FEBRUARY, 2006 St. Joseph's Catholic Church
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THE DIAPASON FEBRUARY, 2006 St. Joseph’s Catholic Church “On the Hill,” Camillus, New York Cover feature on pages 26–27 Oct/Nov 2006 & Feb/Mar 2007 ensemble amarcord Men’s a cappella vocal quintet, Leipzig “Move over King’s Singers, Hilliard Ensemble, and Chanticleer: There is a new male a cappella group on the international classical music scene...as pleasing as it was sophisticated.” (The Salt Lake Tribune, UT) “The five alumni of Leipzig’s St. Thomas Boys Choir (as in, the one Bach used to direct) sing together about as well as anybody I’ve ever heard....world-class. If you’re looking for classical a cappella, it just doesn’t get much better than this.” (Hanna Stotland, Recorded A Cappella Review Board) “Great popular success.” (Green Bay Press-Gazette, WI) “One of Europe’s top vocal groups.” (The Barrie Examiner, Ontario, Canada) “From start to finish this was virtuoso music making.” (The Diapason, Chicago) “Performed flawlessly.” (Richmond Times-Dispatch, VA) “These guys can do anything.” (Leipziger Volkszeitung) “The singing is beyond criticism.” (Choir & Organ, England) “One of Europe’s finest a cappella quintets. Ravishing performances.” (The American Organist, New York) February 2007 Texas Boys Choir Gold Medal Winner, 2004 Choral Olympics, Bremen, Germany The Texas Boys Choir, which Igor Stravinsky called “the best boys choir in the world,” has been a professional touring organization for well over half a century and operates its own school in Fort Worth. This Grammy Award winning choir has added changed voices to its treble choir to greatly increase its range of performance, which includes its trademark songs of the American west and patriotic songs. “FINESSE AND VERSATILITY: The Texas Boys Choir functions within the secular tradition of the Vienna Choir Boys but with a vivacity that only can be described as American....As Cowboy Choirboys the young musicians really tickled the imagination. The boys danced with glee and made a point of communicating delight at every theatrical moment.” (Worcester Telegram, MA) “Almost excruciating purity.” (The New York Times) “A burst of Texas exuberance...Patriotic songs brought the concert to a rousing conclusion.” (Pittsburgh TribuneReview) “Angels probably sound like the Texas Boys Choir.” (The Washington Post) concertartists.com [email protected] • towerhill-recordings.com toll-free (888) 999-0644 US/Canada • phone (860) 560-7800 • fax (860) 560-7788 1 Gold Street #R, Hartford CT 06103-2914 laikirche was the church of the city Bach Organ in its north gallery was council and one of the four Hauptkirche dedicated. THE DIAPASON (main churches) of Leipzig in Bach’s When one thinks of Bach, the visual A Scranton Gillette Publication day, where first performances did occur image is inevitably of St. Thomas and the Ninety-seventh Year: No. 2, Whole No. 1155 FEBRUARY, 2006 and cantatas alternated there with St. imposing Bach monument by Carl Established in 1909 ISSN 0012-2378 Thomas. But I think it’s fair to say that Seffner (1908). History changes perspec- in the mind of most people historically tive. Yes, St. Nicholas played an impor- An International Monthly Devoted to the Organ, and today a majority thinks of St. tant role in Bach’s time and in the Peace the Harpsichord, the Carillon and Church Music Thomas as Bach’s church. Bach’s job Movement. You can read about this in description was “Cantor zu St. Thomae English on the church’s website et Director Musices Lipsiensis” and he <www.nikolaikirche-leipzig.de>. And, was known as the “Thomascantor.” true, historically the church is older than CONTENTS Editor & Publisher JEROME BUTERA [email protected] I don’t think that it was an accident St. Thomas dating from 1165 and under- 847/391-1045 the Thomanerchor was housed in the going restoration from 1968 to 1993. FEATURES choir school (dating back to the 13th It would be great for THE DIAPASON The First Europa Bach Festival in Paris century) next to St. Thomas. It was the to send me to Leipzig to study this by Carolyn Shuster Fournier 19 Associate Editor JOYCE ROBINSON Thomanerchor that performed also at church, but as a matter of fact I have [email protected] St. Nicholas and two other churches been in Leipzig the past four years Dresden’s Frauenkirche 847/391-1044 that most would be hard pressed to 2002–2005. In the first two years the Once a Silbermann, now a Kern remember. Bach’s apartment and study church was a jungle gym of restoration by Joel H. Kuznik 20 were in the Thomasschule. As Martin scaffolding, and they were only able to Contributing Editors LARRY PALMER Petzold, former pastor of St. Thomas have morning prayer with chamber Challenging the culture: A conversation with Paul Jacobs Harpsichord and currently Professor of Systematic ensembles and organ recitals on a small by Joyce Johnson Robinson 22 Theology at the University of Leipzig, moveable instrument. At the 2004 JAMES McCRAY notes in his book “St. Thomas / zu Bachfest they tried to level the playing Choral Music Leipzig” on pages 108–109: “Denn diese field by including St. Nicholas in more LETTERS TO THE EDITOR 3 Kirche war und bleibt ‘seine’ Kirche.” major events. I heard Helmut Rilling BRIAN SWAGER Then this church (St. Thomas) was and and a knockout performance of NEWS Carillon remains “his” church. Mendelssohn’s St. Paul. The room is Here & There 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10 Petzold goes on to note that the his- beautiful and has excellent acoustics, Appointments 5 HERBERT L. HUESTIS tory of the church, school, and choir are but it remains a problematic perfor- Nunc Dimittis 8 OrganNet Report intimately bonded with Bach; that it was mance space. It has a narrow chancel In the wind . Osiris Organ Archive as Thomascantor that Bach was respon- into which performers were crammed, by John Bishop 10 www.mdi.ca/hhuestis/osiris sible for the musical development in and the nave is dominated by massive e-mail: [email protected] every school, including St. Nicholas columns whose circumference blocks REVIEWS (founded some 300 years after St. sight lines. Prepress Operations DAN SOLTIS Thomas); that St. Thomas was for Bach As result, there were fewer perfor- Music for Voices and Organ 12 and his family the parish church where mances in 2005, but I did hear a mes- Book Reviews 14 THE DIAPASON (ISSN 0012-2378) is published monthly by they had a family pew, where Bach took merizing Pärt’s Johannes-Passion with New Recordings 16 Scranton Gillette Communications, Inc., 380 E. Northwest communion for 27 years, where the the Hilliard Ensemble that effectively New Organ Music 17 Highway, Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016-2282. Phone confessor for Bach and his family was, utilized the Ladegast organ (dating 847/391-1045. Fax (847) 390-0408. Telex: 206041 MSG RLY Email: [email protected] web: TheDiapason.com where 11 of the 13 children from Bach’s from 1858–1862; restored and rededi- NEW ORGANS 28 Subscriptions: 1 yr. $35; 2 yr. $50; 3 yr. $65 (United second marriage were baptized in the cated 10/31/04). The Ladegast is States and U.S. Possessions). Foreign subscriptions: font that still stands in the chancel just regarded as the largest organ in Leipzig CALENDAR 28 1 yr. $45; 2 yr. $60; 3 yr. $80. Single copies $6 (U.S.A.); $8 (foreign). feet from his tomb, where his daughter and as a 19th-century Romantic organ, Elisabeth married his student Altnikol, now with a French Bombarde, is ORGAN RECITALS 32 Back issues over one year old are available only from The Organ Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 26811, Rich- and where announcements of deaths in deemed best suited for Mendelssohn, CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 34 mond, VA 23261, which can supply information on avail- Bach’s family were read. Petzold men- Liszt, Reger, and Brahms. abilities and prices. Periodical postage paid at Des Plaines, IL and addi- tions the Bach window (1885) and also Perhaps someone should write a Cover: Lewtak Pipe Organ Builders, Camillus, tional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address that Bach’s remains, originally buried in more comprehensive article on the New York; St. Joseph’s Catholic Church “On the changes to THE DIAPASON, 380 E. Northwest Highway, St. John’s cemetery and subsequently in Nikolaikirche, but in the meantime I Suite 200, Des Plaines, IL 60016-2282. Hill,” Camillus, New York 26 Routine items for publication must be received six a sarcophagus in St. John’s Church until recommend reading the church’s web- weeks in advance of the month of issue. For advertising its destruction in WWII, have laid in site and the references in the index to copy, the closing date is the 1st. Prospective contributors the chancel of St. Thomas since 1950. Christoph Wolff’s Johann Sebastian www.TheDiapason.com of articles should request a style sheet. Unsolicited Also it is important to note that St. Bach: The Learned Musician, and reviews cannot be accepted. This journal is indexed in the The Music Index, annotat- Thomas has been the focal point of the doing a photo search in Google for ed in Music Article Guide, and abstracted in RILM annual Leizpig Bachfest sponsored by wonderful images. Send subscriptions, inquiries, and Abstracts. the Bach Archiv, and in 2000 the New Joel H. Kuznik address changes to THE DIAPASON, 380 Copyright ©2006. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A. E. Northwest Hwy., Suite 200, Des THE DIAPASON accepts no responsibility or liability for Plaines, IL 60016-2282. the validity of information supplied by contributors, ven- dors, advertisers or advertising agencies. Here & There 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- pose of course reserve reading at the rate of one copy for every fifteen students.