Sep11

I played the dedicatory concert when the St. Cornelius pipe organ was new, and this Western Kansas girl has been delighted to return to Dodge City each year since, to continue to celebrate this unique gem built by Casavant Frères!

This concert, titled "Voices in Community," is designed to follow the Evening Prayer service which will be held at the church at 6:00pm. All are welcome to both; a short break will allow those who wish to attend only the concert at 6:30pm. Admission is free.

Program notes: "Voices in Community"

As we listen to this Casavant pipe organ, a community of diverse musical voices, let us be encouraged to make space for divine inspiration in our lives.

JEHAN ALAIN (1911-1940): Postlude pour l'Office de Complies (Postlude for Compline)

Gregorian chant has expressed and inspired faith for centuries. The fragments of chant incorporated in this meditative piece by the French composer Jehan Alain recall his memories of the abbey of Valloires in France, where this piece was composed in 1930. It was inspired by the singing of the nuns at the evening service, called Compline.

FRANÇOIS COUPERIN (1668-1733): Offertoire sur les Grands Jeux, from Messe pour les Convents

Three hundred years earlier, another French composer, François Couperin, inherited his position as organist at St-Gervais church in Paris upon the death of his father. In turn, François served there until his own death. He was also organist at the Versailles palace of the “Sun King,” Louis XIV, an enthusiastic arts participant and supporter. This offertory from Couperin’s mass for convents or abbey churches utilizes the “grand jeux,” standard combinations of louder organ voices, offered in praise and gratitude to God.

JOHANN SEBASTIAN BACH (1685-1750): Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541

The genius of Johann Sebastian Bach was rooted in his ability to create musical conversations that fully explore, and therefore allow performers and listeners to discover, all facets of an idea. This Prelude and Fugue set is one of his most joyful. Bach composed it in his twenties, and revisited and revised it over his lifetime as a musician full of curiosity, dedicated to life-long learning and growth. The Prelude, marked Vivace (“lively”), is virtuosic and energetic, and the Fugue further explores the jaunty repeated-note patterns established in the Prelude.

J.S. BACH: Christus, der uns selig macht (Christ, Who Makes Us Holy), BWV 747

Several listeners have commented that Bach’s setting of this Passion hymn doesn’t sound much like Bach. Its unique features have caused some scholars to conclude that it must have been composed very early in his compositional career, or that it may have been written by one of his contemporaries. It’s a seldom-played piece deserving of more hearings, and indicative of a master composer perfecting his art.

J.S. BACH: Fugue in E-flat Major ("St. Anne"), BWV 552b

The four volumes of Bach’s ClavierÜbung (Keyboard Practice) showcase his mastery in compositions for all keyboard instruments of his time. Book III is for organ. It was published late in Bach’s career, and is a musical summary, not only of his expertise as a composer but also of his religious convictions. The Fugue in E-flat Major is the final piece in the book. It has been nicknamed the “St. Anne” fugue because its main subject sounds like the hymn tune ST. ANNE (“O God, Our Help in Ages Past”). Trinitarian references abound in this work, which is the twenty-seventh piece in ClavierÜbung Book III (honoring the ultimate sign of the Trinity, as 27 = 3x3x3). Its key signature contains three flats, and the fugue is in three distinct parts, each developing its own subject. The main “St. Anne” theme is interwoven throughout, appearing a total of twenty-seven times. Bach also hid other numerological references within the work. In these and many other ways, this fugue interweaves academic disciplines of the Baroque – theology, music, and math – in a beautiful and scholarly masterwork.

PAUL MANZ (1919-2009): Partita on St. Anne (O God, Our Help in Ages Past)

Many partitas, or sets of variations, were written by Bach and others in the Baroque period of music. This set was written in the 1970s by the American concert and church organist, teacher, and worship leader Paul Manz. It is based on a hymn tune from Bach’s time, composed in 1708 by William Croft, the first organist at St. Anne’s Church in London. Isaac Watts’ poem from the same year, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” is often sung to this tune. Paul Manz was famous for his hymn festivals, during which his improvisations on hymn tunes inspired congregational singing. This partita concluded many of these festivals.

HERBERT HOWELLS (1892-1983): Psalm-Prelude, Op. 32, No. 2 (Psalm 37:11: "... the meek shall inherit the earth")

Herbert Howells’ life was unfortunately marked by multiple tragedies – financial, personal, and physical. He often found escape and comfort in music-making. He wrote this Psalm-Prelude in London, around 1915, the year he was diagnosed with an autoimmune illness called Graves’ disease. This is Howells’ musical interpretation of Psalm 37, verse 11: “But the meek-spirited shall possess the earth, and shall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.”

RALPH SIMPSON (b. 1933): King of Kings

Ralph Simpson grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, and in 1964 became the first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in music at Michigan State University. He taught and served at several U.S. churches and universities, including chairing the Department of Music at Tennessee State University. He dedicated this setting of an African-American spiritual to Joyce Finch Johnson, who is professor emerita of music at Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, where she has served since 1955. The American Guild of Organists honored her with its Edward A. Hansen Leadership Award during its virtual convention in summer 2020.

FRANKLIN D. ASHDOWN (b. 1942): Variations on "The Star-Spangled Banner"

The American composer Franklin D. Ashdown is also a medical doctor, having combined these two careers for over three decades. He began playing organ for his local congregation when he was thirteen years old. He now lives and works in Alamogordo, New Mexico. The various moods of this set of variations can remind us of the many voices and opinions of citizens of our country. Our national anthem may be the only one that both begins and ends with a question: “O say, can you see…?” and “O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave…?” Working together, we must continually answer those questions about the banner that represents us, and we can ensure a brighter future for each other, our nation, and our world.