Sweden's King Bestows Highest National Medal On Eastman Organ Professor Davidsson

Hans Davidsson

Hans Davidsson is general artistic and research director of the Göteborg Organ Art Center, GOArt, as well as artistic director of the Göteborg International Organ Academy. In 2001, he was appointed professor of organ at the Eastman School Music and project director of the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI). In 2006, he was appointed visiting professor at the Bremen Hochschule für Künste, Fachbereich für Musik.

When the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester opened its doors in downtown Rochester, New York in 1921, its benefactor George Eastman made sure that the first class of organ students had facilities that were state of the art, and a superb faculty. In the early twentieth century, Eastman’s truly American vision of the pinnacle of the organ art even allowed that first class of students to choose whether to study “theatre organ” or “legitimate organ” playing. To meet twenty-first-century needs for organ education with the same energy, vision and commitment, Eastman has embarked on a program called the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative, or EROI. EROI’s main goal has been to update and expand Eastman’s collection of instruments for the whole range of the organ repertoire, making it a global organ facility. EROI’s first major step was to install the largest Italian Baroque organ in North America in the Memorial Art Gallery of the University of Rochester in 2005. Its next project will be to restore the Skinner Organ Company’s Opus 325 at Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall to its original 1921 condition. The current phase, the Craighead-Saunders Organ, will be inaugurated in Christ Church (Episcopal) across from the Eastman School of Music on October 16 at EROI’s seventh annual organ festival.
The Craighead-Saunders Organ is a new two-manual, 33-stop instrument named after David Craighead and Russell Saunders, two renowned professors of organ at the Eastman School of Music. They will both be celebrated by faculty, students and alumni at the opening symposium of this year’s festival, including the presentation of a new biography of Russell Saunders by Martha H. Sobaje.
The Craighead-Saunders Organ is a scientific reconstruction of an organ from 1776 built by Adam Gottlob Casparini for the Holy Ghost Church in Vilnius, Lithuania, and represents a Baltic-North European building style from the height of Enlightenment-era Europe. The finished instrument is the result of a six-year interdisciplinary research project between GOArt (the Göteborg Organ Art Center) and the Eastman School of Music on the processes of eighteenth-century organ building. GOArt is an interdisciplinary research center at Gothenburg University in Sweden, devoted to the study of the organ and related keyboard instruments and their music. A basic idea shaping GOArt’s research environment is to study the organ not just as a musical instrument, but also as a visual object, cultural artifact, and technological construction, and to communicate its research results to students, scholars and builders. In this latest project, GOArt worked in collaboration with a reference group that included leading American organbuilders as well as key members of Eastman’s faculty. This reference group made decisions for the project by consensus through the entire design and building process.
The result is a new and fresh instrument that challenges us to listen to, look at, and interact with an aesthetic that hasn’t been experienced this way anywhere since the end of the eighteenth century. The instrument’s soundscape is made up of over 1800 carefully reconstructed pipes that have been voiced by Munetaka Yokota based on strict principles that follow the original instrument’s design and documentation. Its case, built following eighteenth-century methods, creates an object like a Baroque theater set, painted in egg tempera and gilded and hand-burnished by German experts and a small army of volunteers. The colorful instrument and its generously proportioned new timber-frame balcony will provide an opportunity to explore eighteenth-century vocal and ensemble music using a large organ as the main continuo instrument. The tonal resources will make it possible to explore traditional continuo registration practice in this repertoire for the first time in a century.
The Craighead-Saunders Organ’s potential to offer new perspectives on the music of J. S. Bach and his sons and pupils has inspired the two-day symposium at the heart of this year’s EROI Festival, entitled “J. S. Bach and the Organ.” This symposium, co-sponsored by the Westfield Center, brings together leading Bach scholars and performers from around the world. Highlights will include the 2008 Glenn E. Watkins Lecture delivered by Christoph Wolff, as well as a concert of Bach’s cantatas performed by members of the Christ Church Schola Cantorum and the Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Players.
On Saturday the festival continues with a final symposium, “Reconstruction as a Model for Research and Creation,” co-sponsored by the Organ Historical Society. A natural continuation of the EROI Festival in 2007 (“New Dimensions in Organ Documentation and Conservation”), lectures and panel discussions will address the complementary process of documenting the original Casparini organ and creating the reconstruction in Rochester.

Rochester participates in the AGO Organ Spectacular
The 2008 EROI festival will help celebrate the American Guild of Organists’ International Day of the Organ here in Rochester. A Sunday afternoon program co-sponsored by the Rochester AGO chapter, “Organ Spectacular—An International Organ Celebration,” will give alumni and registered participants the opportunity to experience the wide range of Rochester’s growing organ landscape. This year, two new organs in Rochester will have their inaugurations during the festival. Paul Fritts has just completed his Opus 26 for Sacred Heart Cathedral, and George Taylor and John Boody the new Tannenberg-style organ, Opus 57, in Pittsford First Presbyterian Church. Throughout the day, other participating venues and area churches will offer open houses, mini-concerts, and/or organ demonstrations by resident organists and Eastman students. This will take place in cooperation with the Rochester AGO chapter. For more information and a list of events and locations, contact Nicole Marane, event coordinator ([email protected]), or visit the EROI (www.rochester.edu/EROI) or Rochester AGO (www.agorochester.org) websites.
The inaugural festival for the Craighead-Saunders Organ at Christ Church will take place October 16–20 in conjunction with the University of Rochester’s Meliora Weekend and the Eastman School of Music’s Eastman Weekend. Registration materials are available online on the EROI website. For more information on the Craighead-Saunders Organ and recent photos, visit <www.esm.rochester.edu/EROI/c-s.php&gt;.

Spellings and capitalizations are all according to the original stop labels from the 1776 Casparini organ and the order is given according to the use of these capitalizations.

CLAVIATURA PRIMA
BOURDUN. á 16.
PRINCIPAL. á 8.
HOHLFLAUT. á 8.
QVINTATHON. á 8.
Octava Principal. á 4.
Flaut Travers. á 4.
Super Octava. á 2.
Flasch Flot. á 2.
Qvinta. á 5.
Tertia. á 1 3/5
Mixtura. á 5. Choris.
Trompet. á 8.

Claviatura Secunda
PRINCIPAL. á 4.
IULA. á 8.
Principal Amalel. á 8.
Unda Maris. á 8.
Flaut Major. á 8.
Flaut Minor. á 4.
Spiel Flet. á 4.
Octava. á 2.
Wald Flot. á 2.
Mixtura. á 4. Choris.
Vox Humana. á 8.
Dulcian. á 16.*

PEDAL
Principal Bass. á 16.
Violon Bass. á 16.
Full Bass. á 12.
Octava Bass. á 8.
Flaut & Quint Bass. á 8.
Super Octava Bass. á 4.
Posaun Bass. á 16.
Trompet Bass. á 8.

*This position was never occupied on the original windchest.
There is no information preserved about the type and pitch of the reed stop once planned for this position. The Craighead-Saunders Organ has a Dulcian 16?.

Accessories
Ventil ad Claviaturam Primam.
Ventil ad Claviaturam Secundum.
Ventil Pedall.
2 Tremulants
BEBNY. (Drum)
Vox Campanarum (Glockenspiel)
Gwiazdy. (Cymbelstern)
Kalilujactgo. (Calcant)
Shove Coupler (Claviatura Secunda to Claviatura Prima)
Pedal to Claviaturam Primam Coupler
Compass: Manuals: C–d3; Pedal: C–d1

 

Joel H. Kuznik

The 2006 EROI Festival was presented by the Eastman School of Music and the Westfield Center October 12–15. The topic was “Aspects of American Organ Building in the 20th Century with emphasis on E. M. Skinner and John Brombaugh.”

The Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI)

When the Eastman School of Music opened its doors in 1921, it housed the largest and most lavish organ collection in the nation, befitting the interests of its founder, George Eastman. Mr. Eastman provided the school with opulent facilities and stellar faculty, creating an expansive vision for organ art and education in the 20th century.
Over the years, the Eastman School has built on this vision by offering one of the most distinguished organ programs in the world. In keeping with this tradition of excellence, the Eastman School of Music has embarked on a long-range plan, the Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI), which will extend George Eastman’s vision into the 21st century.
With the aim of making Rochester a global center for organ performance, research, building, and preservation, the Eastman School will assemble a collection of new and historic organs unparalleled in North America. An incomparable teaching resource, this collection will offer access to organs of diverse styles and traditions to talented young musicians from around the world.
Tourists, scholars, and music lovers will be drawn to Rochester to hear the varied sounds of these extraordinary instruments. The Italian Baroque organ inaugurated within the frame of the EROI Festival 2005 marks the first concrete milestone in EROI Phase One. A new instrument closely modeled after a Lithuanian organ built by Casparini in 1776 will be constructed and installed in Christ Church (Episcopal) by 2008, in cooperation with the Episcopal Diocese of Rochester.
The restoration of the historic Skinner organ, housed in the Eastman School’s Kilbourn Hall, and the restoration and replacement of the school’s fourteen practice organs, will complete the initial phase of this ten-year plan.
—The EROI Brochure 2006

See for information on Eastman, EROI Festivals, and for a PDF file of the 2006 Festival brochure, which has the complete festival program, biographies of participants, and detailed documentation of all the instruments played, with specifications and historical background for venues and organs. For information on organbuilders with links to E. M. Skinner and John Brombaugh, see .
Photo composition and text: Joel H. Kuznik Photo credit: Nicole Marane<.i>

Organs

At the opening of the EROI Festival William Porter, known for his traditional improvisatory skills, delighted attendees with an authentic performance on the mighty Wurlitzer Opus 1492 (1926, 121 stops, 12 ranks; restored by the Rochester Theatre Organ Society) at the Rochester Museum and Science Center.
Bozeman-Gibson Opus 24 (1984, 23 stops, 31 ranks, with gifts of Vox Humana by Paul Fritts, 2005, and Pedal 16' Posaunenbass by Flentrop Orgelbouw, 2006), modeled on Gottfried Silbermann’s instrument at Grosshartmansdorf, Germany. Currently on loan to Eastman and housed at Asbury First United Methodist Church.
“Gleason’s Dream Machine” designed by the legendary Harold Gleason for Eastman’s Kilbourn Hall, Skinner Opus 325 (1922, 6,030 pipes, 91 ranks, 83 stops), scheduled to be restored by 2010. Today it is Rochester’s largest organ.
John Brombaugh’s landmark 1972 Opus 9 (20 stops, 29 ranks), originally built for Ashland Avenue Baptist in Toledo, Ohio; now on loan to Sacred Heart Cathedral (RC), Rochester until 2008, when they receive a 52-stop Paul Fritts organ. The compact casework and pipework of extraordinary craftsmanship complement the remarkable sound.
Holtkamp organ (1962, 40 stops, 45 ranks) at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word, with its modern façade and neo-baroque tonal concept, typical of the mid-20th century.
Builder John Brombaugh discusses the concept of his Opus 9 and the importance of “vocale” voicing, inspired by his experience as a boy singer and found in old instruments throughout Europe, typically in Principal sounds to imitate the human voice.
Historic Pennsylvania Samuel Bohler organ (1869, 8 stops, 7 ranks), with a clear, crisp sound, at the Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word. Built for Muddy Creek Presbyterian Church, Pennsylvania; restored by R. J. Brunner and Co. in 2006.
Console of the South End Organ, Aeolian Opus 947 (1904, 59 stops, 66 ranks), in the George Eastman House, where Harold Gleason played for breakfast each day and musicales twice a week with a resident string quartet. Still playable by rolls or console.
Computer image of the Craighead-Saunders organ to be installed in Christ Church (Episcopal) beginning July 2007, with completion in 2008. The organ is modeled on the exceptional Casparini organ (1776) at the Holy Ghost Church in Vilnius, Lithuania.
John Brombaugh and friends—how many do you know? Left to right: builder Martin Pasi, Aaron Reichert (Taylor & Boody), Munetaka Yokota (GOArt, Göteborg), John Brombaugh, builder George Taylor, builder Paul Fritts, Bruce Shull (Paul Fritts), Frits Elhout (Flentrop), and Mats Arvidsson (GOArt, Göteborg).

 

Jerker Sjöqvist, translated by Fredrik Tobin

Born in 1940, Jerker Sjöqvist is a former teacher, organist and choirmaster, cello and recorder player. He visited the UK for the first time in 1977, and started his own Evensong group, which appeared some 200 times in Sweden, Italy, Austria, Germany, and the UK. He brought about 300 Swedish choirmasters to Cambridge in the 1980s for choir training, and arranged tours in Sweden and Norway for St. John’s College Choir, Cambridge. He has written reviews on organ and choral music, and has arranged tours across Europe, including three organ tours with American organist Matthew Provost to Ostfriesland and Bach organs in Sachsen (Germany) and Alsace, a Dutch organ tour with Jacques van Oortmerssen, a 2007 tour to Paris, and last fall a USA tour in cooperation with the late Joel Kuznik. He was a member of the board and treasurer of the Swedish Union of Organists 1985–2005, and since 2004 has been treasurer of the Swedish Society of Organ Friends.

The Swedish Organ Society (Svenska Orgelsällskapet) came to the United States October 16–22 to attend concert highlights of the Eastman-Rochester Organ Initiative, which focused on the new Craighead-Saunders Organ built by GOArt of Sweden. They then traveled to New York and Philadelphia for an additional taste of American organbuilding.
In March 1771, Adam Gottlob Casparini (1715–1788) delivered a magnificent organ to the Polish Dominican Holy Ghost Church in Vilnius, Lithuania. The organ, the only surviving example of this productive Prussian organbuilder’s larger instruments, has miraculously been preserved intact in a world of war and political conflict. World War II and the political situation during the Soviet era undoubtedly played a part in the organ’s preservation from major renovations during the 20th century.
In 1992, Swedish organist Göran Grahn (well-known organ consultant and Secretary of the International Society of Organbuilders, ISO) made this major discovery during one of his many journeys in the Baltic countries. He came into contact with a local organ expert, Rimantas Gucas, who had been taking care of the organ, which by that point was a more or less unusable treasure. Money was in short supply, and there were many bureaucratic obstacles that slowed the progress of the restoration project. After being tipped off about the instrument, Göteborg Organ Art Center (GOArt), Sweden, became involved and made a deal with the Lithuanian Department of Culture in 1999 to document the organ. This technical documentation during the next three years was done by Niclas Fredriksson of the Swedish National Heritage Board, in cooperation with local scholars and organbuilders.
The project thereafter ran on two distinct tracks. One track was the restoration of the original organ by Lithuanian conservators, but to date they have only restored the organ case, with the rebuilding of the bellows, windchests, and action to be done under the supervision of Janis Kalnins. There is still insufficient money to restore the pipework, but many are hard at work to realize the goal of a completely restored organ.
The second track is based on the new documentation more recently done by a team of American organbuilders and the Eastman School of Music, whose Hans Davidsson, professor of organ, was a driving force behind this project. The school runs an ambitious program called the Eastman-Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI), which with GOArt has built a full-scale reconstruction of the Casparini organ, in Christ Church (Episcopal), Rochester. The reconstruction includes a second tremulant, and a Dulcian 16′ has been added to the second manual. The instrument was also equipped with a pedal coupler, and the upper range in both manuals and pedal has been extended with two keys. The glockenspiel and zimbelstern were made by Whitechapel Bell Foundry in England, and the original wood carvings were documented and reproduced by the American firm New Energy Works, also responsible for the reconstructed balcony.
On Thursday, October 16, 2008, EROI began with the inauguration of the Craighead-Saunders organ. The event featured music and speeches from many people, including the president of the University of Rochester, the Lithuanian ambassador, and the director of GOArt, Johan Norrback. Harald Vogel, who served as the official inspector, played Bach’s Prelude in C Major (BWV 545) with his usual authority and a sublime plenum.
The three organ professors of Eastman also reinforced the organ’s aural success in playing Stephen Kennedy’s new composition 3-3-33 (three players, three movements, 33 stops). William Porter showcased a wide variety of registrations and ended with Bach’s Allein Gott in der Höh (BWV 662). David Higgs played an impressive performance of Mendelssohn’s Sonata in F Minor, op. 65, no. 1. Hans Davidsson presented a fresh and brilliant rendition of Bach’s Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C Major (BWV 564), accompanied with dancing by the Rochester City Ballet in the choir.
The inaugural concert concluded with the sinfonia and chorus from Bach’s cantata Wir danken dir, Gott (BWV 29), which was performed with a beautiful blend of organ, voices and orchestra. The impression was, however, that the visiting Boston Early Music Festival Chamber Players have some things to learn from baroque performance practice in the old world, an impression also reinforced during Friday’s gala concert.
A group of 18 traveling enthusiasts from the Swedish Organ Society (Svenska Orgelsällskapet) were joined by an equally large group from the Friends of the Organ Art (an association with a special connection to GOArt), who together with other visiting Swedes created a noticeable Swedish presence. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the newly built reconstruction of what may be the largest well-preserved instrument in northern Europe. It was a wonder to behold and during the many recitals provided an unforgettably splendid aural experience.

The Craighead-Saunders Organ
Christ Church Episcopal, Rochester, NY
Modeled after the 1776 Adam Gottlob
Casparini Organ, Holy Ghost Church, Vilnius, Lithuania

Claviatura Prima
Principal á 8
Porduna á 16
Hohlflaut á 8
Flaut Travers á 4
Octava Principal á 4
Qvinta á 3
Super Octava á 2
Flasch Flöt á 2
Tertia á 13⁄5
Mixtura á 5 Choris
Trompet á 8

Claviatura Secunda
Principal á 4
Iula á 8
Principal Amalel á 8
Unda Maris á 8
Flaut Major á 8
Flaut Minor á 4
Octava á 2
Wald Flöt á 2
Mixtura á 4 Choris
Vox Humana á 8
Dulciana á 16

Pedall
Principal Bass á 16
Violon Bass á 6
Octava Bass á 8
Flaut & Quint Bass á 4
Posaun Bass á 16
Trompet Bass á 8
Accessories

Tremulant
Pedal to Manual Coupler
Gwiazdy (Cymbelstern)
Vox Campanorum (Glockenspiel)
Bebny (drum stop)
Calcant

 

by Martin Jean

An important project is happening in Göteborg, Sweden. In August, 1998, along with about 100 organists from all over the world, I attended the International Organ Academy of GoArt: Göteborg Organ Art Center, at Göteborg University, Sweden. This has become a major center of research, organ-building, teaching and performing. A recent visit there last year was the occasion to observe progress on the building of a four-manual, 54-stop, mean-tone organ after the style of the late-17th century in North Germany. The organ will be unveiled at the biennial International Organ Academy in Göteborg, August 5-18, 2000. For the background and purposes of GoArt, see the article by Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra (The American Organist, July, 1996) and their Web-page (URL: www.hum.gu.se/goart/organac.htm); here I will summarize briefly.

 

 

The Göteborg Organ Art Center is the brainchild of Hans Davidsson, a GU music faculty member and brilliant young organist and musicologist, working under the inspiration of Jacques Van Oortmersson and Harald Vogel. It was begun in January 1995 as an inter-disciplinary center for organ research and performance bringing together the strengths of the Göteborg University Musicology Department and the School of Music. It is now an independent center in the GU administrative structure. An international panel of musicians advises GoArt, including Jean Boyer, Pieter Dirksen, Frederick K. Gable, Ludger Lohmann, André Marçon, Kimberly Marshall, Hans van Nieuwkoop, Jacques Van Oortmersson, William Porter, Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra, Kerala Snyder, Axel Unnerbäck, Joris Verdin, and Harald Vogel.

GoArt's stated objective is to cover the entire spectrum of the art of the organ by linking the efforts of musicologists, performers, and organ builders, in order to study historic instruments, documents, music and performance practice issues. This blurring of traditional lines has led to a center that is bursting with energy and creativity and whose impact on the organ world is already keenly felt.

This multi-disciplinary approach has produced a number of tangible outcomes:

* the establishment of archives containing musical sources on micro-film, photographs and other media;

* education and research, with the emphasis on historically informed and discerning music-making;

* a wide-ranging collection of instruments, drawing inspiration from the many golden ages of organ playing;

* in-depth studies of the relationships between organ art and history, aesthetics, ideology and liturgy;

* dedicated well-rounded artistic training aimed at producing musicians who are able to balance intuition with intellect;

* the reconstruction of instruments on scientific principles which will serve as primary sources of information about performance practice.

The current six-year long project is entitled "Changing Processes in North European Organ Art: 1600-1970 - Integrated Studies on Performance Practice and Instrument Construction." This integration of performance, literature, and musicological research is linked together by the instruments--the hallmark of GoArt--valued as an indispensable research tool in the organ performance. This collection of organs in various styles includes a mean-tone organ by John Brombaugh in the Haga Church (2 manuals and pedal; 21 stops); a 19th-century French style organ built by the Dutch builder Verschueren (3 manuals and pedal; 43 stops, featured in the 1998 GoArt Organ Academy) housed in the recital hall of the School of Music; a "Father" Henry Willis organ built in 1871 housed and in the Örgryte Church (3 manuals and pedal, 31 stops); an instrument inspired by the Swedish Baroque style built by Gustavsson (2 manuals and pedal; 16 stops); and a pedal clavichord reconstructed by Joel Speerstra after the Gerstenberg instrument in Leipzig. (This is used to explore the connections between clavichord and organ techniques.)

Housed in the Örgryte Church, the organ currently in production is the aforementioned North German style mean-tone organ, using the work of Arp Schnitger as a primary model but also incoporating aspects by earlier builders such as Scherer and Fritzsche. Visually, it uses as a model the now defunct Schnitger organ of the Lübeck Dom. Tonally, the new organ is inspired by the organ of St. Jakobi, Hamburg, but also incorporates aspects of the organs of the Aa-Kerk, Groningen and St. Cosmae, Stade.

Some of the most sophisticated research into historic organ-building methods is being carried out and put into practice jointly by scientists of the Chalmers Institute of Technology in Göteborg and Master Organbuilders at GoArt (Hans Van Eeken, head draftsman; Mats Arvidsson, responsible for construction of the organ, excluding organ pipes; and Munetaka Yakoto, research and organ pipe production). The collaboration among these scientists and artisans has yielded new thoughts and discoveries in air-flow, acoustics of the room and the organ chamber, and materials and pipe construction.

One of the most interesting achievements of this project has been the retrieval of pipe making methods that were used until the time of the Industrial Revolution. The scientists at the Chalmers Institute were able to ascertain the formula for many metal alloys used by Schnitger and others. Organologists explored church records and the annals of builders of the time in order to re-construct the method of casting pipe metal on sand. This affects the cooling process of the pipe metal, thereby affecting the molecular structure, and ultimately the quality of the metal and the sound. Quite possibly this is the first time these techniques have been used since the early 18th century, and the people at GoArt are convinced that this old technique is, in part, responsible for the special sound quality of historic organs. More information on the North German organ, including the stop-list and a description of the church in which it is housed can be found on the GoArt web site: http://www.hum.gu.se/goart/w3b.htm#ngorp.

But all of this research could be mere mental gymnastics were it not brought to life by a vital and informed faculty in performance best displayed at the biennial GoArt conferences. In order to promote the next International Organ Academy, allow me to recall a few events from 1998.

This two-week course had several themes: one week devoted to "Aristide Cavaillé-Coll and the French Symphonic Organ," another to "The North German Organ" with special emphasis on the chorale fantasia, and an extended weekend symposium on "The Organ and Liturgy." The schedule was grueling yet rewarding, especially if you were willing to participate fully. Sessions began usually at 9 am and carried through until the late evening. It was not possible to attend everything, but a mere perusal of the program tells one of the richness of our legacy. Four primary kinds of meetings call the academy together (98% of which are done in English): master-classes, lectures, workshops, and recitals. Among some of the more engaging pedagogical experiences of the last academy were a session on Froberger by Ludger Lohmann of Stuttgart, a class on Alain by Jacques Van Oortmerssen (Amsterdam), an exploration of Franck's chorales by Jean Boyer (Lyon), and a class on Italian Baroque music by André Marçon (Bern).

The workshops were a cross between master-class and lecture and allowed listeners to focus on specific aspects of research as it relates to performance practice. Kimberly Marshall devoted two of her sessions to the genesis of early liturgical music for the organ and the music of Jeanne Demessieux. Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra unveiled some of her latest discoveries in the pedagogy of improvisation in the late 18th century. André Marçon led a detailed analysis of Frescobaldi's "Fiori Musicali" and alternatim practice in Baroque Italy. William Porter gave an insightful workshop on "Generating Principles of the Late 17th-century North German 'Praeludium'."

The lectures are too numerous to list but were nonetheless provocative and memorable. Jesse Eschbach, on the verge of the publication of his new book on Cavaillé-Coll, discussed the organ builder's thoughts on modernizing Classical and Post-Classical organs. Jean Ferrard discussed Cavaillé-Coll's relationships with Lemmens, Loret and Franck. Pieter Dirksen (a brilliant young musicologist who has recently published a book on the keyboard works of Sweelinck) spoke about Lübeck and Bruhns and the final stages of the North German chorale fantasia. Kerala Snyder explored Bach and the Lutheran liturgy and the unlikely topic of the connections between the French tradition and Buxtehude. Fenner Douglas gave a withering and yet very accurate appraisal of the neo-classic renovations that happened to historic French organs in the 1950s-70s.

And now to the heart of the matter--performance. Were it not for this aspect, GoArt may be little more than a meeting for musicologists. But in these two weeks, I heard fine organ playing on beautiful instruments.

In the Haga Church (Brombaugh mean-tone organ) André Marçon opened the academy with a moving performance featuring music of the Italian baroque. While the instrument is built in the North German style, the transparent colors of the principals admirably revealed the subtle singing quality of this repertoire. Marçon is steeped in this period, and displays his acumen beautifully through intelligent, colorful and expressive articulation and phrasing.

One of the great moments of the entire Academy was to hear William Porter on the same instrument, this time playing music of 17th-century North Germany. Two variation sets of Scheidt ("Vater Unser" and "Io son ferito lasso") were among the highlights of this program. Porter's playing of this music is rivaled by few others. Gauging each tempo correctly, using old fingering practices to expressive ends, discovering the beauty of the simplest of registrations, and knowing the architecture of this music are among the reasons why his playing is so remarkable. The program closed with a riveting performance of the Bruhns "Praeludium in G," but not before he improvised a chorale fantasy on "Gelobet sei Gott" that made one think it was Buxtehude at the organ!

The French symphonic organ was a featured instrument at this year's academy. Generous in scaling and voicing, even though the Verschueren organ is housed in a recital hall of limited acoustic, the organ is nonetheless colorful and brilliant without being overwhelming to the listener. The sounds of the montres and strings were particularly convincing. Jean Boyer's performance of Messiaen's La Nativité was one of the memorable moments of these two weeks. Boyer is an extremely intelligent man (as he displayed to us in his teaching and lecturing), and this intelligence is wedded to a musical soul. Ludger Lohman gave a stellar performance of the Vierne Fifth Symphony and Kimberly Marshall gave a wonderful overview of some of the great works of Demessieux. I regret missing a performance by Hans-Ola Ericsson of Livre du Saint Sacrament of Messiaen (the recital BEGAN at 11pm!!) but reports from reliable sources the next day glowed with unanimous approval. Apparently the audience was spellbound for the 21/2 hours of this event.

Director of GoArt, Hans Davidsson, apparently possesses all of the important gifts of the complete artist/teacher: intellect, creativity, vision and musicality. These were demonstrated throughout the conference but particularly as he was featured in a recital of the Third Part of Bach's Clavierübung, in the Bethlehem Church. This performance revealed a deep understanding not only of this great music, but also of the theology that lay behind it. It was a profoundly moving event.

Curiously, the recitals that seemed to encourage the most discussion afterwards were not organ recitals at all. Joris Verdin, harmonium player and organist from Belgium, completely amazed everyone by his subtle and expressive playing on the GoArt French harmonium. While this instrument was well-known and used by French organists in the 19th century it has since fallen out of use, especially in the United States where the harmonium uses a different wind system than the European version. The subtle nuances that he was able to achieve with this instrument were nothing short of miraculous and brought to life music which sounds little more than hum-drum on the organ. Equally noteworthy was an evening spent in the Gunnebo Castle in nearby Molndal. It was a marriage of sensations: there the audience sat in an 18th-century home listening to a music of the period played on a replica of an 18th-century double clavichord. The featured performers, Joel Speerstra and Ulrika Davidsson, played music of late 18th-century Germany while Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra improvised a charming sonata in late 18th-century style using the principles she had discussed only days before in her lecture. Here was a real unity of architecture, sound, music and knowledge that exemplified what GoArt is able to achieve.

GoArt is currently engaged in a number of publications, perhaps the most significant being a massive tome called The Organ as a Mirror of Its Time, edited by Kerala Snyder. This book, which will be available in the Fall 2000, traces the significance of the organ in western culture, particularly as building styles were affected by and helped shape liturgical practice, improvisation, and the secular music aesthetic. The specific foci include the organs of the North German Masters, Swedish organ-building practices and the French and German organs in the 19th century. Chapters on the organ reform movement and the latter-day performance practice movement are also included. Among the contributors are the current GoArt planning board and faculty.

Information on the upcoming GoArt International Organ Academy (August 5-18, 2000) may be found at http://www.hum.gu.se/goart/w-100b.htm. The focus will, of course, be the North German Baroque Organ and the conference will unveil the new instrument currently being finished. Performers and clinicians will include Harald Vogel, Daniel Roth, Ludger Lohmann, David Yearsley, Rudolf Kelber, Yuko Hayashi, Lynn Edwards, Pieter Dirksen, Paul Peeters, William Porter and many others. Contact information: Organ Academy, School of Music, Box 210, SE-405 30 Göteborg, Sweden; ph +46-31-773 52 11 or -773 52 06; fax +46-31-773 52 00; e-mail [email protected]

http://www.hum.gu.se/goart/w-109.htm#fee

In a time when the organ seems to be on the periphery of musical performance, and as awareness of the instrument even among the musically informed is at an all-time low, the Göteborg Organ Art Center has positioned itself to be a catalyst in the midst of this crisis. Their solution does not provide a single-style agenda, nor a bag-full of tricks meant simply to "thrill" audiences. Rather, its broad base reminds us of the richness of the legacy that has been given us and calls our attention again to the depth and breadth of the largest of all instrumental repertoires.

 

James D. Hicks

James D. Hicks is a native of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and holds degrees in music from the Peabody Institute of Music, Yale University and the University of Cincinnati. Other studies include instruction at the Royal School of Church Music in England. He is an Associate of the American Guild of Organists. Hicks has held liturgical positions throughout the eastern United States and in 2011 retired from a twenty-six-year tenure at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey, the community in which he still resides. 

James Hicks has performed throughout the United States, Australia and Europe. Most recently in July 2013, he was a featured recitalist in several organ series in Finland, including the Helsinki Organ Summer and the Turku Summer Festival. He performed for Swedish National Radio in March 2012, a broadcast that included world premieres of several modern works from that country. He has recorded two collections of organ music on the American Pro Organo label. The first, 2003’s American Classic, highlights the rebuilt Austin organ at The Presbyterian Church in Morristown, New Jersey, and contains many recorded premieres of twentieth and twenty-first century American works, including two original compositions. Hicks traveled to Sweden in 2010 to record a double CD (Nordic Journey, Pro Organo #7239) of Nordic works on the historic Setterquist organ at Linköping Cathedral. This collection includes many unusual works from Nordic lands and a commissioned composition, Variations, by the Nordic cathedral musician Fredrik Sixten. Hicks recorded three separate CDs of Nordic music at the following Swedish venues in August 2013: St. Johannes’ Church, Malmö, Skara Cathedral and Västerås Cathedral. These discs include four commissioned works and the first modern recorded performances of many unpublished, hitherto unknown, compositions from the romantic and modern periods and are due to be released during the first half of 2014. 

In addition to his endeavors in organ literature, Hicks is a student of Celtic music, and has performed extensively throughout the New York metropolitan area on instruments associated with this tradition. He appreciates playing bellows-blown bagpipes, particularly the Border Pipes and Scottish Small Pipes. He plays the Great Highland Bagpipes as well, and competes on the Grade II level in the Eastern United States Pipeband Association’s sponsored Highland Games.  

Situated on the rugged west coast of Norway, the city of Trondheim is the location for one of the most compelling sacred spaces in all of northern Europe. The Nidaros Cathedral, a Romanesque and Gothic structure dating from 1140 is the spiritual heart of Norway, a shrine to St. Olav, and a centuries-old place of pilgrimage. It is also the home of composer and cathedral musician, Fredrik Sixten, a Swedish composer whose liturgical works are quickly garnering international acclaim. Sixten was appointed Domkantor of Nidaros Cathedral on April 1, 2013, and is responsible for conducting the Domkor and Oratoriokor. Prior to this prestigious appointment, Sixten spent twelve years as Cathedral Organist at Härnösand Cathedral, Härnösand, Sweden. Located over two hundred miles north of Stockholm, the university city of Härnösand is situated near the High Coast, a UNESCO-designated area of considerable natural beauty. The cultural and historical features of Härnösand and, now, Trondheim, have been the stage for the creation of a large and fascinating body of new compositions for the church by Fredrik Sixten. On the occasion of the composer’s fiftieth birthday in October 2012, I had the privilege of interviewing this musician about his life’s work thus far. This essay seeks to provide an introduction to Sixten’s life and career as well as identifying and briefly describing his many contributions to the contemporary organ repertoire. 

The son of a Lutheran pastor, Fredrik Sixten was born in Skövde, Sweden on October 21, 1962. Sven Sixten was a vital influence on the composer’s life from his earliest years and, perhaps, an initial source for Fredrik’s emerging creativity. The younger Sixten’s Epilogue for violoncello and piano (published by Gehrmans Musikförlag-GE11353) dating from 2001, is an eloquent testimonial to the composer’s father upon the latter’s death. Sven Sixten was a respected author of poetry, contemporary commentary for a wide variety of publications and novels, as well as serving as a priest at the Lutheran church in Fristad. It was this heritage that brought Fredrik into the musical world of the church. From a young age, he sang in choirs, participated in the life of the church, and displayed a precocious fascination with musical scores, spending countless hours copying diverse compositions without knowing how they sounded. Piano study ensued at age ten and, eventually, organ as well. 

As the aspiring musician reached adolescence, Sixten’s musical passions extended to other means of expression. Teaching himself to play guitar and drums, he formed a rock band called Birka, the original name of Stockholm, and the group covered many of the pop songs of the 1960s and 1970s as well as writing original material. Sixten cites the horn arrangements found in such works as the early albums of Chicago and Blood Sweat & Tears, as well as other jazz-rock fusion groups as a necessary balance to his primary tuition in classical music. He believes that his mature compositions would not have the same character now without these contradictory influences. 

Sixten enrolled in the Royal Academy of Music in Stockholm at the age of eighteen. The diverse cultural opportunities available in the capital city, regular practice on some of the important organs there, including the instrument at the Hedvig Eleonora church, and private lessons in composition with the acclaimed composer Sven-David Sandstrom, were crucial influences in Sixten’s artistic development. In addition, Sixten cites the mentorship of Professor of Piano Eva Luthander, who encouraged him to perform his original compositions, including, for example, an early work, Sonata for Violoncello and Piano for a jury examination. 

After five years of study, Sixten began his career in church music, serving first as assistant organist at Västerås Cathedral from 1986–1991. He proceeded to serve as organist at Vänersborg Church from 1991–2001 and as artistic director of the Gothenburg Boys Choir from 1997–2001. His 2001 appointment as cathedral organist in Härnösand proved to be critical to Sixten’s development as a composer. Whereas he previously had insufficient time for composing, it was this fortuitous opportunity at Härnösand that allowed Sixten the requisite time to follow his own creative path. The cathedral authorities encouraged him to provide new works for this community of faith as a part of his ministry. The impressive number of large-scale choral works conceived during these years includes 2004’s St. Mark Passion (the first Swedish-language Passion setting), 2007’s Requiem, and 2009’s Christmas Oratorio. A host of smaller works for “everyday use” attests to the possibilities inherent in this situation. 

Evidence of Sixten’s mature style became apparent with this prodigious output. The composer cites “the usual suspects” with Bach, Brahms, Prokofiev, Poulenc and, particularly, Duruflé as role models. He has also mentioned the melancholy demeanor of Swedish folk music as the essential component of his music. In addition, Sixten’s penchant for pop music, previously mentioned as an interest in his formative years, finds expression in the music of Prince. Going beyond Prince’s more popular discs such as Purple Rain, Sixten appreciates, instead, the American musician’s more experimental recordings as a vital influence. Sixten claims that Prince often “challenges the listener,” and is not afraid to make “ugly, strange sounds.” A final sphere of influence belongs to American music’s most characteristic indigenous forms: blues and jazz. Sixten often borrows from the modal characteristics of the former and the rhythmic syncopation and harmonies of the latter. 

It is this diversity of experience that leads Fredrik Sixten to state that “there is no single organ style that can adequately interpret his music.“ He attempts to be “a citizen of the world.” An authentic series of recordings of his complete organ music “would require the use of several contrasting instruments.”

More can be learned about the music of Fredrik Sixten at his website:

www.fredriksixten.com

 

The Organ Works of Fredrik Sixten, 1981–2013

 

Three Chorale Preludes:

Härlig är jorden (1981) 

Wachet Auf (1983)

Jesus, Du Mitt Hjärtas Längtan (1983)

The first work of this set appears in the anthology Lux Aeterna (Gehrmans Musikförlag GE 6713) and uses a melody that American musicians will recognize as Fairest Lord Jesus, while the second and third compositions are available from the composer at his website. 

These early essays are meant as postludes rather than serving as introductions to congregational singing. The direct nature of these pieces bears comparison to some of the preludes of American composer Paul Manz, although the virtuosic nature and intense chromaticism of the third prelude betrays the influence of the German Romantic master Max Reger. 

 

Festmarsch (1983)

This occasional piece, composed as a march for a friend’s wedding, is unpublished but available from the composer at his website. 

Although an early work, Festmarsch demonstrates the composer’s willingness to go beyond a normal commission. This “occasional piece” bears little resemblance to normal wedding fare such as Clarke and Purcell. Sixten, at the bride-to-be’s request, instead wrote a work in mixed meters that employs thickly textured chords and a light, scherzo character, giving this composition as the composer states, “a circus-like attitude.” 

 

Prelude et Fugue (1986)

This composition was published by Wessmans Musikförlag (#200768).

“The culmination of my student experiences,” Prelude et Fugue was composed in 1986 as an act of homage to Maurice Duruflé upon the occasion of the death of the French master. The spirit of Duruflé certainly informs the Prelude in its warm harmonies, chant-influence melodies and scintillating rhythms. The introspective, angular fugal subject gives way to an animated second section and triumphant conclusion. Sixten considers this his “first mature work” and it has gained popularity with organists throughout the world. It is an ideal introduction to his music.

 

Toccata Festival (1996)

Toccata Festival was published by Gerhmans Musikförlag and originally appeared in the anthology Jubilate (CG 7352). Gerhmans published it separately in 2008 (GE 11162), given this composition’s positive reception. It is dedicated to Claes Holmgren, organist of Visby Cathedral on the island of Gotland, Sweden.

This short fanfare is another composition that, like the Prelude and Fugue could be a newcomer’s entry into Sixten’s music. Two versions of Toccata Festival exist. The published version meets the requirements of Jubilate, being written for “organists of average ability,” while the composer originally created a version whose second section is of some greater technical challenge. 

This three-part work is a fine example of Sixten’s usage of “blue notes” (Example 1). Toccata Festival’s three pages offer a brief summation of Sixten’s approach.

 

Missa Mariae (1998)

Missa Mariae is a five-movement composition (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) that was commissioned by Visby Cathedral Parish in 1998, and premiered by cathedral organist Claes Holmgren. This work remains unpublished but is available from the composer at his website.

Missa Mariae is intended for liturgical use, functioning as an organ Mass. Each movement relates to a Biblical quote concerning the Virgin Mary:

Kyrie—And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Luke 1:30)

Gloria—My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior. (Luke 1:46-47)

Credo—And Mary said, “Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me

According to your word.” (Luke 1:38)

Sanctus—For he who is mighty has done great things for me. (Luke 1:49)

Agnus Dei—And she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women,

And blessed is the fruit of your womb.” (Luke 1:42)

Although often lyric in its expression, this Mass represents a marked shift in Sixten’s development, containing some of his most pungent, astringent writing.

 

Triptyk (2000, 2002, revised 2004)

Triptyk, as its title indicates, is a three-movement work based on the Trinity. It was commissioned by Holy Trinity Church, Gävle, Sweden, and premiered by that church’s organist, Per Ahlman. 

Triptyk’s movements are

I—Prelude: The Holy Father

II—Hymn: The Son

III—Toccata: The Holy Ghost

Triptyk was published by Gehrmans Musikförlag (GE 11241) in 2008.

This composition evolved over the course of several years, beginning with the second movement, composed while Sixten was still working in Gothenburg. Hymn is a set of variations on a Swedish hymn, Christ Who Art the Light, and is a movement the composer still “holds very dear.” Sixten indicates that this movement may be performed as an independent composition. The first movement finds much of its thematic interest on the Gloria in excelsis chant while the concluding Toccata is based on the chant Veni Sancte Spiritus.

 

Messa Misteriosa (2002, revised 2008)

Preludio

Kyrie

Gloria

Credo

Sanctus

Agnus Dei

Communio

Postludio

Messa Misteriosa, excepting the final two movements, Communio and Postludio (published Gehrmans Musikförlag- GE 11243 and 11244), is unpublished and available at the composer’s website. 

This composition was another commission from Visby Cathedral as a part of its 2002 International Organ Festival. The composer premiered Messa Misteriosa.

Messa Misteriosa, as was the case with Missa Mariae, was composed to accompany the Swedish liturgy. The Mass takes its impetus from the melodies that are currently sung in the worship life of the Church of Sweden. The title reflects the composer’s desire to return the worshiper to the inexplicable mystery of the sacraments. There is a dichotomy to this music as each movement celebrates the Good News of Jesus Christ, yet is at the same time mindful of the Savior’s ultimate sacrifice. Although it celebrates an ancient tradition, Messa Misteriosa is the composer’s closest embrace of a post-modern sensibility. It is replete with dense harmonies, tone clusters and unpredictable textures, all working within a colorful palette of sound. Sixten lists such diverse influences as blues (Kyrie), Swedish folk music, and contemporary French harmonies alongside the pervasive Swedish liturgical melodies as appearing in this sprawling work. The final movement, Postludio, seems to have, according to Sixten, a humorous, almost ironic means of expression.

 

Arioso (1998)

Arioso was commissioned for the Swedish collection “Lux Aeterna II” (Gehrmanns SKG 10059). It is a melancholy bagatelle of two pages that within only a few measures amply displays Sixten’s lyric gifts.

 

Mourning Blues (2006)

Mourning Blues was published in 2007 by Wessmans Musikförlag (#200742) and premiered by the composer at the Holy Trinity Church, Gävle, Sweden.

Mourning Blues is another example of the composer working within different styles. Sixten creates a work using a blues scale, yet harmonically is “combined with other influences such as French Romanticism.” There are frequent alternations of mood in this brief movement. Lyricism and bombast are juxtaposed in Mourning Blues as the work unfolds. Sixten concludes the composition with a chord that contains both major and minor thirds. Sixten states that this kind of a chord with both thirds plus a minor seventh is his “favorite chord,” and one that regularly appears in his music.

 

Organ Sonata (2006)

Organ Sonata was published in 2008 by Gehrmans Musikförlag (GE 11240).

This composition was a third commission from Visby Cathedral Parish, premiered in December 2006 by the composer at the Excelsior festival of liturgical music. This was Sixten’s effort at creating a “contemporary interpretation of sonata form.” It contains four movements:

I—Maestoso (ma non troppo lento)

Composed in “Swedish Romantic style with influence from Otto Olsson.”

II—Scherzo

Contains thematic influence from the Swedish folksong tradition. 

III—Adagio

A movement whose mysticism is reminiscent of contemporary French style.

IV—Finale

A movement that could be performed separately, it is a brilliant “mixed-bag”: a Rondo containing a scherzo, a fugal section, and many points of imitation, all brilliantly concluding in a virtuoso coda. 

 

Tango över Psalm 303 (2006)

Non-Swedish musicians should be aware that “Psalm” denotes a hymn from the Swedish hymnbook rather than a passage from the Old Testament.

Gehrmans Musikförlag published this composition in 2007 (GE 11017). 

Composed on a trip to Milan, Italy, this remains one of Sixten’s most often-performed organ compositions. It is based on a Swedish hymn that originally was a Nordic folk song (Det Finns en Väg Till Himmelen, sv. Ps 303). The composer says his intent was to “marry a serious, melancholic dance with a correspondingly serious Swedish tune,” producing a hybrid that has all of the rhythmic qualities of dance, yet retains the modality of Nordic music (Example 2). 

 

Hymn (2006)

Gehrmans Musikförlag published this composition in 2007 (GE 11168).

Sixten composed Hymn at the same time as Tango över Psalm 303. It is a lyric meditation based on an original theme and harmonically romantic in style. 

 

Allegro Festivo (2007)

Gehrmans Musikförlag published this composition in 2008 (GE 11242).

This is another “occasional piece,” composed for the wedding of some colleagues on the staff at Härnösand Cathedral. The couple was interested in choosing new music to celebrate their nuptials. 

 

Variations for Organ (2008)

Variations for Organ was commissioned and premiered by James D. Hicks at Princeton University Chapel in March 2010. It was published by Gehrmans Musikförlag (GE11636) in 2010.

The theme upon which this composition is based is a Swedish folk song entitled Visa från Åhl (Song from Åhl). This theme comes from the quintessentially Swedish province of Dalarna, and its A-minor tonality is redolent of the folk music of that part of the country. Intended for the myriad colors possible on a large, symphonic instrument, each of the eleven variations possesses a distinct identity. The contrasting movements include a section for double pedals, a scherzo, varying contrapuntal techniques, tender adagios, and a fugue (which the composer describes as “a three-part canon”), all of which are concluded by a toccata. The composer considers this to be his favorite of all of his organ works.

 

Passacaglia (2011)

Passacaglia was commissioned and premiered by James D. Hicks in February 2012 at Princeton University Chapel. It was published by Gehrmans Musikförlag (GE 12115) in 2012.

When commencing work on this composition, Sixten searched for new ideas in presenting a form “overloaded by tradition.” The work is described by the composer as “his most difficult creation in a technical sense” and is music of tremendous impact and scope. After a turbulent, Regerian introduction, Sixten introduces the passacaglia theme in an unusual way by placing it in the treble register, rather than the more usual pedals (Example 3). The theme appears in various registers as the composition ensues, but still always functions as a bass line. Sixten guides this theme through a highly diverse set of variations and increasing tension, all culminating in a final statement that combines a Swedish folk song with the passacaglia melody. 

 

Toccata & Fugue on B-A-C-H (2012)

Toccata & Fugue on B-A-C-H was commissioned and premiered by Lars Fredriksson in September 2012 upon the occasion of the dedication of the new choir organ at Härnösand Cathedral. 

Toccata & Fugue on B-A-C-H was published by Gehrmans Musikförlag (GE 12277) in 2013. It was nominated for best new chamber work by the Swedish Music Publishers Association.

Toccata & Fugue on B-A-C-H, as with so many compositions based upon this time-honored motive, employs the notes B-flat, A, C, B-natural as the foundation of a composition. Sixten goes a step further in homage to J.S. Bach by opening his Toccata in much the same fashion as in the older master’s famed BWV 565. The BACH motive permeates every fiber of the composition, and the following double fugue is effective in contrasting the two subjects. 

 

Lamentation (2012)

Lamentation was commissioned by James D. Hicks and premiered in July 2013 at the Turku Cathedral Summer Festival, Turku, Finland. At the time of the publication of this article, it was still in manuscript form. As a part of the commission, the composer used a medieval Norwegian folk tune for the composition’s foundation. The ensuing work is music of great pathos and anguish, one of Sixten’s most expressive creations.