NOVEMBER, 2006 St. Maria Goretti Parish Scottsdale, Arizona Cover
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THE DIAPASON NOVEMBER, 2006 St. Maria Goretti Parish Scottsdale, Arizona Cover feature on page 31 one) might remaster some of the record- digitizing many of these remarkable ings, which must still be on tape in the recordings at least for cyber-sale in MP3 THE DIAPASON vaults, for release as CDs? It would be format, if not as CDs? We must all send A Scranton Gillette Publication marvelous to hear these again, in modern our wish lists to <http://www.sonymus Ninety-seventh Year: No. 11, Whole No. 1164 NOVEMBER, 2006 format. Even some of the recordings ic.com/about/feedback.cgi> without Established in 1909 ISSN 0012-2378 made in his pre-Flentrop era, particularly delay! at Symphony Hall in Boston, were really Anton Warde An International Monthly Devoted to the Organ, transforming experiences for many of us. Cape Elizabeth, Maine the Harpsichord, the Carillon and Church Music I particularly recall the disc that con- tained the Poulenc Concerto on one side Salem’s large Tannenberg organ and Franck’s Pièce Héroïque and Prélude, restored Fugue and Variation on the other. After reading the review by John CONTENTS Editor & Publisher JEROME BUTERA [email protected] Thanks again for this fascinating, Speller of Peter Sykes’ CD of the 1800 847/391-1045 informative and well-written series. David Tannenberg organ in Old Salem FEATURES Gordon Hale in the September, 2006 issue, I thought I Mozart and the Harpsichord: Bellevue, Washington would make a few comments. First, I do An Alternate Ending for Fantasia in D minor, K. 397 not find the voicing of the 1800 Tannen- by Larry Palmer 20 Associate Editor JOYCE ROBINSON [email protected] The author replies berg at Old Salem all that different from The Sewanee Church Music Conference 2006 847/391-1044 I am happy to learn that so many read- some of the other Tannenberg organs; by Mary Fisher Landrum 21 ers have enjoyed my all too modest cen- particularly the 1791 organ in Zion tennial tribute to EPB, especially since it Lutheran Church in Spring City (after its Hybrid Composition: Contributing Editors LARRY PALMER was also great fun to research and write. 1998 restoration). It is not entirely fair to An Introduction to the Age of Atonality in Nigeria Harpsichord by Godwin Sadoh 22 Yes, many of us would welcome compare the voicing of a 13-stop two- (eagerly purchase again today!) digital manual with three large bellows in a fair- The Organ Historical Society Fiftieth Anniver- JAMES McCRAY remasterings of several more of those 90 ly large room with a 4-stop one-manual sary Convention, June 25–30, 2006 Choral Music stereophonic Biggs albums (that figure with one small bellows in a very small by Frank G. Rippl 26 is no misprint) released by Columbia room. Also, Tannenberg would have LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 3 BRIAN SWAGER Masterworks between 1958 and 1976, realized that his instrument for the Carillon the music from only about two dozen of Home Moravian Church would have to NEWS which has found re-release by Sony fill a large space and thus would have Here & There 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 12 HERBERT L. HUESTIS Classics in digital format, often made the necessary adjustments in the Appointments 6 OrganNet Report “obscured” within broad compilations of finishing of the pipes. One must also take Nunc Dimittis 10 Osiris Organ Archive other music. into account that the pipes of the 1800 In the wind . www.mdi.ca/hhuestis/osiris The original advantage of Biggs’s Old Salem Tannenberg have been by John Bishop 13 e-mail: [email protected] association with Columbia Records, the altered as part of at least two rebuilds giant company that could market album while the pipes of the 1793 Tannenberg REVIEWS Prepress Operations DAN SOLTIS after album of his so effectively—with in Lititz have not been as radically Music for Voices and Organ 14 the wonderful side effect for the rest of changed. Book Reviews 15 THE DIAPASON (ISSN 0012-2378) is published monthly by us of raising to a now long-lost height Mr. Speller also makes a reference to New Recordings 16 Scranton Gillette Communications, Inc., 3030 W. Salt the public profile of the pipe organ— the “painfully slow speech” in the princi- New Organ Music 19 Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Phone has ironically become a great disadvan- pal and flute stops of the Old Salem New Handbell Music 19 847/391-1045. Fax (847) 390-0408. Telex: 206041 MSG RLY Email: [email protected] web: TheDiapason.com tage for both him and us. Today, most of organ. I did not find this to be the case Subscriptions: 1 yr. $35; 2 yr. $50; 3 yr. $65 (United EPB’s vast production lies trapped in when I played a recital there in June of NEW ORGANS 32 States and U.S. Possessions). Foreign subscriptions: the vaults of Sony Classics, which, as a 2006. Yes, the speech is slow in compar- CALENDAR 33 1 yr. $45; 2 yr. $60; 3 yr. $80. Single copies $6 (U.S.A.); $8 (foreign). mass-marketer, understandably “cher- ison to other instruments such as those ORGAN RECITALS 36 Back issues over one year old are available only from ry-picks” from its dormant orchard only by Gottfried Silbermann, for example, The Organ Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 26811, Rich- CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 37 what it thinks will bring profit. but I would not describe it as painfully mond, VA 23261, which can supply information on avail- A smaller, more specialized company slow. I do think, however, that part of the abilities and prices. Periodical postage paid at Rockford, IL and additional might long ago have reissued (for lively equation is that many organists today Cover: Hupalo & Repasky Pipe Organs, LLC, mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes distribution via the OHS catalogue!) have become accustomed to playing with San Leandro, California; St. Maria Goretti to THE DIAPASON, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, treasures like Biggs’s Sweelinck, “Varia- a very quick attack and release and this is Parish, Scottsdale, Arizona 31 Arlington Heights, IL 60005. Routine items for publication must be received six tions on Popular Songs” played with not the best approach when playing this weeks in advance of the month of issue. For advertising warmth and lyricism on the Harvard instrument. Over the years, I have found www.TheDiapason.com copy, the closing date is the 1st. Prospective contributors Flentrop (1962); Soler, “Six Concertos the music of Johann Pachelbel to be a of articles should request a style sheet. Unsolicited for Two Organs,” played in sparkling perfect match to the way Tannenberg’s reviews cannot be accepted. This journal is indexed in the The Music Index, annotat- duet with Daniel Pinkham at Harvard pipes speak. Pachelbel’s music is won- ed in Music Article Guide, and abstracted in RILM (1961); Hindemith, “Three Sonatas for derfully sweet and lyrical and one learns Send subscriptions, inquiries, and Abstracts. Organ,” played to astringent perfection to take time in playing this music so that address changes to THE DIAPASON, Copyright ©2006. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. in the same space (1961); J. G. Walther, it speaks with the necessary sweetness 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, THE DIAPASON accepts no responsibility or liability for “Six Concertos after Italian Masters,” and refinement. I played four works by Arlington Heights, IL 60005. the validity of information supplied by contributors, ven- played with velvety elegance on the Pachelbel at Old Salem, including the dors, advertisers or advertising agencies. great Gottfried Silbermann instrument fast-moving Toccata in F, and they all in Freiberg Cathedral, Saxony (1972)— sounded splendid. No portion of the contents of this issue may be reproduced in any form without the specific written permission of the Editor, except that libraries are authorized to make photocopies of the material contained herein for the pur- not to mention the instructive contrast Mr. Speller also mentions that this pose of course reserve reading at the rate of one copy for every fifteen students. Such copies may be reused for of the same pieces played in a studio on organ seems “rather forthright in its voic- other courses or for the same course offered subsequently. the pedal harpsichord (1974); and a leg- ing” compared with the more lieblich endary favorite of many, that “Festival organs Tannenberg built for the Mora- of French Organ Music” (1962) realized vian churches. Again, I have not with such unlikely success on the big observed that Tannenberg voiced his Möller at St. George’s Church in New larger Moravian organs any differently Letters to the Editor York City. than he did with the comparably sized The list could go on and on, to organs he built for the Lutheran and include the various “Historic Organs of German Reformed churches. The choice Biggs in Mozart Country mantled and removed in the effort to . .” and of course Biggs’s droll but of stops was different but not the actual Anton Warde’s excellent series on the salvage the hall’s acoustics. compelling hour-long “lecture,” com- speech of the pipes in these organs. Biggs European recordings brought Peter K. Smith plete with some 110 sonic examples, If one has a chance to visit this mar- back a lot of memories for many of us Johnstown, New York “The Organ in Sight and Sound,” the velous instrument, one will be immedi- who grew up with those wonderful discs Columbia Masterworks release that he ately struck by the beauty of the sound in the 1950s and 1960s.