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THE DIAPASONA Scranton Gillette Publication
One Hundredth Year: No. 10, Whole No. 1199Established in 1909
OCTOBER,2009ISSN 0012-2378
An International Monthly Devoted to the Organ,the Harpsichord, Carillon, and Church Music
CONTENTS Editor & Publisher JEROME [email protected]
8471391-1045FEATURES
A Tribute to Robert Glasgow, Hill Auditorium,The UniverSity of Michigan, May 29,2009
by Marcia Van Oyen 20
Organ Music by Bulgarian ComposersA New Music Series Now in Print
by Sabin Levi 22
A Pipe Dream Comes True: The KeweenawHeritage Center's Barckhoff Organ
by Anita Campbell 24
A Conversation with Todd Wilsonby Jerome Butera 26
Organ Acoustics at High Altitudeby James W. Toevs 31
NEWS & DEPARTMENTSEditor's NotebookHere & ThereAppointmentsNunc DimittisLooking BackIn the wind ... by John BishopOn Teaching by Gavin Black
33,4, 5, 6, 8, 10
58
121214
REVIEWSMusic for Voices and Organ 16Book Reviews 17New Harpsichord Music 18New Recordings 19
NEW ORGANS 32
CALENDAR 33
ORGAN RECITALS 37
CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 38
Cover: C. B. Fisk, Inc., Gloucester,Massachusetts; First Presbyterian Church,Santa Fe, New Mexico 30
www.TheDiapason.com
Send subscriptions, inquiries, and ad-dress changes to THE DIAPASON,3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201,Arlington Heights, IL 60005.
Associate Editor JOYCE [email protected]
8471391-1044
Contributing Editors LARRY PALMERHarpsichord
JAMES McCRAYChoral Music
BRIAN SWAGERCarillon
JOHN BISHOPIn the wind ...
GAVIN BLACKOn Teaching
Reviewers John M. BullardJohn L. Speller
John CollinsCharles Huddleston Heaton
THE D,APASON (ISSN 0012-2378) is published monthlyby Scranton Gillette Communications, Inc., 3030 W. SaltCreek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025.Phone 847/391-1045. Fax 847/390-0408. Telex: 206041MSG RLY. E-mail: <[email protected]>.
Subscriptions: 1 yr. $35; 2 yr. $55; 3 yr. $70 (Unit-ed States and U.S. Possessions). Foreign subscrip-tions: 1 yr. $45; 2 yr. $65; 3 yr. $85. Single copies $6(U.S.A.); $8 (foreign).
Back issues over one year old are available onlyfrom The Organ Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 26811,Richmond, VA 23261, which can supply information onavailabilities and prices.
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Routine items for publication must be received sixweeks in advance of the month of issue. For advertisingcopy, the closing date is the 1st. Prospective contribu-tors of articles should request a style sheet. Unsolicitedreviews cannot be accepted.
This journal is indexed in the The Music Index, an-notated in Music Article Guide, and abstracted in RILMAbstracts.
Copyright ©2009. Printed in the U.S.A.
THE D,APASON accepts no responsibility or liabilityfor the validity of information supplied by contributors,vendors, advertisers or advertising agencies.
No portion of the contents of this issue may be reproduced in any form without the specific wriHen permissionof the Editor, except that libraries are authorized to make photocopies of the material contained herein for thepurpose of course reserve reading at the rate of one copy for every fifteen students. Such copies may be reused forother courses or for the same course offered subsequently.
Editor's NotebookMore long-time subscribers
In the February 2009 issue, in mydiscussion of THE DIAPASON'S 100thanniversary in December 2009, I in-vited readers who have subscribed formore than 50 years to drop me a note.Since then, I have heara from morethan 25 subscribers. Many date back tothe mid-1950s, and a few started in the1940s. I posted the complete list in theJuly electronic newsletter (are you re-ceiving our free monthly newsletter?);at that time, the longest subscriptiondated back to 1943, that of Harry H.Huber in Salina, Kansas.
It is a pleasure to add six more sub-scribers to the 50-plus club. Of thatnumber, one began in 1939 (1). Yes,Malcolm Benson has subscribed for70 years, starting when he was 19 and.... coh,rlo-nt no+ l=i"'T'<:lnlr \T<:ln nll(;,pn o::lt t'hp
Merrill N. Davis III, Rochester, MN,1955
Douglas L. DeForeest, Santa Rosa,CA,1955
Will Headlee, Syracuse, NY, 1944Arthur P. Lawrence, Lancaster, PA,
1953Charles J. Updegraph, South Orange,
NJ,1953.A hearty welcome to these longtime
subscribers. If you have subscribed formore than 50 )lears, please let me know.We plan to publish the complete list inDecember, our 100th anniversary issue,
2010 Resource DirectoryLast call to advertise in the 2010 Re-
source Directory. Ads are available inone-inch, third-page, half-page, and full-page sizes. If you nave not received in-rnnn~tirm ~lrp~rhT nlp~<p C'~ll mp np~rl-
Here & ThereNational City Christian Church,
Washington, D.C., continues the 26thseason of its weekly noon recital serieseach Friday at 12:15 pm, featuring the129-rank M.P. Moller organ. The recitalis followed by a hands-on pipe organdemonstration, with displays of organpipes, photographs of the inner workingsof the organ, and information on pipe or-gan history. For information:<www.nationalcitycc.org>.
All Saints Church, Worcester, Mas-sachusetts, presents its fall music series:October 4, Choral Evensong; 10/30, PipeScreams Halloween concert, with Mi-chael Wayne Smith and Peter StoltzfusBerton; November 1, Faure, Requiem;December 6, Advent Procession of Les-sons & Carols; January 3, Festival ofNine Lessons & Carols. For information:<www.allsaintsw.org>.
The Cathedral of St. John the Di-vine, New York City, presents its seriesof organ recitals on Sundays at 5:15 pm:October 4, Andrew Senn; 10/11, Ni-gel Potts; 1O/1S, Christian Lane; 10/25,Brink Bush; November 1, AlexanderFfinch; l1/S, John Cannon; 11/15, JohnCantrell; 11/22, Eric Plutz. Information:212/316-7519, <www.stjohndivine.org>.
First United Methodist Church,Ocala, Florida, presents its music series:October 4, Echoing Air Baroque ensem-ble; November 10, soprano and piano;December 13, Lessons & Carols. Forinformation: <www.fumcocala.org>.
Ars Musica Chicago presents Ste-phen Alltop, fortepiano, and Brandi Ber-ry, violin, playing Mozart and Beethovensonatas October 4, 7:30 pm, at VailChapel, Northwestern University, Evan-ston, Illinois. The program features aBroadwood fortepiano. For information:<www.ArsMusicaChicago.org>.
The Bach Society at Christ theKing Lutheran Church, Houston,Texas, presents its fall series: October 4,Bach: Herz und Mund und Tat und Leb-en, Cantata 147; 10/lS, Craig Cramer;November 1, Bach: Liebster Gott, wannwerd' ich sterben, Cantata S; l1/S, TintaBarroca; December 6, Bach: Wachetfbetetf betetf wachetf, Cantata 70a; Janu-ary 3, Hans Davidsson. For information:<www.bachsocietyhouston.org>.
The Church of St. Vincent Ferrer,New York City, presents its fall musicseries: October 5, Richard Tucker Foun-dation opera gala concert; November2, Faure, Requiem; 11117, Mark Bani;11130, David Enlow; December 13, Les-sons & Carols. For information: 2121744-20S0 x114, <[email protected]>.
Harvard University,Massachusetts, presents ibries: October 6, Murray Fville; 10/S, Cail Archer; 10Lane; 10/20, Yukoc Hayclass; 10/22, Mitchell CraHarvard Baroque Chamb10/29, Douglas Bruce; No'nora McCroskey; 11/5, Nl1/S, Harvard Choral Fellton Camerata; 11/12, Ed •Harvard Organ Society meHarvard University Choir;and 14, 100th annual caromore information:<www.memorialchurch.ha
St. James Church, NEYork, presents its fall mustober 6, Choral Evensong;St. James' Compostela CIic6, Advent Lessons & CanEpiphany Lessons & Canmation: 212/774-4204;<www.stjames.org>.
The 14th internationtival in Toulouse, Fran<October S-lS in ToulousePyrenees region. Concertsniversaries of Handel, Ha)Braille (1809-1852): OctoLecomte and Tean-Bap!10/9, Rudolf Kelber; 10/l(Matthieu De Miguel, Taniliam Whitehead, PhiliRpechoruses; 10/11, WillianAnne-Cadle Chanon, flu!sion; 10/12, Adam Kecslem Jansen, Elisabeth AIVerge- Borderolle, Pieter-J10/13, William WhiteheacLeurent, Eric Lebrun; 10Righetti, Jan Willem JanBois, Matthieu De Migwago; 10/15, Benjamin lUSymphoniae Sacrae; 1011Rubia Romero, Jean-Bat10/17, Yasuko- Uyama Bemin Righetti, Jan WillerrRechsteiner, with chorus90is Marchal, with clarine!Bernard Foccroulle.
The festival is also pIcerts covering the entire corgan works, on SundaysMusee des Augustins in 'series began on Septembftinues through June 20lCBernard Foccroulle; Nov,Willem Jansen; Decemb<Bouvard; Janual)' 17 andBenjamin Alard; March 1"vard; April 11, Jan Willen9, Bernard Foccroulle; JuJacob. For information:<www.toulouse-Ies-orgue~
Music for Voicesand organby James McCray
Christmas and Epiphany
In the Middle Ages, relics spawned acontinent-wide craze. Devotees packedtheir bags and streamed out of towns andvillages, thronging the pilgrimage trails.For most, a journey to see the relic of St.Thomas or St. James offered the only validexcuse for leaving home.
Anneli RufusMagnificent Corpses
As suggested above, the modern tour-ist industry began in the Middle Ages,when pilgrims walked from churcn tochurch to commune with special itemshoused there. Today, travelers visit a mu-seum to see some kind of relic such asthe tall, black hat of Abraham Lincolnor the reading glasses worn by BenjaminFranklin. Icons are no longer strictly re-ligious articles, yet all attract interested,curious spectators.
The reasons for travel are more variedtoday, but one stimulus from the past hasremained: going home for the hofidays togather witn friends and family. However,the musical needs of the church do not di-minish during these occasions, and in fact,probably increase as congregations swellto large numbers not seen since Easter.As Shakespeare so eloquently said in hisHamlet soliloquy, "Ay, there's the rub."So, read on as we explore issues relevantto the weeks following Christmas.
The period from Christmas Evethrough January 10 (the first actual Sun-day in Epiphany) is a time when choirdirectors nave an abundance of lovelymusic to offer their congregations, butfewer singers to produce tne gorgeoussounds. Althougn December 24 mayfind churches filled, the same will notbe true after that. This year, Christmas ison a Friday, so with Sunday (December27) only two days away, folks may feela completion of church obligations andstay home to enjoy the solituae after thefrantic holiday season. Some churcheswill reduce the number of services of-fered, knowing that the number of wor-shippers will be smaller than usual. Thisalso is true for church choirs, so eventhough the church library may be filledwith wonderful post-Christmas music, itprobably will go unused in 2009, sincemany church choirs may not sing on theSunaay following Christmas. Musiciansare exhausted from the numerous mu-sical commitments of the previous six
, weeks that began with a special Thanks-giving service.
In 2010, Epiphany (January 6) will fallon a Wednesday. Sunday, January 10,is more than two weeks after ChristmasEve, so the Christmas season probably hasfaded into memory. Choir directors needto plan for this with their church officials.Epiphany may need to be musically cele-brated early this year (Sunday, Tanuary 3),but that could be before the first weeklyrehearsal following Christmas. Choir dI-rectors need to plan for these schedulingproblems early auring the Advent seasonto avoid conflicts for clergy and singers.
The season of Epiphany is a long pe-riod of time; Ash Wednesday is not untilFebruary 17, so late January may be thetime to program a large cantata or someother distinctive alternative to the usualanthem. Usually, clergy support havingsomething special in this period prior toLent. A cantata with extra instrumentsmay help energize the choir and thecongregation during this month follow-ing Christmas.
Another suggestion during the weeksof Epiphany is to program some kind ofspecia[ concert. In my church, we put to-gether an all-church concert that featuresthe various ensembles and soloists. It isa fund-raiser for the music budget andserves as a great motivator during thesedark days of winter. Organ and vocal solo-ists are featured in addition to the choirsof Singers and handbells. Since the concerthas such a variety of musical performers,no one group is heavily taxed; the mixtureof musical styles and performers presentsthe musical department of the church ina very favorable light, and the larger audi-ence usually finds numerous moments ofenjoyment. This is not a secular concert,but rather one that celebrates religiOUSdiverSity within the church. As the cnurchyear grinds toward Lent, it gives everyonean opportunity to perform happy musicbefore those weeks of slow, pensive set-tings follOwing Ash Wednesday. WhileAdvent and Cnristmastide may be seasonsof increased music, a typical Epiphanyseason is not. Yet, with careful organiza-tion one can turn Tanuary into a month ofcontinued musical festivity.
This is the third and final column de-voted to Advent -Christmas- Epiphany mu-sic. This writer hopes that the commentsand music discussed over the past threemonths have been useful. Music contin-ues to be one of God's great gifts, as wellas an important feature in most worshipservices. As Viscount de Chateaubriand(1776-1848) said in his Genius ofChnsti-anity, "Song is the daughter of prayer, andprayer is the companion of religion."
Hodie Aperuit, Robert Benson. SATB,or~an, optional string quartet, flute,ana oboe, Trinitas of Oregon Catho-lic Press, No. 4642, $2.10 (M+).
Based on a text by Hildegard von Bin-gen, this very sensitive Latin motet isfilled with flOwing arpeggio lines in theaccompaniment that serve as a platformfor the longer, more homophonic choralparts. Mild dissonances and some cho-ral divisi add warmth to the harmonies,which quietly unfold. The oboe andflute parts are on the choral score, butthe string quartet parts are separate (No.30 100 603). Lovely skilled writing thatcreates a beautiful setting for the text.Highly recommended.
Rejoice and Be Merry, David Halls.SATB and organ, Paraclete Press,PPM00938, $2.50 (M).
This is a joyful setting in which the fiveverses are modified in each repetition.The organ part, on two staves, provides arhythmiC background for the cnoir, Thereare numerous unison passages, but oneverse is unaccompanied and has fresh,somewhat chromatic harmonies as it de-scribes the story of the three Kings. Theshort coda is loud and dramatic.
o Holy Night, arr. Brian Luckner.SATB, brass quartet, and organ,Paraclete Press, PPM00929, $2.80(M+),
In this arrangement of the popularAdophe Adam Cantique de Noel, verseone is for men (ITBB); the second versebegins for women's voices, then changesto a five-part mixed choir setting. The fa-miliar melody is always clearly present, asis the flOwing accompaniment, presentedin a three-stave organ arrangement. Thebrass has limited use and is not clearlyindicated in the score. It serves as an ac-companiment, often playing chords orbrief statements between pnrases, and isnot intrusive. This is a practical arrange-ment for churches witli a large choir toaccommodate the extensive choral divisi.
Stars of Glory, arr. Gabriella Snyder.SATB and keyboard, GIA Publica-tions, G-7072, $1.60 (M).
There are three verses in this arrange-ment of a traditional Irish carol. The key-board part, on two staves, is Simple. Thechoral music, also on two staves, treats themelody differently for each verse, the lastone briefly adding a sOjJrano descant. Thetuneful music retains the folk-song char-acter throughout.
Jesus, Oh, What a Wonderful Child,arr. Lloyd Larson. SAB and piano,H0r.e Publishing Co., C 5587, $2.05(M.
This African-American spiritual is alsoavailable in an SATB version with a setof parts for rhythmiC accompaniment (C5205R, $20.00). The gospel style is veryrhythmiC, with a flasny piano accompa-
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Everywhere and around the world:
niment. The choir often hasstatements, which are inter:tween rests. A soft opening (grow toward a loud, somew:closing section that is punea choral unison, unaccompalthat drives to a piano one-chFun music!
Sing We All Noel!, Allenson/two-part with piano arhandbelfs or handchimes,Guild, CGA 1158, $1.95 (J
Although deSigned for dsetting might be useful forchoirs whose size is smaller I
ers being gone during the hihandbells require 3 or 4 octa\music primarily consists of sstatements heard above th,flOwing piano lines; they allong snaKes. Their music is in(rately on the back cover. ThedanCing 6/8 meter with most (singing in unison.
Worship Christ, the NewlLloyd Larson. SATB, orgftional brass quartet, quilltet and timpani, BeckenhBP 1821, $1.75 (M).
This powerful settingHenry Smart's REGENT Sthe French carol GLORIA.1not difficult, yet remains extchoir moves from bold uniSOJthrough four-part-harmony Itwo Christmas melodies andriven by a pulsating aecomp:evolves into a broaa unison clincludes congregational singisure winner and is highly refor a festive performance.
A Nativity Carol, LindaSAB, piano, and optionaltage Music Press of Lorelltion, 152401H, $1.85 (E).
Also available in an SSAtext is adapted from a 17th-book. The gentle 6/8 anthemnic; its verses are developedchanges. The flute fart iscover and consists 0 a calmmelody. The beautiful musichoir and accompaniment, ,sweet Christmas Eve additicfor small choirs.
A Boy Is Born in Bethl(natus), Alan Bullard. SAlor organ, Oxford Univers:19-335641-4, $2.05 (M).
The bass part has a narroVling this antliem attractive towith few men. The tempo is"fast and fleeting." The keyhtwo staves, is well construct<pendent, almost soloistic. Iand Latin texts are include(mance. Mixed meters, chanics, and joyful alleluias makinteresting and effective setti
New Year Carol, RaymonSATB and organ, ParaePPM00829, $1.10 (E).
Here is a work for thatin JanuaI)'. The music is vethree brief verses in English Ishort, unaccompanied Latinkeyboard part is on two sta'by the composer, celebratesthe new year.
Go, Tell It on the MountaiCarter. SAB and piano,lishing Company, C 5415,
This traditional spiritual i~gospel style, with an energecompaniment that will keepin tl:ie congregation. Syncopthroughout, and the music 0mpn sinPinp' in unison. with .
