JANUARY, 2012 Cathedral of St. John Berchmans Shreveport, Louisiana
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THE DIAPASON JANUARY, 2012 Cathedral of St. John Berchmans Shreveport, Louisiana Cover feature on pages 28–30 Jan 2012 Cover A.indd 1 12/13/11 8:44:57 AM NEW YORK CITY Saturday, June 2 3:00 pm & 7:30 pm on the 75th anniversary of June 2, 1937 Church of the Ascension DENVER Friday & Saturday June 15 & 16 at 7:30 pm St. John’s Cathedral CHICAGO Friday & Saturday July 6 & 7 at 7:30 pm Rockefeller Chapel University of Chicago Christopher Houlihan performs the six organ symphonies LOS ANGELES of Louis Vierne in six major Thursday & Friday North American cities July 19 & 20 at 7:30 pm this summer to commemorate Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels the composer on the 75th anniversary of his death. MONTREAL Friday & Saturday The symphonies will be August 3 & 4 at 7:30 pm presented in two sessions in cooperation with in each city, either in one day Les Amis de l’Orgue de Montréal or on two successive evenings. Church of the Gesu Part One : Symphonies I, III & V DALLAS Part Two: Symphonies II, IV & VI Saturday, August 18 Some venues may charge admission. at 3:00 pm & 7:30 pm Church of the Incarnation WWW.VIERNE2012.COM FOR MORE INFORMATION Jan 2012 pp. 2-19.indd 2 12/13/11 8:46:28 AM THE DIAPASON Letters to the Editor A Scranton Gillette Publication One Hundred Third Year: No. 1, Whole No. 1226 JANUARY, 2012 Franjo Dugan, Croatian composer country folk to accept fl orid, unrecogniz- Established in 1909 ISSN 0012-2378 The very interesting article in the Oc- able music? Yet we ask modern audienc- An International Monthly Devoted to the Organ, tober 2011 issue by Chris Krampe about es to accept that very thing. the Harpsichord, Carillon, and Church Music the “forgotten composer” Franjo Dugan The Baroque organists’ ability to im- reminded me of another unjustly forgot- provise kept their art vital. In my opin- ten Croatian composer: Josip Slaven- ion, today more than ever before, impro- ski (1896–1955). The original name was visation is key to our continued survival. CONTENTS Editor & Publisher JEROME BUTERA [email protected] Stolcer-Slavenski. He was born in what But the question is: what kind of impro- 847/391-1045 was then Austria-Hungary, May 11, visation? I don’t feel it was a coincidence FEATURES 1896; he died November 30, 1955. In that Chaplain Randolph’s idea came Fourteenth Annual Associate Editor JOYCE ROBINSON what was then a united Yugoslavia, he while I was improvising on a well-known Albert Schweitzer Organ Festival [email protected] by David Spicer 20 spent much of his career in Belgrade, church hymn—and he could pick out the 847/391-1044 Serbia. Although listed in the 1955 edi- melody, even though it was not printed Ascension Organ Academy tion of Grove’s Dictionary of Music and in the program. The problem, and this June 20–25, 2011 Contributing Editors LARRY PALMER by Will Thomas 21 Harpsichord Musicians, he was (incredibly) omitted is related to the tracker-electropneu- from the 1982 edition. matic polemic, is that Student A studies Jehan Alain—The American Festival JAMES MCCRAY Perhaps his most notable work was the Baroque-style improvisation on a neo- Wichita State University Choral Music by Thomas F. Froehlich 22 Sinfonia Orienta, composed 1933–1934. Baroque tracker, and Student B studies One of my most prized possessions is an 20th-century French-style improvisation The Last Vestiges of M. P. Möller? BRIAN SWAGER Carillon LP recording of this work, dating from on a Romantic organ somewhere, and Recent visits to Hagerstown spur the early 1950s and performed by the Student C, if he or she is lucky, stud- 20-year-old recollections by Randall S. Dyer 24 JOHN BISHOP Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and ies with an all-around good teacher on In the wind . Chorus (London LL1216). To quote several good organs and learns all the NEWS & DEPARTMENTS from the program notes of David Drew: styles—except that even Student C has GAVIN BLACK “The work is a setting of ancient texts in missed the point, because he or she is Editor’s Notebook 3 On Teaching Letters to the Editor 3 their original language, and it attempts such a highly skilled improviser that the to survey the history of Man’s efforts to person in the pew has not the slightest Here & There 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 13, 14 Reviewers James Reed Robert August express religious beliefs through music. idea what’s going on. Sleeves rolled up, Nunc Dimittis 12 Jay Zoller The work has the subtitle ‘Symphonic muscles fl exed, the organist conjures ret- Carillon News by Brian Swager 14 Charlie Steele Cantata in seven parts for soloists, cho- rograde inversions, superfl uous passage- In the wind . by John Bishop 14 John L. Speller rus, and orchestra’ and is dedicated to work, and other dog-and-pony tricks that On Teaching by Gavin Black 16 the Missa Solemnis of Beethoven.’’ virtually no one in the pew could possi- Briefl y: the seven movements de- bly understand. REVIEWS pict, in order, Pagans, the Hebrews, I spent my fortieth birthday (January THE DIAPASON (ISSN 0012-2378) is published monthly Music for Voices and Organ 17 by Scranton Gillette Communications, Inc., 3030 W. Salt Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Free 17, 2011) at a fascinating class by Da- New Recordings 18 Creek Lane, Suite 201, Arlington Heights, IL 60005-5025. Thought, and a “Hymn of Toil”—with vid Briggs at Church of the Advent on Phone 847/391-1045. Fax 847/390-0408. Telex: 206041 a text in Serbo-Croatian written by the the improvisations of Cochereau. As we New Organ Music 18 MSG RLY. E-mail: <[email protected]>. Book Reviews 19 Subscriptions: 1 yr. $35; 2 yr. $55; 3 yr. $70 (Unit- composer, which (presumably) repre- looked at the score and he pointed out ed States and U.S. Possessions). Foreign subscrip- sents Marxism, at that time the newest the themes here and there, I was able to NEW ORGANS 30 tions: 1 yr. $45; 2 yr. $65; 3 yr. $85. Single copies $6 “religion”! In each movement, the com- hear them (almost). But I sat there won- (U.S.A.); $8 (foreign). CALENDAR 31 Back issues over one year old are available only from poser masterfully conveys the spirit of dering, “Of the two or three thousand ORGAN RECITALS 34 The Organ Historical Society, Inc., P.O. Box 26811, Rich- each religion. In my opinion, the high people who used to attend Cochereau’s mond, VA 23261, which can supply information on avail- point of the score is the Buddhist move- Notre-Dame concerts, how many of CLASSIFIED ADVERTISING 36 abilities and prices. ment. Truly extraordinary. To the best of them could detect a melody if even I, Periodical postage paid at Rochelle, IL and additional 2011 In Review—An Index 38 mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes my knowledge, this work has never been without David Briggs standing in front to THE DIAPASON, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, Ar- performed in North America. of me, could not?” Cover: Parkey OrganBuilders, Duluth, lington Heights, IL 60005-5025. Slavenski will probably be of scant in- John Bishop accurately recounted the Georgia; Cathedral of St. John Berchmans, Routine items for publication must be received six weeks in advance of the month of issue. For advertising terest to organists, inasmuch as he was tracker-versus-electropneumatic wars, Shreveport, Louisiana 28 copy, the closing date is the 1st. Prospective contributors not an organist and wrote little for that which were still in full swing when I was of articles should request a style sheet. Unsolicited re- instrument. He did write one sonata for a student in the 1980s. Though I stud- www.TheDiapason.com views cannot be accepted. violin and organ—an early work (1919– ied on trackers, my “other education” This journal is indexed in the The Music Index, an- notated in Music Article Guide, and abstracted in RILM 1925). I am fortunate to have a copy of was the concerts that I attended in or Send subscriptions, inquiries, and ad- Abstracts. the (unpublished?) score in my posses- near Copley Square—large electropneu- dress changes to THE DIAPASON, Copyright © 2012. Printed in the U.S.A. sion, kindly supplied to me some years matic instruments at Trinity, Old South, ago by a faculty member of Virginia and the Mother Church. In particular, 3030 W. Salt Creek Lane, Suite 201, THE DIAPASON accepts no responsibility or liability Arlington Heights, IL 60005. for the validity of information supplied by contributors, Commonwealth University. Any violin- I can never forget how Fred MacAr- vendors, advertisers or advertising agencies. ists out there? thur perfumed the air with the ranks of Arthur LaMirande that Whitman’s Sampler of an organ at No portion of the contents of this issue may be reproduced in any form without the specifi c written permission New York, New York Old South. It wasn’t so much principals, of the Editor, except that libraries are authorized to make photocopies of the material contained herein for the purpose of course reserve reading at the rate of one copy for every fi fteen students. Such copies may be reused for fl utes, strings, and reeds as it was white other courses or for the same course offered subsequently. John Bishop: In the wind . chocolate, dark chocolate, milk choco- Thank you for John Bishop’s honest late, and fi lled chocolate. Fred’s playing and thought-provoking “In the wind” col- of that sumptuous 1920 E.