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ORGEL ZEIT Volume 16, Issue 2 March 2018
The York Chapter of The American Guild of Organists
Serving our community since 1935
The AGO National Convention At the 2018 AGO National Convention
in Kansas City you will see and hear incredible performances by
world-class organists and choirs, hear new music by some of the
world’s best modern composers, be able to check out dozens of
workshops and seminars, and enjoy creative worship services in some
of the most beauti-ful and historic organ venues in the country.
The members of the Greater Kansas City Chapter of The Ameri-can
Guild of Organists look forward to sharing the grandeur of the
city’s organs and performance venues with you from July 2 – 6,
2018.
We hope to see you there!
Registration Rates
Early: Jan. 1 – Mar. 31, 2018 Regular Member* $435 Senior (65+)
$395 Spouse/Partner $350 Young Organist (under 30) $250 Non-member
$550
Regular: Apr. 1 - May 31, 2018 Regular Member* $495 Senior (65+)
$450 Spouse/Partner $350 Young Organist (under 30) $250 Non-member
$595
Final: Jun. 1, 2018 through the convention All categories
(except non-member) $545 Non-member $595
Daily $150 (Two day maximum)
*Regular Member rate is available to numerous sister
organizations, listed on the registration site
http://kcago.com/http://kcago.com/
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THE ST. MATTHEW LUTHERAN CHURCH CONCERT SERIES will present
organist Adam Brakel in concert on Sunday, April 8, at 4:00 p.m.
Free tickets are required for admission and can be ordered by
sending a stamped, self-addressed envelope to: April Concert, St.
Matthew Lutheran Church, 30 W. Chestnut St., Hanover, PA 17331. A
free-will offering will be taken to assist with the concert costs.
Please note the number of tickets desired. The doors open at 3:30
p.m. A reception will follow the program.
The colorful program will include Meyerbeer’s Coronation March,
Prae-ludium in e minor (The Great) by Bruhns, Toccata in D Major by
Lanquetu-it, Jongen’s Sonata Eroica, Variations on Shenandoah
arranged by Brakel, Joplin’s Maple Leaf Rag, Stars and Stripes by
Sousa, Bach’s Partita: Sei gegrusset, Jesu gutig, BWV 768, Etude
Symphonique by Bossi, Chopin’s Etude in c-sharp minor, op.10, no 4,
Demessieux’s Octaves, among others.
The spell-binding performances of concert organist Adam J.
Brakel have led to his being compared to Liszt, Gould, Bernstein,
and Paganini — proving that true musical prodigies continue to
exist in the 21st century. National Public Radio in Florida hailed
him as “An absolute organ prodigy, with the
technique and virtuosity that most concert pianists could only
dream of, and having the potential to be the lead-ing organist of
his generation. He is the Franz Liszt of the organ.” The Chicago
Tribune proclaimed Brakel as "One of the most talented organists in
the world." A graduate of the Peabody Conservatory, Adam J. Brakel
has embarked on a highly successful concert career, playing from
coast to coast in the United States, and in concert tours in
England, Germany, and Hong Kong. Dame Gillian Weir, one of the
foremost organists in the world, said of Brakel, “He is to be
commended for his devotion to the art of performance and to music
itself.” Brakel’s repertoire of organ literature is extensive and
includes the entire spectrum of styles including the com-plete
organ works of Bach, Bruhns, Buxtehude, Couperin, Liszt, de Grigny,
Franck, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Duruflé – truly laudable for such a
young performer. In addition to works of all periods, from 2010
through the present career highlights include performances of the
complete works of César Franck and, more notably, the fiendishly
difficult Six Etudes of Jeanne Demessieux, being one of very few
concert organists in the world to perform and record the entire
set. Mr. Brakel has also made a concentrated study of jazz music
for the pipe organ and has premiered jazz pianist Dick Hyman's
Shenandoah arranged for organ by Brakel, and the USA premier of
Millennial Countdown at the request of Mr. Hyman, considered one of
the best jazz pianists of this era.
Adam Brakel's recital career was launched after being awarded an
American Guild of Organists scholarship as a high school junior. He
then enrolled at Duquesne University where he studied organ with
John Walker and David Craighead and harpsichord with Rebecca
Rollett. While at Duquesne he was appointed Associate Or-ganist at
Saint Paul Roman Catholic Cathedral in Pittsburgh where he was
featured weekly on television broadcasts throughout western
Pennsylvania. He graduated from Duquesne University magna cum laude
in 2006 and was accorded the André Marchal Award for Excellence in
Performance. He then enrolled at The Juilliard School in New York
City, receiving the John Dexter Bush Scholarship and the Alice
Tully Award. In addition to his studies, Mr. Brakel was appointed
Assistant Organist at the Church of Saint Ignatius Loyola on Park
Avenue and was featured in solo recitals at Saint Patrick’s
Cathedral and Central Synagogue among other Manhattan venues. In
autumn 2007, Adam enrolled at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore
where he com-pleted his master’s degree and was then awarded the
Graduate Performance Diploma in 2011. At Peabody, he studied with
Donald Sutherland and visiting guest professor, Dame Gillian Weir.
During this time, he also served as assisting organist at the
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in
Washing-ton, DC. Further studies in Toulouse, France resulted in
his being presented with the prestigious “Oundle Award” in
2008.
As a fierce and exacting contender in numerous competitions,
Adam Brakel took top prizes in the Albert Schweitzer Organ
Competition, the Reuter/Augustana Arts Undergraduate Organ
Competition, the Gruenstein Memorial Organ Competition, the John
Rodland Memorial Scholarship Competition, the French Organ Music
Seminar Competition, and the Carlene Neihart International Organ
Competition all between the years of 2003-2006.
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POSITIONS AVAILABLE
St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Littlestown, Organist. St. Paul’s is
seeking an organist to lead worship at the 10:15 Sunday morning
service. (9 AM in the summer.) The service is a traditional service
of Holy Commun-ion. Additional special services throughout the year
are Christmas Eve, Ash Wednesday, mid-week Lenten services, Maundy
Thursday, Good Friday, Easter Vigil and occasionally as many as two
community services every few years. The organist would work under
the Worship and Music committee with the choir director and would
also accompany the Chancel Choir. Most of the accompaniment of the
Chancel Choir would be on piano and rehearsals for the choir are
Wednesdays from 7-8:30 PM. The Chancel Choir begins rehears-als the
last Wed. in Aug. and concludes practices in late May. St. Paul’s
has a very strong music program with about 16 members on the
Chancel Choir. The organ is a Moller Pipe Organ opus 4961 and was
original-ly installed in 1930. In 1963, the organ was rebuilt by
Moller Organ Company and in 2012, SDG Organ Com-pany of
Millersville rebuilt it and added some new features such as the
trumpet stop. For more information please contact Ben Messinger at
717-359-4556 or [email protected]. The position is open
begin-ning January, 2017.
In November 2017, Mr. Brakel was appointed Director of Music at
St. James Cathedral and for the Diocese of Orlando, Florida. This
appointment follows positions at Christ the King Catholic Church in
Tampa, St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Parish in the Diocese of St.
Petersburg, Florida, and at St. Ignatius Roman Catholic Cathedral
in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida - a position to which he was
appointed at age 25, making him at the time one of the youngest
directors appointed to a cathedral in the United States.
Adam J. Brakel is represented in North America exclusively by
Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists, LLC.
Jardine Organ Concerts Cross Keys Village - TBHC at 2990
Carlisle Pike in New Oxford, PA is the (non-retirement) home of an
1869 one manual George Jardine (NY) tracker action organ rebuilt in
1983 by Brunner & Associates.
This year is the 15th annual concert series and features:
April 29th Adric, St. Stephen’s Anglican Church, Timonium, MD
June 24th Victor Fields, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, York September
9th Brian Rotz, St. John’s Episcopal Church, Carlisle October 14th
Michael Britt, Brown Memorial Presbyterian Church, Baltimore,
MD
All recitals begin at 2:30 pm on the dates shown.
Free-will offerings will be accepted and refreshments will be
served.
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MAX REGER
“I consider him a genius.” Arnold Schoenberg on Max Reger.
We're lucky as organists to know quite a bit about Max Reger
(1873 – 1916), whose music shows up in many organ recital
programmes and re-cordings, but is largely absent from orchestral,
chamber and instrumental programmes. I've been a fan of his music
since discovering it as a teenager, but I'm aware that a lot of
people, particularly non-organists, don't know much about him.
Therefore making a Max Reger DVD will not only mark his centenary
next year, but should bring much needed attention to this great
composer.
This should be a most exciting set of films for a number of
reasons. The musicians who will be performing are brilliant and
should provide searing performances. Much of the music we will
record, as well as being great, is unfamiliar, and our goal is to
shine a light on a little known musical realm.
And the story itself is wild. Reger crammed an extraordinary
amount into his 43 years. At the time he was one of Germany's most
successful composers and was constantly touring and performing
while also living a life of excess, going on drinking and eating
binges that matched with a vast compositional output. But that's
not the whole story. Reger was also a deeply spiritual man, a side
that is reflected in his music. He was also described as a
seismograph whose music reflected the major issues and struggles of
his time. He lived through a period in which Europe struggled with
decadence and ultimately marched into the abyss of the First World
War. Reger's music, perhaps culminating in his ferocious Dies Irae,
reflects this enormous cul-tural struggle. Therefore this film
about Reger will also provide, from the fascinating viewpoint of a
tor-mented and misunderstood genius who lived at double-speed, a
vision of one of the most important periods of European
history.
A great composer writing for the organ
Reger was like Franck in that early in his career he turned to
the organ as a way of having music he wrote be performed – this was
due to the gifted organist Karl Straube championing his
compositions. Therefore Reger brought the ambitions and talents of
a great composer to the organ, and in his organ music made a
genuinely important contribution to the development of European
classical music.
For instance, some people have argued that it is in his Opus 73
Variations for organ that Reger became the first composer to write
atonal music.
Our main featured organist for this DVD will be Graham Barber,
who will perform Opus 73, along with other great works such as the
Chorale Fantasia and Fugue on Hallelujah, Gott zu Loben and the
Fantasia and Fugue Opus 135b, or organs such as the Sauer organ in
the Lutherkirche in Chemnitz, the new “Reger organ” at St
Michael's, Weiden, and also the Schulze organ in Armley where he is
organist.
Despite Opus 73, Reger was never heading towards atonality – he
told Strauss he would never take that ulti-mate step. Reger
ploughed a unique course for himself and created an unforgettable
style that combines astonishing harmony with traditional forms such
as the fugue and passacaglia.
In this sense his ne plus ultra is his “Inferno” Fantasia and
Fugue in D minor, Opus 57. Surely this is the wildest, most
virtuosic, most extraordinary fantasia and fugue ever written. It's
never been filmed profes-sionally before and should be gripping to
listen to and watch.
Bernhard Buttmann, a veteran who has recorded all of Reger's
organ music, plays it brilliantly and will per-form it on the Link
organ of the Pauluskirche in Ulm, alongside various other
works.
With works such as Opus 57 and 73, it is no wonder that Reger
has developed a fearsome reputation for dense chromaticism. But his
Second Sonata, Opus 60, presents another side of him – clear,
transparent, to the point, concise. This will be played by Bernhard
Haas.
What if you don't like Reger's music?
Max Reger has always divided critics, audiences and musicians,
on the one hand winning the most extraor-dinary loyalty and praise,
and on the other being dismissed out of hand. Therefore Reger is
ripe for reap-praisal. What if you just don't like his music?
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We feel that his story is so compelling and touches on so many
fascinating themes and concerns that even if you decide you don't
like his music you will enjoy the story and acknowledge reger's
interest and importance. So we relish the opportunity to establish
convincingly that he deserves recognition and awareness and should
stand alongside Mahler and Strauss as one of the most important
composers of his time, worthy of a place in the mainstream of
musical life.
Documentary
The documentary about Reger's life, to be presented on DVD in
three 52-minute episodes, will serve as both a biography and also
an in-depth survey of his music. Presented by singer Frauke May and
conductor Ira Levin, two stories will be told – the past story of
Reger's life, with his many struggles but also his extraordinary
ac-complishments, and the present story of Levin preparing to
conduct a performance of his new arrangement for orchestra of
Reger's famous piano work, the Bach Variations. Therefore the film
will cover both the hugely compelling narrative of Reger's life as
well as showing how his music is performed and received today.
May and Levin will interview, in either German or English, all
the major Reger scholars and performers, from Susanne Popp and her
colleagues at the Reger Institute to performers such as Julius
Berger, Bernhardt Butt-mann and Graham Barber. We will take
advantage of one Reger-performer's extraordinary resemblance to
Re-ger – Rudolf Meister – who will “stand” in for Reger in scenes
about his life. We will use the piano and organ rolls at the Max
Reger Institute to recreate Reger's own performances using an
original mechanical player-piano and player-organ.
The documentary will include excerpts from Reger's most
important works for orchestra, piano, chamber en-semble and organ
(these works will be included in their entirety on the other CDs
and DVDs of the boxed set – never before have all the key works of
Reger for whatever instrument been available in one set).
Our aim is nothing less than to establish Reger among the
pantheon of great composers, and we will devote all our resources
to accomplishing this through making an extraordinary set of films
and recordings in exquisite packaging that will bring the attention
of the classical music world onto the genius and importance of Max
Reger.
Congratulations to York Chapter member Todd Davis, Director of
Music &
Organist at Christ Lutheran Church in downtown York.
Todd successfully passed the Colleague CAGO examination of the
Guild.
I was the proctor for Todd’s examination which was held last
November.
The examination was in several sections which requires the
candidate to
perform required organ literature plus transposition of hymns,
anthem ac-
companiment, solo accompaniment, sight reading among others.
This month, the Guild will begin a 3 part DVD series on the life
and music
of the great German composer Max Reger. Our March, April and
May
meetings will be devoted to seeing over 3 hours of documentary
about the
life and musical works of this composer whom most organists
don’t know very well.
Please plan to attend the series at the various church locations
starting with St. John Catholic Church in
New Freedom. The meetings begin at 2:00pm.
We extend our sympathy to the family of Ivan Spahr who died last
month. Ivan was not a member of AGO but was a local organist and
organ music lover.
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Allen organ needs a new home.
Contact Victor for more information.
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York Chapter, American Guild of Organists
Substitute Organists
Funerals (Monday-Friday)
Wicky Barnes 717-870-4505 [email protected]
Rodney Barnett 717-244-5020 [email protected]
Jeffrey Cogan 717-386-9647 [email protected]
Victor Fields 717-858-4982 [email protected]
Richard Frey 717-476-3226 [email protected]
Beth Gross 717-767-4518 [email protected]
Cheryl Huber 717-840-9707 [email protected]
Christine Kates 717-741-9534 [email protected]
Marie Melusky 717-292-5758 [email protected]
Mary Loyer 717-246-9866 Cell: 717-424-8507
Tom Shelley 717-428-3600 [email protected].
Weddings & Funerals (Saturday & Sunday)
Wicky Barnes 717-870-4505 [email protected]
Rodney Barnett 717-244-5020 [email protected]
Jeffrey Cogan 717-386-9647 [email protected]
Victor Fields 717-858-4982 [email protected]
Richard Frey 717-476-3226 [email protected]
Cheryl Huber 717-840-9707 [email protected]
Christine Kates 717-741-9534 [email protected]
Marie Melusky 717-292-5758 [email protected]
Karl Mincemoyer 717-817-4802 [email protected]
Saturday funerals only
Mary Loyer 717-246-9866 Cell: 717-424-8507 Saturday only
Tom Shelley 717-428-3600 [email protected]. Saturday
only
Sunday Services (Liturgical and non-liturgical)
Jeffrey Cogan 717-386-9647 [email protected]
Richard Frey 717-476-3226 [email protected]
Beth Gross 717-767-4518 [email protected]
Cheryl Huber 717-840-9707 [email protected]
No Catholic Masses
Christine Kates 717-741-9534 [email protected]
Marie Melusky 717-292-5758 [email protected]
Karl Mincemoyer 717-817-4802 [email protected]
Carolyn Smith 410-374-8311 [email protected]
Saturday Catholic Mass
Wicky Barnes 717-870-4505 [email protected]
Jeffrey Cogan 717-386-9647 [email protected]
Victor Fields 717-858-4982 [email protected]
Publication Information
Orgel Zeit is published monthly, September through
June. All material is due to the Editor by the 18th day
of the month preceding publication. Whenever possi-
ble, articles, photos and graphics should be submitted
in electronic format. The Editor reserves the right to
make editorial changes and to shorten articles to fit
space limitations.
Editor: Patee Pizzirusso, 38 Stonewyck Hill Rd.,
Wrightsville, PA 17368
(717) 252-1400 text or [email protected]
Send inquires and correspondence to York Chapter,
AGO, Attn: Victor Fields, 7194 Seneca Ridge Dr.,
York, PA 17403
1929 Cunningham player piano available to a good home. Contact:
Ed Briercheck at [email protected]
mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]
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ORGEL ZEIT The York Chapter of
The American Guild of
Organists
www.yorkago.org
York Chapter American Guild of Organists 2017-2018 Officers Dean
Victor Fields Sub Dean Carolyn Smith Treasurer/Registrar Ronald
Calhoun Secretary Victor Fields, pro tem Executive Board Class of
2018 Ashley Horner, Elizabeth Pugliese Class of 2019 Nelle Bailey,
Carol Moscony Class of 2020 Carol Downs Brady
Chapter Personnel Newsletter Editor Patee Pizzirusso Webmaster
Rodney Barnett Chaplain Rev. Stanley Reep Job Placement Victor
Fields, Patee Pizzirusso
York Chapter, AGO,
Attn: Victor Fields,
7194 Seneca Ridge Dr.,
York, PA 17403