Organ Historical Society releases new CD set

PART TWO OF TWO

Ronald Dean

Ronald E. Dean is Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Holy Cross (Episcopal) in Shreveport, Louisiana and Professor of Music, Emeritus, at the Hurley School of Music, Centenary College. A graduate of Williams College and the University of Michigan, his organ study was with Frederick Kinsley, Robert Barrow and Robert Noehren. His reviews appear from time to time in this journal.

Sunday

The day's events began with the Annual Meeting held at the headquarters hotel with OHS President Michael Friesen presiding. Among the items of general interest was a report by Scot Huntington on the following organ preservation successes: St. Thomas, Boston; St. Casimir's, New Haven; and Nativity, Buffalo. Further items of note were as follows: a new endowment fund drive is to begin to coincide with the 50th anniversary of the OHS; Dr. Gregory Crowell is the new Director of Publications; the signing of a protocol of cooperation between the Archives in Princeton and BIOS and RCO in England, a representative of which was in attendance--thus a data base on organs is about to happen. The next OHS convention will be in southeastern Massachusetts (the Old Colony), and Rhode Island, July 12-18, 2005. Later ones are slated to be held in the Saratoga-Albany area in 2006, Indianapolis in 2007, and Seattle in 2008.

Following the meeting, Jeff Weiler delivered an illustrated historical lecture entitled "History of the Wurlitzer Organ." He featured remarks on the Wurlitzer family itself as well as the various enterprises that occupied their time and business talents. He outlined the interest in automatic musical instruments (including the "Gee, Dad, it's a Wurlitzer" jukebox) as well as pipe organ manufacture and their association with the eccentric genius, Robert Hope-Jones (see the remarks on the Ambrosino lecture given on the preceding Friday), and their production of the Hope-Jones Unit Orchestra. They built some 2,200 pipe organs from 1910 until 1943 with the largest being the instrument in Radio City Music Hall.

A short bus ride to the suburb of North Tonawanda brought us to another fine catered luncheon with ample time provided to wander up Melody Lane (!) to view the massive former complex of the Rudolph Wurlitzer Manufacturing Company with its landmark central tower. The facilities are now used for diversified industrial activities, offices and storage. Even though Wurlitzer is long gone, two consoles are on display just inside the main tower entrance.

On our way to the next event, the buses drove down Melody Lane, and at its intersection with Erie Avenue, there appeared a sign proclaiming, "Wurlitzer Pizza Company—We Deliver" (tibia toppings with phonon sauce?). Further on we passed the imposing and well-maintained former home of Farny Wurlitzer, a lovely pillared neo-classical residence with a large garden area to one side.

The first recital of the day was at Ascension R.C. Church in North Tonawanda where Rhonda Sider Edgington played the following program on a lovely restored 1-manual Felgemaker (Op. 601) of 1895: "Duetto III in G" from Clavierübung III, Bach; Partita on "Herzlich tut mich verlangen," Pachelbel; the hymn, "There's a wideness in God's mercy," sung with flute accompaniment to the tune St. Helena; "Pastoral" from Organ Sonata No. 20 in F (op. 196), Rheinberger; "O Welt, ich muss dich lassen" and "Schmücke dich, o liebe seele" from Eleven Chorale Preludes (op. 122, 1897), Brahms; and "Postlude Festival" from Deux Pièces en Ré Mineur, Reuchsel. The organ, situated in the rear gallery of this intimate and neat small church, sounded its solid, yet clear and bright ensembles to great advantage under the expert hands of Ms. Edgington, who wisely chose a program to suit the resources of the instrument.

A modest-sized 3-manual Schlicker of 1966 situated in a typical 1960s building was the venue for the next recital, a program by Frederick Teardo. The church, First Trinity Lutheran in Tonawanda, was Herman Schlicker's home parish. His widow, Alice Schlicker, was in attendance for the program and received an affectionate ovation. The program: Praeludium in d (BuxWV 140), Buxtehude; "Tierce en taille" from Livre d'Orgue, DuMage; "Allegro" from Trio Sonata No. 5 in C (BWV 529), Bach; "Lullaby" from Suite No. 2, Hampton; and The Ninety-Fourth Psalm: Sonata for Organ, Reubke, followed by the singing of the hymn, "The day thou gavest" to the tune St. Clement. The organ, which has received several changes and refinements over the years, has a full-bodied, bright, intense, but never cloying sound. It is well-balanced and features relaxed, warm and singing Principals with mild and charming attack sounds in the speech of the pipes. One's first reaction might be that the Reubke Sonata would not be a good choice for this organ, but Teardo made it work through his registration choices and expansive phrasing. He is a young artist who knows how to communicate music through his elegant playing.

The final recital of the day was played by the energetic and brilliant Gail Archer who prefaced her program with both entertaining and cogent comments. The locale was the rather bleak and undecorated interior of the Kenmore Presbyterian Church, which houses another landmark Schlicker that has undergone several revisions during its lifetime. The instrument became familiar to audiophiles as the one on which Robert Noehren recorded several LPs. Its sound features the fully developed, clear, bright and cohesive sound associated with Schlicker's evolving work.

Instead of a grand evening recital, there was a very enjoyable dinner cruise on portions of the Niagara River and Lake Erie. The continually threatening weather moderated and provided a pleasant backdrop for both good dining and convivial conversation.

Monday

The day's events began with one group going to the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and another proceeding to the beautiful, park-like and enormous Forest Lawn Cemetery to hear Justin Hartz perform on a gem of a four-rank unified Wurlitzer, Op. 2182 of 1933. Located in an intimate and acoustically superb stone chapel, this fine organ speaks through a wonderfully painted scrim which, at first glance, appears to be a stained glass window. The instrument has a carefully balanced sound and is well-maintained. Hartz entitled his short program &"Going out in Style&": Fountain Reverie, Fletcher; Twilight Musings, Kinder (featuring the Flute, Oboe Horn and Diapason); &"When Day Is Done&" (arr. Hartz) (played in &"Mighty Wurlitzer&" theatre style with reminiscences of both Jesse Crawford and Ethel Smith); Festival Prelude (introducing Palestrina's tune, &"The Strife Is O'er&"), Buck; and the hymn, &"Just a closer walk with Thee.&"

We then exchanged places with the group that had already visited the Historical Society Museum. This marble building is the only surviving one of many that were constructed for the 1901 Pan American Exposition, a World's Fair remembered, among other things, as the place where President William McKinley was shot. The museum houses many fascinating exhibits of Buffalo-area industrial products, and conventioneers had ample time to wander among the displays as a cozily installed Aeolian (Op. 1183 of 1911) demonstrated its voice by means of an automatic playing mechanism. Of interest also in the small auditorium, home of the Aeolian, were a 1-manual Derrick & Felgemaker of 1868 and an anonymous small English cabinet organ. We had a box lunch at the museum as the other group returned from Forest Lawn.

Since more than ample time was allotted for a trip to Middleport to hear two nearly identical Barckhoffs, the group spent some time wandering around the pretty town, which is situated on a working portion of the historic Erie Canal. A local sweet shop, close to the bridge, did an extraordinary business selling soft-serve cones to scores of conventioneers. The owners may have made their year's profit from the visitors during just this one afternoon. Because of limited seating in the two churches, we again split into two groups and were within comfortable walking distance for each repeated program. Former Biggs Scholar J. R. Daniels played a short recital on the 1902 2-manual Barckhoff tracker in the First Universalist Church: Prelude, Harris; Canon, Salomé; the hymn, &"Those who love and those who labor&" sung to the tune Domhnach Trionoide; Prelude on &"Beach Spring&" and Processional in E-flat, Wood. Daniels handled the instrument well and chose his pieces to show the various colors available on the small but solidly distinguished and well-maintained instrument.

Jason Alden performed on Barckhoff's 2-manual tracker of 1906 in the former Trinity Episcopal Church now occupied by the Middleport Fundamental Baptist Church. The organ, although visually quite different from that in the Universalist church, is identical in stoplist except that this instrument has a 2' Flautino in the Swell. The acoustics are certainly a challenge with a totally carpeted interior and a treated ceiling. Alden, always a reliably fine and sensitive player, presented the following program: Echoes of Spring, Friml (arr. Barnes); La Romanesca, Valente; &"Lied&" from Vingt-Quatre Pièces en Style Libre (op. 31), Vierne; A Joyous Postlude, Mallard; and the hymn, &"Shepherd, show me how to go,&" sung to the tune Feed My Sheep.

Following another bus ride through scenic western New York farm lands, we arrived at the charming small community of Wolcottsville where Mary Ann Cruger Balduf exhibited her usual musical creativity and apt programming sense on the second 1-manual organ heard in the convention, an 1897 Hinners and Albertsen in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. Prior to the program, the pastor gave enthusiastic welcoming remarks and noted that the instrument has been played every Sunday since its installation in 1897. The intimate church was filled by the large assembly of conventioneers; many parishioners assembled outside, furnished with a sound system that allowed them to hear the music. The same hospitable and appreciative people had set up tables with refreshments that were eagerly consumed following the recital. Balduf played the following program: Processional Fanfare, Rawsthorne; Verset, Lefébure-Wély; &"Improvisation&" from Suite Médiévale, Vierne; Fantaisie in A, Bach; Voluntary in A, Taylor; &"Interlude&" and &"Cantique&" from Sixty Short Pieces, Peeters; &"Chorale&" and &"Ground&" from Fifteen Pieces for Organ, Ridout; the hymn, &"For all the saints,&" sung with great gusto to the tune Sine Nomine; and Festival Postlude, (op. 32), Seifert. Balduf treated this dandy little organ with both verve and expertise, making the most of the keyboard division into treble and bass registers for solo and accompaniment effects. Brian Buehler acted as console assistant.

A bus trip back to Buffalo and the campus of the State University of New York at Buffalo brought us to one of the campus dining halls for dinner. We then took a short and unhurried stroll to Slee Hall for the evening presentation, a concert by the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra with associate conductor Ronald Spiegelman on the podium and David Schrader the featured soloist on the 1990 3-manual Fisk (Op. 95) in three major works: Symphony No. 1 for Organ and Orchestra, Guilmant; Snow Walker (1990), Colgrass; and Concerto No. 1 for Organ and Orchestra in E-flat (op. 55, 1902), Parker. The organ is located in its own alcove above and to the rear of the stage. Though possessing a commanding sound, the instrument was never overpowering and blended with and conversed amicably with the sound of the orchestra. The avant-garde Colgrass Snow Walker was a tour de force for both organist and orchestra, but Schrader, Spiegelman and the Buffalo Philharmonic played the work admirably. The hall, though not very reverberant, is acoustically quite sympathetic, and even with a near-capacity crowd, the organ and orchestral colors bloomed and enveloped the listeners.

Tuesday

The final day of the convention began with an expertly played recital by Bruce Stevens on the historic Garret House 2-manual tracker of 1860 housed in St. Stephen R.C. Church, Shrine of St. Jude, Buffalo. The organ, the largest surviving example by the Buffalo builder House, was originally installed in First Presbyterian's former church building. Stevens's program: two settings of Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland (BWV 659 and BWV 661), Bach; two versions of Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen, one by Heiller and one by Brahms; Introduction et Variations sur un ancient noël polonaise, Guilmant; Prelude on &"The Holly and the Ivy,&" Sumsion; Five noëls from L'Organiste, Franck; Grand-choeur varié sur un noël breton, Marty; Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Gade; and the singing of the hymn, &"O Morning Star, how fair and bright,&" sung to the tune Wie schön leuchtet. The program was organized to include music suitable for the seasons of Advent, Christmas and Epiphany. The organ, with its elaborately decorated Italianate case, sits grandly in the rear gallery (sharing space with a Hammond) and adds a complementary visual interest to the high-ceilinged and reverberant Gothic church. Stevens handled the instrument masterfully in spite of the fact that it obviously needs (and deserves) a complete restoration. Larry Pruett and Tony Marchesano had worked many hours prior to the recital to provide as much tonal and mechanical ministration as was possible so that one could get more than a hint of the organ's potentially dignified grandeur.

A bus tour to the south of Buffalo offered yet another occasion for viewing some of the varied scenery of this part of western New York. This time we went through rolling hills to the delightful small town of Boston and St. John the Baptist R.C. Church to hear a transplanted 2-manual Felgemaker tracker of 1901. The organ, originally installed in Our Lady of Lourdes R.C. Church on Main Street, Buffalo, was restored in 1991 by Tenerowicz Pipe Organ Service and replaced an electronic in the gallery of the Boston church. After a welcome by the pastor, Tim Socha played the following program and gave helpful comments on his registrations: the chorale, Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, sung by all and followed by the Bach chorale-prelude, BWV 661; Sonata in g for flute (op. 16, no. 10), Vivaldi (with fine flute playing by Melissa Stewart); the chorale, Schmücke dich, sung by all and alternating with the variations by Walther (a very effective procedure); Concerto in F for Flute (op. 10, no. 5), Vivaldi (again with Melissa Stewart on the flute); and the chorale, In dir ist Freude, sung by all and followed by Bach's setting, BWV 615. The early 20th-century organ seemed quite content in its 1967 locale and sang out proudly under Tim Socha's expert playing. In spite of wall-to-wall carpet and acoustical tiles in the ceiling of the side aisles, the organ sound carried well and supported the vigorous hymn singing well.

After a wonderful barbeque lunch topped off with several choices of home-made ice cream (the black cherry was particularly delicious!), we reboarded the buses for a scenic trip to East Aurora (which, curiously, is many miles west of the town of Aurora) and Baker Memorial United Methodist Church for a recital by Peter Stoltzfus on a 2-manual, 18-rank 1928 Skinner, Op. 727. His program: Passacaglia per organo, Frescobaldi (transcribed for piano by Respighi and arranged for organ by Sowerby); &"Allegro&" from Sonata III in F (Wq70, 3), C.P.E. Bach; &"Clair de lune&" from Pièces de Fantaisie, Deuxième Suite (op. 31, 1913) and &"Divertissement&" from 24 Pièces en Style Libre, both by Vierne; Stoltzfus's own Prelude and Fugue (op. 12); and the hymn, &"Christ, whose glory fills the skies,&" sung to the tune Ratisbon. As usual, Stoltzfus displayed his distinguished and elegant musicianship. He was aided at the console by Jonathan Ambrosino. The organ benefits from an ideal central location, thus speaking directly down the central axis of the room. Its big, yet bright and cohesive and clear sound is enhanced by hard reflective surfaces on the walls and ceiling vaults.

Our next stop was in Lancaster, New York, and Our Lady of Pompeii R.C. Church for a program on its 3-manual 1920 Möller, Op. 2959. It had been transplanted to the 1953 vintage church by organist Joe Momot and a group of dedicated and hard-working volunteers. They began the project in 1996 and carried it through its dedication in 2001. For a demonstration, Mark DiGiampaolo, director of music for St. Joseph's Cathedral, Buffalo, played An Organ Mass from the music of Alexandre Guilmant. He had chosen various sections from Guilmant's op. 90, op. 41, op. 49, op. 39, op. 55 and op. 46, organized according to the liturgical sections of a low mass. The building with its barrel vault ceiling helped give a good acoustical home for the organ, which is centrally located behind the free-standing altar with an Echo division in the rear gallery.  The organ (originally in the First Methodist Episcopal Church, Cortland, NY) has the typical 1920s somewhat heavy, yet dignified sound of many Möllers of the time.

After a festive closing banquet back at the Adam's Mark, we walked to the huge St. Joseph R.C. Cathedral, where we joined many parishioners and other guests to hear one of the outstanding events of the convention--a recital played by Ken Cowan on the cathedral's monumental 4-manual E. & G. G. Hook & Hastings organ, Op. 828 of 1876. After some enthusiastic welcoming remarks by Mark DiGiampaolo, Cowan played the following program:  Prelude and Fugue in B-flat, Conte; the hymn, &"Dear Lord and Father of Mankind,&" sung to the tune Repton; &"Scherzo&" from Symphony No. 6 (op. 59), Vierne; &"Clair de lune&" from Pièces de Fantaisie, Deuxième Suite (op. 53), Vierne; &"Prelude to Die Meistersinger,&" Wagner (arr. Warren/Lemare); Ciaccona in c (BuxWV 159), Buxtehude (using the organ's original stops); and The Ninety-Fourth Psalm, Reubke. For encores, he played a transcription of a Scherzo in B-flat, Poulenc, and the &"Final&" from Symphony No. 6 (op. 59), Vierne. As usual, Cowan played magnificently. His unassuming demeanor complements the dual nature of his playing--a combination of technical virtuosity and great musical understanding and sensitivity. For this performance on an extremely hot night in a sweltering catherdral, he was aided at the console by his father, organist David Cowan. The organ, originally built by Hook for the Philadelphia Centennial Exhibition of 1876, was brought to St. Joseph's in 1877 and somewhat modified at that time so as to fit in the gallery. Over the years, it has received further rebuildings, the most recent being by the Andover Organ Company in 2001. Its new console was built by Robert M. Turner. The latest tonal additions were made in a style consistent with the heroic sound of the organ and the vast dimensions of the building. As an interesting historical demonstration, Cowan wisely included the Ciaccona of Buxtehude (see the program, above) to highlight some of the stops that were original to the organ. For more information on this important instrument, see Barbara Owen's article in the Bicentennial Tracker of 1976 (pp. 128-135) and Joseph McCabe's in The Tracker, Volume 48, No. 1 (Winter, 2004), pp. 24-27.

Historic organ citations were presented throughout the week to the following instruments and their churches: the Schlicker in St. Francis Xavier R.C. Church, the Kimball in the Church of the Ascension, Episcopal, the Skinner in Central Park United Methodist Church, the Schlicker in Trinity Episcopal Church, the Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling in Jordan River Missionary Baptist Church, the Wurlitzer in the Chapel of Forest Lawn Cemetery, and the Hinners & Albertsen in Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church. These citations are given to the churches as an acknowledgement of the importance of their instruments and to encourage their use and preservation.

Another important continuing function of the OHS is the awarding of E. Power Biggs Fellowship grants to help subsidize attendance at OHS convention by specially nominated candidates. This year's recipients, announced by Derek Nickels, Chair of the Fellowship, prior to the Scanlon recital at St. Paul's Cathedral, were Michael Diorio, a student at Boston University, and Nathan Lemahieu, a student at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

All OHS conventions are both educational and enjoyable. They allow people with similar collegial interest in the history of North American organ building to gather for several days for live performances on a variety of worthy instruments. This year's convention committee, chaired by the tireless Joe McCabe, spent several years organizing the Buffalo area events, and all involved deserve our sincere gratitude for a successful convention. Buffalo may be New York State's second city, but the gathering was first rate.

The 2005 OHS Convention takes place July 12-18 in southeastern Massachusetts. For information: 

PART ONE OF TWO

Ronald E. Dean

For its forty-ninth annual convention, the Organ Historical Society met in Buffalo, the land of Bills and Wings, with headquarters at the Adam’s Mark Hotel, close to the waterfront marina. Nearly four hundred people were in attendance. The Organ Handbook, which included a daily schedule and information on the events and performers as well as historical background on the churches visited and instruments featured, was dedicated to the memory of Farny Wurlitzer, Herman Schlicker and Robert Noehren, all of whom contributed significantly to the history of organ building in Buffalo. There were examples of instruments from all three builders heard during the week.

Wednesday

The events began with an optional tour to Niagara Falls and a buffet lunch at the new Seneca-Niagara Casino in downtown Niagara Falls, New York. There was ample time for those who wished to try their luck at the casino and perhaps recoup some of their convention expenses.

Fred Swann played the opening recital that evening on the reconstructed 3-manual Johnson & Son, Opus 797 of 1893 in the vast and beautifully appointed St. Stanislaus R.C. Church. After a welcome by the pastor (who is also auxiliary bishop of the diocese), Swann played the following program: Sonata 8 (op. 132), “Introduction and Passacaglia,” Rheinberger; Woodland Flute Call, Dillon; Fantasia in A, Franck; the hymn “Holy God, we praise thy name” (sung lustily by all) to the tune, Grosser Gott; By the Waters of Babylon, Huston; Petite Suite, Bales; the Symphonic Chorale, “Ach bleib bei deiner Gnade,” Karg-Elert; Meditation, Duruflé; and Fantasia and Fugue in G, Parry. Swann’s own delightful transcription of an Allegro of Corelli served as an encore. His expert programming and playing displayed the dignified and powerful sounds of the organ as well as the more delicate ensembles and solo colors—all enhanced by an acoustical environment favored by the church’s high vaulted ceiling and a octagonal dome at the crossing. After a well-deserved and enthusiastic standing ovation, the audience, which happily included many parishioners, went across the street to the parish hall for a reception. As people left the church, the tower bells pealed their joyful sounds. This event was certainly an apt beginning for a week of convivial celebration.

Thursday

The convention’s first full day began at the hotel with a lecture by Donald Ingram, who presented an enlightening and often humorous recollection of his association with Herman Schlicker (1902-1974) and the Schlicker Organ Company. The presentation dealt primarily with an overview of Schlicker’s tonal and mechanical innovations. At its height, the firm employed a work force of approximately forty-seven persons.

A short bus trip brought us to the sumptuous Delaware Avenue Baptist Church located in an area noted for the monumental beauty of many of its residences. The church building is a feast for the eyes with its Richardsonian design and attention to decorative detail. A particularly ornate baptistery set off by six marble columns with Ionic capitals and featuring a symbolic shell design immediately draws one’s eye to its inset location behind a coffered arch. Floating above in the curve of the domed church are representations of ten winged figures illustrating the text from Psalm 91: “He shall give His angels charge over thee.” On a balcony over the baptistery and thus completing a central focal point in the large auditorium is the 3-manual Johnson & Son, Opus 827 of 1895 (with later reworkings by both Viner and Schlicker) on which James Hammann played fourteen examples from Dudley Buck’s Studies in Pedal Phrasing (op. 28), followed by the hymn, “All glory be to God on high” sung to the tune  Allein Gott in der Höh. Hammann can always be relied upon to supply an unusual program well-suited to the organ at hand.

The fourteen Studies selected for this program displayed three important characteristics:

(1) the fact that these technical studies can be lovely little pieces in themselves thanks to Buck’s musical and melodic creativity;

(2) the various colors, solo stops and ensembles of a fine instrument can be featured effectively;

(3) in the hands of a fine artist such as James Hammann and his registrational sensitivity coupled with his flexibly shaped phrasing, music can be made out of what are basically pedal studies over which Buck wove attractive counter melodies. Hammann also provided a handout showing the registration for each study.

The 1896 Hutchings organ, Op. 465, at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church offered an interesting contrast to the approximately contemporary Johnson (1895) just heard. Whereas the Johnson was originally supplied with mechanical action, the Hutchings had an early version of electro-pneumatic key and stop action and may have been the first organ in Buffalo to have had this “modern” action. Later additions and modifications were made by Wurlitzer, Viner and Schlicker (console). After remarks by both the interim pastor and the former music director, Derek Nickels played the following program: Sonata 5 in D (op. 65, no. 5, 1845), Mendelssohn; “Harmonies du Soir” from Trois Impressions (op. 73, 1911), Karg-Elert; “Scherzetto” from 24 Pièces en style libre (op. 31, 1913), Vierne; Elegy (1916), Brewer; the hymn, “Guide me O thou Great Jehovah,” sung by the entire assembly to the tune, Cwm Rhondda; and the “Finale and Fugue” from Sonata 7 in F (op. 127, 1881), Rheinberger. Even though the acoustically treated barrel vault plus the substantial grille work (added later in front of the original Hutchings case) prevented clear projection of the organ’s sound, the usual firm and distinguished basic Hutchings tone emerged quite well under Dr. Nickels’ expert playing. He wisely chose a very effective group of pieces to display the instrument’s colors and its highly expressive enclosed divisions.

A short bus trip brought us to the former First Church of Christ, Scientist, recently purchased by David and Marsha Karpeles of Santa Barbara, California. After renovation, it will become yet another venue for their extensive collection of original documents and manuscripts. We were served a box lunch as we sat in the pews and listened to a demonstration of the ex-church’s 1913 3-manual Möller, Op. 1500, rebuilt by Möller in 1956. David Blazer’s short and eclectic program included the Prelude from Duruflé’s Suite; a transcription of the theme from “The Young and The Restless,” and Bach’s Schmücke dich and Prelude in C Minor (BWV 546). The loud, somewhat boomy and opaque sound of the Möller successfully covered up munching and paper-rattling sounds produced by the hungry conventioneers. Blazer deserves our plaudits for putting up with what must have been a less than congenial performance situation on a difficult instrument.

The First Presbyterian Church, across from Kleinhans Hall, home of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, was the next stop for two demonstrations. The first was by Timothy Smith who presented a short program on the fine 1957 Schlicker in Hindman Chapel. The well-balanced 2-manual organ contains some pipework from the chapel’s previous ten-stop Roosevelt organ installed in 1889 as that firm’s Op. 426. Since we arrived at First Presbyterian early enough, many people chose to wander around and enjoy the richly decorated interior of the church including its Tiffany windows. Incumbent organist David Bond played the following program on the church’s landmark 4-manual Noehren organ of 1969-1970: the hymn, “Ye watchers and ye holy ones,” sung to Lasst uns erfreuen; Prelude in C (BWV 547), Bach; Noël Etranger, Daquin; “Humoresque” from L’organo primitivo, Yon; and Chorale No. 1 en mi majeur, Franck. The organ, situated in the rear gallery with its often-pictured suspended Positiv, was one of Noehren’s largest instruments and said to be his favorite of all the ones that came out of his atelier. It features broadly intense principal choruses, commanding chorus reeds, wide-scaled flutes and piquant and colorful baroque-style solo reeds. A bit of whimsy is reflected in the inclusion of a stop control (knob only) for 4/5’ Chivas Regal, evidently intended for eventual subtle Celtic blending characteristics. Bond performed brilliantly, showing that the instrument has ample broad support for a room full of OHS hymn singers and featured the delightful baroque color reeds against a plenum in the Daquin, the lovely Great Rohrfloete (with just enough chiff) in the Yon, and the massively voiced Great 8’ Principal at the beginning of the Franck. Since the console is located in close proximity to the pipes, the organist undoubtedly has to take into account problems of perceived balance and make adjustments for proper perceptions in the room. The organ has benefited from a recent thorough cleaning, re-regulation and some re-voicing by the Niagara Organ Works who thoughtfully provided complimentary copies of a newly produced CD in which one could hear another recital program and also a “before-and-after” example of some reed work.

Later that afternoon, Scot Huntington, organ builder and restorer as well as OHS Vice-President, presented the following program in Nativity of The Blessed Virgin Mary R.C. Church: Organ Motet, Tallis; Prelude in C, Thayer; Minuet in A, Smart; Maria Zart, Schlick; Violin Sonata #5, Bach (with Allison Alcorn-Oppedahl, violin); and Allegro maestoso, Roseingrave. The lovely instrument, apparently originally built by Hall and Labaugh in 1853 and moved to Buffalo later in the nineteenth century, stands proudly in the rear gallery of the lofty sandstone Gothic church. The church interior has been tastefully restored and is in a fine acoustical and visual setting for the seldom-used organ. Even though it needs a thorough restoration, Paul Marchesano, Joe McCabe and Kevin Gilchrist together with Scot Huntington provided many hours to give the instrument enough of a voice so that many of its colorful and delicate tones were able to sing through the vaults and accompany the violin to give a tantalizing taste of what a future restoration might produce.

The evening event was a demonstration and concert of appropriate music played with verve and enthusiasm by Scott Foppiano on the large and restored 1925-1926 Wurlitzer (Op. 1206) in Shea’s Buffalo Center for the Performing Arts. The vast and ornate auditorium was originally Shea’s Buffalo Theatre, one of the nation’s premier entertainment palaces built for the presentation of both stage shows and motion pictures. Foppiano demonstrated many of the organ’s solo and ensemble effects, both with and without the characteristic generously pulsating tremolos. In addition to playing music usually associated with this outstanding example of theatre organ building, he accompanied the showing of the 1922 silent film, “The Cops,” starring the hilarious and athletic Buster Keaton.

Friday

The morning began with Jonathan Ambrosino’s lecture on Robert Hope-Jones, the infamous, quirky, often misguided and personally haunted genius of the organ building world. The theme of his illustrated talk was centered on Hope-Jones’s ideas on “radical change.” Included were appropriate remarks on the ups and downs of the often stormy relationship between himself and the Wurlitzer firm, then located in nearby North Tonawanda, New York. As usual, Ambrosino, well-known for his combination of articulate delivery and depth of scholarship, seasoned with affectionate good humor, did not disappoint the conventioneers who filled the room with resounding applause.

There followed a short walk to St. Anthony of Padua R.C. Church for a short recital presented by Donald Fellows on a more-or-less “stock” model Hook & Hastings 2-manual tracker, Op. 1429 of 1889. The instrument had been moved to St. Anthony’s from Plymouth Methodist Church in 1911. The interior of this elegant and beautifully maintained church had been restored in 1991 and reflected the subtle care taken to emphasize the many architectural features of this Italianate Classic room. A high coffered ceiling and hard surfaces in the building helped to supply an ideal acoustical ambiance for the following program: Prelude and Fugue in d (op. 37, no. 3), Mendelssohn; “Stèle pour un enfant défunt” from Triptyque, Vierne; the hymn, “If now, thou seekest miracles,” sung to the tune Si quarus miracula; “Adoro te devote”—Prelude with Four Variations, Near; and Te Deum, Reger. The pieces were well-played and displayed the firm and distinguished tone of the Hook, which, in spite of some minor tuning problems, acquitted itself well.

Following a catered lunch at St. Francis Xavier R.C. Church, organist Tom Trenney presented the following short memorized recital on the church’s very early example of the work of Herman Schlicker: the hymn, “I sing the mighty power of God,” sung to the tune Forest Green; Bishop’s Promenade, Coke-Jephcott; Variations on “The Last Rose of Summer,” Buck; and “Prelude,” “Scherzo” and “Toccata” forming a three-movement improvisation on submitted themes. The 2-manual, largely enclosed organ of 1933, located in the rear gallery of the high and tastefully decorated room, does not sound as one’s “mind’s ear” might expect of a Schlicker. It has a warmth and breadth of tone more typical of that of a previous generation. The instrument is provided with two consoles, one in the gallery and one on the floor of the nave. It was from this floor console that Trenney played his program. The submitted themes, which Trenney had not seen prior to the performance, were Jerusalem (the wonderful Parry tune), “Come thou fount of every blessing” (Nettleton), and the inevitable Harry Warren show tune, “Shuffle off to Buffalo” (it had to happen sometime during the week!). Trenney achieved the unbelievable task of combining these disparate melodic concoctions into an entertaining and surprisingly unified musical offering. Here is a fine young artist who combines technical security and fire with a fine and sensitive lyric awareness.

Because of limited seating for the next two events, the conventioneers were split into two groups, which then exchanged places and thus heard a repeat of the program. This report will follow the order given in the official Handbook.

Stephen Roberts gave a short demonstration on the Church of the Ascension (Episcopal)’s 3-manual Kimball, K.P.O. 7129 of 1934, which is undergoing restoration. Since much of the organ is currently unplayable, Roberts chose pieces that would work on what is available. His program opened with the lusty singing of The Royal Telephone (“Central’s never busy, Always on the line”) followed by Four Versets on Ave Maris Stella (op. 18, nos. 6-9), Dupré; Vision, Rheinberger; and Variations on “America,” Ives. Roberts, with the aid of a student console assistant, was able to give us more than a few hints of what will eventually be the resurrection of a really fine Kimball.

After a refreshing reception in Ascension’s Parish Hall, the group walked the short distance to Holmes Chapel in Westminster Presbyterian Church for a  demonstration played by Lorenz Maycher on what he calls his favorite instrument, the beautifully balanced 2-manual Aeolian-Skinner, Op. 1136 of 1951. The organ features a floating Positiv division, which is hung on the rear wall of the chapel, thus creating a stunning visual effect as well as a source for antiphonal effects, and, when desired, an enveloping sound for singing support. His program: How Brightly Shines the Morning Star, Telemann; Fugue in d (“Fiddle”), Bach; the hymn, “Holy, holy holy! Lord God Almighty,” sung with plenty of support from the organ to the tune Nicaea; Whimsical Variations (1950), Sowerby, and Fugue in C (op. 36, no. 3), Dupré. As usual, this young artist played with a total “no nonsense” command of the instrument, allowing his technical control to serve the organ and its music.

The previously split groups then met in the main church for Felix Hell’s full recital on the 4-manual Aeolian-Skinner, Op. 1249 of 1959 located in the rear gallery. His program: Fantasy and Fugue on B-A-C-H; Reger; Chorale No. 2 in b (1890), Franck; the hymn, “Praise to the Lord,” sung in a good, broad “Anglican” tempo to the tune Lobe den Herren; and Fantasy and Fugue on “Ad nos ad salutarem undam,” Liszt. For an encore, he played the last movement from Trio Sonata 1, Bach. Hell has the distinction of being the youngest person (at age 18) to graduate with a Bachelor of Music degree from the Curtis Institute of Music. Last  fall (at age 19), he began graduate work at the Peabody Conservatory where he studies with Donald Sutherland. The charming and totally unaffected young virtuoso possesses an impressive technique, and it will be revealing to observe his increasing musical sensitivity as his career develops.

Central Park United Methodist Church was the site for a relaxing catered dinner followed by ample time for a post-prandial stroll in the lovely neighborhood. The handsome limestone church houses the Ward Memorial Organ, a 4-manual Skinner, Op. 356 of 1922-1923. The instrument’s layout is somewhat unusual in that the console and part of the Pedal division as well as the Swell and Choir are located in a transept, while the Great, Solo and the Pedal reed are in the central ceiling of the nave and over the crossing. These latter elements are concealed (very effectively) by a grille cloth colored to blend into the ceiling. This is certainly a clever arrangement, but one can only imagine the tuning and balance problems such an installation can create.

The artist for the recital was Thomas Murray who presented the following program, which he interspersed with highly appreciated and helpful comments: Introduction and Passacaglia in d  (1899), Reger; Fantaisie in D-flat (op. 101, 1895), Saint-Saëns; a group featuring “Four Americans:” Hommage to Perotin (1956), Roberts; Novelette (1908), Parker; Reverie (1962), Still; and Ride on, King Jesus, Greenlee; followed by Notturno (1942) and Impetuoso (1933), Wiedermann. After intermission, we all sang “Battle Hymn of the Republic” to the tune Vision; the program concluded with Rhapsody (op. 17, no. 3, 1919), Howells; Overture to Ruy Blas (1839), Mendelssohn (arr. Lemare); and three movements from the Byzantine Sketches (1920): “Rosace,” “Noël,” and “Toccata: Tu es petra,” Mulet. Murray received a richly deserved standing ovation for his expert playing and was able to bring out the best from this somewhat unusually designed and very fundamental-toned organ. The controversial John A. Bell was the consultant for this particular project and may have been largely responsible for some of its odd tonal characteristics. One cannot help comparing this instrument with the earlier Skinner of 1922 (Op. 327) in St. Luke’s, Evanston, played by Murray at the Chicago OHS Convention in 2002. The Evanston installation, even allowing for the vastly different architectural and acoustical setting, gives the impression of being a much more cohesive and “modern” instrument.

Saturday

The day’s events began with a lecture by organ builder Charles Kegg on the topic “Pipe Organ Restoration,” subtitled “more than you really wanted to know.” His basic tenet is that a true restoration is “ . . . bringing back what was lost.” Much of his talk dealt with specific problems involved in the continuing restoration of the 1934 Kimball heard in the Church of the Ascension the day before. He emphasized the fact that the Kimball’s original materials and design were of very high quality indeed. Among the points he raised were the fact that water damage in organ chambers is sometimes due to inherent building design flaws and that “ . . . falling plaster is not our friend.”

The first recital of the day was held on the landmark 1954 Schlicker in Trinity Episcopal Church with Stephen Schnurr presenting the following program: Fantasia super Komm, Heiliger Geist (BWV 651), Bach; Toccata in d (BuxWV 155), Buxtehude; Balletto del granduca, Sweelinck (attrib.); Concerto del Sigr. Meck, Walther; the hymn, “Lord, enthroned in heavenly splendor,” sung to the tune Bryn Calfaria; and Variations de Concert (op. 1), Bonnet. The organ, situated in the rear gallery, features a tight and well-balanced plenum together with perky small ensembles and colorful solo registers. As usual, the multi-talented Schnurr demonstrated his sure technique and subtle musical sense.

Will Headlee played the final recital of the morning on a thoroughly grand and somewhat altered Kimball of 1903 located in the high rear gallery of the equally grand St. Louis R.C. Church. This was one of several highlight programs with the organ, organist and restored church creating an overall magnificent experience. Headlee thoughtfully provided a sheet of written commentary done up in his usual entertaining style and gave information on both the music and his registrations. His program: two of the Trois Préludes et Fugues (op. 7, 1918), B Major and F Minor, Dupré; Air for Organ (1963), Hancock; from the Partita on “Sei gegrüsset, Jesu gütig” (BWV 768), Bach (Choral, Variations, I, VII and XI); Introduktion und Passacaglia in d (1899), Reger; and the rousing hymn, “Round the Lord in glory seated,” sung to the tune Rustington. Following Headlee’s superb performance, which was justifiably acknowledged with a standing ovation, the departing audience of parishioners and conventioneers was treated to the celebratory ringing of a bell located in a beautiful and lofty tower, which, together with the tower of the First Presbyterian Church, can be seen from many points in the city of Buffalo.

The next locale was Holy Trinity Lutheran Church (located diagonally across the street from the historic Anchor Bar, home of the original “Buffalo Wings”). After a catered lunch we took part in a hymn festival with the redoubtable James Bigham in charge. The main church houses the largest organ in western New York, the 5-manual Margaret L. Wendt Memorial Organ of some 152 ranks, originally a 1949 Möller (Op. 7852) with many changes and additions made by others over the years. Charles Kegg, who rebuilt both the massive console in the chancel as well as the one in the gallery and who was also responsible for most of the recent tonal work, explained some of the features of this remarkable instrument’s layout. Its divisions emanate from a variety of locations in the attractive room, and it is amazing that all of the spread-out portions of the organ worked cohesively and were in fine tune. To say that the instrument has room-filling potential would be an understatement as we were to find out later during the program. Bigham, widely known for his creative improvised hymn accompaniments, expertly played one division against another during the singing of the hymns, effectively demonstrating both large and small ensembles and colorful solo effects. Unfortunately, the creative muse overcame a sense of balance and soon proved how loud an organ can go to swallow up the sound of a room full of singers, several of whom were seen quietly replacing the hymnals in the racks or, in at least in one case, frantically waving a white handkerchief signifying sonic surrender. As a giddy postlude to this event, several people on the buses transporting conventioneers to the next recital pointed out the location of St. Mary’s School for the Deaf just a few blocks away.

The final event of the afternoon took place at the Jordan River Missionary Baptist Church with Randy Bourne playing the following program: “Wedding March” from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Mendelssohn; “Adagio sostenuto” from Moonlight Sonata (op. 27, no. 2), Beethoven; “Air (on the G-string)” from Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D (BWV 1068); “Little” Prelude and Fugue in G Minor (BWV 557), Bach; Song on an Old Negro Melody, Deep River (1917), Burleigh; and the hymn, “I’ve just come from the fountain,” the African-American spiritual, which was done up “in the style” by the room full of singers. The organ, a Votteler-Holtkamp-Sparling, Op. 1343 of 1919 and obviously in great need of a total restoration, created multiple challenges for Bourne who lovingly struggled to make the organ sound as well as it could. It is a rare example of a small original and unaltered essentially 8-foot instrument by this important midwest builder. A curious feature of the console is its use of color-coded stop tabs. Congratulations are due to the church for not replacing the organ and to Randy Bourne for his considerable efforts to elicit sounds from it.

St. Paul’s Cathedral (Episcopal), just a short walk from the headquarters hotel, was the locale for the evening events—a choral evensong and an organ recital. The evensong featured the Men and Girls of the Cathedral Choirs under the direction of its recently appointed organist-choirmaster, Andrew Cantrill, with Andrew Scanlon, assistant organist-choirmaster, providing the accompaniments. After a short interval, Scanlon played the following program of three sonatas: Sonata No. 3 in A (op. 65, no. 3), Mendelssohn; Sonata II (1937), Hindemith; and Sonata Eroïca (op. 94, 1930), Jongen. The organ is an interesting one in that the chancel portion was built by Schlicker in the 1950s with more recent rebuilding by Ralph Richards and Bruce Fowkes. The gallery division’s magnificent case, originally by Hope-Jones, houses the remains of a 1908 Hope-Jones unit as the Solo. Over the years, further work was done by Wurlitzer to the gallery and chancel divisions, both of which had been of Hope-Jones design. It is a rarity to find vintage Hope-Jones pipes and unit chests existing together with Wurlitzer and Schlicker and later tonal and mechanical material all available in a single effective instrument.

Chicago, Illinois, June 25-July 1

Ronald E. Dean

Ronald E. Dean is Organist and Choirmaster at the Church of the Holy Cross (Episcopal) in Shreveport, Louisiana, and Professor of Music, Emeritus, at the Hurley School of Music, Centenary College. A graduate of Williams College and the University of Michigan, his organ study was with Frederick Kinsley, Robert Barrow and Robert Noehren. His reviews appear from time to time in this journal.

The forty-seventh annual convention of the Organ Historical Society took place in Chicago, with some forty events scheduled throughout the seven-day period.  The headquarters was the Hotel Allegro, formerly the famous Bismarck where, according to local lore, many a secret political deal was conjured up in what one can imagine were the proverbial "smoke-filled" rooms (the Chicago City Hall is, after all, just around the corner). Since Chicago is known familiarly as "the windy city" (the term coming more from the renowned political rhetoric than from any breezes that might come from Lake Michigan), it was appropriate that the Organ Historical Society add to the "windiness" through the sounds produced by the thousands of wind-blown pipes during the week. The convention committee, ably chaired by Stephen Schnurr, organized a well-rounded series of events designed to display a wide variety of instruments, from small one-manual nineteenth-century trackers to a huge five-manual 8,000 pipe-Wurlitzer. There was something for every taste and inclination. As the week progressed, one of the famous Chicago heat waves rolled in with daytime temperatures in the mid-nineties, producing a bit of discomfort and tuning problems in churches without air conditioning. There was much fanning and sipping from water bottles. Those stalwart organ folks who went on to the AGO national in Philadelphia the next week experienced the same sort of weather. There certainly were, to paraphrase, "hot times in those two old towns" during late June and early July.

Tuesday

The first event of the convention was a major recital played by William Aylesworth, former OHS President, and convention co-chair for the previous OHS convention held in Chicago in 1984. This evening recital featured the famous 1875 Hook and Hastings three-manual, Op. 794, the oldest organ in Chicago. The building, now the Scottish Rite Cathedral, was originally Unity Church (Unitarian). The program opened with the spirited singing of the three verses of "The Star Spangled Banner" which was followed by Voluntary No. 1 in D, Boyce; Deux Noëls (Laissez pestres vos bestes and Joseph est bien marié), Le Bègue; Cantabile, Franck; Marche Funèbre, Loret; Praeludium und Fuge für orgel zu vier Händen, Albrechtsberger; and Symphonie II, Widor. James Wyly provided the additional two hands in the Albrechtsberger piece. Following this beautifully played recital, which included cogent and helpful verbal commentary, Aylesworth provided the enthusiastic audience with an encore, "Marcia" from Widor's Symphonie No. III (original edition). Since Aylesworth is the regular organist for the Scottish Rite Cathedral, his elegant playing was at home with the musical choices which displayed both the subtle and grand sounds of the organ. In spite of the lack of reverberation to match the grandeur of both the instrument and the building, this opening program was a fitting beginning for the convention.

Wednesday

The first full day began with a "Group A-Group B" split for the first event  to accommodate limited seating space in a couple of churches. This report will follow the "Group A" plan. After a somewhat delayed departure from downtown Chicago with the compounding problems of heavy traffic and the omnipre-sent work on the highways, OHS regular Mary Ann Crugher Balduf presented the following program on a delightful one-manual organ of circa 1885 attributed to Chicago builder Emil Witzmann in St. John United Church of Christ, Palatine: March, Marsh; En Forme de Canon, Salomé; "Élevation" (from Heures Mystiques, op. 49), Boëllmann; "Vision" (from Sechs Charakterstücke für Orgel, op. 64), Bibl; "Moderato," "Poco Allegro," "Moderato con moto" and "Allegro Giocoso" from Miniatures for Organ by Howells; "Prière pour les morts" from Twenty-four Pieces for Organ by Langlais; "All my hope on God is founded" from Three English Hymn Tunes, Clark; followed by singing of the hymn by Howells. The program closed with a Scherzo by Shelley. This instrument was one of the smallest to be heard and was masterfully handled by Ms. Balduf to show what can be done on a lovely little organ with seemingly limited resources. The building is a charming New England style church that has had some recent remodeling. The organ shares a rear balcony location with Hammond speakers. The high placement allows the organ to offer a fair amount of presence within a rather dead acoustical environment. The instrument was restored by parishioners Stan and Scott Regula.

A trip to historic Woodstock (no, not THAT one; this one is in Illinois) and its 19th-century Romanesque-styled Opera House which houses a "steamboat gothic" theatre brought us to an informative lecture by William Osborne on one of Chicago's premier figures in the organ world, Clarence Eddy (1851-1937). Osborne's recently published comprehensive study on Eddy is available through the OHS catalogue. Though a native of Massachusetts, the often-traveling organist and pedagogue spent a great amount of time in Chicago, and these years were the center of Osborne's well-delivered and enlightening remarks which were followed up by a recital of some of Eddy's works the next day (see below). Prior to the lecture, John H. Scharres, managing director of the Woodstock Opera House, related the colorful history of the building and the many uses to which it had been put over the years.

St. Mary Catholic Church, just a short walk from the Opera House, was the site for both a box lunch and a recital by Robert E. Woodworth, Jr. on the church's 1910 two-manual Hutchings which has had some restoration by the Berghaus Organ Company. Michael Friesen presented an OHS Historic Organ plaque to the church. In spite of having wall-to-wall carpeting as well as pew cushions, the vast interior space with its high barrel-vault ceiling offered a good acoustical environment for the following program, which consisted of works by Chicago composers: "Fanfare" from Sonatina for Worship No. 7 by Jones; "Meditation--Elegie" from Suite for Grand Organ, Borowski; Allegretto (Andante quasi Allegretto) and Rondo (Allegretto non troppo), Buck; "Intermezzo" from Sonata II for Organ, Moline; Rest in Peace, Goode; and Impromptu, Bliss; followed by the vigorous singing of the hymn "Wonderful words of life." One wonders how many times that old Gospel hymn had been sung in a Roman Catholic church! The organ, with its keen strings and heavy, broad sound (especially in the reed stops), filled the room well.

Our travel delays were further complicated by a bus breakdown before we arrived at St. Mary Roman Catholic Church in Buffalo Grove where Susan Friesen played the following program: "Offertoire" from Heures mystiques, Vol. 2, op. 30, Boëllmann; two settings of Meine Seele erhebt den Herren, Pachelbel; Pastorale in F-Dur, Bach; Pastorale in A, Clarke; Pastoral Interlude (op. 32, no. 4), Parker; and Variations to the Sicilian Hymn, Carr (arr. Owen), which had been preceded by the singing of the hymn "Saviour, like a shepherd lead us" to the tune Sicilian Mariners. The organ, a small one-manual built by the Wisconsin Pipe Organ Factory in 1904, featured a reversed console. (See the Organ Handbook, 1993, p. 7, for a description of a similar instrument built by the same firm in 1905, reversed console and all, which was played by Rachelen Lien during the Kentuckiana Convention.) Ms. Friesen chose a program that was well-organized and energetically played to show the variety of sonic combinations available on this instrument of limited resources. The church building had been extended at its liturgical east end with the result that the worship space was considerably increased, yet the organ, with its favorable rear gallery location, filled the entire area effectively.

Zion United Church of Christ in the beautiful little town of Carpentersville was the site for a short program played by Mary Gifford on a small two-manual tracker Hinners of 1911 which has had restoration work done by Gruber Pipe Organs, Inc. The instrument is well maintained and loved by the congregation. Ms. Gifford obviously enjoyed playing the following program: Rustic Wedding, West; Prelude, Cradle Song, and Aria, Lloyd Webber; Andante, Wild; and Variations on "St. Elizabeth," Ferko. Prior to the Ferko piece, there was a very emotion-filled moment for many of the conventioneers at the singing of the hymn "What heavenly music" from the 1849 publication, Hymns for God's Peculiar People. Ms. Gifford noted that this was the late Alan Laufman's favorite hymn to which she has provided a descant in his memory. Alan was a prime moving force in, as well as past President of, the OHS and served the Society in many other capacities. He was also the founder of the Organ Clearing House, an organization that has saved many an old and worthy instrument. Since Alan had been a friend to many at the convention, some people found it difficult to sing through increasingly misty eyes.

After another lengthy bus trip, we arrived at the locale of what was undoubtedly one of the monumental highlights of the entire convention, a stunning memorized recital by Ken Cowan given at the Victorian Palace at Plum Tree Farm in Barrington Hills, the residence of Jasper and Marian Sanfilippo. The entire setting defies description--it must be experienced. A catered buffet dinner took place in what one wag called "the rec room," a large museum containing a variety of mechanical contrivances including automatic musical machines, a complete carousel, steam and other-powered engines and a Rolls-Royce Roadster. There was time to wander among the exhibits before taking a short walk to the main house and the continuation of displays of hundreds of mechanical musical instruments, all restored and in playing condition, and in an opulent and perfectly maintained facility, a part of which is actually the residence for the Sanfilippo family.

Cowan's recital took place in the astoundingly decorated multi-storied Music Room which houses, in addition to many more self-playing instruments, the pièce de resistance, an eight-thousand-pipe five-manual Wurlitzer which, in its present state, is the result of the late David Junchen's plan for the ultimate theatre organ. The instrument was originally a much smaller 1927 Wurlitzer built for the Riviera Theatre in Omaha. After considerable expansion, it now contains five enclosed divisions on several levels plus a set of tower chimes flanking the stage. People who did not mind climbing into the chamber were invited to do so at the end of the recital to see the inner workings. Those readers who have heard Ken Cowan realize that he is among the most outstanding young organists on the scene today. His unassuming manner and his sure and relaxed technique hide a fiery yet totally musical approach to organ playing. His program: The Stars and Stripes Forever ("my own arrangement with [obvious] borrowing from other peoples' arrangements," said Cowan). He also noted that a program such as this one requires "rapid shutters" . . . he then turned again to the audience and in an aside added " . . . this may be the only group who knows what I mean!" He was probably correct. The program continued with Rondo Capriccio (a study in accents), Lemare; "Nocturne" and "Scherzo" from A Midsummer Night's Dream, Mendelssohn; Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Willan; Prelude to Hansel and Gretel, Humperdinck (arr. Lemare); the rousing singing of the wonderful English hymn Angel Voices, followed by "My Heart at Thy Sweet Voice" from Samson and Delilah, and Danse Macabre, Saint-Saëns (the latter arr. Cowan); and Overture to Oberon, von Weber (arr. Cowan). After several curtain calls, the artist returned with an encore, Moszkowski's Etude in F Major, a brilliant tour de force. As an added touch during the playing of Danse Macabre, one could see occasional appropriate and dramatic lightning flashes in the night sky. Surely, there was no Wurlitzer stop for that special effect!

Thursday

The day began at a somewhat more relaxed pace with Michael Friesen presenting an account of the Louis Mitchell organ built in Montreal in 1869-1870 for Holy Family Catholic Church, Chicago. At seventy-five ranks, it was reputedly the largest church organ in the country. It was rebuilt by Roosevelt in 1892 with a detached keydesk. After several additional rebuildings, all that remains is the huge case occupying a commanding place in the upper gallery. Even though the plethora of golden angels have descended from their once-ornamental location on the organ case (they are still intact and are in the process of being re-gilded), what remains is still imposing.

The landmark Pullman United Methodist Church and its wonderful 1882 Steere and Turner organ was the site of the first recital of the day. Naomi Rowley presented the following program: Epilogue on St. Theodulph, Willan; Two Christmas Partitas: Lo, How a Rose E'er Blooming and Good Christian Friends, Rejoice, Drischner; How Brightly Shines the Morning Star, Gade; Prelude and Fugue in B-flat, Simon; Two Pieces (op. 90): Lamento, and Paraphrase on a Chorus from Judas Maccabeus, Guilmant; and the hymn "Of all the spirit's gifts to me" sung to the tune Meyer. The instrument is a fine example of some of the best in nineteenth-century American organ building. Restored by Kurt Roderer in 1968, its tone is broad and solid yet clear and well-balanced in both its small and large ensembles. Dr. Rowley obviously understood the instrument and chose her program well to demonstrate its features. She is a consummate musician and responded modestly to the well-deserved standing ovation.

Our next stop was in the Hyde Park area and the Disciples Divinity House and the Chapel of the Holy Grail on the campus of the University of Chicago. The beautiful chapel has a small two-manual nine-rank Aeolian organ (Op. 1775; 1930) in the rear gallery. Michael Shawgo informally demonstrated the mildly-voiced instrument with the following selections that had been in the Aeolian player roll catalogue: "Meditation" from Thaïs, Massenet; The Palms, Fauré; The Question and The Answer, Wolstenholme; Meditation, Sturges; Andantino, Chauvet; Hymn of the Nuns, Lefébure-Wely; and "War March of the Priests" from Athalie (op. 74), Mendelssohn. Because of the intimate dimensions of the lovely chapel, listeners were encouraged to visit the demonstration in shifts. The organ, totally enclosed behind a wooden screen, has the character of many a residence organ built by the same firm. Since this campus was also the venue for a box lunch, conventioneers were free to mill about the facility and perhaps take advantage of the following recital by Rhonda Sider Edgington played on the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Carillon of the University of Chicago's Rockefeller Chapel: Prelude No. 5 in d, Van den Gehn; Londonderry Air, arr. Myhre; Wondrous Love, arr. Warner; Changes, White; Three Short Pieces ("Air," "Lullaby," "Chantey"), Miller; "On the Burro" and "Jumping Bean" from Spanish Suite by Della Penna; Waltz, Barnes; and Chorale Partita IV on St. Anne, Knox. Some of the more adventuresome listeners took up the invitation to climb the tower to visit the playing cabin.

Following these events, Derek Nickels played a recital on the unaltered 1928 Skinner, Opus 685, in the University Church, Disciples of Christ. His program: Imperial March, Elgar; Chant sans Paroles, Lemare; "Divertimento" from Four Extemporizations, Whitlock; Prelude on Land of Rest, Sowerby; the singing of the hymn, "O God, our help in ages past" followed by Toccata and Fugue on St. Anne from Music for Elizabeth Chapel, Ferko. Nickels treated the fine Skinner with style and aplomb during his expert playing of the program in what was some more oppressive heat. He maintained his composure and musicality during what must have been an unsettling and unwanted percussive hammering just outside the church whose windows were open in an attempt to invite some circulation of air. Mr. Skinner occasionally did include some percussion stops in his instruments, but certainly nothing like this.

William Osborne then played a program featuring works either dedicated to or by Clarence Eddy in the vast church of St. Mary of Perpetual Help Roman Catholic Church in the Bridgeport neighborhood of Chicago. The large Austin, Opus 1602 of 1928, sang out its solid tones in the opulent, well-maintained and multi-domed structure. As a part of the recent restoration work, its seven-rank String Organ sounded for the first time in twenty-five years. Osborne is a seasoned musician with a great sense of style and an admirable feeling for the musical phrase. His program: Concert Overture in c (1899), Hollins (dedicated to Clarence Eddy); Suite for Organ (1905) "To Clarence Eddy," Rogers; and Eddy's own Festival Prelude and Fugue on Old Hundred (1879), which was followed by the singing of the same tune to the text: "Before Jehovah's Awful Throne." Osborne's deft handling of the incredible pedal cadenza at the end of the Eddy Fugue was nothing short of spectacular. Another well-deserved standing ovation followed.

Holy Family Roman Catholic Church was the site of a short program played by Jason Alden on a delightful one-manual Steinmeyer organ, Opus 197, of 1879 on loan to the church by Keith Hooper. Its reversed console allows the organist to view the now-empty Louis Mitchell case that had been the topic of Michael Friesen's lecture earlier in the day. Like many other churches, Holy Family is in the process of extensive restoration, and is a monument to the faith and persistence of both the clergy and parishioners. The program: Onder een linde groen, Sweelinck; "Andante" from Twelve Fughettas (op. 123a), Rheinberger; "Lebhaft" from Six Fugues on B-A-C-H, Schumann; Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Buxtehude, followed by the singing of the hymn "Come unto me, ye weary" to the tune Abendlied. Alden, a fine young and very musical player whose interest in the organs of Costa Rica has recently been published in The Tracker (Volume 44, Number 2, 2000), chose his pieces wisely to demonstrate the lovely, bright and incisive sounds of this beautifully designed unenclosed nine-stop tracker. Amazingly, its sounds effectively filled the vast interior of the church.

The evening feature was a recital wonderfully played by Will Headlee on a rare Wurlitzer church organ (Opus 2065, 1930) of four manuals and 32 ranks installed in the breathtaking Reform Jewish Temple Sholom on Lakeshore Drive in the area of Chicago known as the "Gold Coast." After warm remarks by Rabbi Aaron M. Petuchowski, Headlee offered the following program: the hymn "Open your ears, O faithful people," sung to the tune Torah Song; Fantasy: Torah Song, Phillips; Fantaisie in E-flat, Saint-Saëns; Prelude and Fugue in G (BWV 541), Bach; Grand Choeur Triomphal, Guilmant; "Landscape in Mist" from Seven Pastels from the Lake of Constance, Karg-Elert; "Naïades" and "Clair de lune" from Pièces de Fantaisie, Vierne; Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue, Willan; Sweet Sixteenths--A Concert Rag for Organ, Albright; and Toccata on Leonie, Bingham; which was followed by the singing of the hymn by the large audience. The unusual Wurlitzer is situated in two high and widely separated chambers with a balcony for choir and organist. Unfortunately, the placement of the console and the reflecting panel for the choir together make it very difficult for the organist to sense balance with the division on the south side of the gallery since the console is on the north side of the choir loft. Headlee provided us with appropriate and entertaining comments during the recital where he demonstrated the many colors of this unusual and quite fine instrument. Its full, somewhat bright yet smooth and well-balanced sound was a revelation to most, yet he used the Albright piece to bring out the theatre organ colors for which Wurlitzer is better known. An extended ovation followed the program. In recognition of the rarity and quality of the instrument, Michael Friesen presented an OHS Historical Organ citation to the Cantor, Aviva Katzman. Upon leaving, one noticed that the listing of the staff included the name of a Rabbi named Moses--no wonder that this is an important Temple!

Friday

This was northwestern Indiana day that began with a program played by Thomas Brown on a tonally bright and strong 1963 Phelps-designed Casavant (Opus 1740) situated in a rear gallery of the acoustically live contemporary St. Mary of the Lake Roman Catholic Church in Gary. His program was preceded by a surprise snippet of the great Bach Toccata in D Minor that then received a segue into a "Happy Birthday" salute to OHS President, Michael Barone, joyfully sung by all. The recital proper began with the following Bach works: Prelude in G (BWV 541a), Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (BWV 639), featuring appropriate and subtle ornamentation, Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein (BWV 641) and In dulci jubilo (BWV 608), all from Das Orgelbüchlein, and Fuge in E-flat (BWV 552b) from Clavierübung III; "Berceuse" from 24 Pièces en style libre (op. 31), Vierne; "Placare Christe servulis" from Le Tombeau de Titelouze (op. 38), Dupré, followed by the singing of the hymn "Christ Leads" sung to the artist's own magnificent tune, Spes. Brown can always be relied on for vigorous, exciting and accurate playing as well as sensitive phrasing, and this program showed his considerable abilities in abundance. After a short punch and cookies reception given by the ladies of the church, we were off to Valparaiso for the next two events as well as another box lunch.

David Schrader played a dazzling program on a fine 1883 Johnson and Son organ (Opus 615) which had been relocated through the Organ Clearing House and restored in 1994 by the Rutz Organ Company and installed in the Chapel of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in St. Paul Roman Catholic Church, Valparaiso, where convention chairman Stephen Schnurr is organist. The program: the hymn "Ancient of days" sung by all to the tune Albany; Postlude from Glagolitic Mass, Janácek; Postlude pour l'office de complies, Alain; and Grand Sonata, Buck. Schrader's choices of registration showed the transplanted Johnson off to fine advantage in spite of the dead acoustics. Of particular note were the magical Alain Postlude and the Buck Grand Sonata, a composition made for an organ such as this.

OHS Archivist, Stephen Pinel, presented an illustrated lecture titled, "New and Notable at the OHS American Organ Archives," both a retrospective view and opportunities for the future of what has become one of the most noteworthy collections of organ research materials in the world. The collection began modestly and moved to various locations prior to settling in its present rather elegant space in the Talbott Library of the Westminster Choir College of Rider University. Profound thanks for many years' hard work and dedication are due to Stephen Pinel and his many helpers for bringing our archives to its present state of world-wide and noteworthy respect. If interested, contact the OHS headquarters (www.organsociety.org) for further information on the Archives, its plans and needs.

A visit to the magnificent Chapel of the Resurrection on the Valparaiso University campus brought us to another one of the feature programs of the convention, a recital by John Gouwens on the 102-rank Schlicker/Dobson. The ambiance is visually stunning as well as sonically commanding. After some welcoming remarks by Valparaiso's acting president and university organist, Gouwens played the following program: Praeludium in e, Bruhns; Au jô deu de pubelle--Grans Déi, ribon ribeine, Balbastre; Cathédrales, Vierne; and the hymn "How lovely shines the morning star" sung with gusto by the entire audience, followed by Gouwens' magnificent improvisation on the same tune. The space and views through the incredible stained glass windows add an uplifting effect to what is reputedly the collegiate chapel with the largest seating capacity in the world. Even as left by Schlicker in 1959 with many stops prepared for, the organ was a magnum opus, and it is now even more so with the additions and changes completed by Dobson in 1996. We were told that this afternoon's performance was the first time that the organ had been featured in a national meeting. Kudos to John Gouwens for tour de force playing on yet another hot midwestern afternoon.

We then traveled to St. Paul Episcopal Church in La Porte for a short recital by Gregory Crowell on the church's much altered 1871 Steer and Turner tracker, Opus 45 (with some further rebuilding and additions by Ronald Wahl). The organ has a rather commanding presence in the small and acoustically unsympathetic room, but it did exhibit some refinement in its full sounds and warmth and subtlety in the softer ranks when some annoying ambient sounds did not interfere. Crowell can always be counted on for a sensitive sense of phrasing and contour, both of which he displayed in the following program: Ouverture in C (K. 299), Mozart; Prelude and Fugue in F (BWV 901), Bach; Five Variations on Fairest Lord Jesus Christ, Woodman (followed by the singing of this well-loved hymn); Prelude and Fugue in D, Dvorák; Solo pour la flûte, Lemmens; and Toccata, Foote. The organ had received an OHS Historical Organ plaque in 1981.

The final recital of the day was played by convention chairman, Stephen Schnurr, on a transplanted Roosevelt three-manual (Opus 506) in First Congregational Church, Michigan City. The organ has been restored by Roland Rutz, who was in the audience and recognized for his fine work. The recipient of an OHS plaque in 1999, the instrument sits in a recess at the front of the church, and what could have been a resulting "tone trap" at the top of the front display pipes and behind a choir arch seemed not to inhibit egress of the sound. The recital (enhanced by the accompaniment of birds tweeting outside) was made up of works by Chicago composers: Triumphal March (op. 26), Buck; Offertoire in g (op. 194), Havens; Prelude and Fugue in a, Eddy; "In a Village," "Serenade," and "The War Dance Festival," all from Impressions of the Philippine Islands by Moline. The first two pieces in this set featured the fine Oboe and Doppel Flute stops, while the ferocious final piece was accompanied by frantic fanning. The program continued with Meditation (op. 29), Cole; The Joy of the Redeemed, Dickinson; the hymn "O what their joy and their glory must be," sung by all as an appropriate follower for the Dickinson piece; and "Allegro con fuoco" from Sonata I, Borowski. Schnurr was obviously at home on this powerful Roosevelt, his playing being equally vigorous and brilliant while at the same time displaying an inner warmth and musicality. He is a fine young player who is receiving increasing recital exposure throughout the country. Congratulations are due to Stephen Schnurr for a fine performance, even while tending to the myriad of details as convention chairman. A note at the bottom of the page listing his recital program ended with " . . . he intends to spend the remainder of the summer walking the dunes and shores of southern Lake Michigan as soon as the convention is completed!" He has certainly earned that bit of luxury.

Our Indiana visit ended with dinner in a dining room at the Blue Chip Casino in Michigan City. Some wondered if any OHSers visited the casino proper to try to recoup some convention expenses.

Saturday

The first event was a stunning recital by David Dahl on the magnificent two-manual tracker-pneumatic Roosevelt, Opus 494 of 1891, in historic St. James Roman Catholic Church, Chicago. Festive bell ringing from the lofty tower welcomed us to the church. Fortunately, neither the bell tower nor the Roosevelt was severely damaged in a disastrous fire the church suffered in 1972 except for some adverse effects to the organ of extreme heat and moisture. The organ is essentially unrestored (except for some work done in 1949) and was recently put into playing condition by Walter Bradford. Even though there are some stops that are still inoperative, it was enlightening to hear this 1891 Roosevelt of two manuals and compare it with the slightly larger three-manual Roosevelt of the same year heard just the evening before in Michigan City, Indiana. The St. James instrument benefits from installation in a high rear gallery in a lofty nave helping to give a comforting bloom to the sound in the now rather stark interior. After some heartfelt and warm welcoming comments by the pastor who has only recently received appointment to the parish, Dahl presented an outstanding performance of the following program: Trumpet Fanfare, Purcell (arr. Biggs); Allegro moderato maestoso, Mendelssohn; Dahl's own An English Suite Honoring the 18th-century English Organ Art containing "Voluntary for the Diapasons (With solemnity)," "Sarabande Air (With lyricism)," "Voluntary for the Cornet or the Trumpet (With playful spirit)," "Pastorale for the Flutes (With serenity)," and "Jigg (With jaunty humor);" Elegy, Thalben-Ball; the hymn "O praise ye the Lord" sung to the tune Happy Land; Aria, Howells; and Hymn Prelude on Song 22 of Orlando Gibbons, Stanford. Among the many features of this Roosevelt, long a favorite instrument in the area, are a big, assertive yet colorful Great Open Diapason, and a grand and incisive Great Trumpet. Dahl was at one with the organ throughout his program, and his accompaniment of the hymn was truly outstanding, leading both the Roosevelt and the congregation in subtle text breaths. This was some of the best hymn playing of the convention and a true hallmark of a fine musician.

The next event took place in the massive Basilica of Our Lady of Sorrows for  a recital played by Dana Robinson on what may be the largest surviving Lyon and Healy organ, their four-manual Opus 90 of 1902. The instrument received an OHS Historic Organ plaque in honor of its historical importance and the one hundredth anniversary of its installation. The vast interior with its 80-foot high barrel vault and nave of 230 feet is an example of opulent and breathtaking Renaissance revival architecture. The organ is divided on both sides of the wide half-dome chancel and fills the room with a warm and dignified sound. Robinson's program began with the singing of "Hail! Holy Queen," after which there was a short transition leading into the playing of the entire Symphonie III (op. 13, no. 3) by Widor. This was an appropriate choice since this huge work was well suited to the large and colorful sounds of the Lyon and Healy (on which, incidentally, Clarence Eddy had played the dedication recital), the massive ambiance of the building and Robinson's brilliant playing. The entire "package" worked wonderfully well. The artist obviously understood the organ, the room and the music. This was one of the most spectacular venues of the entire convention.

For a total change of pace, the group went to Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, Chicago, where James Russell Brown played very ably on a small tubular-pneumatic Lancashire-Marshall (their Opus 52 of 1891) which had been relocated by the Organ Clearing House and rebuilt for its present location by the Bradford Organ Company of Evanston in 1987. Placed on an angle at the rear of the church, some of its "innards" could be seen by those entering the building. With the help of a stop assistant, Brown organized the following program to display the potential of what could be accomplished on a modest yet flexible organ: the hymn "A song of creation" sung by all to the tune Whitehead, followed by a setting of the same tune by Locklair; Ciacona in e, Buxtehude; Sur "La, Mi, Re," anonymous English, 16th century; Scherzo, Gigout; "The peace may be exchanged" from Rubrics, Locklair; Angels (Chaconne), Ferko; and Fugue in F (BWV 540), Bach. Once more, the organist must have suffered greatly from the extreme heat but his performance was musical and assured, and communicated his joy in playing (perhaps aided by the twittering of more birds).

Frederick Beal then performed the following program on a rare Burlington Organ Company tracker built in Burlington, Iowa, in 1903, and placed in a recess at the left front of the Living Sanctuary of Faith Church in suburban Oak Park. His program: Voluntary in c, Greene; Meine Seele erhebt den Herren from Schübler Chorales and Fugue in g (The Little), both by Bach; "Fidelis" from Four Extemporizations for Organ, Whitlock; "I am black but comely, O ye Daughters of Jerusalem" and "How Fair and how Pleasant art Thou" from Fifteen Pieces for Organ, Dupré; Voluntary on St. Columba, and Prelude on Hyfrydol, both by Willan, preceding the hymn "Love divine, all loves excelling" sung to the tune Hyfrydol. Thanks to work done by the Berghaus Organ Company and the loving ministrations of Fred Beal, the organ, in spite of its somewhat closeted enclosure and the fact that it still needs restoration, acquitted itself quite well. Beal noted that there had been a problem with the organ bench squeaking and that tightening repairs did not seem to do the trick, whereupon someone suggested that perhaps an application of a bit of sacred olive oil from the communion table might work. Permission was granted, and the offending noises were quite mitigated. This is the only instance we could recall of an anointed organ bench at an OHS convention.

Jonathan B. Hall then presented the final recital of the afternoon in St. John Evangelical Lutheran Church in Forest Park on the landmark three-manual Aeolian-Skinner (Op. 1235, 1954) with floating positiv supplied by Berghaus in 1976. As a result of the continuing heat and humidity, several conventioneers drifted in and out of "the arms of Morpheus" during the playing of the following program: Concerto in a minor (after Vivaldi), Bach; Offertoire, Truette; the haunting Lotus by Strayhorn (arr. Wyton); the hymn "O love, how deep, how broad, how high" sung to the tune Deus tuorum militum, followed by Sowerby's Prelude on the same melody. The organ with its "pipes in the open" arrangement in the rear gallery, together with the added Rückpositiv on the gallery, gives a visually stunning effect in this highly decorated, vaulted and reverberant church. Hall obviously understood the potential of both organ and the wonderful room. This event was an exciting climax to an active series of performances before we went to Oak Park for the Annual Meeting, a barbecue dinner and the evening recital.

OHS President Michael Barone efficiently chaired the meeting which, in addition to the usual business items and reports from the treasurer and executive director, contained announcements concerning the modest expansion of oversight of the OHS publications, both books and periodicals, including our official quarterly, The Tracker. At this time also, this year's Biggs Fellows, Michael Banks from South Bend, Indiana, and Charles Creech from West Monroe, Louisiana, were introduced. The E. Power Biggs Fellowship was founded to allow deserving interested people to attend a national OHS convention who might otherwise not have been able to do so. Over the years, this function of the Society has resulted in many of the recipients having gone on to careers in music as performers, church musicians, scholars, or organ builders. In fact, Patrick J. Murphy, the first recipient of a Biggs Fellowship in 1978, and now a highly respected professional organ builder in Pennsylvania, was at this convention. The Distinguished Service Award went to Julie Stephens, who over the years has done exceptionally fine work and performed many tasks for the OHS. She also happened to be in charge of the committee responsible for seeing to arranging for all of the varied dinners and box lunches provided during this week.

After a sumptuous barbecue dinner served at Oak Park's First Baptist Church, many conventioneers took advantage of a short stroll to the First Methodist Church where its 1925 four-manual E.M. Skinner (Opus 528) "open console" was generously hosted by the church's organist, Michael Shawgo, who had done the demonstration of the small Aeolian organ in the Chapel of Disciples Divinity House earlier in the week. The Skinner, though distinguished and serviceable, is awaiting restoration.

The Arts Center of Oak Park (formerly First Church of Christ, Scientist) and its three-manual Kimball of 1916 with a later Austin console was the site of an evening recital by Christa Rakich. Her program, interspersed with verbal comments that were both informative and entertaining, follows: Prelude and Fugue in d (op. 16, no. 3), Clara Schumann; the Suffragette hymn, "March of the Women," Smyth (sung lustily by all); Répons pour le Temps de Pâques--Victimae Pascali Laudes, and "Rorate Coeli," "Hosanna Filio David," "Domini Jesu," and "Veni Creator Spiritus," all by Demessieux; Nocturne, Tailleferre; and Trois Préludes et Fugues (op. 7), Dupré, performed in the following order: G minor, F minor, B Major. Peter Sykes assisted as page-turner and occasional cipher stopper, and now and then emerged "from the woodwork" (actually an anteroom) to tend to other mechanical ghosts. The selections, except for the Dupré works, were pieces by women composers. The program suited the organ well in spite of a mixture that tended to separate itself from the ensemble and a particularly huge and annoying sixteen-foot pedal stop that set up extensive vibrations in the room, and which frequently obscured the upper pitches. It is quite possible that the artist was not aware of these particular problems as the console is situated off to one side of the platform and is in a somewhat sunken valley where balances might have been difficult to perceive. Ms. Rakich's energetic performance elicited an appreciative standing ovation.

Sunday

The organizers of the convention wisely left the earlier part of this day open for those who wished either to attend churches in the area or to indulge in a late morning. The events started with Lee Orr's lecture, "Dudley Buck in Chicago." Since Orr is deeply involved in the music of this noteworthy nineteenth and early twentieth century American organist and composer, it was fitting that he present this topic to our convention, particularly since Buck had spent some time working in Chicago before returning to New England and New York after the calamitous Chicago fire of 1871. Buck was apparently well known as a virtuoso with an especially "facile and quiet" pedal technique. One looks forward to Orr's publishing the results of his research, both with regard to Buck's music as well as his biography. The profession needs continuing scholarly studies of performers and composers like Dudley Buck and Clarence Eddy (see the comments on William Osborne's presentations noted earlier in this report) to help fill in our gaps of knowledge about these important and once highly popular figures.

The group then moved to the Epworth United Methodist Church where John W.W. Sherer (organist and director of Music for Chicago's landmark Fourth Presbyterian Church) presented the following program, "Chicago Composers: Past and Present," on a fine 1930 Möller, Opus 5881: Fanfare, Proulx; "Flourish" from Suite for Organ, DeLamarter; A Song of Gratitude, Cole; "Communion" from Ferko's Missa O Ecclesia; Bred dina vida vingar, Webster; Prelude on a Melody by Sowerby, Simmons; the magnificent Pageant by Sowerby, and the hymn "This is the Spirit's entry now" sung by all to Sowerby's tune Perry. The organ, with its hefty reeds, vigorous full ensemble and lovely soft work, had been a gift of the Barnes family which included the famous William H. Barnes, who had been organist at this church and was known throughout the organ world for his many writings and the several editions of his book, The Contemporary American Organ. As usual, Sherer communicated both the demanding and subtle qualities of the program through utilizing both his remarkable virtuoso technique and his sensitive musical sense to serve the requirements of the music. He is a terrific musician.

The rest of the day's program took place in Evanston and environs, beginning with Philip Gehring's warmly received recital on a two-manual tracker built in 1974 by Lawrence Phelps and Associates for St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, Skokie. His program: Passacaglia, Buxtehude; O Mensch, bewein dein' Sünde gross (BWV 622), Bach, which featured elegant ornamentation on the Sesquialtera; this was followed by Pepping's setting of the same chorale melody and featured a solo line on the Principal; Benedictus--Cromome en Taille, Couperin; the Passacaglia of Near followed by the audience singing the hymn "Now thank we all our God" sung to the usual melody by Crüger. Sectional works such as variations, chaconnes and passacaglias are particularly good choices for events such as these as they allow opportunities to display both solo colors and various ensemble combinations. The rear gallery organ with its detached console and beautifully designed case filled the modestly sized room with strong, bright and colorful sound.

The next stop was the small St. Andrew Episcopal Church in Evanston where Ruth Tweeten presented the following short recital on the church's dandy little Lyon and Healy organ, Opus 174, of 1905: Voluntary in D, Croft; Chorale Prelude on Rhosymedre, Vaughan Williams; Jesus is tenderly calling, Open My Eyes that I May See, and This is My Father's World, all by Diemer; Voluntary in d (Diapasons), Walond; Siciliano (Swell Flutes), Alcock; Voluntary in D (Full Organ), Avison; and the hymn "Jesus is tenderly calling thee home" sung to a tune by George Stebbins. This diminutive "stock model" two-manual tracker of seven stops, restored by Bradford Organ Company with volunteer assistance from members of the Chicago-Midwest Chapter of the OHS, acquitted itself well under Ruth Tweeten's expert hands. Her fine, sensitive playing and creative registration showed what can be accomplished on an organ with only seven ranks. There were many such organs that served small churches well, and this one continues to do so under the watchful and enthusiastic care of this caring congregation. Prior to the program, Susan Friesen presented an OHS Historic Organ citation to the parish's articulate and appreciative rector.

Brian Harlow, recently named assistant organist at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, New York, and who had served prior to that appointment as interim director of music, organist and choirmaster at his Alma Mater, the Groton School in Groton, Massachusetts, played an outstanding recital on the well balanced Skinner (Opus 616) of 1927 in the First Congregatonal Church, Evanston. His program: Variations de Concert (op. 1, 1908), Bonnet; "Muzette" from Six pièces (op. 70, 1891), Bossi; Berceuse, op. 16, Fauré (trans. Commette); the hymn "The church's one foundation" sung to the tune Aurelia; and "Finale" from Sonata I by Harwood. Harlow is obviously one of the rising young stars on the organ scene and played magnificently on this beautiful and dignified Skinner that benefits also from being in a particularly good room. Once again, here is an artist who also knows how to play and lead a hymn--his subtle phrasings helped give life to the singing. As a virtuoso, his "horsepower" was well demonstrated in the infamous pedal cadenza near the end of the Bonnet Variations; it was done with both vigor and ease.

After a "dinner on your own" time to sample the various culinary delights in Evanston, we went to St. Luke's Episcopal Church for the feature event of the evening, a thrilling performance by Thomas Murray on the magnificently restored Skinner, Opus 327 of 1922. Details of the phases of its restoration by the A. Thompson-Allen Company of New Haven have been published elsewhere recently, but suffice it to say that here is what one might perceive as a "freshly-minted" (albeit eighty-year-old) E.M. Skinner. Everything seems just right, and the tuning, in spite of the continuing heat and thanks to the fact that Nick Thompson-Allen had been on site for several days, was tight and secure. The instrument, always a landmark in Skinner's output, is truly a monument. After some introductory welcoming remarks by Richard Webster, organist and choirmaster of St. Luke's, Murray played the following program: Fugue in g (K. 401), Mozart; Six Trios (op. 47, 1900), Reger; Two Preludes on Welsh Folk Tunes (1956), Romanza: The White Rock and Toccata: St. David's Day, Vaughan Williams; Sonata I (1904), Borowski; the hymn "Blessed be the God of Israel" sung to the tune Thornberry; followed by Vocalise, Rachmaninoff (trans. Potts); and Sonata Eroïca (op. 94, 1930), Jongen. The event was a perfect match of organ, program and artist. Murray justly received a tumultuous standing ovation.

Monday

The final day of the convention began with a short recital by former OHS President Kristin Gronning Farmer on a three-manual tubular-pneumatic Lyon and Healy, Opus 29 of 1898 in Lake View Presbyterian Church, Chicago. The organ has had some restorative repairs by the Bradford Organ Company and sounds quite good in this modernized and sympathetic room. The program began with the singing of the hymn "Not here for high and holy things" to the tune Morning Song, followed by Chaconne in e, Buxtehude; Herzlich tut mich verlangen, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern and Mach hoch die Tür, die tor macht weit from Zehn Choralvorspiele (op. 77) by Georg Schumann; "Une femme pieuse essuie la face de Jésus" from Le chemin de la croix, Dupré; and concluded with Concerto in D, FXII/15 ("The Guitar Concerto"), Vivaldi. In spite of a few mechanical problems and with the assistance of her husband, John Farmer, Ms. Farmer played in her usual forthright and musical way and featured the considerably fine colors of this straight, modest-sized instrument.

Next, the large two-manual Johnson & Son tracker, Opus 690 of 1888, in Lincoln Park Presbyterian Church was played with verve and understanding by Christine Marshall Kraemer, the church's organist and choir director. The instrument was restored by the Bradford Organ Company in 1987 and received an OHS Historic Organ plaque to commemorate its centennial in 1988. This is one of only two Johnson organs remaining in Chicago of the many that firm installed in this city (see the articles, "Chicago, A Johnson Town" written for The Tracker, Vol. 10, No. 2 and No. 3, 1966 by the late F.R. Webber). Ms. Kraemer's program follows: Voluntary in D, Boyce; "Andante religioso" from Mendelsssohn's Sonata IV (op. 65, no. 4); Noël sur les flûtes, d'Aquin; O wie selig seid ihr doch, ihr Frommen and O Gott, du frommer Gott from Elf Choralvorspiele, Brahms; "Adagio" from Fantaisie in C, Franck; and the chorale prelude Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme by Walther prior to the singing of the hymn, "Sleepers, wake! A voice astounds us" to the Wachet auf tune. Under Ms. Kraemer's expert control, the Johnson sounded quite typical and acquitted itself well in the somewhat dead room. We often need to be reminded that many fine nineteenth-century American organs were designed, voiced and installed in less than what we might consider favorable acoustical surroundings, yet they often sounded both grand and colorful--a tribute to the art of those builders of the past. This instrument served as just such a reminder.

The last event of the morning was a short but delightful recital played by Elizabeth Naegele on a fine and firm-sounding tubular-pneumatic Austin, Opus 172 of 1906 in St. Paul Community Church (originally St. Paul Norwegian Evangelical Lutheran Church), Chicago. The instrument, situated in a front corner of the room and angled toward the center of the congregation, has had a few tonal rearrangements and revisions, but has the overall fine Austin ensemble except for a two-foot fifteenth which is a bit strong when used with a super coupler. Ms. Naegele, with the help of one of her young and enthusiastic organ students as page turner and stop assistant, gave a rousing and energetic performance of the following program: Overture to Die Meistersinger, Wagner (arr. Karg-Elert, adapt. Morris), followed by the singing of the hymn "Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing" to the tune Azmon; Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele and Herzlich tut mich erfreuen from Elf Choralvorspiele, op. 122, Brahms; "Nicaea," "Ash Grove," "Ajalon" or "Redhead," and "Saint Kevin" from Four Hymn Voluntaries, Leavitt; and Fiat Lux, Dubois. Ms. Naegele's joy in playing brought a palpable uplifting effect to the program.

After yet another box luncheon, this time in the undercroft of the monumental St. Mary of the Angels Roman Catholic Church, Chicago, the group assembled in the upper church where James Hammann played a superlative recital on the highly unified Kimball of 1920 situated grandly in the rear gallery of this magnificent church. Designed to approximate one-sixth the scale of St. Peter's Basilica in Rome it is, as a result, the largest Catholic church in the state of Illinois. Closed for a time, considered unsafe and destined for demolition, the gigantic multi-domed building has been beautifully restored and is a monument to the faith and persistence of the parish and the priests of the Prelature of Opus Dei. Hammann always rises to the occasion in vast enclosures such as this, and brilliantly played the following program: Fantasie in Freiem Stile No. 4 in e (op. 133), Merkel (dedicated to Clarence Eddy); "Adagio molto espressivo" from Sonata No. 2 in g (op. 77), Buck (also dedicated to Clarence Eddy); and Choral varíe sur le theme du Veni Creator (op. 4), Duruflé (programmed in commemoration of the centennial of the composer's birth). The glory of this final piece was the fact that those in attendance were invited to sing the unaccompanied chant (provided in our Hymn Supplement) alternately with the Duruflé variations. Doing so provided a totally different dimension to the work than is felt when it is simply performed in straight concert format. The result was elevating in its effect, thanks to the fact that Gregorian chant is a natural expression in a space such as this with the room helping to act as support for the pitch. Thanks are due to James Hammann for coming up with the idea. It worked spectacularly well. Prior to the recital, Michael Friesen presented an OHS Historic Organ plaque to the appreciative pastor of St. Mary's.

Holy Trinity Roman Catholic Church in Chicago was the locale for the next event, a recital by Timothy Edward Smith on a rare Van Dinter organ of 1909 situated in the rear gallery of this highly decorated and well-maintained air-conditioned church. This latter feature came as a very welcome relief to the conventioneers as well as, I am sure, to the performer who presented a beautifully played recital on an organ with a surprisingly conservatively designed stoplist for its time. The large 37-rank two-manuals boasts not only a Twelfth and Fifteenth on the Great, but also a three-rank Mixture as well as an 8' Trumpet and 4' Clarion, a complete Pedal division (up through a 4' Octave and including a 51⁄3' Quint), and a large Swell division containing a variety of eight and four-foot colors as well as a Dolce Cornet. The original tracker action has been electrified and a new console supplied. The OHS had visited another and somewhat smaller yet equally bold and colorful Van Dinter organ played by Rosalind Mohnsen during the Kentuckiana convention. (See the Organ Handbook 1993, pp. 78-81.) Timothy Smith received a justly deserved standing ovation for his fine musical and vigorous playing of the following program: Solemn Melody, Davies; Ciacona in c, Buxtehude; Canzona on Liebster Jesu, Purvis; Funeral March of the Marionette, Gounod (trans. Smith); "Fantasia et Fuga" from Sonata Cromatica, Yon; followed by the hymn "Praise to God, immortal praise" sung to the tune Dix. Smith has performed frequently at OHS conventions and always with wonderful results. Hear him if you can, either in a "live" recital or on CD.

The final recital of the afternoon was presented by Sally Cherrington Beggs on a relocated large two-manual Hutchings, Opus 269, of 1892 located in St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Chicago. Originally installed in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, it was rescued through the Organ Clearing House, relocated and reconstructed with some additions for St. Joseph's by the Bradford Organ Company. Ms. Beggs gave a lively and enjoyable performance of the following program: the hymn "Come now, and praise the humble saint" sung to the tune Land of Rest; Fantasie über Ein Feste Burg (op. 13), Paine; "Rondo Ostinato," "Sarabande" and "Rhythmic Trumpet," all from Baroques, Bingham; Sweet Sixteenths--A Concert Rag for Organ, Albright; and On an Ancient Alleluia, Bitgood. The organ, though considerably altered, still has the Hutchings "heft" and color.

For the final event of the convention, the group assembled in the vast First Baptist Congregational Church in the Union Park section of Chicago to hear Peter Sykes, a perennial favorite, in a major recital on the church's large four-manual, totally enclosed seventy-seven rank Kimball, Opus 6949 of 1927. The organ, with a case from the church's previous 1871 three-manual Hook and Hastings, is receiving some ongoing restoration work by the Bradford Organ Company. Its central location in a front gallery and surrounded by a variety of additional instruments, both acoustic and electronic, is ideal for projection into the entire large church, and Sykes took advantage of this feature in the following program: Sonata III, Hindemith; Rhapsody (op. 17, no. 1, 1915), "Moderato tranquillo," Howells; Sonata No. 2 in d (1914), Prokofiev (trans. Sykes); the hymn "Come all you thirsty" sung to a tune composed by Peter Sykes; Scherzo-Fantasia (1960), McKinley; Clair de lune (op. 53, no. 5), Vierne; and Suite, Duruflé. While coping with what appeared to be a problem with balky swell shades, Sykes' virtuoso playing and demanding program obviously delighted the audience which rose to its collective feet in appreciation. As part of the event, Michael Friesen awarded an OHS Historic Organ plaque to the organist and pastor of the church. During the intermission, OHS Vice President Scot Huntington eloquently ex-pressed appreciation to the convention committee and to its chairman, Stephen Schnurr, for the years of work that went into the planning and ultimate realization of a very successful convention. Huntington noted that, since Schnurr is a native of Kentucky, he might enjoy (and certainly deserved) a gift of premier Kentucky sipping whiskey as tangible evidence of the Society's gratitude for a job exceptionally well done. One hopes that Schnurr will enjoy this as much as he will roaming the dunes of northern Indiana (see the note at the end of the report of his recital in Michigan City on June 28).

Each OHS convention has its own personality, and all are enjoyable, both from the standpoint of hearing a variety of noteworthy instruments well-played and renewing acquaintances with those who share one's interest in the OHS and its aims. The 2003 convention will be in south central Pennsylvania June 19-25, with headquarters in Harrisburg. Buffalo, New York, will be the site for the 2004 convention slated to run from June 14-24. Plan to attend a future OHS convention--you will not be disappointed. Both fun and enlightenment will be in store!

 

(Because of travel delays, the reviewer was unable to hear the opening event of the convention. The comments are distilled from those furnished by OHS members who were in attendance.)

Malcolm Wechsler

Malcolm Wechsler was born in Da Bronx, but grew up in Stamford, Connecticut, totally unexposed to the sound of a pipe organ, but"taking" piano with a local private teacher. Entering Oberlin College, not Conservatory, in 1953, he studied piano as a college elective withthe late Emil Danenberg. Finally, attending student recitals, he experiencedthe sound of a pipe organ, and a passion developed that has continued over theyears. He became an organ student of Fenner Douglass in 1955. Wechsler enrolled at Juilliard in 1958 for graduate study in organ and church music, with Vernon deTar as his major teacher. He earned a Master of Science degree in organ and church music in 1963. After years of teaching and of church appointments inCanada and the U.S., he is now North American Representative of Mander Organsof London (since 1987), and Director of Music at Trinity Church, Stamford,Connecticut.

The 2003 national convention of the Organ Historical Society took place June 19-26 in South-Central Pennsylvania. It was a long, sometimes grueling week, but without question, a week of many happy surprises: organs, organ music, and organists. And let me not forget the opportunity to meet old friends, and to make new ones. There is nothing quite like an OHS convention, and I will attempt to report on it accurately and with balance.

Grand opening of the convention, Thursday, June 12

Erik Wm. Suter

Mr. Suter holds degrees from Oberlin and Yale, and is organist and associate choirmaster at Washington National Cathedral. His recital took place at St. Paul the Apostle R. C. Church in Annville, Pennsylvania, a building in which organ music looked to be contraindicated, partly thanks to heavy carpeting widely applied! However, the early 20th-century builders knew about building effectively for bad acoustics, and the 1902 E. W. Lane tracker organ proved a gentle but projecting instrument. The wind was pleasantly relaxed. The console is at the left side, and the instrument was restored by R. J. Brunner & Company in 2002. The program: Placare Christe Servulis (from Le Tombeau de Titelouze), Dupré; Prelude & Fugue in G Minor, Es ist ein Ros' entsprungen, Schmücke dich (on a single, beautiful flute), Brahms. The hymn, Schmücke dich (of course), was wonderfully sung and played. Then, Sonata IV, Mendelssohn; Torah Song, Craig Phillips (a very fine piece, toying with dissonances and clusters in a completely intelligible way); next, from Book 1 of Gospel Preludes by William Bolcom, "Just as I am," and "What a friend we have in Jesus"; the Duruflé Prelude on the Epiphany Introit; Adagio and Final (Symphony VI), Widor. This E. W. Lane instrument of 19 stops really does wonderfully well in this quite dry acoustic, but a genuine Cavaillé-Coll it is not, and a sort of heavier, more sustained, compensatory approach might have better suited the Widor. All that notwithstanding, this was a wonderful recital, and a perfect opening to yet another splendid OHS convention!

First full day, Friday, June 20

Agnes Armstong

Friday, June 20, was the first full day of the convention, and it began with a very fine lecture by Frederick Weiser. The topic was Pennsylvania German Culture, a perfect orientation to so much that we would see and hear throughout the week. Then buses took a long journey to Lititz to hear Agnes Armstrong in the Chapel of the Lindenhall School for Girls, the oldest boarding school for girls in the U.S. She played on a 7-rank, 1904 Hook & Hastings, restored (in 1998) by Patrick Murphy, whose ties to the OHS go back a long way, he having been the first E. Power Biggs Fellow.

Agnes Armstrong plays in two churches on Sunday--one of which, St. John's Lutheran in Altamont, New York, has a new French organ by Cabourdin. She has advanced music degrees from SUNY, the College of St. Rose, and New York University, has concertized a great deal, and her CDs are available through the OHS. As for Lititz, where the next three recitals took place, here is a quote from one of the many websites devoted to the place: "Located in the heart of beautiful Lancaster County, Lititz has an eclectic history dating well beyond its founding by Moravian missionaries in 1756. Situated among the rolling hills, quiet streams and lush farmlands of Pennsylvania Dutch Country . . . ." Other than the fact that the four days of rain had begun by now in earnest, this is a wonderful part of the world, and as the week unfolded, we learned also of its organic treasures, and I don't mean vegetables.

Agnes Armstrong played beautifully and sympathetically on wonderful and gentle sounds: Prelude in D, Vogler; Voluntary on a Moravian Hymn, Abraham Ritter (1792-1860); Largo in A-flat, Elizabeth Stirling (1819-1895); Will o' the Wisp (Scherzo-Toccatina), Gordon Balch Nevin; Postludium, Adolph Friedrich Hesse (1808-1863). The program ended with a hymn, as does every recital at these conventions, a moment to be looked forward to and savored: "We who here together are assembled," the tune, Covenant, by Christian Gregor, the words by Christian Renatus von Zinzendorf. What a lovely beginning to a fine first full day.

Robert Barney, the Chapel of the Single Brothers' House

Robert Barney drew the task of playing this tiny and quite delicate Tannenberg from 1793: four manual stops, no pedal. He did battle with it manfully, it having a very difficult and delicate action to play. The stops are 8' Gedackt, 8' Gamba (with 17 basses common with the Gedackt), 4' (Open) Floet (spelled thus), and a 2' Principal, lower 29 pipes in the façade. It is all very gentle, and in the first piece, Voluntary in G of Purcell, the clattering of the action nearly drowned out the music! Then followed a Pachelbel Choralthema in D Major with eight variations on the tune Alle Menschen müssen sterben. To me, the pleasures of the hymn singing we do at these conventions are greatly enhanced when we can sing in harmony, as we did this day. The tune is Gregor, in honor of Christian Gregor, who wrote the words "My portion is the Lord." The anonymous tune is from the Choral Buch of the Hernnhut Moravian community in Germany. The program offered next Will o' the Wisp of Nevin (Robert announced what we had all guessed, that this piece, not part of his plan at all, slipped into the book in mysterious ways, obviously from Agnes Armstrong's program just before); then Four Voice Fugue on the name B-A-C-H by Johann de Deo Beranek (1813-1875). Barney is organist at Trinity Episcopal Church, Concord, Massachusetts and associate director of the Treble Chorus of New England. He has an active performing and teaching life in the Boston area.

This organ had been built for a Moravian church in Frederick County, Maryland, which, in 1957, decided to set the instrument free. The Lititz Moravian community got it and packed it off to M. P. Möller for repairs and the move. In recent years, James McFarland & Co. have done further restorative repairs.

Ray Brunner, Auditorium of the Linden Hall School for Girls

This was a lecture that was certainly music to my ears--"Pennsylvania German Organ Building, David Tannenberg's Legacy." Any précis of this wonderful non-stop appreciation of such a strong artistic vein in the history of organ building would require reproducing the entire speech. Nothing could be left out. My small knowledge and experience of Tannenberg's work all came from books and articles. Obviously, by the end of this week, that all changed dramatically, and for me, one of the highlights, almost an emotional experience, was hearing and seeing David Tannenberg's very last organ, built in 1804, now safely situated in a small auditorium at the York County Museum. More about that later.

It was not just in this talk that we heard from Ray Brunner. It was also in the beauties of quite a number of organs heard in this convention, organs that his firm, R. J. Brunner & Company, had restored, repaired, and even rescued. [Ruth Brunner, wife of Ray Brunner, and a master organbuilder in her own right, died of cancer at the age of 45, on November 6, 2003. She worked hard planning this convention, and though clearly ill, kept things in order as the convention progressed. She is missed!] Ray and Ruth were a huge part of putting together and maintaining this distinguished convention. At one of our venues, they were both given an award for distinguished service to the OHS, this presented amidst cheers.

James Darling, the Fellowship Hall of the Single Brothers' House

It is now 1:45, and I must mention that we had a beautiful box lunch which would have been eaten out of doors, were not the heavens continuing to open up. James Darling is perhaps known to many who have made the pilgrimage to Colonial Williamsburg, a wonderful place to visit. He is at the center of a lot of musical activity there, particularly in Bruton Parish Church, where he has served for almost 40 years. Here, he was playing a much-traveled single-manual Tannenberg of nine stops, built in 1787. It found its way to the Fellowship Hall of the Single Brothers' House in 1983, restored and reconstructed by James R. McFarland & Co. The organ had suffered mightily from various forms of ill treatment including a fire, and required extensive work. The 20-note pedalboard has two stops of its own, a Sub Bass at 16' and an Open Wood Oktav Bass at 8'.

The program: Allein Gott, settings by Bach and Pachelbel; Fugue & Chorale, Pachelbel; four Preludes by the English Moravian, Christian Latrobe (1758-1836); the event of the day was the hymn, "Morning Star, O cheering sight," to the tune Hagen, by the Rev. F. F. Hagen, with a very young singer from the Lititz congregation as the excellent soloist; two preludes and fugues from the Well-Tempered Clavier, and closing with a Pachelbel Prelude in D.

Bruce Stevens, Salem Lutheran Church, Lebanon, Pennsylvania

At 2:30, we said goodbye to Lititz and traveled about an hour to Lebanon. Bruce Stevens played on a rather amazing organ of 1888, built by the builder who bid lowest in a competition among many, the Miller Organ Company of Lebanon, Pennsylvania. The Organ Handbook gives the names and bids of the six other builders; Miller's bid was $3,300, for which they produced a lot of organ, 31 ranks on three manuals. The Great is founded on an independent 16' Double Open, the bottom four pipes of which are stopped wood, space clearly being an issue. The Pedal also has an independent Double Open, Bourdon 16', and 8' Violoncello. The Great Trumpet is the only commanding manual reed. The Swell has only a Bassoon Oboe at 8' and the Choir has a Clarionet at 8', yet this organ makes a mighty sound, full of excitement. It is also a beautiful visual presence in the room, if a bit unusual in its presentation.

Bruce Stevens is organist of Second Presbyterian Church in downtown Richmond, and is director of the OHS European Tours, this year's heading to Sweden. His degrees are from the University of Richmond and University of Illinois, with further study in Denmark with Finn Viderø and Gretha Krogh, with Anton Heiller in Vienna, and at the Royal School of Church Music, then in Croydon. He has played recitals internationally and at 12 OHS conventions, and his CDs are available from the OHS Catalogue. The program began with the March on a Theme of Handel by Guilmant; Mein junges Leben, Sweelinck; Second Sonata, Mendelssohn; the hymn, "O Christ the Word Incarnate" (so listed in the Supplement, but as "O Word of God Incarnate" in the printed program), in Mendelssohn's harmonization, connecting us back to the Sonata. At this point, wanting to be sure that we had a complete tour of the organ, Bruce showed us the somewhat audible Choir Dulciana and the gentle Swell Viola, knowing that they would be swamped in the registrations of any pieces on the program. Then, Moderato from Tre Tonstykker, Niels Gade; Fugue (Sonata 11), Rheinberger; three Chorale Preludes, Pepping; and to conclude, the Bach Passacaglia and Fugue in C Minor. Following this recital, the entire convention was fed sumptuously in one of the great spaces in these spacious buildings.

Lorenz Maycher, the Memorial Chapel of Salem Lutheran Church, Lebanon

We then moved from the original church to what began as a memorial chapel, but is now really the more used of the two buildings. It is larger as well, and sounds different, too. This place is referred to as Salem Lutheran Church (Memorial Chapel). The organ is Ernest Skinner Opus 683 of 1928. Lorenz Maycher is organist-choirmaster at Trinity Episcopal Church, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and teaches at Lafayette College in Easton. He was an OHS Biggs Fellow in 1990, and has played for six OHS conventions. Having relaxed over dinner, I was slow to enter the chapel; as I arrived the Bach C Minor Fantasy and Fugue was beginning. Whatever do my ears hear? I have not heard Bach on this kind of sound for years--a 26-stop organ, 73-note chests on Swell and Choir, thus supercoupled to be sure, fighting its way out of a chamber on one side of the chancel. The playing was the kind of legato that matches all of this. Next a wonderfully orchestral performance of the Handel Concerto in F; the d'Aquin Cuckoo; Dreams, Hugh McAmis; Suite in E Major, Everett Titcomb; Fanfare d'Orgue, Harry Rowe Shelley; the hymn, "Lord Jesus, we humbly pray" to a tune by Ignaz Pleyel; Grand Choeur No. 2, Alfred Hollins; three Songs of Faith and Penitence, by Leo Sowerby (sung dramatically by Linda Laubach, and Maycher's accompaniments were nothing less than superb); then, Impromptu, Gaston Dethier (1875--1958); and lastly, Improvisation on an Irish Air, by Norman Coke-Jephcott, one-time organist at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York.

And here endeth a very long first day of the convention. A one-hour trip brought us back to the hotel for visiting, drinking, and buying music, books, and CDs.

Second full day, Saturday, June 21

Justin Hartz at St. James Presbyterian Church, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania

We began this day with a short bus ride to Mechanicsburg. St. James Presbyterian Church is a large classroom or assembly sort of room, but with something of a raised ceiling, kind of a square dome effect. There is some acoustic to be enjoyed, not a huge amount, and we were hearing an old instrument (mid-19th century) by William H. Davis, a single-manual with a pedal Bourdon and coupler. This much traveled, much troubled instrument was rebuilt and refurbished by R. J. Brunner & Co. in 1989, including a brand new and very handsome case of simple design. Wow! What projection and richness of sound!

Justin Hartz is organist and choir director at Church of the Incarnation, Morrisville, Pennsylvania, and also frequently appears at the Aeolian organ of Longwood Gardens. A graduate of Westminster Choir College, he has a master's from Juilliard, and was a Biggs Fellow. The program: Voluntary No. 29, Andante (from American Church Organ Voluntaries, Cutter and Johnson), the 8' Open having a lovely sound and a fulfilling projection; Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Buxtehude; Voluntary 25, Moderato, from Ryder's Short Voluntaries; Andante, K. 616, Mozart, a lovely gem of a piece, and the fluty sounds of the organ were divine; the program closed with a rather quick accompaniment to our robust singing of "Praise, my soul, the King of Heaven." This was a fine recital on a worthy little organ, by a fine organist who looked like he was having fun, the fun being happily contagious. Now, back on the buses to warm up a bit, for the short trip to Camp Hill.

Mark Brombaugh, Peace Church, Camp Hill, Pennsylvania

The organ here has a single manual with six stops, built by Conrad Doll in 1805, and lovingly restored by the Noack Organ Company in 1974. It is gentle but it is lovely, and looks down from a balcony in a truly beautiful church built in 1799. Mark Brombaugh holds degrees from Oberlin College, the University of Louisville, and Yale University. He is director of music at United Church on the Green in New Haven, and is a past national secretary of the OHS. The program: Praeludium and Fugue in A Minor (Clavier Übung 1728), Vincent Lübeck, wonderful sounds, so fresh and clean, with playing also so clean and gently driven; Partita on the Aria Jesu du bist allzu schöne, Böhm; Toccata in C, Sweelinck; Fairest Lord Jesus (five variations) by James Woodman (b. 1957), which really worked well on this small organ. All subtleties were made perfectly clear. We were well prepared, and after the fifth variation, we instantly sang, with the middle stanza in glorious harmony, thrilling in this building. Time for a fairly long bus ride to Mount Pleasant Mills, the tedium beguiled a bit by a very nice box lunch on board.

Susan Hegberg, St. Peter's Lutheran & UCC Church, Freeburg, Pennsylvania

This recital recalls the Bible quote, "it maketh the heart glad." Dr. Susan Hegberg holds degrees from St. Olaf College, the University of Michigan, and Northwestern University, and is professor of music and university organist at Susquehanna University. In addition to what turned out to be a splendid recital, we were also about to hear one of those good, old Möllers (really!). Those turn-of-the-century Möller trackers (in this case, 1904), were really lovely to hear and to behold, and this organ was reasonably substantial at 13 stops and two manuals. And, on top of all that happiness, this church greeted us with an unexpected reception, good things to eat and drink, a great kindness. The program: Sonata in D Major, C. P. E. Bach; I want Jesus to walk with me, in a fairly mild jazz setting by Joe Utterback, written for Susan Hegberg in 2002; Variations on Leoni, by Frank Ferko; after the Finale (the sixth variation), we cleverly picked up our cue, and began to sing Leoni. The whole recital was a model: the playing was solid throughout, and the program was interesting to all. Back on the bus, headed for Mount Pleasant Mills, a 30 minute journey.

MaryAnn Crugher Balduf, Botschaft ("Grubb's") Lutheran Church, Mount Pleasant Mills, Pennsylvania

Well, to begin, what's a Botschaft? My Cassell's says it's Tidings, or News, or a Message. I suppose "Tidings" has the most promise as a church name. Improbably enough, Grubb's refers to someone who actually owned the church at one time, but his name was really Kruppe--that is quite a morph. This was a Reformed congregation, but they became quite weak, and in 1934, the Lutherans took over the church, buying the building for $1, which was worth something in those days, but surely not as much as a church. The organ was built circa 1865 by John Marklove of Utica, New York. It was discovered by the Organ Clearing House, and in 1978 James R. McFarland & Co. relocated it and did the work of reconstruction and restoration.

MaryAnn Crugher Balduf is an old OHS hand, having played many a convention recital over the years. She has a reputation for presenting interesting programs on single-manual instruments, and that is what she got this year (7 stops and a pedal Bourdon): Processional, Grayston Ives (b. 1948); Cornet Voluntary in F, John Humphries (1707- 1730?); Entrée (Messe Basse, op. 30), Vierne; Koraal (Suite Modale, op. 43), Flor Peeters, Andante No. 2, Henry Stephen Cutler (1825-1902); Improvisato (op. 37, no. 6), Arthur Bird (1856-1923) [see "The Organ Works of Arthur H. Bird," The Diapason, February, 1995]; Hommage (Twenty Four Pieces for Organ) and American Folk-Hymn Settings for Organ (which incorporated five stanzas of "Amazing Grace"), Jean Langlais. Not on the printed program was the Sortie of Theodore Dubois, an exciting finale to an interesting recital. On the bus to Danville, for a ride of approximately one hour.

Michael Britt, St. Paul's-Emmanuel UMC, Danville, Pennsylvania

Heretofore, on this day, the convention had been divided in two, but before we heard Michael Britt's fine recital, we were all driven to First Baptist Church, reunited with the other half of our convention and fed a fine dinner. It was then just a short ride to St. Paul's-Emmanuel UMC. Michael Britt is native to Baltimore, and graduated from the Peabody Conservatory. He concertizes as both a "classical" and a "theatre" organist, being a frequent performer at the Capitol Theatre in Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. His assigned organ this week: a really fine 19-stop A. B. Felgemaker of 1892, Opus 584, a wonderful looking instrument in addition to being distinguished tonally. The program: American Rhapsody, Pietro Yon (this was Yon at his most exploitative, a bag full of American patriotic melodies crowned at the end by the "Star Spangled Banner," assuring a standing ovation every time!); Count Your Blessings, Dan Miller (b. 1954); Hymn Prelude on the tune Bethany (op. 38), Seth Bingham; world premiere of Prelude on Marching to Zion, Wayne Wold (b. 1954), a fine work, clearly from our century, and totally digestible. The composer was in the audience, and was well cheered by all. Of course, we next sang "Marching to Zion," and the entire convention roared full throat--"We're marching to Zion, beautiful, beautiful Zion; we're marching upward to Zion, the beautiful city of God!" It was really something, and it would not have been possible without a rather incredible accompaniment from Michael Britt. What a great concert! For our next venue, no muss, no fuss, no bus, Gus. With a police escort by the entire police force of Danville, all one of them, we walked across the street to Mahoning Presbyterian Church where Bruce Cornely made a bit of OHS history.

Bruce Cornely, Hymn Sing, Mahoning Presbyterian Church, Danville, Pennsylvania

I'm not sure this evening's event was a "first," but certainly I don't remember anything quite like it at an OHS convention. It was a Hymn Sing that really was a SING. We hardly stopped, and I don't think I was alone in enjoying just about every minute of it. The whole evening was created and "executed" by Bruce Cornely. He is a long-time member of OHS and a strong presence on the Pipe Organ lists. He has studied organ with Ronald Rice, William Weaver, Robert Bennett, Robert Jones, and William Barnard, and is organist at First Baptist Church in Gainesville, Florida. The church was packed with our entire convention and many parishioners. We were well supported by Hook & Hastings Opus 1073 of 1882, a quite powerful 22-stop instrument. The Great has a 16' Bourdon, extended from the 8', a three-rank Mixture, and a Trumpet; the eight-stop Swell contains a Cornopean and a Bassoon/Oboe at 8' pitch; the Pedal has a 16' Open Wood, a 16' Bourdon, and an 8' Violoncello. Bruce varied these resources deftly, with registrations that kept us interested through the entire program. The 17-page booklet we were handed as we entered the church was beautifully organized, and cleverly, too. One could hold the booklet under the hymnal, and with the directions, like unison stanza one, etc., written way over to the left of each sheet, it was possible comfortably to read both the directions and the pages of the hymnal.

"Wind who makes all winds that blow," (Aberystwyth)--as an introduction, Bruce played a Chromatic Fugue by Johann Pachelbel; "Bless the Lord, my soul and being" (Rustington); "New songs of celebration render" (Rendez a Dieu), as introduction, No. 29 of 29 Short Preludes by Carl Nielsen; "With joy I heard my friends exclaim" (Gonfalon Royal), as a prelude, excerpts from Communion by Theodore Dubois; "Give praise to the Lord" (Laudate Dominum); "Let the whole creation cry" (Salzburg); "All praise to God for song God gives" (Sacred Song); "Called as partners in Christ's service" (Beecher); "As those of old their first fruits brought" (Forest Green); "The church of Christ in every age" (Wareham); "We all are one in mission" (Woodbird); "In Eden fair" (Aldersgate), with text and tune by Bruce Cornely. Finally, a somewhat solemn moment: another tune and text by Bruce, Laufman, in honor of the late Alan Laufman, for so many years director of the Organ Clearing House, and also editor of the yearly Organ Handbooks. This was good, and was well sung by all. Despite occasional problems in this massive undertaking, I thought it was a really rich and meaningful event, and lots of fun as well.

Third full day, Sunday, June 22

This was a gentle day, beginning with the Annual Meeting of the Organ Historical Society in the hotel at 9 am. From this meeting, one can always learn a great deal about the workings of the Society, and of the great scope of its influence and importance to us and to our chosen instrument. Michael Barone passed the office of president on to Michael Friesen, who will continue the other Michael's always wise and steady shepherding of the organization. I note with pleasure, as I have been able to do in the past, the large number of members interested enough to awaken early to attend the proceedings. Some slipped away at the Holy Hour of 11:00 to attend church in downtown Harrisburg.

Vaughn Watson, Basilica of the Sacred Heart, "Conewago Chapel," Hanover, Pennsylvania

After a good lunch at the hotel, we took a relaxing post-prandial bus ride to the historic "Conewago Chapel," or really, The Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Hanover, Pennsylvania. "Conewago" comes from a settlement near the St. Lawrence River in Canada, and a similarly named creek that runs somewhere near the church. The present, impressive, building was finished in 1787, and was then the largest church yet built in the United States. It is the oldest Catholic church in the U.S. built of stone. Neither the acoustic nor the organ are shy. Looking at the stoplist of this 10-stop Hook & Hastings instrument, Opus 1866 of 1900, one has to ask whence cometh this wall of sound. The Great has four stops, an Open Diapason, possibly the scale of a smoke stack on the Queen Mary, a Viola da Gamba, a Doppelfloete--all these at 8' pitch--and a 4' Octave. The Swell has five stops, a Violin Diapason, a Stop'd Diapason, and a Salicional, all at 8', and a 4' Flute Harmonique. There is an 8' Trumpet, for reasons unspecified, not the original, but a Hook & Hastings replacement. The sole Pedal stop is a large Open Diapason 16'; oh, and there is an intermanual supercoupler!

Vaughan Watson is a graduate of Fordham University, and has studied for a number of years with William Entriken at First Presbyterian Church in Manhattan. Since 1992, he has been director of music at Abiding Presence Lutheran Church in Fort Salonga on Long Island. His program: Prelude (Three Pieces for Organ, op. 29), Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937); Lo, how a Rose and Herzliebster Jesu (Opus 122 Chorale Preludes), Brahms. Looking at the specification, one sees (and hears) the beauty of the five relatively quiet 8' stops, not, of course, counting the Open Diapason in that. This served both Brahms works wonderfully well. Sortie in E-flat, Lefébure-Wély; Prelude, C. S. Lang; the hymn: "Most Sacred Heart of Jesus," a highly sentimental-sounding tune by a Jesuit, just identified as Fr. Maher, S.J.; Nos. 3 and 5, both in D Major, from Six Little Fugues, Handel; from Three Characteristic Pieces of Langlais: 1. Pastoral-Prelude, an absolutely charming work, and the lovely and introspective Interlude, both perfect choices for the organ and the space; lastly, Variations sur un Noël Bourguignon, André Fleury (1903-1995). After the program, we sang "Faith of our Fathers," all in unison; I guess it was a special favor to someone. Anyway, unison sounded quite o.k. in this building. This was an interesting program, a nice way to spend a Sunday afternoon. There were nervous moments, but all in all this was very nicely done, and one is grateful for the chance to hear some music "less traveled."

At this point, a relaxing and short bus ride took us to St. Mark's Lutheran Church in Hanover, which we visited just for a very nice church supper. We were well looked after here, which gives me a chance to point out that, while registration for OHS conventions is a bit higher than is the case with AGO conventions, all meals are included, which is a great time saver for convention-goers, and the food is always well done. Usually, perhaps once when we are at concerts in the downtown area of a large city, we might have lunch on our own--a nice chance to explore restaurants in the area. This happened once during this week, and it was indeed a nice experience. Now, on to New Freedom--sounds good to me.

James Hildreth, St. John the Baptist R. C., New Freedom, Pennsylvania

Since 1987, Mr. Hildreth has been organist at Broad Street Presbyterian Church, Columbus, Ohio. He is also organist for the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. I believe this is his first performance for an OHS convention, and I hope not his last. In a church packed with convention attendees, parishioners, and the larger community, he gave a performance that really satisfied all, both connoisseurs and amateurs alike. We were beguiled by his chosen program and the total competence of his playing; those less familiar with the organ and its repertoire also responded to his spoken comments. Well, we did too. The organ is Opus 2024 (1904) of Hook & Hastings, relocated and rebuilt by R. J. Brunner & Company, purveyors of much organic good in this part of the world. They converted the old tubular pneumatic action to electric action, which made it possible to make the console movable within the small space of the choir area. This organ is not small, with 26 stops on two manuals. Given the great numbers of parishioners present, one would assume that organ recitals here have been popular.

The program began with a solid and exciting performance of the Guilmant Grand Choeur (Alla Handel), op. 18, no. 1, our first experience of the really exciting full sound of this instrument; two Orgelbüchlein chorals, Ich ruf zu dir and Wenn wir in höchsten Nöthen sein; Trumpet Voluntary in D, John Bennett; Prelude & Fugue in G Major, Mendelssohn; Souvenir (op. 27, no. 1), Marcel Dupré, published in 1931; Nocturne, Arthur Foote; Thunderstorm, Thomas P. Ryder (no Orage pedal in sight, we had pedal clusters in abundance); Festival Toccata, Percy Fletcher (1879-1932). We sang the hymn "By all your saints still living" to the tune St. Theodulph. The evening ended with a breathtaking improvisation, merging the tune St. Theodulph with Ut Queant Laxis, the hymn of St. John the Baptist, clever and wonderful in every way. What a great recital.

Fourth full day, Monday, June 23

Thomas Lee Bailey, St. Paul's United Church of Christ, New Schaefferstown, Pennsylvania

This day began with the earliest morning bus departure of the convention: 7:45! Thomas Lee Bailey is organist and choirmaster of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, New York. He holds a bachelor's degree from Virginia Commonwealth University, and a Master of Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary. The organ is by Samuel Bohler, and is now 110 years old! It was built for Zion Union Church, Womelsdorf, Pennsylvania, and in 1950 was moved to St. Paul's, with some repairs, by Justus Becker. Just this year, it was restored, including a recreation of the original reservoir and wind trunks, by R. J. Brunner & Company. There are 12 stops, with the Pedal containing only a 16' Sub Bass.

The program: Scherzo in Sol Minore per Organo, Marco Enrico Bossi; Prelude in E-flat Minor, Vincent D'Indy; "Humoresque" from L'Organo Primitivo (Toccatina), Pietro Yon; the hymn, "O Master let me walk with Thee," tune de Tar by Calvin Hampton; Andante with Variations (posthumous), Mendelssohn; Roulade, Seth Bingham. (1882-1972). This was a splendid recital.

Rosalind Mohnsen, Old Belleman's Church, Mohrville, Pennsylvania

Rosalind Mohnsen's biography in the Organ Handbook mentions that this was her 17th appearance at an OHS convention! She holds degrees from the University of Nebraska and Indiana University and later studied with Jean Langlais in Paris, and is director of music at Immaculate Conception Church in Malden, Massachusetts. The organ, single-manual with 13-note pedalboard, surmised to be of the 1870s, is also surmised to be the work of Samuel Bohler, and Ray Brunner gives cogent reasons for making this assumption. The disposition is interesting. The manual compass is 54 notes, and the four 8' stops share a common bass, each thus having 37 pipes of its own; all 8': Open Diapason, Clarabella, Dulciana, and Stopped Diapason. One then draws the Stopped Diapason Bass, with its 17 pipes, to provide the lower octave and a bit. There is also a 4' Principal, Twelfth, and Fifteenth. The Pedal has a stop at 16' simply called "Pedal Bass," with 13 pipes, and there is also a pedal coupler. This handsome church is no longer in regular weekly use, but holds four annual services, and is also used for weddings. In this lovely program of ten pieces, I knew only two. There were five composers whose music I had never heard. I present this as a virtue, as none of the music was dull, or less than convincingly played: Concerto in G, Christoph Wolfgang Druckenmueller (listed as from Das Husumer Orgelbuch); Praeludium (from Three Character Pieces, op. 64, no. 1), Rudolf Bibl (1832-1902); next a selection of five quite varied chorale preludes, all of which managed to sound quite fine on this little instrument: Jesu, meine Freude (Neumeister Collection), J. S. Bach; Wo Gott der Herr nicht bey uns haelt, Johann Christoph Oley (1738-1789); Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, op. 78, Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933); Herzlich tut mich erfreuen (alla Giga), Gerhard Krapf (b. 1974); Ein' feste Burg, Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg (1718-1795), something of a charming gallop on "full organ"! The hymn was a bit different: we sang "What a friend we have in Jesus" to the familiar tune, but in "Pennsylvania Dutch" or German, perhaps we should say. We had the words and knew the tune, so off we went in glorious unison, stumbling over the words a bit. Next, Fugue in 3 Voices, Charles Zeuner (1795-1857); Impromptu, J. Frank Donohoe (1856-1925); the program ended with Open Diapason March (1879), by Louis Meyer, in three words: corny but effective. It made a fun ending to a most interesting and rewarding recital.

Walter Krueger, Christ Little Tulpehocken UCC

While waiting for Dr. Krueger to begin his recital, we were edified by an attendance board prominently displayed: Attendance today 31, Offering $39.40. [Slightly better than a dollar per person!] Attendance last week 32, Attendance one year ago 26, Enrolment 50. Walter Krueger holds a doctorate from Northwestern University. He teaches music at Portland (Oregon) Lutheran School, is an adjunct professor at Concordia University in Portland, and is director of music at Trinity Lutheran Church, Portland. The instrument, in a high gallery, was built in 1862 by Joel Kantner, and while that is all that is known, there are many mysteries about this organ. It looks in several ways to be an English instrument, and as the Organ Handbook notes point out, and as many noticed early on, it can sound a bit like something out of 1962! There is lots of articulation, and the 4' Principal is louder than the 8', for starters. The tone is, however, gentle and singing, not always a 1962 characteristic. There are eight stops on its single manual, built, fortunately, on an 8' Open Diapason, ending with a 12th and 15th. There is no Pedal. For the perfect beginning, a lovely Toccata in the Aeolian Mode, by Sweelinck; Toccata for the Elevation (Fiori Musicali), Frescobaldi; Fugue on the Trumpet, François Couperin; La Romanesca with Five Variations, Antonio Valente (1520-1580); Berceuse (24 Pieces in Free Style), Louis Vierne; Gehende and Schnelle (from Thirty Pieces for Small Organ), Hugo Distler (1908-1942). The program ended with an attempt to meld a Johann Gottfried Walther Partita with the hymn (chorale) we were to sing. The partita was splendid--the melding process did not work too well, as in each of the three stanzas we were to sing (Jesu, meine Freude, Bach harmonization), we were really left uncertain about where to begin. The whole process began with Dr. Kreuger playing the chorale, as Walther harmonized it. Then we sang stanza 1. The second part of the Partita was played on 4' stops alone, the third on just flutes. Then we sang stanza 2. The Partita continued with part four, in sixteenth notes. Part five was on the softest stops in the organ, and part six was on two manuals. At this point, we sang stanza three of the chorale, followed by part seven of the Partita, on "full organ," an apt ending for a most pleasant concert.

Sally Cherrington Beggs, North Heidelberg UCC Church, Robesonia, Pennsylvania

Upon entering this church, one was immediately plunged into a mood of serenity and expectancy. Something lovely had to happen in this place, and it did, beginning with the visual impact of the late afternoon sun highlighting the gold in the stenciled organ case. Then, the gentle and beautiful qualities of the 1892 single-manual (and pedal) organ by Samuel Bohler. A Pennsylvania native, Sally Cherrington Beggs holds degrees from Susquehanna and Yale universities. She is presently college organist and chairs the music department at Newberry College in South Carolina. In honor of the fact that this church began life as a Moravian congregation, we first heard, from Nine Preludes for Organ of Christian Latrobe (1758-1836), Preludes 2 and 3; Variations on God Save the King, Charles Wesley (1757-1834); Adagio and Scherzo (for mechanical organ), Beethoven; Mozart Changes, Zsolt Gardonyi. Dr. Beggs had been served during this recital by a quiet and efficient page turner and stop puller. He (Stuart Weber) now became soloist, playing a Native American flute in a chorale prelude by Emma Lou Diemer, based on the Native American tune, Lacquiparle; then, Sketch No. 3 in F Minor, Schumann; the hymn, "Jesus makes my heart rejoice."

Following this recital, we hopped on the buses for an hour's ride to Annville, the home of Lebanon Valley College, which provided a very nice dinner in the college dining hall. Many of us managed to get over to the chapel, and some managed to get the Schantz wound up and going. It lacked the historicity needed for us to notice it, but I am glad we got a chance to visit the chapel and organ nonetheless. After dinner, it was back on the buses, heading for Hershey, and the Hershey Theater.

Matthew Glandorf, Hershey Theater, Hershey, Pennsylvania

Matthew Glandorf grew up in Germany, and at 16 entered the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, studying with John Weaver and Ford Lallerstedt. He presently teaches at both Curtis and Westminster Choir College. We were in a rather opulent theater with a 1932 Skinner organ, probably unlike any other, full of brassiness and with a killer Pedal division. Harrison's name is on the console, but it would seem that Skinner was actually responsible for the job, but under the thumb of Hershey's consultant, Dr. Harry Sykes of Lancaster, who probably has a lot to answer for. Certainly, what we heard this evening would not have pleased G.D.H., and possibly not E.M.S. either! Matthew Glandorf offered a mixture of a bit of organ music, several transcriptions, and one very impressive improvisation. I thought the improvisation was the most successful. The room has the deadness of any large theater, with carpets and plush seats. The program began with Sonata Eroïca, Joseph Jongen. I found it unsatisfactory on this instrument, given the over-brassy quality of the sound, which seemed to clash within itself. Glandorf's own transcription of the Rachmininoff Vocalise seemed to work quite well. It was an island of tranquility, and, I think, the sort of piece that survives transcription relatively untarnished. From then on, all hell broke loose. On to two more transcriptions of Rachmaninoff works, the first done by Mr. Glandorf himself of the famous C-Sharp Minor Prelude. With Full Organ engaged most of the time, much of the detail in the piece became muddled. Next, the Prelude in G Minor, transcribed by "G. Federlein," which could be either father (Gottlieb) or the son (Gottfried) who was organist at Temple Emmanuel in New York for many years. When it was over, I still longed for the Steinway, and in the Wagner transcription which followed, the Liebestod, transcribed by Lemare with some Glandorf additions, I wanted a full symphony orchestra to emerge on stage. Next was a brilliant performance of the Dupré Allegro Deciso, the third part of the symphonic poem, Évocation, of 1941. And then, Mr. Glandorf's towering improvisation on The Star Spangled Banner, done brilliantly, and I will happily hear him improvise again--and again. For the "hymn of the day," we then sang, of course, the "National Anthem," quite lustily, and then, it was on the buses for the Crowne Plaza, our home away from home.

Fifth full day, Tuesday, June 24

Gerald E. Mummert, York County Historical Society Museum

Today, the convention was split in three, some going to hear a 1995 organ by Ray Brunner in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania, some going to the Museum of the York County Historical Society in York, and some visiting the National Clock and Watch Museum in Columbia. I frankly regretted the forced choice, wanting to hear Ray's instrument, plus the last Tannenberg, and to visit also the watches and clocks. The strongest contender in the Must Hear category was the Tannenberg in York, and that is where I chose to go. The organ is on display at the front of a small auditorium, and to me, even though simple, it was breathtaking. Ray Brunner, who has done considerable restorative work on this instrument, gave an introduction to it, before, I presume, rushing over to Mount Joy. Quoting Ray Brunner:

"Although 76 years of age and in failing health, Tannenberg completed an organ for this large Lutheran congregation in York. The wagons carrying the organ arrived in York in late April, 1804, and Tannenberg and his assistant began the installation. May 17th, while standing on a bench or scaffold tuning the organ, Tannenberg had a stroke and fell. He died two days later; the organ was finished by his assistant John Hall."

There were eleven stops, nine manual (54 notes) and two pedal (25 notes), but the Trumpet went missing at some point. There are apparently no examples of a Tannenberg Trumpet around to copy, so no attempt has been made to add one so far. The organ survived in original condition for a century, with Midmer doing a rebuild in 1905, and that is how Ray Brunner found it in 1990. There is more restorative work he hopes to do, as budget permits, but at present, the instrument is lovely to behold and to hear.

Gerald Mummert has been since 1971 director of music in the church for which the Tannenberg was originally built, Christ Lutheran Church in York. He holds degrees from Susquehanna and Indiana universities, and is adjunct professor of music at York College of Pennsylvania. A splendid player, he offered an imaginative and interesting program, one well calculated to suit the organ wonderfully. He proved yet again that wonderful music can be made on a single-manual organ, a fact well-known to OHS members. The program began with "Hampton" by The Rev. Johann Georg Schmucker, who was pastor at Christ Lutheran from 1802 to 1836; next, Herz nach dir gewacht, by Michael Bentz, who was organist of Christ Lutheran Church, Lancaster, when the Tannenberg was installed, or possibly a bit after that. Sublime is the only suitable word for the combination of the performance, the Tannenberg, and the Brahms setting of Schmücke dich; then, Elegy (Three Pieces for Organ), William Walton; Versets, Daniel Pinkham; and we closed with a hymn by Michael Bentz, Der Herr ist Sohn und Schild, sung in three parts (SAB), arranged by Gerald Mummert, a lovely ending to this really fine recital.

Scott Foppiano, Covenant UMC, Lancaster

After the sweet gentleness of the very last Tannenberg, the next recital gave something of a jolt--from both the instrument and the player. The organ is a Casavant from 1926, and not a great deal has been done to it since its installation. There was a releathering in 1959, and another in the late 1980s. In 2002, Columbia Organ Works rebuilt the console, and "at the church's insistence" made some additions at that time. The additions were, on the Great: 2' Super Octave, and 4-rank Mixture, and on the Swell, 5-rank Mixture. The given specification fails to list couplers, other than those that have reversible pistons. However, one can surmise from 73-note chests on Swell, part of the Choir, and all of the Solo, that these have super couplers to the Great. The fact that the Great has only 61-note chests comes as a relief.

Mr. Foppiano is from Memphis, where he now serves as director of music in a church not named in his program biography. After studying in Memphis, he was a student of both John and Margaret Mueller at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Further study was with Donna Robertson, David Lowry, Thomas Hazleton, the late William Whitehead, and Gregorian Chant with Dom Daniel Saulnier from Solesmes. The program: Suite for Organ, John Ireland; Prière, Rene Vierne; Tuba Tune, C. S. Lang; the hymn, both text and tune, was written by Benjamin R. Hanby (1833-1867), a pastor in the Church of the United Brethren; Prière à Notre Dame, Boëllmann; Will 'o the Wisp (Scherzo-Toccatina), Nevin; Fest-Hymnus, op. 20, of Carl (or Karl) Piutti (1846-1902). This was a most interesting program, not all the "usual stuff." So, thank you, Scott.

Peter Stoltzfus, Otterbein United Methodist Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

Peter Stoltzfus is organist and director of music at All Saints' Church, Worcester, Massachusetts, and was returning to the church in which he grew up and where, for a time, he was organist and choirmaster before heading east. He introduced to us the lady who was his teacher and exemplar at Otterbein, and later in the program, played a piece that she had played all those years ago, a piece that turned him on to the organ, a chorale improvisation on the tune Deo Gratias by Paul Manz, and he managed to play it using the same registration that his teacher had used. The organ is Skinner Opus 805 from 1930. It has four divisions, the usual three with a small two-stop Echo, all of this in only 25 stops, 28 ranks.

The program: Trumpet Tune in D, David Johnson; Deo Gratias, Paul Manz; Gavotta, Padre Giovanni Battista Martini (1706-1784), arranged by Guilmant; Requiescat in Pace, Leo Sowerby; Allegro (Symphony V), Widor. One of the few composers in the tradition of the United Brethren in Christ denomination was Edmund S. Lorenz (1854-1942). In 1890, he established the famous Lorenz Publishing Company, and was also at one time president of Lebanon Valley College. We sang one of his hymn tunes, with a text also possibly by him: "Tell it to Jesus." It is in the gospel song tradition, and the convention no doubt gave it one of the best performances of its life. We were unrestrained in our enthusiasm, and then were similarly unrestrained in saluting Peter Stoltzfus for his good work past and present, including his fine performance of this evening.

Karl Moyer, St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church, Lancaster, Pennsylvania

This evening's concert by Karl Moyer put the singing of the hymn first, "Holy God, we praise thy Name," to a tune whose composer is unknown. Karl established his credentials, as if he had to, as a consummate accompanist for a singing congregation. Not many are so established! Dr. Moyer spent much of his long career on the faculty at Millersville University, while serving several major parishes in the area, most recently Grace Lutheran Church in Lancaster, from which he retired a year ago. He holds degrees from Lebanon Valley College, Union Theological Seminary, Temple University, and has his doctorate from Eastman. He has also run the Boston Marathon!

The organ is a fine Barckhoff instrument from 1891, with mechanical key action and pneumatic stop action. At 26 stops, it is a quite complete two-manual, anchored by a not slender 16' Double Open and a 16' Trombone, the latter added by James McFarland in 1985 at the time of a general restoration. Columbia Organ Works later added a new blower and did further restoration work.

The program: Prelude and Fugue in G (BWV 541), Bach; Ronde Française (op. 37), Léon Boëllmann; As the Dew From Heaven Distilling, Joseph Daynes, (1851-1920), arr. Alexander Schreiner; three movements from Sonata No. 5 in C Minor of Guilmant, 1. Allegro appassionato, 4. Recitativo, and 5. Choral and Fugue; Adagio & Fugue for Violin & Organ (op. 150, no. 6), Josef Rheinberger (with violinist Scott Hohenwarter); Wir glauben all' in einen Gott, Vater, attributed to Johann Ludwig Krebs; two Bach Two-Part Inventions, with an added voice by Max Reger: No. 3 in D and No. 14 in B-flat; Claire de Lune (Three Impressions, op. 72), Sigfrid Karg-Elert; the program closed with two settings of Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, first by Paul Manz, and second, the stupendous setting by Max Reger--a grand, high octane performance, sending us out into the night most cheerfully. What a great program, and what a great organist, a man who had much to do with the success of this convention, and still had time to give us this evening.

Thus ended the fifth full day of this great convention.

Sixth full day, June 25, 2003

Ann Marie Rigler, St. John's UCC, Boalsburg, Pennsylvania

Boalsburg is one of many historic towns in this part of Pennsylvania, and one of its claims to fame seems to be as the birthplace of Memorial Day. In late May, 1864, two families by coincidence met at the cemetery to place flowers on the graves of loved ones who had died in the Civil War. They later decided to meet again at the same time the next year, and others from the community joined them in the same observance. The idea soon spread to other communities, and that is how it all began. St. John's UCC Church was built in 1861, and by 1868 it became the home of the very first church organ built by Charles Durner. Durner was born in Germany in 1838 into a five-generation family of organbuilders. At age 21 he came to Pennsylvania and set up shop. The St. John's organ has 14 stops, including a Great 16' Bourdon (only to tenor g#) and Principals to the Fifteenth, including a Twelfth. The Swell offers two 8' Flutes and a Dulciana, 4' Flute and Vox Humana to tenor C (really a Clarinet). In the Pedal, 16' Sub Bass, and 8' Violin Bass (Open Wood). The organ had been in a west gallery, but at the turn of the century was brought down to a chamber in front. In 1971 Hartmann Beatty rebuilt the instrument, bringing the pedal to 30 notes from its original 20, and in 1990 R. J. Brunner did a proper restoration. This congregation has lovingly cared for the instrument, and has produced a fine booklet about its history.

Ann Marie Rigler is both instructor in music (organ and music appreciation) and reference librarian at the University Park campus of Penn State University. Prior to coming to Pennsylvania, she taught at a number of well-known universities, and has a long list of performance credits, including at AGO conventions. She holds undergraduate and doctoral degrees in organ performance from SMU and from the University of Iowa respectively, and a master's degree in library and information science and musicology from the University of Illinois. Generally, it takes me about five bars to figure out what kind of recital is in store. Dr. Rigler set me at ease in perhaps two bars, with her great musical assurance and musicality, and the program began with the Mendelssohn G Major Prelude (op. 37, no. 2), rather the perfect beginning for a recital on a not very large but totally unforced and honest instrument. It was beautiful sound combined with beautiful playing. Next, Canzonetta (op. 71, no. 4), Arthur Foote; Concert Variations on the Austrian Hymn (op. 3), John Knowles Paine (1839-1906), who was Foote's teacher; we finished with the expected hymn, chosen by the recitalist--in this case, Austrian Hymn, of course. Dr. Rigler's accompaniments were just right. She led us without crushing us. She was under us with just the right amount of support, leaving room for us to hear and enjoy our own singing together.

Following this recital, we strolled around the town's historic district while the other half of the convention heard the same recital. Then buses picked us all up for a short trip to State College, Pennsylvania and lunch at the elegant Nittany Lion Inn.

David Dahl, St. John's Episcopal Church, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

This, the penultimate day of the convention, is about as perfect a day of music as one could hope for, and not the only such day in this convention, or in other conventions. Please, even if you have never done it before, give serious consideration to attending this summer in Buffalo, New York, July 13-20. You will not believe the roster of artists and the distinguished collection of organs arranged for us by Joe McCabe and his committee. Go to and click on Conventions.

The 15-stop mechanical action organ at St. John's Episcopal Church was built circa 1892 by J. W. Steere & Sons. It is an untouched original, other than for routine maintenance and tuning, and it is in perfect working order. David Dahl's program began with the Buxtehude Toccata & Fugue in F, impeccably and beautifully played; Du, O schönes Weltgebaude, Ethel Smyth (1858-1944); Concerto Voluntary-Homage to John Stanley, David Dahl; Calvin Hampton's lovely Hymn Prelude on America, the beautiful-Materna served as a prelude to our, as always, spectacular hymn singing. We were given the directions we like to have: Stanza 1, Unison; Stanza 2, Harmony, sung quietly; Stanza 3, Harmony, sung boldly. There was not a dry eye to be found. Then, Allegro in C Major (for Flute Clock Organ), Haydn; Sidste Vaar (The Last Spring), Edvard Grieg, arr. Hans Olaf Lien; Toccata in G, Theodore Dubois, a very exciting end to this splendid performance. David Dahl recently retired from Pacific Lutheran University, and continues as director of music ministries at Christ Episcopal Church in Tacoma, Washington. His list of performances in this country and abroad is a long one, and there are numerous recordings.

Kola Owolabi, Trinity United Methodist Church, Bellefonte, Pennsylvania

I first heard Kola Owolabi in Spivey Hall outside Atlanta in 2002. He was a semi-finalist in the Calgary International Organ Competition. He has a bachelor's from McGill, a master's from Yale in organ performance and choral conducting, and is now enrolled at Eastman. In 2002, in Philadelphia, he was awarded Second Prize and the Audience Prize in the AGO National Organ Performance Competition. A published composer, he has received commissions from the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Royal Canadian College of Organists. For his performance here, he played a 1902 Hook & Hastings Organ of 16 stops, Opus 1893, restored by R. J. Brunner & Co. in 1991.

The program: Sonata III in A Major, Mendelssohn; here followed the hymn, Aus tiefer Not; from the Six Canonic Studies of Schumann, we heard No. 4 in A-flat major; Voluntary No. 4, William Russell (1777-1813); O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good (from Portraits from the Psalms), Kola Olowabi; this music is unique and wonderful, while yet accessible to all. Do watch for this name--I know there will be more music. This muse cannot be stilled.

Ken Cowan, Cathedral of the Blessed Sacrament, Altoona, Pennsylvania

Ken Cowan's recitals always create a great buzz of anticipation. What marvelous new delights will he unleash this time? Then, add in an organ not heard by many previously, but an instrument of incredible importance in organ history. It's an unbeatable formula. We certainly were not disappointed in the least with either organist or organ. The organ at the cathedral was built in 1931 by G.F. Steinmeyer & Company of Oettingen, Bavaria, Germany, as their Opus 1543. It comprises 83 ranks over three manuals and pedal, and a fourth manual and couplers were provided for a Sanctuary division, prepared for in 1931. The organ was restored in 1990-92 by Columbia Organ Works. Cowan began his recital with the Franck E Major Choral, which sent chills down our spines. This organ is capable of tremendous volume, but it all fits incredibly comfortably in the building, so no one is overwhelmed but all are moved powerfully. Next, Variations on Weinen, Klagen, Liszt, arranged from the original piano version by Alexander Winterberger (a pupil of Liszt), and by Ken Cowan; Valse Mignon, Karg-Elert; Max Reger's transcription of the Bach Chromatic Fantasie and Fugue for harpsichord turns it into a big Romantic affair, and it got a blaze of glory at the end. After intermission, we sang Calvin Hampton's tune St. Helena to the text "There's a wideness in God's mercy;" then, O Lamm Gottes (BWV 656), Allein Gott (BWV 664), Bach; and, finally, Hallelujah, Gott zu Loben, Reger. The ovation that followed is best described as tumultuous. It just would not stop, until Ken made it clear he was to offer up one more piece. The "Jig" Fugue was the perfect encore.

Last day, Thursday, June 26

The 2003 convention's last day featured single-manual organs. Over the years, the OHS has taught many organists that for the careful listener, wonderful music can be made on an organ of only one manual and a very few stops. While we miss here a large palette of stops of differing colors, we hear the music, its quality adorned by a mere handful of stops, themselves, hopefully, of great beauty. I have heard people say of, perhaps, a particular 8' Principal or a Flute, that "This is a sound I can listen to all day." It's this kind of experience that validates a day with four recitals on single-manual organs by builders of unquestioned quality, along with players who know how to best exploit them.

John Charles Schucker, Salem United Church, Bethel, Pennsylvania

The first recital of the day was played by John Charles Schucker, a name new to me, and a person I hope to hear again. He was at one time an organ student of Karl Moyer, who was perhaps responsible for bringing him to this convention. Mr. Schucker holds bachelor and master's degrees from the Juilliard School, where he studied organ with Vernon deTar and piano with Earl Wild. He is now pianist and organist with The American Boychoir in Princeton, New Jersey. The organ was built in 1872 by the distinguished Pennsylvania German organbuilder, Thomas Dieffenbach. It is one of two instruments we will hear today that has a Pedal division, in this case, a 16' Bourdon, a coupler, and only 13 pedal keys. The manual division is fairly complete with three 8' stops--Open Diapason, Flute, and Dulciana--a Principal, Flute, and Stopped Diapason at 4', and a 2' Fifteenth. The console is detached and reversed. The Wanamaker organ it is not, but for the careful listener, there is much beauty to be found.

Mr. Schucker's program: Sinfonia in E-flat major, BWV 791 (Three Part Inventions), Bach; two settings of Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten, by Telemann and Jacob Friedrich Greiss; Andantino in E Minor (L'Organiste), César Franck; O Gott, du frommer Gott, Brahms; we also sang the chorale, in Bach's glorious harmonization; Fugue on the name Julian (Three Fugues in honor of Thomas Julian Talley), David Hurd; two choral preludes on Vom Himmel hoch, by Friedrich Wilhelm Zachau (1663-1712) and Helmut Walcha (1907-1991); Fugue in C, Buxtehude. How wonderful, and what a fine recital, resourceful in its choice of music for the instrument, and played with both verve and sensitivity.

Lou Carol Fix at Peter Hall, Moravian College, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

After a relaxing, snoozing trip to Bethlehem and Moravian College, the convention divided into two parts, one having an early lunch, while my group headed upstairs to Peter Hall, with its wonderful little late 18th-century organ by Samuel Green of London. This is smaller than the Dieffenbach instrument, having no pedal division at all, and only four stops. It is also approximately 100 years older! There is an 8' Open Diapason and an 8' Stopped Diapason, a 4' Principal, divided Bass and Treble, and a 2' Fifteenth, also divided. So, smaller instrument, but a new flexibility, reflected in Ms. Fix's fine program. Ray Brunner (R. J. Brunner & Co.) meticulously restored this instrument in 1998.

The organ has an ingenious wind supply system. There is a wooden handle at the back right which can be pumped easily from there, but there is also a foot pedal which is movable. It can slide over to the right side of the case front where the pumper can both pump and, with hands free, turn pages or pull stops. However, this clever pedal can also be moved close enough to the organist so he or she can pump and provide wind while playing the organ.

Lou Carol Fix is artist/lecturer at Moravian College, teaching organ, recorder, and music history since 1985. She has degrees in organ and musicology from Salem College and Indiana University, and is organist and director of music at Peace-Tohickon Lutheran Church in Perkasie, Pennsylvania. The program began with a familiar Moravian hymn by Christian Gregor, "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes . . ." Next, a hymn setting, thus called to set it apart from a simple chorale prelude. This was an historic manner of accompanying a hymn, Allein Gott, by Van Vleck; Prelude III (Nine Preludes, 1806), Christian Latrobe (1758-1836); the divided stops came into their own in a Trumpet Voluntary by John Bennett (c. 1735-1784); Toccata Terza (The First Book of Toccatas, Partitas), Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583-1643); the mean tone temperament of this instrument combines with this early 17th-century work to create sounds of a rare beauty. The concert ended with Voluntary for the Organ by Benjamin Carr, born in England in 1768, but coming to the U.S. in 1793, and settling in Philadelphia. And so ended a second fine recital on this final day of the convention.

Thomas Dressler, Moravian Historical Museum

Next was lunch and a stroll around the grounds, before hopping on the bus for Nazareth and Whitefield House of the Moravian Historical Museum. The organs are getting smaller! Not so much, actually, as this organ by Tannenberg has four stops as did the Samuel Green instrument, but here the stops are not divided, and there is not an 8' Open Diapason, but rather a Flute Amabile, an open stop beautiful in its own right, but without quite the strength that a Diapason would have. The honor of playing this lovely instrument went to Thomas Dressler who studied as a teenager with James Boeringer, later earning a Bachelor of Music degree, cum laude, at Susquehanna University, and then a Master of Music degree in performance, with honors, at Westminster Choir College. His teachers at Westminster were Mark Brombaugh and Joan Lippincott.

The program began with our magnificent singing of a hymn in glorious harmony, a hymn that is apparently of tremendous significance in Moravian congregations, "Sing hallelujah, praise the Lord" to a tune by Bishop John Bechler (1784-1857); next, Trip to Pawtucket, Oliver Shaw; Voluntary #1 (from American Church Organ Voluntaries, 1856); Rondo, Oliver Shaw; Voluntary in C (Century of American Organ Music 1776-1876, Vol. 3), James Cox Beckel (1811-1880); The Bristol March, Oliver Shaw; Partita on Gelobet seist du, and Capriccio in D, Georg Böhm (1661-1733).

After a suitable interval, we found our way to the buses, heading for Shartlesville, for The Pennsylvania Dutch Dinner at the famous Haag's Hotel. We then were given the choice of taking the bus or a short walk to Friedens Church, still in Shartlesville.

Lois Regestein, Friedens Church, Shartlesville

The final recital of the day, and also of the convention, was given by Lois Regestein, an OHS regular of long standing. She began with the lovely Prelude in F of Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847); Pastorale, Bach; The Nines, a most interesting piece written in 1992 by a well-known member of the OHS family, Rachel Archibald; Nun freut euch, lieben Christen g'mein, Ernst Pepping (1900-1981); a lovely Polish carol, Pospieszcie pastuszki do stajenki, Stefan Surzyuski; Freuet euch, ihr Christen alle, Pepping; The Nighting Gall, Henry Loosemore, (c.1605-1670); The Thunder Storm, Thomas P. Ryder (1836-1887); we sang the hymn quoted in the last movement of the Ryder, the well-known Vesper Hymn, to a tune attributed to Bortniansky. The organ was by Thomas Dieffenbach, built in 1891, one of his last instruments. Like the Dieffenbach we heard first today, the console is detached and reversed. The manual division of this instrument has eight stops, four at 8' (Open Diapason, Stopped Diapason, Flute, and Dulciana); at 4', Principal and Stopped Diapason, Quint (shown as 3' here) and 2' Flauto. There are 20 pedal notes, and the two stops are a 16' Sub Bass and an 8' Violin Bass, plus a coupler.

Mrs. Regestein holds degrees from both Oberlin and the Yale School of Music. Since 1983, she has been organist for the First Congregational Church in Winchester, Massachusetts. In 1987, the OHS conferred on her The Distinguished Service Award for her efforts to protect the splendid 1863 E. & G.G. Hook Organ in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Boston, from threatened damage or removal.

2004 Convention

Let us all gather in Buffalo this summer, from July 13th through the 20th for the 2004 Convention of The Organ Historical Society. For information: 804/353-9226; www.organsociety.org.