “Finale” from Eben’s Sunday Music crowned the evening.

—Gale Kramer

Gale Kramer, DMA, is organist emeritus of Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Detroit, Michigan, and a former assistant professor of organ at Wayne State University. As a student and graduate of the University of Michigan he has attended no fewer than 44 of the annual conferences on organ music. He is a regular reviewer and occasional contributor to The Diapason. His article, “Food References in the Short Chorales of Clavierübung III,” appeared in the April 1984 issue of The Diapason.

Photo credit: Marijim Thoene