In Tempo, Or Not?

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

In Tempo, Or Not? a practical resource for Lutheran church musicians ALCM No.1, 2015 In Tempo, or Not? In this first issue of by Nancy Raabe Music is a glorious gift of in tempo : he notes are under our God that unfolds in t fingers. The rhythms are time... a narrative formed mastered. But what should by the composer and In Tempo, or Not? p. 1 our tempo be? viewed through our Tempo is arguably the most over - interpretive lens. Dear St. Cecilia p. 3 looked aspect of music, probably because it is the least well under - Music for the Masses stood. Pitch results from sound We would never dream of waves generated by the vibration purposely playing wrong notes Through the church of a certain length of string or or rhythms, but the choice of the song goes on: column of air. Rhythm consists tempo is left completely to the of patterns of sound by which performer. On the surface we p. 4 Lord, Have Mercy pitches are organized. But what don’t have much to go by. Tempo is tempo? indications allow for wide vari - ances, and metronome marks The Care and Basic resources tell us that tempo Feeding of the (Beethoven’s for example) may is “the rate at which a piece is not always represent the compos - Church Musician p. 6 played” or “the speed or pace of a er’s intentions. (And never given piece.” We know that that choose a tempo simply because tempos can vary according to “that’s the way it’s always played.”) Suceeding with external factors such as the instru - Small Choirs p. 8 How, then, can we discern what ment used and the size and the best tempo for a piece acoustics of the hall. One needs should be? in review: to factor in occasion as well as ability. A good rule of thumb is to Definition and Lent and Easter set your tempo no faster than the discernment p. 9 speed at which you can play the Choral Music Music is a glorious gift of God most difficult measure. Bach, that unfolds in time. How the per - Orgelbüchlein p. 10 n o i l e d e t n e d / k c o t S i © Tempo is far more than the rate at which the Welcome to In Tempo! former controls that element of notes occur. It is what time determines whether listeners To complement our fine journal become engaged. Do we find our - takes place between the CrossAccent, we are delighted to selves swept up in the compelling notes. Tempo is where be able to bring you this new semi - musical narrative? Are we vaguely the music happens. annual publication focusing on aware that substance is being sac - ideas and resources for the practice rificed on the altar of technique? of church music. Each year the win - Or do we find ourselves bored, the actor might call it pacing— ter issue will concentrate on Lent standing idly by while we wait for that a work’s most profound and Easter, and the summer issue it all to end? truths may be absorbed and will look toward fall festivals, understood. Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany. Conductor David Epstein once observed that conducting is far The desire for such a resource was more than a matter of following Strategies for hymn- expressed by many of you in a pub - the score’s directions. Instead, he playing lications survey ALCM carried out a said, “it’s almost like having We can’t apply nuances of tempo few years ago and reinforced in the molten clay in your hands, and to hymns, for we have our congre - survey conducted last fall. So really you’ve got to sustain the piece, gation to consider. But we can it is your idea—but we also want to shape its phrases, and carry on choose our tempos intelligently in hear your voices! All ALCM mem - the underlying motion that is a way that allows each hymn to bers are invited to contribute, unique to every piece.” live and breathe. whether through a short essay on a Tempo is key to this sustaining Ponder the inner nature of the practical topics of interest to other and shaping. Far more important tune apart from the text. What is church musicians, a reflection on a than being the rate at which its true character? Perhaps you recent recording of sacred music or notes occur, tempo is what takes hear it as a yearning ballad such that for use in worship, or thoughts place between the notes. This as SLANE or a rustic dance like on the self-care and spiritual well- where the music happens. KINGSFOLD . Or perhaps you imag - being of the parish musician. Control of music’s element of ine it as procession of heraldic Please send ideas to me at time governs how one note leads trumpets and fluttering banners, [email protected]. Comments or to the next, how one phrase such as SALZBURG , or as an out - letters regarding this issue or the opens onto the next, and so on burst of childlike joy on the order resource as a whole can be direct - across the span of a work. It of BACHOFEN (“God’s Own Child, ed to that address as well. affects our perception of whether I Gladly Say It,” LSB 594). the music has anything say, how Next, factor in the text. The tune In our inaugural issue we warmly well it is said, and whether we are GETHSEMANE , inconsequential on welcome Kevin Hildebrand and his stirred deeply (each in our own its own, assumes the character of recurring column on seasonal way) by participating in the a compelling dirge in “Go To resources and worship planning, process of disclosure. Dark Gethsemane” (ELW 347, “Through the Church the Song LSB 436, CW 104) and “Chief of Goes On.” Other contributors How, then, do we decide what the best general tempo for a given Sinners Though I Be” (ELW 609, include three former ALCM regional piece should be? LSB 611). The text to which presidents: Linda Kempke (Region SHADES MOUNTAIN is sung (“There 1), Donald Armitage (Region 2), and First, discern to the best of your in God’s Garden,” ELW 342) Bruce Bengtson (Region 3), along ability what the music is trying to infuses the tune with a sense of with Tom Leeseberg-Lange , express and what its larger pur - awe and timelessness, which is ALCM’s administrator for many pose is. Then place your under - best conveyed through a tempo of years and also a former editor of standing into the dimension of q = 88-92, as opposed to the more CrossAccent . Dear St. Cecilia is time. What subtle adjustments of perfunctory q = 112 (or h = 66) rejoining the world of print as well. tempo will clarify the music’s than one often hears. The tune Not bad for our first time out! shape and project its deepest MARTYRDOM may have started out truths? Imagine a great actor as a simple Scottish folk song, but Blessings to all as we approach the reading a Shakespearian mono - when joined to “Alas! And Did My season of Lent, logue. Dynamics and articulation Savior Bleed” (ELW 337, LSB 437, play a part, but it is by harnessing Nancy Raabe, editor CW 129) it assumes a mantle of tempo’s great expressive power— mourning. 2 ALCM in tempo no.1, 2015 A matter of survival Dear St. Cecilia Ron Koch Tempo can spell life or death for “Dear St. Cecilia,” previously published in ALCM’s Grace a hymn. At a ponderous tempo Notes, is back in print by popular demand. Pastor Ron Koch, the “Dear Abby” of the Lutheran church music your congregation may not sur - world, is the voice behind St. Cecilia, and he welcomes vive all six stanzas of “Thy Strong your questions and concerns. You can reach Ron at Word” (ELW 511, LSB 578, CW [email protected] or by snail mail to Good Shepherd 280) or even the four of Lutheran Church, 1735 Hecker Pass Highway, Gilroy, CA 95020. Phone calls are also welcome at (408) 842-2713. “Through the Night of Doubt and If the writer wishes, his/her identity may remain Sorrow” (ELW 327), both set to anonymous. EBENEZER . Instead of a life-drain - ing tempo such as = 80, try mak - h Music for the Masses with a choir, maybe a community ing the whole note the unit of Dear St. Cecilia, college, or perhaps another com - beat. The effect is spectacular: We munity church that could evalu - find ourselves carried aloft by I am a new choir director at Faith ate the music for their purposes. text’s great proclamation instead Lutheran Church, NJ. We have of becoming entangled in seem - many old SATB and SAA octavos Meanwhile, may I suggest that ingly endless chains of heavy that we no longer use. Can you church choirs keep some of the triplets. recommend an organization for music they no longer use? There donating music? yet may be a purpose for having it This same matter of life and around. Without a choir to sing death applies to hymns that con - Thank you, Becky Majewski it, or without the usual comple - sist largely of a succession of ment of SATB singers, some smaller note values. This tempts music can be adapted for singing us to focus on that foreground Dear Becky, by a soloist. Often the accompani - level, a recipe for tempos that are ment can carry the harmony, so too slow.
Recommended publications
  • A PROFILE of CHARLES M. RUGGLES, BUILDER of HAND-CRAFTED MECHANICAL ACTION ORGANS by Mark A. Herris Submitted to the Faculty Of
    A PROFILE OF CHARLES M. RUGGLES, BUILDER OF HAND-CRAFTED MECHANICAL ACTION ORGANS by Mark A. Herris Submitted to the faculty of the Jacobs School of Music in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree, Doctor of Music Indiana University May 2016 Accepted by the faculty of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Doctor of Music Doctoral Committee ______________________________________ Janette Fishell, Research Director ______________________________________ Christopher Young, Chair ______________________________________ Eric J. Isaacson ______________________________________ Elisabeth Wright April 6, 2016 ii Copyright © 2016 Mark A. Herris iii Dedicated to Christy, Ryan, and Sam iv Acknowledgements I am thankful for all of the support I have received in completing this project. It has been an honor to work extensively with Charles M. Ruggles over the past several months, and this project would not have been possible without his substantial support and time. I would like to thank my research director, Professor Janette Fishell, for her feedback and direction as this project came to fruition. I cannot thank her enough for challenging me to do my best. I am also indebted to Professors Christopher Young, Eric J. Isaacson, and Elizabeth Wright for graciously agreeing to serve on the committee for this paper. I am grateful for my organ teachers who have helped me get to this point, including Christopher Young, Craig Cramer, Gail Walton, and Jack Vogelgesang. I would like to acknowledge David Kazimir and Bob Finley for their assistance in developing my understanding of organ building. Special thanks goes to Leslie Weaver for her expeditious editing of my paper.
    [Show full text]
  • Raising the Raisin Organ by Susan Ferre February 2006
    Raising the Raisin Organ by Susan Ferré – February 2006 The Legend The Raisin organ was purchased from a Mrs. Fred Sandhop for $25 in 1958 by Rubin S. Frels, who found the old organ at the top of the stairs of what had been a stagecoach inn in the small burg of Raisin, population 50, near Victoria, Texas. Its pipes lay smashed, crushed in the bottom of the fauxbois case. Light from a nearby window had faded portions of the fake wood finish, and the damp South Texas attic environment had ravished its metal pipes, the bellows and wood. It had arrived in Texas in the 1850¹s with a Lutheran pastor from Switzerland, and had served the Trinity Lutheran Church of Victoria from the 1850¹s until 1884 when it was replaced by William Schuelke¹s Opus 33 and put in storage . It appears to have been, and may still be, the oldest extant organ to have served the early German pioneers of Texas. Housed in this stone way- station near Raisin, located between historic Goliad and thriving Victoria eight miles to the north, mud-daubers, rats and mice quietly ate away at the organ for almost 75 years before it was rescued and restored by Rubin Frels. The work was carried out by Susan Tattershall in 1980, due in large part to the urging and with the help of our dearly departed Ted W. Blankenship, Jr., then an employee in the Frels shop. The organ was purchased in 1991 by Charles Lang and the author, again with the urging of Ted Blankenship, who helped move it from Rubin Frels¹ living room to a home in Garland, near Dallas.
    [Show full text]
  • By John Brombaugh, 1997 Discussions About Building A
    by John Brombaugh, 1997 Discussions about building a special organ for Duke University’s Memorial Chapel began some 12 years ago. Since the room is relatively small, the milder sound of the early Italian organ was considered a most suitable complement to the large Flentrop and Æolian organs in the main part of the Chapel. Meantone tuning, customary for organs before the 18th century, would also offer a wider scope of unusual musical opportunities. To avoid diminishing even further the limited seating space, the new organ would be placed in a “swallow’s nest” loft made by the organbuilder to match the organ case. A contract was signed in the spring of 1991, actual construction began in the Brombaugh shop in the summer of 1995, and the organ was installed in the Memorial Chapel during the summer of 1997. The result is a new organ — consisting of 21 ranks, 23 stops, and some 960 pipes — that may very well be the only modern example of its type in the Western Hemisphere. The early Renaissance organs in southern Europe seldom made the aggressive sounds that became common later in France and Germany. These organs were remarkably simple compared to their northern cousins, but (especially in Tuscany) they made a wonderful, sweet sound. Instruments in Italy seldom had more than one manual keyboard, and the limited pedals, if present at all, assisted only in playing occasional bass notes. Nonetheless, these bass pipes could be quite large, as one can still see in the 24' front pipes of the Epistle organ in the Basilica of San Petronio in Bologna.
    [Show full text]
  • Westfield Newsletter, Vol. XXI, No. 10, Fall 2010
    E-Newsletter of the Westfield Center, Volume XXI, No. 10 A National Resource for the Advancement of Keyboard Music, Serving Professionals and the Public Since 1979 Fall 2010 Warm greetings to all. Westfield members have been busy over the past months with confer- ences, publications, performances and planning—and we are glad to bring reports of some of these activities to you with this issue of Westfield. The most recent news is that Cornell University has formally agreed to provide the Westfield Center with an administrative home, initially for two years. Westfield will have an office at the Cornell music department, and some administrative help funded by the university. While Westfield will remain fully independent as a not-for-profit organization, this affiliation is going to help us run our programs, commu- nicate with our members, and develop new projects with efficiency and enthusiasm. Our new administrative assistant this year is musicology graduate student Evan Cortens, who has been doing stellar work already, and from whom many of you will likely hear in due course. We are very fortunate to have him on board, and to have the support of Cornell. The past six months have been wonderfully productive for Westfield members, with two con- ferences, on which we report below, the creation of a packed third issue of Keyboard Perspectives, and with exciting plans for a new project which we hope to announce formally in a couple of weeks. Many thanks to all of you for your continued support for all that we do. Annette Richards Executive
    [Show full text]
  • Brombaugh Organ Timeline and Selected Quotes Prepared Summer 2010 by Brian Wentzel Updated September 2014 DSB – David Boe
    Brombaugh Organ timeline and selected quotes Prepared summer 2010 by Brian Wentzel Updated September 2014 DSB – David Boe FLC – First Lutheran Church JBB – John Brombaugh RAB – Robert Boettger WM – William Mock Date Event Documentation Nov. 30, 1924 Möller pipe organ installed “First Hundred Years” history in FLC directory 1960 Möller organ’s condition begins to be a concern 70.06.21 Dedication Service program August 23, 1962 DSB takes position of organist and choir director 62.06.11 Church Council He was 26 years old minutes March 3, 1963 Christian Education Building dedicated “First Hundred Years” $180,000 history in FLC directory 1963 JBB graduates from Cornell University (Ithaca, NY) with 10.07.23 email from JBB MS in Electrical Engineering thesis on the acoustic properties of organ pipe sounds Feb. 10, 1964 “Mr. Boe would come before council at some future 64.02.10 Church Council meeting to more fully explain a Worship and Music minutes Committee 1964 goal to start an organ fund for about $30,000 over a 10 year period.” Feb. 1964 JBB starts 2 years’ apprenticeship with Fritz Noack 10.07.23 email from JBB Sept. 14, 1964 “Mr. Parsons talked about the new organ in the new 64.09.14 Church Council church building and some things to look for and plan to minutes do.” Oct. 12, 1964 DSB talks to council. Recommends buying a new organ 64.10.12 Church Council for the new sanctuary. Recommends contracting with an minutes organ builder to work directly with architect for new building. June 14, 1965 “An organ fund was discussed.” 65.06.14 Church Council “possibility of starting a memorial fund for the future minutes purchase of an organ.” Fall 1965 Mark Brombaugh begins sophomore year at Oberlin, 10.07.23 email from JBB studies with DSB because Garth Peacock on sabbatical January 1966 JBB finishes his Op.
    [Show full text]
  • Cross Accent NOV 2000
    The John Brombaugh Organ (1970) at First Lutheran Church, Lorain, Ohio David Boe THE YEAR 2000 marks the thirtieth anniversary of developed, John Brombaugh became increasingly the completion of John Brombaugh’s organ for First desirous of capturing the sheer beauty of sound that Lutheran Church in Lorain, Ohio. At the time of its he experienced in historic instruments such as the design and installation, this instrument represented a Arp Schnitger Rückpositiv in Der Aa-Kerk in significant departure from the mechanical Groningen. As his respect for the old action organs, most of them from European First Lutheran’s masters grew, so did his resolve to makers, which were being built and imported understand the intricacies of their in the late sixties and early seventies. commitment to techniques, a quest not unlike the effort of First Lutheran’s commitment to a new violinmakers to replicate the art of a instrument grew out of the need to replace a new Stradivarius or Guarneri ‘del Jesù’. The a tired and inadequate instrument, resulting plan for First Lutheran reflects this installed in chambers at the front of the instrument strong historical orientation and was to church when the sanctuary was built in grew out of the become an important first step in the devel- 1924. A decision was made to place a new opment and maturing of Brombaugh’s art. mechanical action organ, together with need to replace Brombaugh gave considerable thought seating for the choirs, at the rear of the to the acoustical qualities of the casework. church. I had come to know John a tired and Because of the non-resonant characteristics Brombaugh through his brother, Mark, who of plywood, the case is made almost entirely was studying organ at the Oberlin inadequate of solid wood, as are the tableboards and Conservatory at the time.
    [Show full text]
  • By Robert Parkins, University Organist, 1997 the Significance of The
    by Robert Parkins, University Organist, 1997 The significance of the new Brombaugh organ in Memorial Chapel extends far beyond that of a purely functional instrument to accompany services, although it will most certainly do that. Like the Flentrop organ installed in Duke University Chapel in 1976, it is an organ of national, even international, importance. Among a mere handful of modern meantone organs at American colleges and universities (including Berkeley, Oberlin, and Wellesley), the Brombaugh is further distinguished by its early Italian orientation. Moreover, the Chapel is one of the very few settings in this country that could be considered architecturally and acoustically ideal for this kind of instrument. As a complement to the Chapel’s Flentrop and Æolian organs, the Brombaugh will specialize in music written before the age of J. S. Bach. Keyboard literature of the 16th and 17th centuries is rich and varied, embracing a wealth of liturgical and secular music in a number of national styles. To be sure, the core of this instrument is a modest though complete organ in pre-18th-century Italian style, but a judicious expansion allows for the performance of late Renaissance and early Baroque repertoire of other schools — most notably the southern European countries — without disturbing the instrument’s integrity. Although thoroughly new, this organ sounds “old,” for in using the kinds of techniques and materials employed by the ancient builders, John Brombaugh has created an instrument that emulates the sound of antique organs. The sensitive mechanical action, flexible winding, low wind pressure, and historical pipe scalings all contribute to producing with crystalline clarity the kinds of sounds that would have been recognizable to composers like Cabezon, Frescobaldi, and Pachelbel.
    [Show full text]
  • Building and Installation of the Organ Pasi Opus 14 Was Built Between
    Building and Installation of the Organ Pasi Opus 14 was built between December 2000 and February 2003 in an old schoolhouse, nestled among the tall conifers that stand guard at the gates of Mount Rainier, just outside of Tacoma, Washington. The interior of Saint Cecilia Cathedral, meanwhile, was undergoing an extensive restoration in anticipation of the new organ. Plans were likewise being made for the organ’s inauguration and public presentation. Since the organ was the fruit of a single-family donation, education of the cathedral parish and civic communities and their involvement in its reception became urgent 173 priorities. The laurels of this period, however, belong to organ builder Martin Pasi. Along with his associates, he applied a lifetime of skill and experience, at once vast and specialized, to the crafting of a landmark instrument. The Artisans: Martin Pasi and Associates Martin Franz Pasi was born on 21 December 1953 in Bregenz, the capital of the Austrian province of Vorarlberg which since the Middle Ages has clung to the eastern shore of Lake Constance. Martin was the fifth of six children born to Kassian and Margarethe (Gretl) Pasi. He grew up on the Martinsgasse in Bregenz’s medieval Oberstadt, where the Pasi home stands in the shadow of Bregenz’s most identifiable landmark, St. Martin’s Tower.1 In school, Pasi prepared for a career in business, but soon realized that, like his woodworker father, he was meant to work with his hands. He began an apprenticeship in 1976 with Rieger Orgelbau, an organ building firm in nearby Schwarzach.
    [Show full text]
  • A Special Youtube Premiere Saturday December 19 2020 5:00 P.M
    A Special YouTube Premiere Saturday December 19 2020 5:00 p.m. Pacific (UTC-8) AmericanBach.org/Messiah Program AMERICAN BACH SOLOISTS • AMERICAN BACH CHOIR Mary Wilson, soprano • Eric Jurenas, countertenor Kyle Stegall, tenor • Jesse Blumberg, baritone Jeffrey Thomas, conductor George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) Messiah (Foundling Hospital version, 1753) These performances are generously sponsored in part by Drs. Jose & Carol Alonso, Jan Goldberg, Marie Hogan & Douglas Lutgen, and Kim & Judith Maxwell. Mary Wilson’s appearance is generously sponsored by Jan Goldberg & Ken Hoffman. Eric Jurenas’s appearance is generously sponsored by John & Lois Crowe. Kyle Stegall’s appearance is generously sponsored by Marie Hogan & Douglas Lutgen. Jesse Blumberg’s appearance is generously sponsored by Hugh Davies & Kaneez Munjee. PART THE FIRST (Scene I continued) RECITATIVE, accompanied – Tenor - Thy Rebuke hath broken his Heart SINFONY ARIA – Tenor - Behold, and see SCENE I SCENE II RECITATIVE, accompanied – Tenor - Comfort ye, comfort ye my People RECITATIVE, accompanied – Soprano - He was cut off out of the Land of the Living ARIA – Tenor - Ev’ry Valley shall be exalted ARIA – Soprano - But Thou didst not leave his Soul in Hell CHORUS - And the Glory of the Lord shall be revealed SCENE III SCENE II SEMICHORUS - Lift up your Heads, O ye Gates RECITATIVE, accompanied – Bass - Thus saith the Lord of Hosts ARIA – Alto - But who may abide the Day of his coming? SCENE IV CHORUS - And he shall purify the Sons of Levi RECITATIVE – Tenor - Unto which of
    [Show full text]
  • The Tracker the Tracker
    Volume 58, Number 1, Winter 2014 THE TRACKER JOURNAL OF THE ORGAN HISTORICAL SOCIETY WELCOME TO THE FINGER LAKES OHS 2014 PIPE ORGAN HOLIDAY! If our 2014 OHS convention could be summed up in one word, that word would be diversity. Instruments from the 19th century share the schedule with those from later builders, running the gamut from romantic/symphonic to a historically accurate recreation of an 18th-century Schnitger organ, and almost everything in between. Environments range from the urban vibe of downtown Syracuse to the bucolic hills and back roads of the Finger Lakes wine region. Experiences abound, including recitals by established organ “Stars,” up-and-coming young performers, and familiar convention favorites, historical presentations by people familiar with the significance of some of our venues, and tours, by water and land, to some of the many Finger Lakes Wineries that make New York one of the premier wine-producing states in the country. Organs that our members will hear for the first time will delight and impress us, as will the six (yes, six!) instruments that have already been awarded OHS citations. www.organsociety.org/2014 WWW.ORGANSOCIETY.ORG/2014 2014 E. POWER BIGGS FELLOWSHIP HONORING A NOTABLE ADVOCATE FOR examining and understanding the pipe organ, this year’s E. Power Biggs Fellows will attend the OHS 59th Annual Conven- tion in the Finger Lakes Region of New York State, with headquarters in Syracuse, August 11–14, 2014. Hear and experience a wide variety of pipe organs in the company of professional musicians and enthusiasts. The Fellowship includes a two-year membership in the OHS and covers these DEADLINE FOR APPLICATIONS convention costs: is February 28, 2014.
    [Show full text]
  • The EROI Festival 2006 at the Eastman School of Music: a Review
    Westfield E-NEWSLETTER OF THE WESTFIELD CENTER, VOLUME XVII, NO. 1 ________________________________________________________________________ ______________ A National Resource for the Advancement of Keyboard music, serving Professionals and the Public since 1979 The EROI Festival 2006 at the Eastman School of Music: A Review by Daniel Zager, Associate Professor of Musicology Eastman School of Music The Eastman Rochester Organ Initiative (EROI) is an ambitious long-range plan that aims to make the Eastman School of Music and the Rochester, New York metropolitan area a global center for organ performance, research, building, and preservation. The Italian baroque organ inaugurated during the 2005 EROI Festival marked the first concrete milestone in Phase One of EROI. A new instrument closely modeled after a 1776 instrument by Adam Gottlob Casparini in Vilnius, Lithuania will be installed in Christ Church (Episcopal) during 2007–2008. Designated as the “Craighead- Saunders Organ,” this instrument will be inaugurated in October 2008. The restoration of the historic E. M. 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. Central to implementing the vision of EROI is the annual EROI Festival, the first of which was held in 2002. The EROI Festivals bring together an international assembly of organ builders, performers, scholars, and students to explore specific topics each year and to confer on the progress of the various EROI-related projects currently underway. These annual Festivals have benefited greatly from the involvement of the Westfield Center, which supported the 2003 Festival and has cosponsored each Festival since then.
    [Show full text]
  • 9.6.19 C-HOP Eastern European Organ:Harpsichord Music By
    Iowa State University Department of Music and Theatre C-HOP Festival 2019 Eastern European Organ & Harpsichord Music by Women Composers during Soviet Socialist Realism (1932-1988) Recital-Lecture by Dr. Miriam Zach, ISU Organ & Harpsichord Faculty Friday, September 6, 2019, 6:00pm Martha-Ellen Tye Recital Hall PROGRAM Praeambulum from Hat Orgonadarab Erzsébet Szönyi (b.1924) Preludium na Valasskou Písen: Preludio sul tema di un canto morave Vitezslav Novák (1870-1949) Preludium ut minore Jan Zach (1699-1773) Trivium (III.) Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) hell und dunkel Sofia Gubaidulina (b. 1931) Im Salon der Rahel Levin (harpsichord) Ruth Zechlin (1926-2007) HISTORICAL CONTEXT INTERWEAVING CULTURES & LANGUAGES Soviet Socialist Realism - refer to Zhdanov memo was the contextualist official style of idealized realistic art developed in the Soviet Union as well as other socialist countries 1932-1988. All composers on today’s program came from countries in the Warsaw Pact, signed in 1955, that included Albania, Bulgaria, Czechoslovakia, Hungary, East Germany, Romania, Poland, and the Soviet Union. 1. Identify gender of composer by listening 2. How did, or didn’t each composer conform to Soviet Socialist Realism? ABOUT THE COMPOSERS Hungarian composer and professor of teachers, Erzsébet Szönyi (b.1924) celebrated her 95th birthday on April 25, 2019. She studied with Nadia Boulanger (1887-1979) and Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) in Paris, then returned to Budapest to teach the Kodály method developed by Zoltán Kodály (1882-1967) at the Liszt Academy. Russian troops were stationed in Hungary from the end of World II until 1991. In 2014 A Tear in the Curtain: The Musical Diplomacy of Erzsébet Szönyi by Jerry Jacquard was published about her life and creative work.
    [Show full text]