Prestant - American Guild of Organists : Portland, Oregon

March 2012
Portland
Portland Chapter
2011 - 2012
Officers/Volunteers
Dean
James Isaak
Sub-Dean
Grant Edwards
Secretary
William Schuster
Prestant
www.portlandago.org
American
Guild of
Organists
The Portland Chapter of the AGO invites you to
BACH-A-THON 2012
Sunday, March 11
2:00 to 4:30 PM
“Arrive when you can, leave when you must!”
Treasurer
Fred Beal
The Anglican Parish of St. Mark
Registrar
E. Ann Farrington
1966 Werner Bosch tracker organ, 3 manuals, 44 ranks
Auditor
Bill Kuhn
Placement & Positions Coordinator
Jon Holland
Website Editor
Heidi Kohne
Prestant Newsletter Editor
Allison Zimmerman
Executive Committee Members
Karen Corbett, Mitch Groh
Tom Skyler
Program Committee Members
Bob Hinson, Ralph Nelson,
Chris Nordwall
Professional Concerns
James Ledbetter
Regional Councillor
Dean Jamieson
The Portland Prestant is the
official publication of the
Portland Oregon Chapter of
the American Guild of Organists.
Deadline for submissions is
the 20th day of the month
preceding publication.
[email protected]
1025 NW 21st Avenue in Portland
This year we are proud to present an exciting variety
of major works on an instrument wonderfully suited
for the music of Bach...don’t miss it!
Performers (times are approximate):
2:00
Grant Edwards
Toccata & Fugue in D minor
2:15
Stephen Janzen
“O Mensch” & the “St. Anne”
2:30
Arthur Eagle
Fantasia in C minor
2:40
Heidi Kohne
3:10
3:20
A special surprise, plus
the Passacaglia, & more!
Karl Jurisons
3 settings of
“Jesu meine Freude”
Christopher Keady Fantasia & Fugue in G minor,
“Schmücke dich” and more!
3:50
James Isaak
Prelude & Fugue in F minor
4:05
Dr. Walter Krueger Trio Sonata no. 5
and “The Dorian”
Visit the facebook site for further info:
http://www.facebook.com/events/224849694277
241/#!/events/224849694277241/
Portland Prestant
D e a n’s L e t t e r
M
any of the churches we serve have now entered the season of Lent, a season I like to call
“The most wonderful time of the year”. Seriously, though, the texts and tunes associated
with Lent in many traditions are quite serious. But while I think a common stereotype of
Lenten music is that it is in a minor key, if we look at some of the better-known chorale preludes
associated with Lent, that stereotype has less truth in it than some might think.
Let’s start with two chorale preludes from the Orgelbüchlein, “O Mensch bewein’” and
“O Lamm Gottes unschuldig”. While Bach treats both of them with a considerable amount of
chromaticism and dissonant harmony, they are both technically in major keys. One wouldn’t
exactly call them spritely, however. Bach does give one chorale prelude associated with Lent, “Wir
danken Dir, Herr Jesu Christ”, a rather triumphant treatment. That may be the exception rather
than the rule, but it is certainly true that many of the chorales and hymn tunes associated with
Lent or Holy Week are, in fact, in major tonalities. Consider, for example, “Jesu Kreuz, Leiden und
Pein”, “Spanish Hymn”, and “Christus, meines Lebens Leben”.
But just as we tend, I think, to stereotype Lenten music as being in a minor key, we tend to
associate Easter and Christmas with major tonalities and trumpets and drums. And while that does
tend to be true, we find plenty of exceptions to that rule as well. Several Easter chorales are in
minor tonalities, such as “Christ lag in Todesbanden”, “Christ ist erstanden”, and “Jesus Christus,
unser Heiland (der den Tod überwandt)”. The two settings I am most familiar with of that last
chorale, one by Bach (again in the Orgelbüchlein) and one by Buxtehude, are both quite meditative
in character.
When we turn to Christmas, I am always reminded of the final chorus of the Christmas Oratorio
of Bach. Here we have a triumphant setting, complete with trumpets and timpani, of none other
than “Herzlich tut mich verlangen”, the tune more commonly associated with the St. Matthew
Passion and with the hymn “O Sacred Head, Now Wounded”. And lest we think this is just a German
(and Lutheran) oddity, consider “The Coventry Carol” and “I Wonder as I Wander”.
The point of this exercise is that we can find music of different style and character for any
time of year. When I am planning music for Lent, I try to look at the overall picture for the service.
Are all of the hymns in minor keys? What about the choir anthem? Prelude? Offertory? If so, maybe
I need to balance some of the selections so that the congregation is not getting too much of the
same thing, just as I wouldn’t play a trumpet tune on every single Sunday of Easter. Easter will,
after all, be on us sooner than we think.
James Isaak, Dean
From the Registrar
Please welcome new members
Keith T. Rollinson
[email protected]
Stephen E. Tillotson [email protected].
We have also received new member forms
from Stephen Janzen [email protected]
This brings our membership up to 106.
E. Ann Farrington, Registrar
March 2012
Free to a Good Home . . .
Two banker’s boxes of
hymn-based organ music
(introductions, alternate
harmonizations, prelude/
postlude settings). This
music was donated by retired
organist Lynn Marie Hanson.
If you’re interested, please contact
Allison Zimmerman at [email protected]
or 503-777-9053.
Page 2
Portland Prestant
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
Portland AGO Monthly Board Meeting
7:00 PM
The executive board meets monthly. For more information, contact Portland AGO dean James Isaak
at [email protected] or 503-242-5734.
Sunday, March 11
2:00 - 5:00 PM
Sunday, March 11
3:00 PM
Portland AGO Annual BACH-A-THON
The Anglican Parish of St. Mark, 1025 NW 21st Avenue in Portland. 1966 Werner Bosch tracker
organ, 3 manuals, 44 ranks. This year we are proud to present an exciting variety of major works
on an instrument wonderfully suited for the music of Bach...don’t miss it!
“For the Beauty” Organ Concert
Featuring organist Chris Nordwall on the Marceau & Associates Pipe Organ Opus XIII. Memorial
Lutheran Church, Vancouver, Washington located at 2700 E. 28th Street, which is 5 minutes from
the I-5 bridge. Complete directions or more information can be found by calling 360-695-7501 or at
www.mlc.org. A freewill offering will be taken to support future concerts.
Sunday, March 18 2:00 to 3:00 PM
Bach Cantata Choir Concert of Lenten Music
The concert, under the direction of conductor Ralph Nelson, will feature J.S. Bach’s Cantata #82,
“Ich habe genug”, Dietrich Buxtehude’s cantata “Jesu Meine Freude”, Five Passion Motets by
Heinrich Schütz and the two settings of the motet “O vos omnes” – one by Orlando de Lassus, and
the other by famous 20th century cellist Pablo Casals. The concert is free and open to the public.
A free-will offering will be taken. Rose City Park Presbyterian Church, 1907 NE 45th Ave in Portland.
Sunday, March 18 4:00 PM
Bach Birthday Organ Concert
The whole family is invited to join organist Jonas Nordwall in an all-Bach program to celebrate
the composer’s birthday. A festive event is planned, including a birthday reception, following the
concert. Suggested donation of $5.00. Tabor Heights United Methodist Church, 6161 SE Stark St
in Portland. For more information, contact the church office at 503.232.8500 or go to
www.taborheightschurch.org
Portland AGO Monthly Luncheon 11:30 AM
General membership, non-business meeting on
the last Tuesday of each month at Newport Seafood Grill, 1200 NE Broadway in Portland (just north
of Lloyd Center, next to Safeway). Members and guests are invited to come to enjoy good food and
good chatting, some organ-related, some not. Everyone is on his/her own for lunch.
Saturday, April 14 7:30 PM & Sunday, April 15 2:30 PM
Titanic 1912: A Musical Night to Remember
What did they really sing as the great ship went down? You’ll find out the weekend of April 1415, on the 100th anniversary of the sinking of RMS Titanic. First Congregational United Church of
Christ, 1126 SW Park Avenue at Madison in downtown Portland.
An expert in Titanic’s musical lore, organist Grant Edwards has collected a fascinating cross-section of
music written shortly after the 1912 sinking. From descriptive piano fantasies to forgotten masterworks
for the organ, from reverent choral anthems to campy popular ditties, this concert will explore a
diversity of works commemorating, eulogizing—and yes, even exploiting—the most infamous maritime
tragedy of all time.
This concert was inspired by a December 1997 article in “The American Organist” by Agnes Armstrong.
Many chapter members remember the success of the first “Titanic” concert, presented at the Old
Church in April 1999 by Grant Edwards and David Nelsen. This shorter, newly-imagined program has
been limited solely to period music directly connected to the tragedy, and is co-sponsored by the
(continued on next page)
March 2012
Page 3
Portland Prestant
Oregon Historical Society and First Congregational UCC. OHS members will read historical accounts of
the event, and many surprises await.
Dr. Michael Kelly will conduct a special “RMS Chamber Choir” and soloists Kim Swennes, Britt Davis,
Joshua Randall, Nan Wagner, and Lindsey & Greg McMahon will sing popular songs from the period,
including “Land of Hope and Glory,” “The Ship That Will Never Return” and “My Sweetheart Went Down
with the Ship.” Also included are organ masterworks by Bonnet, Karg-Elert, and H. A. Matthews. This
event is expected to sell out. Tickets (discounted to $15 for AGO members) are available via OHS and
First Congregational.
For further info, visit either website: www.ohs.org or www.uccportland.org
or visit the facebook site: http://www.facebook.com/events/374118555949621/
2013 Region VIII Convention in Salem, Oregon
Region VIII Convention is June 23-26, 2013 in Salem, Or. Our program and
budget has been approved by CORC. (Committee On Region Conventions)
We are on schedule of the master “task list” and securing contracts with
venues and artists. We’ve worked diligently to keep costs down and
provide an interesting and relaxing convention. All venues will be within
a short walk of each other from the beautiful Willamette University
campus. More details will be available soon on our developing web site.
Reserve the date now and plan to join us! Elaine McNitt, chair
CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED
American Guild of Organists
14781 S. Buckner Creek Rd
Mulino OR 97042-9621
Portland Chapter