I spent June 28 through July 2 in western Massachusetts at
the 60th annual Organ Historical Society (OHS) convention along with
300 other people who love organs. It was
a chance to connect and reconnect with good friends and to see and hear 26
organs played by skilled organists. The
mission of the OHS is to celebrate, preserve, and study the pipe organ in
America, in all its historic styles, through research, education, advocacy, and
music.
We visited organs at Mount Holyoke College, 22 churches, and
a Jewish Synagogue. Each organist
includes a hymn in her/his program, so the churches and auditoriums are filled
not only with beautiful organ music, but also with robust singing. The convention attendees ride busses to the
various venues and bus rides are often a place to meet new friends and catch up
with current friends. We all received a
book that lists the organists’ programs and the organ’s builders and stop
lists. The organs were created anywhere
from 1850 to 2014, with more than half of them built in the 19th
Century. Six of the organs were built by
William A. Johnson, five by Ernest M. Skinner, and five by Casavant
Frères. Barbara Owen gave a lecture about
the organ builders of the area with a special focus on William A. Johnson, who
was the first organ builder in the area. Fourteen of the organs had two
manuals, five had three manuals, four had four manuals, and three had one
manual.
There was a wide variety of music from renaissance, baroque,
classical, romantic, and contemporary time periods, all played expertly. The performers often chose at least some
music for their programs that was written about the time that the organs were
built.
You can see some photos from the convention at:
I met two women who began studying the pipe organ after they
retired from another career, just like I did!
Vicki Anderson is a retired physician who lives in Minnesota and she
takes private organ lessons and sometimes plays for services at her
church. Renate McLaughlin is a retired
university professor and administrator who lives in Michigan. She earned both a bachelor’s and a master’s
degree in organ and church music after she retired. She continues to learn new repertoire and she
often plays services as a substitute organist.
Their enthusiasm for the pipe organ is contagious and I was encouraged
by their experiences.
With Renate McLaughlin in the Chapel at Mount Holyoke
College
The OHS provided a live webcast of the July 2 recital by
Nathan Laube at Mount Holyoke College playing two different organs. He played music of Buxtehude, Cabanilles,
Poglietti, Rossi, Noordt and Goudimal on a 2-manual C. B. Fisk (Opus 84, 1986)
Italian/German baroque organ Laube and played music of Rachmaninoff, Duprè,
Howells, and Jongen on an organ that was built in 1898 by Hutchings (Opus
436). This organ was then expanded by
Skinner in 1922 (Opus 367) and 1938 (Opus 511) and then restored by Baker in
2001 and Czelusniak et Dugal in 2013.
Although webcasts from previous OHS conventions are on the OHS website,
the recording of this July 2 Laube performance is not yet posted as of the date
of this post. If the recorded
performance is posted in the future, it will be at this website:
The Western Massachusetts convention handbook can be
downloaded:
With my friend from New Jersey, Fran Morton, in the Chapel
at Mount Holyoke College
