DUDLEY BUCK: THE HOLY NIGHT, $8; FELIX MENDELSSOHN: OVERTURE TO A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM, transcribed by Caspar P. Koch, $15 (available from Michael’s Music Service, 4146 Sheridan Dr., Charlotte, NC 28205-5654; phone 704-567-1066; <michaelsmusicservice.com>. These selections are but two in a series of reprints issued by Michael’s Music Service. They are printed full-size on heavy, acid-free paper, and the quality of the reproduction is superb. “The Holy Night” is one of Four Tone Pictures published in 1891 and is dedicated to Buck’s student, John Hyatt Brewer. It weaves “Silent Night,” or as it was then known, “Holy Night,” with original material, builds up to a martial treatment of “Adeste fideles,” and then diminuendos back to a pianissimo “Silent Night.” It is thus suitable for a prelude to a Christmas service, gives you two familiar Christmas carols, and the congregations’s hearty appreciation. The last page carries an excellent biography of Buck, notes on the piece, a glossary of all registration terms, and a general list of Buck’s organ works.
The Mendelssohn was transcribed by Caspar Koch (Ethel Smith’s organ teacher), who was for 50 years organist of Carnegie Hall (North Side) in Pittsburgh. It is typical of what was played by municipal organists at the time of its publication in 1922, and while not as difficult as a Lemare transcription, it nevertheless takes a good player (with stamina — it’s 24 pages long). Again, John Apple has provided historical information on the work and Caspar Koch, as well as a list of Koch’s transcriptions and music editions (he edited the famous Reubke 94th Psalm for Schirmer).
Other works in the series are Ketèlbey’s In a Monastery Garden ($7) and Eugene Thayer’s Second and Fifth Sonatas ($14 each), as well as Ralph Kinder’s Fantasia on “Duke Street” ($12).
Beautifully presented reprints of the highest quality.
Rollin Smith visit The
American Organist
DUDLEY BUCK: CHORAL MARCH, Michael’s Music Service (michaelsmusicservice.com) $8 + p&p. This is a facsimile reprint of the original, a piece ‘in canon-form.’ The work is based on the chorale ‘Ein feste Burg is unser Gott.’ It is a rousing, tub-thumping march in solid 19th century harmony and counterpoint style that will fit well as both postlude and recital piece. It is of ARCO-level and well worth acquiring.
David Baker visit The
Organ
MICHAEL JOHNSTON: CHORAL PRELUDE ON CHRIST THE LIFE OF ALL THE LIVING, Michael’s Music Service (michaelsmusicservice.com) $4 + p&p. This is a trio-textured chorale prelude in 18th century style. The work is a useful addition to the repertoire, whether for recital, service or study.
David Baker visit The Organ
THREE ROSA RIO SHEET MUSIC COLLECTIONS. Rosa Rio’s arrangements spanning the three collections Rosa Rio Special Arrangements for all Organs, Sacred Duets for Organ and Piano arranged by Rosa Rio, and Organ Arrangements of Classic Melodies Volume III arranged by Rosa Rio traverse the entire range of skill levels. All three of them are compilations of works extracted from previously published material. Perhaps the best part of all three collections is that they give a little something for everyone, although they vary completely in their overall character.
The first of them, Rosa Rio Special Arrangements for all Organs, consists of eleven arrangements of early to mid-20th century popular songs. The scores at first glance appear to resemble “fake book” notation; i.e., melody in treble clef with chords written above. Pedal notes, however, are also indicated below the chord symbols as encircled note names. This is an important addition as it automatically builds into these arrangements the correct inversion to be used at each chord change. In particular, this device is quite valuable for the beginning organist who soon learns the technical necessity of chordal efficiency (non-duplication of chord tones) in order to create clean textures.
A glance through the volume quickly reveals other interesting construction details worth noting. For the organist first becoming acquainted with use and construction of counter-melodies, as well as the manipulation of 2nd touch, these are noted (ex: “Volare” mms. 28-31 or “Charmaine” mms 16-19) when appropriate for both right and left hands. On a practical level, arrangements are also usually kept to two pages to avoid inconvenient turns in performance. Several measures of the final two arrangements (“Spring Is Here” and “Autumn Serenade”) are notated in full which represents a nice transition for students moving to a more advanced level of interpretation. Another nice feature is the consistent variety of meter and key. This creates an all-important opportunity for a “breath of fresh air.” In some cases, these changes are really quite novel, such as at ms. 37 of “Charmaine” where we move from 3/4 to 4/4 with some lively syncopations noted in the right hand as part of the new, brighter tempo. It reminds the author of some of Ann Leaf’s delightful musical sleight-of-hand as can be heard in her recording That Ain’t the Way I heard It.
In fact, as a teaching tool or book for further musical development, the only aspect of this edition which warrants any criticism is the unfortunate inconsistency in registration. “Volare,” for example, suggests on the Hammond Organ to use 76-8806-000 on the Solo (upper) keyboard, while the “all organ” registration is indicated as “Tibia 8', Fr. Horn 8', Flute 8-4'.” Even in trying to understand this as a broad tonal suggestion, one realizes that the former is a chorus based on the 16' pitch series, the latter on the 8'. The author also objects to the classification “all organ.” The tonal palate of a theater organ is not interchangeable with that of the classical or even the orchestral organ, and students must be aware of this clear distinction from the start. In seeking to properly register these pieces, a student would be better advised to ask his instructor for some pointers, do some careful listening to favorite theater organ albums and consult one of the few available sources about the subject of registration such as The Secrets of Theatre Organ Registration by Walter Strony (1991, published by Walter Strony).
On now to our second collection of Rio arrangements: Sacred Duets for Organ and Piano. Properly speaking, these pieces are ecclesial and not secular in origin. This aside, however, when looked at stylistically, they show much of the same careful arranging seen in the collection mentioned above. Printed in full score (organ on three staves and piano on two), this work represents more of a challenge to both the pianist and organist technically, yet the arrangements are seldom difficult and quite rewarding musically. It might be better to think of the theatrical role of the organ in these arrangements as that of an orchestra frequently in places we see the organ in dialogue with the piano. Although one finds the occasional portamento for the organ, nothing about these arrangements would preclude their being played and effectively registered on a classical organ. Unlike the previous volume, no registrations are suggested. Overall, this is an excellent collection to keep in one’s library as a church organist — effectively arranged duets for piano and organ are difficult to come by.
Finally, of perhaps the greatest interest amongst all three volumes being reviewed is Organ Arrangements of Classic Melodies Volume III. Notated fully on three staves, contained herein are six fantastic arrangements of theater organ standard literature. This volume in particular would be a valuable addition to the library of any organist working in the moderate to advanced skill level. More importantly than that, however, they provide excellent material for teaching the art of arrangement itself.
Efficient, stylistically innovative, harmonically interesting and carefully planned out, these are arrangements which have a music language which is completely Rio’s, although one can also hear the unmistakable distant echo of Jesse Crawford in the highly efficient voice leading, occasional use of blocking with the melody mise en scène.
Speaking of Crawford, “Forgotten Melody” — the work he made famous through his radio broadcasts — is one of the works to be found in this collection. Also appearing in an interesting setting here is “Moonlight Serenade” which combines the opening right hand motive of Beethoven’s Sonata Op. 27 No. 2 known popularly as the “Moonlight” with Glenn Miller’s well-known melody in the left hand.
From this collection, in particular must be mentioned “Dreaming” — composed by Rosa Rio herself. It is the only of her compositions appearing to date in published form. Some readers might remember that this work appeared on a recital program by Lew Williams during his performance at Grace Baptist Church during the 2006 ATOS convention. One of the more challenging pieces of the collection, the three-page composition even includes a few passages for solo pedal as well as several meter changes. It is a work well worth performing and, it is important to note, a piece of organ literature composed specifically for the theatre organ.
All three collections are available at the prices indicated below from Michael’s Music Service, www.michaelsmusicservice.com, 704-567-1066.
Steven Ball visit Theatre Organ
RHAPSODY IN BLUE. George Gershwin, arranged by Jesse Crawford. With its premiere in New York City on February 12, 1924, in ÆoIian Hall by the Paul Whiteman Orchestra, Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” opened a new chapter in what was heard and accepted on the stages of concert halls around the world. This new composition was a synthesis of what were then two completely foreign worlds jazz and classical music The effect of this premiere would be heard long after the final chord faded away. It marked the opening of an era of musical creativity, imagination and inspiration amongst American composers such as has never been equaled since.
Of course, Gershwin did not create without foundations—one could argue that the stage for this music had already been set long before by composers such as Stravinsky and especially Debussy, who were responsible for the eventual liberation of both form and the complete tonal chromatic. Still,. in its marriage of two worlds, the “Rhapsody” stands alone.
That the experiment succeeded, there can be no doubt. Evidence for this can he found in the myriad recordings and arrangements which appeared almost immediately after the original premiere. The subject of this review is one of these, by the nation’s foremost theatre organist, Jesse Crawford.
Originally published by Harms Music of New York City in 1927, Crawford’s arrangement of “Rhapsody in Blue” is now available in a restored reprint from Michael’s Music Service and can be found in their online catalogue at www.michaelsmusicservice.com.
First, it must he noted that in providing such restorations, Michael’s Music Service is performing an important and almost unique service in preserving the cultural and musical language of the theatre organ. As is true with most of the contents of the current catalogue, the original editions of this work are relatively rare. Their reappearance makes the work again easily available to scholars and students of the theatre organ. The importance of this work cannot be overstated, and the author would strongly encourage the reader to take a moment to peruse the catalogue.
Also well worth the visit to this website is the availability in MP3 format at no cost, of a recording of Jesse Crawford performing this very arrangement of the “Rhapsody.” For many who might not be familiar with Crawford due to the continued unavailability of his recordings in restored format in modern times, he is credited as the inventor of the ‘language’ (in fact several of the essential basic techniques) used in performing on or arranging for the theatre organ. Known as the ‘Poet of the Organ’ for his superb mastery of phrasing, registration and musical line, he was both the highest-paid organist of the era and the first organist ever to sell over a million recordings. Such a virtuosic performance as one can hear in the “Rhapsody” might well he a fitting introduction to his work. The author hopes that more of his recordings will soon be re-released, making them available for study and enjoyment for future generations of theatre organists and enthusiasts.
Technically, the arrangement presented here is not easy—in fact, it is quite difficult in places. It requires substantial pedal and manual technique, agility with second touch and proficiency with registration changes. Interestingly, on this last point, Crawford has arranged the entire composition for an instrument with two manuals and pedals (not the usual four-manual instruments he would normally have worked with for performance or recording at the New York Paramount).
More interesting still is the editorial tact which Crawford takes. in even the most cursory comparison with other editions (the author is here referencing both the 1924 Warner Brothers orchestral score reduced for dual piano and the 1924/1944 New World music arrangement for organ as transcribed by Charles Cronham), several things jump out at us right away. First, Crawford adds a tour-measure introduction quoting material of the first theme (see first page) as appears the edition in the right hand in measures 6 – 8. He also begins the piece transposed up a half step from the original B flat major to B major.
Therefore, strictly speaking, this is an arrangement. and not an exact transcription of the “Rhapsody iii Blue” which is, properly, a concerto for piano and orchestra. In fact, for all of the specific registration advice given by Crawford, there is not one mention of a piano! For the most part, throughout the piece the large sections of the concerto for solo piano are (usually) entirely omitted in lieu of the later re-statement of these themes by the orchestra. It is also interesting to note that Crawford isn’t consistent with other editions in the indications of tempo, choosing Allegro non troppo at the beginning instead of the Molto moderato (normally appearing at measure 5) and entirely omitting the Più mosso (normally appearing at measure 15).
Although an in-depth, measure-by-measure discussion of this edition is outside the scope of the current review, it is warranted as a perfect case study of Crawford at his finest just before he began to he influenced by the musical and theoretical ideas Joseph Schillinger who, incidentally, was also to work with Gershwin himself.
The registrations arc, as mentioned before, both interesting and comprehensive. Although generally ‘aimed’ for an instrument with two manuals, several of the specific voices called for such as the Musette, Krumet, Saxophone, Quintadena or French Horn, would only have been available (except in rare “special” cases) on larger instruments. It is expected that all instruments would have certain minimum colors and console accessories including Second Touch, a Glockenspiel, Tremulants and (interestingly) a Crescendo Pedal. The author was very struck by the very orchestral nature of the registrations provided—they tend to indicate textures and layers of colors rather than attempting to imitate any one specific sound. It is clear that these registrations are intended for a Unit Orchestra—especially the Wurlitzer brand with which Crawford at the time of this publication was so strongly associated.
Much can he learned by studying this work. This represents a difficult solo arrangement, released by the most famous Theatre Organist of day in the final year before sound film was introduced. It underscores the fundamental importance of teaching good organ technique to all organ students right from the very beginning. Good posture, efficient fingering and clean pedaling are extremely important in order to he able to perform this work properly. These will allow one to get past the mechanics of manipulating the keys and stops of the organ and actually get to the business of making music. It is the art of the Theatre Organ, after all, to play the music and not just the notes.
The author highly recommends the purchase of this arrangement. It is printed clearly on excellent paper and reasonably priced at $12. As such, it is an invaluable addition to the music library of the skilled theatre organist, the organ student, historian and collector.
Steven Ball visit
Theatre Organ
BILLY STRAYHORN, arr. Alec Wyton, Lotus Blossom. This is the charming mood piece sometimes called Hominy or All Roads Lead Back to You or Charlotte Russe, tidily arranged by Alec Wyton, formerly head of the church music department at Manhattan School of Music. I’m struggling to see when exactly an organist might play it — and certainly it’s not going to have what Sherlock Holmes would call a European vogue. But it’s a sensible arrangement of a jazz classic all the same, with motion and purpose, and it fits well under fingers and feet. Duke Ellington often concluded his shows with a piano version. More details can be had from michaelsmusicservice.com..
Francis O’Gorman visit Organists’ Review
BILLY STRAYHORN: LOTUS. Arranged for organ by Alec Wyton. Billy Strayhorn was Duke Ellington’s alter ego, a composer with a harmonic and melodic sensibility that was often indistinguishable from The Duke’s own. Lotus Blossom is widely considered to be his masterpiece and this organ transcription by Alec Wyton takes care of business nicely. An off-lush introduction puts Satie-esque chords in the right-hand against a gorgeous melodic paraphrase in the left; the theme itself is decked out with a chromatically abundant accompaniment. This arrangement is widely accessible to players with limited keyboard skills. And I should know.
Philip Clark visit Choir & Organ
BILLY STRAYHORN: LOTUS. Michael’s Music Service, 4146 Sheridan Dr., Charlotte, NC 28205; michaelsmusicservice.com. Alec Wyton’s 1987 arrangement of Billy Strayhorn’s popular song is again available in a new edition. Strayhorn, a member od Duke Ellington’s band, is best known for “Take the A Train.” “Lotus” was known by several titles (“Hominy,” “All Roads Lead Back to You,” and “Charlotte Russe”) before being registered in 1959 as “Lotus Blossom.” In 1974, Wyton improvised on “Lotus Blossom” during Communion at Duke Ellington’s funeral at St. John the Divine. Ellington’s sister later requested he transcribe the piece for organ. A lovely melody is stated three times in an unabashedly “pop” harmonization, reminding one of Jesse Crawford. It may not be your best choice for Communion meditation, but it makes a fine addition to a recital to counterbalance the fugues and chorale preludes.
Rollin Smith visit The American Organist
GEORGE GERSHWIN: Rhapsody in Blue, arr. Jesse Crawford, $12 + $3 shipping. Michael’s Music Service; michaelsmusicservice.com; phone: 704-567-1066. If you wonder why this rare Jesse Crawford arrangement is being republished, go to the above Web site and click on Crawford’s own 1930 recording. This is not the complete Rhapsody in Blue but an eight-page condensation, or potpourri, of the various themes, but they are so ingeniously woven together that no one would ever know who wasn’t seriously familiar with the original. The only difficult things about this are not due to the arranger but the composer: you have to get used to the chords and, of course, the sophisticated rhythms. And it is more suitable for some organs than others. “Tremulants” is never spelled in the singular; don’t neglect this just because your Schlicker doesn’t have second touch. This will certainly make the laymen at your next recital more tolerant of your fugues and chorale preludes.
Rollin Smith visit The
American Organist
ROSA RIO: Organ Arrangements of Classic Melodies, Vol. 1. $15 + $3 shipping. Michael’s Music Service; michaelsmusicservice.com; phone: 704-567-1066. These are masterful arrangements originally published in the 1950s and the ’60s by one of the great theater organists and is being included here because it contains two Christmas pieces you will find eminently usable and because the whole volume makes a nice Christmas present either to yourself or to introduce a colleague to crossover organ repertoire.
Rosa Rio was an accomplished theater organist, and when talkies came in she transferred to radio work, accompanying soap operas on the Hammond organ — at one time for as many as 13 coast-to-coast broadcasts five days a week. Among those she provided music for were The Shadow, Lorenzo Jones, When a Girl Marries, and Brighter Day. Now, at age 105, she is still composing and arranging!
Included in this, the first of several volumes of her collected arrangements, are “Night and Day” (Cole Porter), “Mack the Knife” (Kurt Weill), “A Home in the Meadow” (“Greensleeves” adapted by Robert Dolan for the film, How the West Was Won), “Jalousie” (Jacob Gade), “On the Trail” from Grand Canyon Suite (Ferde Grofé), and Rosa Rio’s own interpretation of “Silent Night, Holy Night.” These come under the adjectives “easy and effective”: not simple (“Greensleeves” and “Silent Night” come closest), but playable without a lot of hard work (as with Ethel Smith’s virtuosic arrangements). Registrations for both pipe organ and Hammond are provided (vibrato tastefully never exceeding 2 — how do you know there’s only one higher setting?), and four pieces are suitable for spinet organs. Michael Johnston has included color plates of the covers and backs of the original editions. With “lighter numbers” being included on some recital programs, these make superb “audience friendly” additions available to a new generation.
Rollin Smith visit The American Organist
ALBERT KETÈLBEY. Arranged for organ by Hugh Ware. In a Monastery Garden. Responsible perhaps more than anything else for launching the career of Albert Ketèlbey as a composer of note was his 1915 work “In a Monastery Garden.”
In the opinion of this reviewer, it is the words of the composer himself which best introduce the work: “The first theme represents a poet’s reverie in the quietude of the monastery garden amidst beautiful surroundings—the calm serene atmosphere—the leafy trees and the singing birds. The second theme in the minor expresses the more ‘personal’ note of sadness, of appeal and contrition. Presently, the monks are heard chanting the “Kyrie Eleison” with the organ playing and the chapel bell ringing. The first theme is now heard in a quieter manner as if it had become more ethereal and distant; the singing of the monks is again heard—it becomes louder and more insistent, bringing the piece to a conclusion in a glow of exultation.”
Since its first printing, huge numbers of copies have been sold in many different editions and arrangements over the years—a testament to its immense popularity in the teens and twenties as a standard piece of light popular music and to its remarkable effectiveness as a tone poem.
There are aspects of this piece which are very much ‘of the era,’ and it is important to recognize this when programming the work in modern times. There is little question that the impression left on the audience of today will be far removed from that left on the original ears which first heard this composition more than 90 years ago. But on the other hand, this is exactly what lends it its charm in a modem program. Certain aural effects such as the “Song of the Birds” at ms. 9 which might appear to be a bit corny to contemporary ears were very much stock and trade of the average theater organist of the era. It is, perhaps, not so bad for a modern audience to be reminded of the role that organists of the era played in the interpretation of silent films and, in the larger sense, the place that such a composition held in the general repertoire of mood music.
While we are on the subject of themes, it is interesting to take a close look at the “Chant of the Monks” beginning at mms. 49-64 and occurring again at the very end of the composition in mms. 81-88. This is really a creation of the composer which draws, at best, only very loosely on the idea of Gregorian Chant. This theme, although charming, lacks any real modal characteristics. As such, it is certainly not a strict quotation from the Gregorian melody.
Highlighting the various sections and themes of the piece are several creative registration suggestions on the part of the arranger. These are all notated in the language of the classical organ, suggesting both stops and divisions which one would expect most to find on a classical or orchestral instrument. That being said, the transition to more theatrical registrations would be quite easy given the careful way in which every theme and manual change have been worked out in the score in advance. It is simply a question of different nomenclature and, of course, a more colorful paintbrush to work with! After all, organists then as much as now, are called upon frequently to speak either dialect of this same language—music for the pipe organ.
The arrangement is good, and the composition is a delight without being too challenging for the intermediate organist. It is a sound addition to any music library, and beautifully printed on excellent paper. Order from Michael’s Music Service, 4146 Sheridan Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28205-5654, 704-567-1066, www.michaelsmusicservice.com, for $7.00 plus $4.00 shipping/handling (outside the United States, shipping/handling is an additional $1.00 to $7.00).
Steven Ball visit Theatre Organ
BILLY STRAYHORN. Arranged for organ by Alec Wyton. Lotus. While on the subject of more or less classically leaning music, there is also the lovely “Lotus” of Billy Strayhorn with the inspired arrangement of Alec Wyton to consider. This tune, known by many names (“Hominy,” “All Roads Lead Back to You,” “Charlotte Russe,” and “Lotus Blossom”), first came to life under the pen of Billy Strayhorn who was most well known for his close professional and personal relationship with the late, great Duke Ellington.
It was at Ellington’s funeral at the Episcopal Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City on May 24, 1974, that the hand of Alec Wyton came to be involved in the creation of “Lotus” in the form which is currently available in print from Michael’s Music—a reprint of the 1987 edition of the Dean Publishing Company.
Dr. Wyton, organist of the Cathedral and brilliant performer in his own right, had at the time of the funeral already served as organist there for some 20 years. Ruth Dorothea Ellington, who regularly attended services at the Cathedral, had been aware of Wyton’s phenomenal gifts as an improviser, and had requested that he take “Lotus Blossom” as a theme for improvisation during Communion. Many years later at the request of Mrs. Ellington, this improvisation was transcribed by Wyton from the recording of the service. The result can only be described as ethereal.
The Michael’s edition itself includes an especially informative preface, several interesting photos, and a reproduction of Mrs. Ellington’s letter to Dr. Wyton concerning the original publication of “Lotus.” Again, the paper and printing quality are excellent, the edition very clear, and the difficulty level easy to medium. This would be an interesting and strong addition to the library of any organist bridging, as it does, so many different traditions of playing simultaneously in the same piece of music.
Order from Michael’s Music Service, 4146 Sheridan Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28205-5654, 704-567-1066, www.michaelsmusicservice.com, for $7.00 plus $4.00 shipping/handling (outside the United States, shipping/handling is an additional $1.00 to $7.00).
Steven Ball visit Theatre Organ
SUITE EUCHARISTIQUE: SALVE, SANCTA PARENS [M/MD], Franz Xavier Mathias, ed. Michael Johnston, Michael’s Music Service, $10.00. Available from www.michaelsmusicservice.com. This prolific composer, a priest, lived from 1871 to 1939. Organist at Strasbourg Cathedral for ten years, he was also Professor of Sacred Music at the University.
This suite was written for organ or harmonium; the movement Deo Gratias calls for some awkward left hand octaves which could well be transferred to the pedals. The movements themselves are intended for use in the Tridentine liturgy. The liturgical chants are given for use by priest or cantor so that the suite can be used as originally intended.
There are five movements, some quite long. The style tends to be somewhat stodgy and may only appeal to a limited audience. To make up your own mind before buying, go to the website mentioned at the head of this review, click on the title of the work, and then on the MP3 button to heard a recording of the Benedictus.
Trevor Webb visit Church Music Quarterly
Comments: Mathias used octaves for several reasons: Many organs and all harmoniums used to accompany the Mass had no pedals; many organists outside of the major cities and churches could not play pedals; buildings used for the Mass in his experience were reverberant and the extra bass octave added depth and did not seem choppy because the reverberation covered it, and this meant that the octaves could be played non-legato which would not be awkward. Yes, some of the movements are long because the old Mass made more of some sections that are today greatly shortened or eliminated.
Michael Johnston
W. C. HANDY’S St. Louis Blues. That a published arrangement of W.C. Handy’s “St. Louis Blues”" as played by “Fats” Waller on Victor Record #20357 didn’t make the front page of The New York Times the day it was published doesn’t mean that it is lacking in any historical or musical merit. It is a piece which poses no enormous technical difficulties, a fact which comes as a surprise to most people first listening to the recording. It is designed to reach a broad audience which (when it was published) was just learning to “stride” and play the brand new sound of the blues on the organ. This was Waller’s great gift to the art — it was what made his sound absolutely electric.
This reprint by Michael’s Music Service is more interesting and valuable to the student as an insight into the artistry and language of its arranger than for any specific technical tricks accomplished by the composer.
Thomas Wright “Fats” Waller (12 May 1904 – 15 December 1943) is a man who doesn’t often come to mind immediately as an early and significant pioneer developing the language of the technique now used in the performance of popular music on the theatre organ. How could this be? Waller was a man of many talents. As is so frequently the case with great talents who wear many hats, not infrequently the public eye tends to cast them as a certain persona. Being a virtuoso in every sense at the organ (occasionally playing Bach for friends as well as the latest hits from Tin Pan Alley) and the piano, as well as an accomplished and recognized vocal talent arranger and composer, it can be difficult to decide which facet of this unique musical diamond to look at first!
Likely his most significant contribution stylistically to the musical language of theatre organ is the probable introduction, or at least early wide dissemination of stride, sometimes known as Chicago Style. This is a style of accompaniment in 4/4 time with the left hand and pedal where the pedal plays on beats 1 and 3, and the left hand plays successively on every beat 1–4, as opposed to the more normal practice when playing foxtrots at the time, which was to play the left hand only on beats 2 and 4. What this did for the music was to give it a sort of rhythmic lift ... a lilt, even in slow tempi, which was catching and the heartbeat of a unique sound. It was Fats’ unique sound, one which has carried through, although seldom with such rhythmic precision and grace, to modern times.
What is it about his rhythm which was so unique and catching? This is certainly at the heart of Waller’s sound. Even a careful listen to the many extant phonograph recordings of his piano and organ work does not necessarily bring immediately to forefront the secret of his unique buoyancy. In a 1936 interview, he has this specifically to say: “It’s all in knowing what to put on the right beat .... First get a thorough bass. Make it more rhythmic than flashy, a pulsating bass.” And then, most tellingly this: “Study harmony so you will know the chords. Play clean both in the right and left hand ... it is necessary to know how to build climaxes, how to raise up and let down, to show sudden contracts [sic—he probably meant ‘contrasts’]. Keep the right hand always subservient to the melody. Trying to do too much always detracts from the tune.”
This is critical information, and good advice for any keyboard player. Without doubt, there was much emphasis laid on proper technical formation; we know that Waller received a careful and extensive education in classical piano and organ from the music director at his church and, in the more popular vein, the latest musical outpourings of Tin Pan Alley via the endless pneumatic virtuosity of player piano rolls. He also is known to have taken lessons at an early age from legendary Harlem stride pianist James P. Johnson and later joined him in actually cutting rolls at the QRS Music Roll Company. And then there were the “rent parties” — parties which charged admission to literally pay the rent; they featured endless dancing and (whenever physically possible) endless piano playing and, in some cases, even competitions amongst top performers. This was a refinery for Waller’s technical and musical abilities like no other. Probably because of this formation, he was seldom known ever to perform more than one or, at most, two takes in the recording studio.
In particular, it is important to point out the absolute respect which he has for the melody. This was a respect held, albeit in a parallel universe, by other great voices in the development of the technical and musical language of the theatre organ, notably Jesse Crawford who, at the time of Waller’s recordings on the organ (1926–1929 and an unrelated series of recordings in England in 1939), held forth at the New York Paramount Theatre and studio and could not have failed to catch Waller’s attention with such hits as “Valencia” (recorded 30 May 1926, Victor Master 35079-4), which broke all previous sales reports for recordings. It seems that there was a great deal of mutual professional respect — Waller even substituted for Crawford at the Paramount from time to time.
It would be difficult to let this discussion pass without a few carefully placed remarks about the organ with which Waller had to work. What can one say? It was probably not viewed as ideal from either the viewpoint of Victor or the performers who had to play upon it. Estey Opus 1859 came with the church building located at 114 North 5th Street in Camden, New Jersey, which Victor (being impressed with the building’s acoustics and suitability for recording) purchased in the early 1920s. The presence of an organ just seems to have been an added bonus. Correspondence began with Estey almost immediately about how to improve it and make it, frankly, more theatrical. The instrument was assigned consecutively Opus 2370 and 2529 after two successive rebuilds early in 1925, and then again in May of 1926.
...
From this admittedly ponderous and, at best, orchestral instrument, Waller still managed to dazzle with ingenious musical sleights of hand, brilliant rhythm, and marvelously effective registrations. The ensembles which he creates are small, using the fewest stops to the greatest advantage and achieving, in so doing, the maximum clarity.
Evidently, the original 1926 recording of “St. Louis Blues” was not a great success, and it was not until 1928 when Alfred & Co. of New York published the work in the edition which is now presented here by Michael’s Music Service. After publication, it gained considerably in popularity, and it is an interesting example of Waller’s rather improvisatory compositional technique — the improvised arrangement being the model of the later published score.
As a document demonstrating Waller’s treatment of the blues and Chicago Style on the organ, it is an excellent teaching piece. It is also only moderately difficult and a great introduction to his unique and characteristic sound. In addition, there is a beautifully composed introduction to Waller and William Christopher Handy (composer of “St. Louis Blues”) on the inside cover by D. John Apple, and the edition is well printed and reasonably priced. This reviewer votes it to be it a sound addition to any music library.
Available at $7.00, plus shipping and handling, from Michael’s Music Service, 4146 Sheridan Drive, Charlotte, North Carolina 28205, or www.MichaelsMusicService.com.
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BILLY NALLE: TRIO IN A STYLE OF BACH—ALLES WAS DU BIST (“ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE”). Michael’s Music Service, phone: 704-567-1066, $7. Not for church, but this makes a nice crossover piece for recital — especially if you don’t print the English title of Jerome Kern’s famous song. It was played by the composer at the 1966 AGO National Convention in Atlanta at the Fox Theatre. John Apple has added an interesting biography of Nalle to this facsimile of the 1972 publication.
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ARTHUR SULLIVAN: THE LOST CHORD. Michael’s Music Service, phone: 704-567-1066, $7. Reginald Barrett arranged Sullivan’s famous song and it was published by J. Fischer in 1898. If you don’t know this piece and how thrilling it is as an organ solo, now is your chance. This is a moderately easy arrangement on four pages.
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ERNEST SEITZ: The World is Waiting for the Sunrise Arranged by Reginald Foort. That the theatre organ in England managed to thrive as a solo instrument long after the last organ console to accompany a silent film had disappeared into the depths of the orchestra pit was an achievement due, at least in part, to Reginald Foort. He was a household name until World War II as BBC’s staff organist, and he made thousands of appearances both in live broadcasts and on concert stages with his immense 5/28 touring Möller theatre pipe organ. Mr. Foort, nicknamed the “dean” of British theatre organists, is still a widely recognized name even long after his radio and touring days ended. This, after all, is the man who first introduced the sound of a Wurlitzer to English audiences via the radio! Under review here is his arrangement of “The World is Waiting for the Sunrise,” music of Ernest Seitz.
A starting place for this reviewer was a careful read of the delightful, if rather self-aggrandizing, book: The Cinema Organ by Reginald Foort (SBN 911572-05-8 Vestal Press, second edition copyright 1970). It was a very creative effort not only to introduce the British public to the mechanics and lore of the extraordinary sonic miracle of the theatre organ which traveled to them nightly across the radio waves, but also a vivid literary snapshot of the man sitting behind the console. It was an absolutely brilliant marketing move on Foort’s part, and it gave the complete picture of an artist on his journey to the radio studio—a path which necessarily wends its way through many theatre pits as well. If you obtain a copy, you will find that it is very entertaining reading.
The man behind the console in this case was a brilliant, careful, and very technical player who billed himself as a concert, rather than theatrical or classical, organist. His arrangements, full of more or less precise registration indications, second touch, expression, tempo indications, and thick voice leading are, like a good English breakfast, a bit heavy at times. It is, for its era, however, inspired arranging in that it clearly attempts to utilize the multidimensionality of registration and interpretation of light orchestral music on a theatre organ. These arrangements make good starting places for classical organists who have some significant technical ability and are being introduced to the theatre organ for the first time.
There is a well-written preface compiled by Donald Macdonald and Michael Johnston, and the binding and paper are the usual high quality provided by Michael’s Music Service. An interesting side note is that one of the comments made in the introduction by Mr. Johnston is that classical organists unfamiliar with the registrational possibilities of the theatre organ might refer to Walt Strony’s excellent book, The Secrets of Theatre Organ Registration. Knowing that treatise as well as this author does in the teaching of students, it is interesting to point out the registration indication on page 4, first system measure 5: “Tuba Horn 16-4.” It is an oh-so-rare example of the 4' Tuba tablet being used in the literature. Although modern registrations, as Mr. Strony correctly points out, find this particular stop not especially useful, the other side of the argument is that if you’ve got the stop on your instrument, it doesn’t make sense to ignore it. The game, as always, is taste and balance.
This is an excellent (if specialized) addition to your library of musical gems from the past. For a complete catalogue and ordering information, please visit www.michaelsmusicservice.com.
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ISAAC V. FLAGLER: Variations on an American Air. Michael’s Music Service; michaelsmusicservice.com, $10 + $4 shipping for first-class mail delivery. Isaac van Vleck Flagler (1840-1909) had studied in Paris and Dresden before holding church jobs in Albany, Poughkeepsie, Chicago, and Auburn, N.Y. He taught at Syracuse and Cornell universities, and was a popular music lecturer during the summers at the Chautauqua Institution. Flagler edited several hymnals, was a founder of the AGO, and composed deservedly forgotten organ music. In addition to four organ sonatas, he is remembered for an Alpine Fantasy and Storm, variations on “Home, Sweet Home,” “America,” and the present theme and three variations on “Old Folks at Home” (or “Sewanee River,” if you prefer). The introduction, theme, and first variation are standard Dudley Buck-inspired fare, and then the going gets tough. Variation II is Batiste-inspired with the theme in left-hand chords under right-hand scales (chromatic and otherwise) and arpeggios; the Allegro moderato Finale is a pedal tour de force of four pages of triplets with the theme in great chords in the hands. Quite a romp and an interesting example of how our great-grandfathers were not in the least hampered by a tracker-action organ. John Apple points out in his well-researched and interesting notes that the year after this was published (1887), two other AGO founders, Dudley Buck and C. Wenham Smith, published their own sets of variations on this Stephen Foster favorite.
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FIRMIN SWINNEN: Chinoiserie. Michael’s Music Service; michaelsmusicservice.com, $8 + $4 shipping for first-class mail delivery. The first time I heard this charming piece, it was being performed by the composer on an Aeolian organ roll played on an original Aeolian residence organ. I had never heard the organ played like this—or like any of the other roll recordings by the great organists of the first 20 years of the 20th century. Swinnen was a Belgian refugee who came to New York City during the First World War. A classically trained organist, he soon found lucrative employment in the city’s largest theaters, where his incredible talent for improvisation stood him in good stead. He improvised this little “Chinese”-sounding scherzo in the middle of a movie scene, and it gradually evolved into its final form during the week’s run of the picture. It was published for various combinations of instruments up to full orchestra and during the silent-picture era, could be heard in thousands of theaters whenever an oriental scene flashed across the screen. Inflation is reflected in the price: Chinoiserie cost 75¢ in 1921—today’s equivalent, adjusted for inflation: $8.62!
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WHAT USED TO BE PLAYED: JAMES D. FLOOD PLAYS NEGLECTED GEMS FROM THE PAST. Organ of First Baptist Church, Niagara Falls, N.Y. (III/53 Hall Organ Company, 1939; rebuilt and enlarged by James D. Flood, 1988-1996. Available from the church, 716–282–4666; niagarafallsbaptist.org or Michael’s Music Service. Here are names of composers not likely to be found on the music racks of most organs these days: Aloÿs Claussmann, Howard S. Savage, J.B. Maillochaud, Albert W. Ketèlbey, Henri Deshayes, Chester Nordman, C.E. Reed, Scotson Clark, Ernest H. Sheppard, Paul Bliss, John Ebenezer West. The pieces performed on this disc by James D. Flood were once upon a time staples in the repertoire. With titles such as Sortie, Aubade, In a Monastery Garden, Grand Choeur, Legend, Reverie du Soir, Arbutus, none are masterworks (though some are substantial in length), and one can easily understand why they drifted into oblivion. Yet most of this music is pleasingly delightful, possessing a charm that captivates the senses. The instrument was originally designed by Stanley Saxton and loosely follows E.M. Skinner’s tonal philosophies, which are not entirely compatible with the later additions. Although it is not a paradigm of great organbuilding, it is eminently suitable for this music. While Mr. Flood’s performances do not presume perfection—clipped and split notes liberally dot the musical landscape—his playing, coupled with the instrument, touches the heart and soul, transporting the listener directly into the aura in which this music was created. Recording engineer Anthony Casuccio did a fine job capturing the essence of the instrument in the large but dry room. For many, these old chestnuts will bring back fond memories. For others, they will be delightful discoveries.
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EDWIN H. LEMARE: Andantino in D-flat. Michael’s Music Service, $10 + $4 shipping. Michaelsmusicservice.com. How do you review the most famous organ piece in the world? Well, it isn’t exactly the organ piece itself that is famous, but the popular song that was made from — “Moonlight and Roses.” That is why you can no longer play it for Communion. Michael’s Music has issued a facsimile of the 1892 first edition in oblong format. Lemare was one of the 20th century’s great organists, and this piece was for him what Paderewski’s Minuet or Rachmaninoff’s Prelude in C-sharp Minor was for them — his most requested number. Lemare even recorded it for RCA Victor in 1927. It will be good for your thumbing practice, as the second repeat of the melody, in sixths, on the second page is played with one hand on two manuals. Legato practice comes later, with the melody in octaves with an added third. English organists didn’t distinguish between writing for the piano and the organ. This is one of the real organ classics, and it is nice to see now it first looked.
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CHARLES LEE WILLIAMS: The Chimes of Gloucester Cathedral. Michael’s Music Service, $12 + $4 shipping. Michaelsmusicservice.com. Williams was organist of Gloucester Cathedral from 1882 to 1897 and composed this piece for piano in 1891. It is based on four 18th-century melodies composed for the cathedral’s nine bells. A. Herbert Brewer, who succeeded Williams at the cathedral, arranged the piece for organ (as well as a number of works by Edward Elgar). I assume that each movement was preceded by the actual notes of the chimes as originally composed. The 17-page work moves from a six-page Andante through three shorter settings to an Allegretto with the tune in the bass accompanied with hight flute triplets. It ends with a sham fugue and a full organ finale. I find it refreshing, and if you’re as big a bell nut as I am, you’ll immediately add this to your collection.
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What Used to Be Played, James D. Flood, organist; First Baptist Church, Niagara Falls, NY, 1939 Hall organ, rebuilt and enlarged by James D. Flood, approximately 48 ranks. We are aware that tastes change in organ music, as is the case with all the arts. A quick perusal of the composers’ names of the thirteen compositions played on this disc, however, shows how radically changes can occur within a century or so: we have works by J. B. Maillochaud, Howard S. Savage, Henri Deshayes, Aloÿs Claussmann (3), C. E. Reed, etc. Unfortunately no notes about the music are included, nor are composers’ dates. Of an early twentieth-century or perhaps late nineteenth-century style, all are well and sympathetically performed by James Flood. Some selections, such as the eight-minute Grand Choeur by Deshayes, may seem repetitious to our ears, but could easily be shortened for use as voluntaries, if such barbarity is not against your religion. Others, such as Chester Nordman’s Legend, would be ideal in a recital when a gentle melodious selection is needed.
All of this music was once published in the USA and played in recital and church service. Every composition will not appeal to all, but each is well played by Mr. Flood, who has done us a considerable favor by presenting it to a new audience. I thought the three pieces by Aloÿs Claussmann, Sortie Breve, Pastorale, and Marche de Fête, were very attractive. Arbutus by Paul Bliss is a cute brief piece that would be ideal for illustrating the soft stops in a recital. If you are seeking really new “old” ideas for repertoire, here is a great source.
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Franz Joseph Haydn: Variations from the Kaiser Quartett, Op. 76, No. 3. Michael’s Music Service, $10 + $4 shipping/handling. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com. The theme of these variations from the “Emperor” quartet is the German national anthem, “Deutschlandlied,” known to American congregations as the hymn tune “Austria.” It was arranged in the 19th century by Friedrich Lux and makes a fine prelude to a service in which the hymn tune is sung, or as a recital work. Only the first variation may present problems with the wide leaps in the flute obbligato. Included are interesting notes by John Apple and a glossary of German registration indications.
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Charles G. Dawes: Melody. Michael’s Music Service, $7 + $4 shipping/handling. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com. Along with Lemare’s Andantino in D-flat, the familiarity of this precludes your playing it for church. This melody was co-opted in 1951 for the pop tune “It’s All in the Game.” The composer was a brigadier general in the U.S. Army and vice-president under Calvin Coolidge. Originally published as a violin solo, it was made famous by Fritz Kreisler, who played it as an encore. This 1921 organ arrangement by Marie Edwards von Ritter was frequently played by Clarence Eddy and recorded by him on an Aeolian Duo-Art player organ roll — a beautiful example of contemporary performance practice with elegant rubato throughout. Melody has that “something,” and will be as appreciated by your audience as it has been over the last century.
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Michael Johnston: The Lyric Trumpet. Michael’s Music Service, $7 + $4 shipping/handling. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com. You can’t have too many trumpet tunes, and this is a real winner. Written for the wedding of Johnston’s brother, it is modeled on those turn-of-the-20th-century English tuba tunes with a grand theme and repeated-note accompaniment. Unexpected harmonic turns sustain interest.
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GIOACCHINO ROSSINI: Overture to “William Tell.” Michael’s Music Service, $15 + $4 shipping/handling. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com. The popular overture to Rossini’s opera is here transcribed by Caspar Koch, for 50 years organist of Carnegie Hall (North Side) in Pittsburgh. This is 22 pages of difficult music (the complete overture, not just the “Lone Ranger” part), originally published by Schirmer in 1923. It needs a big organ to be effective and a big technique to get through it, but it is a masterful arrangement that would be appreciated by audiences of today as much as by those of 100 years ago.
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THOMAS P. RYDER: The Thunder Storm. Michael’s Music Service, $10 + $4 shipping/handling. Available from michaelsmusicservice. com. The composer of this, the first American thunderstorm, was the brother of organ-builder George Ryder. Thomas Philander Ryder (1836-87) was organist of Boston’s Tremont Temple and the composer of many piano works and a collection of voluntaries for pipe or reed organ. This, his Opus 108, is an American counterpart to the many European storms by such noted organists as Lemmens, Lefébure-Wély, and Batiste. While one hesitates to refer to quality in this genre, at least Ryder’s piece is not technically difficult. The difficulty might be in sitting through a performance of it. There are four “movements”: the first two are pastorales in 6/8 meter, the second in imitation of a bagpipe with a tune resembling “The Campbells Are Coming” played over an open fifth in the bass. In the third (storm) section, low C# and D in the Pedal provide rumbling thunder while various manual stops are drawn and retired. This is followed by a full organ martial section that would make a first-year theory student uncomfortable, and the piece ends with the “Vesper Hymn” played on the vox humana. Since most organ recitals at the time included a “Storm,” this is of historical interest, as many of them probably sounded like this.
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JESSE CRAWFORD: Advanced Courses in the “Popular” Style of Organ Playing on the Hammond Organ.
Being asked to review the Jesse Crawford Advanced Courses in the “Popular” Style of Organ Playing on the Hammond Organ is rather like being placed in the position of needing to present a review of the Holy Bible.
Crawford (December 2, 1895 — May 28, 1962) is perhaps most famous in the world of the theatre organ for the position which he held from 1926-1933 as organist at the New York Paramount Theatre in Times Square. He, along with his wife Helen, performed, broadcast, and recorded extensively. Several hit recordings with the Victor label were to propel him to heretofore unexcelled heights in the world of the organ. His playing was direct, technically perfect, unfailingly musical, faultlessly efficient, effortlessly orchestrated, and highly expressive. (Any reader who disbelieves this might do well to find one of Crawford’s recordings and, if still in disbelief, try himself to reproduce at an instrument what he hears.) It is no wonder, given the visibility of Crawford’s position, that the musical and technical ideas of this artist would be placed under some scrutiny and, in many ways, widely copied. It is not an understatement to say that Crawford really created much of the technical language, the “dialect” if you will, which was later adapted by other artists in the interpretation of popular music on the theatre organ. Without Crawford, there could be no George Wright. Mr. Wright himself acknowledged this fact, producing an entire recording of exact transcriptions of Crawford arrangements.
The organ courses are a product of a later point in his career (1949) and were originally published by Emil Ascher, Inc. Crawford was still a household name at that time. Before going on, however, a bit of historical perspective is necessary. When talking pictures appeared in 1927, in many places the role of the theatre organ began to be de-emphasized. It was obviously no longer needed for film accompaniment. The solo organ “slot” was often retained, but the Great Depression spelled the end of many of the lavish stage vaudeville productions. Theatre organists found it increasingly difficult to find regular work in theatres and frequently made the switch to radio or wherever else an organist was needed. Crawford was one of these, taking a job in 1936 with NBC in Chicago. This switch often meant working with a Hammond, as most radio studios were not equipped with anything else. In this case it was quite a natural fit, as Crawford had spent a great deal of time touring with Hammond after he left the theatre. It is a well-documented fact, though, that he found these instruments less than inspiring, lacking the magnificent acoustic bloom of the real pipe organ for which there just is no substitute. Crawford was in Hammond’s good graces, to some extent, and saw the Hammond organ as the future of popular organ performance; hence, the organ method included “On the Hammond Organ” in the title. He was truly a prophet of his times. The author is unsure as to whether or not his readers have recently tuned in to the latest top 10 countdown of the pop or country charts. Even the most cursory study of these genres in recent years will show that the Hammond, or a digital reproduction thereof, is still very much with us.
That Crawford should have undertaken to write a method or pedagogy for the study of organ, then, is a fact of greatest interest to the larger world of theatre organ studies and, most certainly, by extension to the ATOS. At a time now when three universities have embraced the instruction of students in the stylistic language of this instrument, no more opportune time could be imaginable for the re-publication by Michael’s Music Service of the Advanced Course. It is the central, most comprehensive, and most important of the several pedagogics of which this author is aware. (N.B.: an interesting annotated bibliography covering many of these publications — both those currently in print and not — by Roger McNair is available online at www.theatreorgans.com/theatrestyle.htm.) Its use as a teaching tool, especially for those institutions now offering theatre organ studies and for any serious independent student of the instrument, cannot be overstated. However, it is important to emphasize that this treatise deals primarily with the transcription of popular music for the organ and does not touch on the art of film scoring. Many of the remarks, however, are equally, or at least partly, transferable to the art of classical orchestral transcription as well.
What appears in print here is actually the second and revised edition, made from Crawford’s original copy which now resides in the collection of Jeff Weiler. The information, divided into 16 lessons, is “unusually detailed for the sake of completeness” and is designed for the professional musician (organist or not) and any serious student of music to play or, more properly, “transcribe” music in the “popular” style for the organ.
Chapters 1-3 and 6 begin with the study of the basic components of music theory — intervals and harmony. Chapters 4-5 introduce accompanimental forms (each chapter dealing with a different meter). Chapter 7 introduces harmonic analysis, the fundamental starting place for transcription. Chapter 8 deals with what Crawford calls “duet form,” which is really the nature of constructing pleasing counter-melodies. Chapter 9 begins the study of “harmonic figuration,” and chapter 10 presents the subjects of modulation and transposition. Chapter 11 introduces the necessity for and means of memorization, and chapters 12-13 present issues surrounding registration. Chapter 14 introduces the “portamento” and deals exclusively with its proper use and, finally, chapters 15-16 present the method of constructing arrangements.
If any criticism could be made of this work, it is that chapters 12-13 deal with registration specific to the Hammond organ. They also rely heavily on the available presets. This seems to the author to be “toeing the party line” to a great extent, and it is a pity that more comments such as those at the top of page 100 regarding the “‘sweet’ combinations I used on theatre organs ... comprised of the Tibia Clausa at various pitches, plus the Vox Humana stop” didn’t materialize into a chapter or two dealing specifically with the appropriate and restrained registration of the Unit Orchestra proper. Crawford’s recordings, of course, leave us in no doubt that these would be most interesting reading indeed, and it is additionally unfortunate insofar as it was not possible in this context to express his views within chapter 8 (“duet form”) of the appropriate possible uses of Second Touch and how registrational contrast might be achieved in the ensemble. This feature was simply not available on the Hammond. The author must again refer the interested reader to the original recordings of Crawford’s work for such registrational details and calls upon interested parties to consider organizing to sponsor or otherwise support the re-issue of his complete recorded works. This is a necessary and important bit of scholarship which has yet to take place in the preservation of the musical legacy of the instrument, and it would be an invaluable aid to students of the art. That Mr. Crawford maximized the Hammond organ with its coloristic possibilities to its very limits within these two chapters cannot be doubted. His comments are all the more interesting given the overall secrecy and mystery with which most organists at that time (including Crawford himself in his earlier days) jealously guarded their registrations.
Rosa Rio, who knew the Crawfords personally, recently shared some important insights regarding the creation of this work. First, a great change had occurred in Crawford after his Paramount days with the untimely and sudden death of his wife, Helen. His grief was profound, and it sent a shockwave through the life of the celebrity then held up by Paramount to be a sort of “un-touchable god.” Suddenly, he had become very human, and very vulnerable. It was around this time that Crawford met and began studying music theory with Joseph Schillinger. The influence of this meeting cannot be overstated. In fact, included in the preface to the original edition is the following:
Grateful acknowledgment is due to the late Joseph Schillinger, whose teaching in composition and arranging gave me the technical equipment necessary for the organization of my own theatre, radio, and recording experience into coordinated systems of organ study for the beginner and more advanced student.
Crawford was one of the very few students authorized by Schillinger to teach his theory and system of music composition. A musical “constructionalist,” Schillinger was highly organized in his approach to both the subjects of music theory and composition, as well as to the emotional effect which could be achieved by following set formulae. These were areas of great interest to composers for the stage, such as George Gershwin, as well as to those working in radio, including both Crawford and Rio, who also studied with Schillinger. This pervasive organization, systematic exposition of a type of universal approach, and an “unusually detailed” dense style of presentation are all hallmarks of Schillinger. At any rate, it was a combination of these two events which caused Crawford to shift his efforts and passions towards education and away from the solo spotlight, a mental effort which culminated in the publication of this most important work.
Nothing other than the highest possible recommendation and enthusiastic endorsement of this publication would be possible here. It is a work designed with the greatest care to provide a template for the universal application of the most basic rules of harmony, form, and structure to any popular music being transcribed for the organ — any organ. Its rules are universally applicable, so long as the music to be transcribed is both tonal and melodic. It is the first, the most important, and the most eloquent method book of its kind on the subject ever published. This re-print is available for $35 from Michael’s Music Service, www.michaelsmusicservice.com, 704-567-1066.
Steven Ball, D.MusA. visit Theatre Organ
Fantasia on “Duke Street,” by Ralph Kinder. G. Schirmer, Inc.; available from Michael’s Music Service, 704/567-1066, <michaelsmusicservice.com>.
Ralph Kinder (1876-1952) was born in Manchester, England, but spent most of his life in the United States. Kinder studied organ with Edwin Lemare and was organist in Bristol and Providence, Rhode Island, and at Holy Trinity Church in Philadelphia. Of the approximately 35 pieces that he wrote for organ, only two are based on hymn tunes. The Fantasia on “Duke Street” is one of three pieces that were his first published organ works in 1904. The fantasia is actually set of six variations with a fughetta and final statement of the theme.
The Fantasia on “Duke Street” is in much the same style as variations by Dudley Buck or John Knowles Paine; lush, late-Victorian harmonies fill the pages in this dramatic set of variations. A rather lengthy introduction sets the mood with short excerpts of the tune, after which the hymn is played in a four-part hymn-like style with no pedal.
Variation 1 has the right hand carrying the theme with an 8' Oboe and 4' Flute, set against eighth notes on an 8' Flute in the left hand. The Vox Céleste with 16' and 4' couplers chromatically explores the theme in variation 2. The third variation elaborates the melody in triplets in the right hand while only outlining the theme. Variation 4 uses the Vox Humana in a four-part “legato espressivo” setting. At first glance, the fifth variation looks like one of the Ives Variations on America. The left hand plays the theme in long notes while the right hand splashes large chords around in 16th and eighth notes. A return to the Vox Céleste accompanies the Great Open Diapason 8' in the bass clef for variation 6, which then moves immediately to a fughetta on the Great. The subject, made up of the first four notes of “Duke Street,” soon becomes running 16ths, which create quite a romp when the pedal enters. The music builds over the next four pages until the hymn returns in the manuals with full organ over a pedal solo.
Although the style is typical for late nineteenth-century writing, this music is effective and enjoyable and would work equally well in church or in recital. I would rate it moderate to moderately difficult.
Jay Zoller visit The Diapason
ADVANCED COURSE IN THE “POPULAR” STYLE OF ORGAN PLAYING ON THE HAMMOND ORGAN, Jesse Crawford. 2nd edition, revised. 130 pp. $35. Available from Michaelsmusicservice.com. Any organ method that, after teaching you how to turn the organ on, tells you to “set the Vibrato at 3” deserves investigation! Jesse Crawford (1895–1962) was known as the “Poet of the Organ.” Self-taught, he became so proficient at the Wurlitzer organ that he played in big theaters in Chicago and Los Angeles and, eventually, from 1926 to 1933 at New York City’s Paramount Theatre, where he and his wife, Helen, played at twin consoles. His fame was spread chiefly by his many records for RCA Victor. With the advent of the Hammond organ, he became one of its foremost champions and even made several recordings on it. In the 1940s, he studied with Joseph Schillinger, a controversial theorist who had also taught George Gershwin, Benny Goodman, and Glenn Miller. It is to Schillinger that Crawford attributed much of his knowledge conveyed in this Advanced Course.
This book was intended both for the organist and for the pianist who aspired to play the organ. Crawford includes a few pages to transition the pianist to the organ: brief “feel for the pedals” exercises and a page on finger substitution. After some basic harmony lessons, we move to accompanimental forms, the fox trot, and the waltz. Throughout, copious examples are given of how to vary accompaniments to simple melodies. Crawford even mentions that “we need suffer no twinges of ‘musical conscience’” in not adhering strictly to the rules of classical composition, and notes that “many of the best dance band arrangers work in happy unawareness of classical rules.”
Crawford refers to countermelodies and counterpoint as “duet form” and includes many lessons on these elements. Hammond registration is covered thoroughly, but I think those familiar with Crawford’s style will be most interested in Lesson XIV, “Glissando,” not just single, but double and triple. These are those little chromatic runs he put before notes approached, usually downward, by a leap. He notes that “I would consider its use a desecration in sacred music — in serious, secular music, a tasteless disregard of the composer’s intent.” However, now that “Ebb Tide” and “Deep Purple” are better music than the campfire songs most of us are expected to “accompany,” I doubt that Crawford would see any difference between “popular songs or arrangements of pieces performed for entertainment purposes” and much contemporary liturgical music.
Rollin Smith visit The American Organist
ROBERT LEECH BEDELL: All Hollow’s Eve. Michaelsmusicservice.com; phone: 704-567-1066. $10. In spite of the apparent title typo, this may be just the piece for your next All Hallow’s Eve, or Halloween, recital. Originally published in 1947, it has been reprinted by Michael's Music Service. Subtitled a “Descriptive Scherzo de Concert,” it captures the spirit of the feast, is technically easy, and even has a program note that includes a “Ride of the Night Hags,” an obvious bow to Harvey Grace’s description of the Final of Widor’s Seventh Symphony.
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HENRY M. DUNHAM: Theme and Variations for Pianoforte and Organ, Op. 18. Michaelsmusicservice.com. Two copies for $26. Dunham (1853-1929) was a graduate of and teacher at the New England Conservatory and a Founder of the AGO. This 1904 work is intended for pipe organ rather than harmonium, with much of the organ part on three staves. As usual with this combination, the pianist works much harder than the organist. Dunham combines and contrasts the instruments well, bringing out the finer qualities of each, the maudlin theme being the piece’s chief liability.
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PERCY FLETCHER: FOUNTAIN REVERIE. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com, 704-567-1066. This is an (in)famous 1915 organ piece that follows a well-worn pattern: harp sextuplets in the right hand over a maudlin left-hand melody on the Vox Humana and Tremulant. It’s reminiscent of Dubois’s In paradisum — one of those pieces of which it used to be said “gives the organ a bad name” — now synonymous with “audience friendly.” Maybe you should order a copy today.
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EDVARD GRIEG: FIRST PEER GYNT SUITE [Op. 461, arr. Harvey B. Gaul. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com; 704-567-1066. The four movements are well arranged for the organ, will require practice, but will be appreciated by your audience. In less than three years Leopold Stokowski played “Morning” ten times at St. Bartholomew’s Church in New York City. I don’t know just where you would program “Anitra's Dance” or “In the Hall of the Mountain King,” but you can have them ready in case you get a request.
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RICHARD WAGNER: LIEBESTOD, arr. S. Archer Gibson. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com; 704-567-1066. One of the great works of music, the Liebestod from Tristan and Isolda makes a beautiful organ work (and “liturgically appropriate” for the Sunday within the Octave of Valentine’s Day). This eminently playable transcription, originally published in 1902 by the 27-year-old new organist of New York City’s Brick Church, is much easier than the one by Edwin H. Lemare, and reproduces all the necessary orchestral effects. The more swell boxes, the better!
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RICHARD WAGNER: WAR MARCH FROM RIENZI, transcribed by Edgar Stillman Kelley. Available from michaelsmusicservice.com; 704-567-1066. Identified as “Grand March” on the cover, this is the march from Act 3, Scene 3, of Wagner’s early 1839-40 opera based on Bulwer-Lytton’s novel. This excellent arrangement, published by G. Schirmer in 1890, is not difficult to play and will find a welcome place in your “march” file. As a postlude it could be “March in E-flat.”
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Charles R. Ford. Impromptu for Organ (Michael’s Music Service), 3 pp., $4.00. Michael’s Music Service offers a number of organ pieces that have been out of print for years, including this little Impromptu. Other pieces published by them will be reviewed in future months. I include this piece in our Christmas selections because of its distinctly pastoral quality. In 6/8 time, the piece is a large arch, building gradually from piano to fortissimo and then diminishing to close pianissimo. Originally published in 1877, this is an attractive work in the nineteenth-century American style. Historical and performance notes are provided by D. John Apple. A sample page can be seen on the website www.michaelsmusicservice.com.
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Richard Peek. A Festive March (Marche en Rondeau) (Michael’s Music Service, 2010), 7pp., $7.00. Richard Maurice Peek (1927–2005), together with his wife Betty Lankford, established a flourishing music program at Covenant Presbyterian in Charlotte, North Carolina, where they worked together for nearly fifty years. The composer often performed this march for weddings at Covenant, and it would provide an interesting alternative for brides who are willing to consider something other than Pachelbel’s Canon or the Trumpet Voluntary. The rondo form is clearly marked by the use of large capital letters, making it easy to skip from section to section and tailor the piece to the time needed. With four subsidiary sections between statements of the A theme, this piece could accommodate an entrance of some length, such as an academic procession (the total timing is given as four-and-a-half minutes). The musical language simultaneously evokes the Baroque style as well as quasi-modal compositions of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. This piece might be compared to the Menuet Gothique by Boëllmann, in that it brings a historic form into its own time period.
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Henry Stephen Cutler. Andantes (Michael’s Music Service, 2010), 16pp., $12.00. Have you played the slow movements of Mendelssohn’s Sonatas one too many times? Are you looking for some well-crafted nineteenth-century American organ music? Consider these three Andantes, originally published in 1878 by Oliver Ditson and here reissued by Michael’s Music Service with a full page biographical sketch and a complete list of Cutler’s organ compositions. Cutler established the first vested choir of men and boys in this country at Church of the Advent in Boston. He also converted the choir at Trinity Church in New York into a men & boys’ choir, not without controversy, especially over the matter of vestments. You can read more in the extensive biographical notes that accompany this edition. As with all selections from Michael’s Music Service, you are able to preview excerpts of the music on their website www.michaclsmusicservice.com. These three pieces are somewhat more substantial than you might expect and would make fine preludes.
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ALBUM OF OVERTURES, arr. Reginald Goss-Custard. Michael’s Music Service, 62 pp., spiral-bound, $15. Six popular overtures are included here: Egmont (Beethoven), Figaro (Mozart), Zampa (Hérold), Poet and Peasant (von Suppé), Carmen (Bizet), and Der Freischütz (von Weber). As a review quoted in the front states, “The name of Mr. Goss-Custard is a sufficient guarantee that the arrangement is in all respects effective, and that nothing impossible is demanded of the player." This is the crux of the matter with orchestral transcriptions: the audience usually doesn’t know or care how hard the music is to play; it just wants to enjoy a favorite piece of great music. None of these works is of more than average difficulty. Each fills the bill and will find a welcome place on any recital program.
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JOHANN STRAUSS: Blue Danube, arr. Edwin H. Lemare. Michael’s Music Service, $10. A transcription of the Blue Danube Waltz by the master organ transcriber, this is not what you would expect. By 1928, Lemare had been civic organist of San Francisco (1917-20), municipal organist of Portland, Maine (1921-23), and was then serving out a five-year contract as city organist of Chattanooga, Term. (1925-29). He published a series of transcriptions of “Famous Melodies” that were geared for the average organist, with a minimum of thumbed themes, virtuoso contrapuntal passages, and soloed inner melodies. This is one of the series, originally published by Theodore Presser, that makes available once again a fine arrangement of one of the world’s most beloved waltzes.
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RICHARD WAGNER: Overture to Tannhäuser, arr. Samuel P. Warren. Michael's Music Service. 25 pp. Warren, a Founder of the AGO, was one of America’s great players. As organist of New York’s Grace Church (1868-94), he played 230 weekly organ recitals, the most comprehensive series ever given in this country up to that time. He was organ music editor for G. Schirmer (he married Rudolf Schirmer’s daughter) and published the first American edition of Mendelssohn’s organ works. He was an excellent arranger and until his death in 1915 arranged hundreds of orchestral scores to be perforated on Aeolian player organ rolls. It would be as difficult to make the Tannhäuser Overture easy to play as it would be to play it. What with recurring themes, chromatic scales, and tremulandos, the organist doesn’t have a moment’s ease for more than 15 minutes. Nevertheless, the work is a masterpiece; this is a superb translation of it for organ solo (made in 1877), and is a true representation of the orchestral score intended for a good organist.
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R. SPAULDING STOUGHTON, In Fairyland; C.H. LLOYD, An Eton Memorial March, transcribed by A. Herbert Brewer; HERBERT A. FRICKER, A Purcell Suite. Michael’s Music Service, michaelsmusicservice.com. Michael’s Music Service has the motto “Making Old Music Live Again,” and one must agree, even if it were only for the look and feel of its publications. Simply by unwrapping and holding the three titles mentioned above, I had a powerful sense of history coming alive. I love old organ music and am frequently adding to my collection. My purchases have been augmented in recent years by public-domain scores that are scanned and made available online. With the former, one is always dealing with somewhat brittle old paper; with the latter, the need to print single-sided copies as needed on one’s home computer.
But these publications are spanking-white, printed without a single blur or blotch on sturdy white paper, and sometimes even (as in the Stoughton suite) featuring colored covers. They are truly a breath of fresh air — and that’s without opening them!
Turning to the contents of these three offerings, there is first R. Spaulding Stoughton’s three-movement suite In Fairyland. Dedicated to Will C. Macfarlane, it is comprised of light, characteristic pieces typical of Stoughton’s work; technically, they are nearly sight-readable and will quickly yield to sincere practice. I could easily envision these pieces as lighter turns in a recital, or (especially the third, “March of the Gnomes”) on a Halloween “spooktacular” or “pipe screams” program. (The other movements are “The Enchanted Forest” and “Idyl.”)
Lloyd’s march, transcribed by Brewer, is charming and Edwardian fare. It comes complete with a second strain in the subdominant key, and even a feint at the pre-recapitulation “dogfight” so typical of Sousa marches. (It obligingly ends with the second strain, now in an apotheosized fortissimo!) I don’t think this composition sheds much new light on the grand old imperial style, but it is enjoyable, and an authentic window into its time and sensibility.
The Purcell suite (reprinted from H. W. Gray’s old Saint Cecilia Series, Nos. 372-73) is, in my opinion, mainly interesting as a testament to a previous reception of early music. A few of the pieces might be suitable, say, for “traveling music” (as in the “Rondeau from The Fairy Queen” and the “Trumpet Tune, Called the Cebell”). Even in these, though, the pedal part is more active than one might appreciate for the result achieved. (If I must pedal as in a Bach fugue, I expect the reward of a Bach fugue.) The best movement, and perhaps the most useful, is No. 4, “Rondeau.” This is the theme used by Britten in his Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra, and thankfully does not demand more pedal technique than it is entitled to.
All three of these titles could find a place in an organist’s library. Michael’s Music Service deserves commendation for the quality of its scans and printing, as well as for devotion to its mission of making old music live again.
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Carl Maria von Weber: Overture to Oberon, transcribed by Samuel P. Warren. Michaelsmusicservice.com, $10 + $4 postage This is a well-produced, 15-page facsimile of the 1877 edition of this popular orchestral work. It is a faithful adaptation of the orchestration by one of America’s early virtuosos; it is not easy, but hard work will be rewarded by your audience’s appreciation.
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Samuel B. Whitney, Processional Grand March, op. 25. Michael’s Music Service, $10.00, michaelsmusicservice.com.
Michael Johnston, proprietor of Michael’s Music Service, provides a valuable service by unearthing and making available organ gems that are out of copyright and often unavailable for purchase anywhere else.
Samuel B. Whitney (1842-1914) was a student of John Knowles Paine and, beginning in 1871, served for 38 years as the organist at the Church of the Advent in Boston, Massachusetts. He also taught at the New England Conservatory and was a founder of the American Guild of Organists.
This piece was copyrighted in 1877 by Boston music publisher Arthur P. Schmidt and dedicated to Walter G. Ingalls, an organist and possibly a student of Whitney in nearby Worcester. After an eight-measure introduction over a dominant pedal, the march proceeds in F major using regal trumpet calls, followed by a more melodic trio in the subdominant, and concluding with the requisite tonic recapitulation. Typical of the period, Whitney uses octaves and octave chords, a texture less familiar to many organists of today.
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Impromptu, Charles R. Ford. Michael’s Music Service, $4.00.
Charles R. Ford was the organist for the First Religious Society (Unitarian) in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Although he published two collections of hymn tunes and choral music in 1885, this Impromptu is his only organ composition. Calling for flutes and strings at 8' and possibly 4' pitches, the music provides color contrasts between two manuals. The piece, marked Adagio, builds to a small climax in the middle third before subsiding to a pianissimo conclusion.
In 6/8 time, the simple melody has initial interest, but is repeated intact a little too often for my tastes. It never ventures far from A-major and the culminating sequence repeats four times before a change to the Great manual is indicated. The previous eight measures, with an overly long sequence, are then repeated note for note on the Great before a descending sequence back on the Swell brings us to the conclusion.
The music is roughly two minutes long and not very difficult. Published originally in 1877, it is typical 19th-century music. However, its lack of rhythmic variety and the overly long repetitions do not lend itself to make for a very exciting piece of music. I could recommend it as a short church piece or as a filler piece in a student recital.
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Gustav Merkel, Variations on a Theme of Beethoven, op. 45. Michael’s Music Service, $12.00; michaelsmusicservice.com.
Along with Mendelssohn, Schumann, and Rheinberger, Gustav Merkel (1827–1885) is one of a handful of German Romantic organ composers still known today. For the last 21 years of his life, Merkel was the organist at the Catholic court church in his native Dresden and a professor at the Dresden Conservatory. Most of his nearly 200 compositions are for organ and largely forgotten. This piece is not as well known as his nine organ sonatas, but makes a fine recital piece, or individual variations can stand on their own as service pieces.
In 1820 Beethoven wrote an AABB theme and six variations to conclude his Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, op. 109. Merkel took the same theme (transposed to F) and the same number of variations for this piece and tacked on a dramatic introduction in F minor. Variation 1 presents each half of the theme in duple, then in triple meter. Variation 2 features manual jumps every half measure. Variation 3 sounds the theme in left-hand chords accompanied by a running sixteenth-note flute obbligato. Variation 4 contains triplet and 32nd-note arpeggios. Variation 5 utilizes the theme in the minor key. The final variation is a pedal etude on full organ concluding with a decrescendo and gentle Andante on a “sweet 8' stop.”
This is a reprint of the original 1868 edition published by Forberg. Accordingly, all manual and registration indications are in German. The work is dedicated to Sir Herbert S. Oakeley (1830–1903), professor of music at Edinburgh University, who visited Merkel (and Merkel’s teacher Johann Schneider) in Dresden in 1863.
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George Frideric Handel, Aria from Tolomeo, arr. Edwin Arthur Kraft. Michael’s Music Service, $7.00.
Originally published by Schuberth in 1947, this is a three-page transcription by Edwin Arthur Kraft (1883–1962) of "Non lo dirò col labbro," from Handel’s 1728 Italian opera, Tolomeo. In 1928 the melody was adapted as the popular classic "Silent Worship" and was also used in the 1996 film of Jane Austen’s Emma.
The texture is solo/accompaniment throughout, so it would be easy to have a solo instrument play the melody. The pedal line is mostly eighth notes with an occasional double pedal, but Kraft has suggested pedaling for every note. A refreshing change from the same old Handel melodies.
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L. A. DuMouchel, Sortie Recessional, op. 27. Michael’s Music Service, $8.00, michaelsmusicservice.com. The Waicker organ installed in Boston Music Hall was the first concert pipe organ in the United States and was the largest organ in the U.S. at the time, containing 5,474 pipes. The inaugural concert occurred November 2, 1863, followed by regular recitals until 1884 when the organ was removed. Boston publisher Oliver Ditson issued a series of 15 organ solos called A Selection of Pieces Performed at the Inauguration of the Great Organ and at the Subsequent Concerts. Five of the pieces were by LefébureWély, three by Batiste, and others by contemporary organist-composers such as Paine (Star Spangled Banner), Thayer (Sonata, op. 1), and DuMouchel (Sortie).
Michael’s Music Service has beautifully restored DuMouchel’s Sortie, the last in Ditson’s series with a copyright of 1881. Of special interest is the large, handsome lithograph of the Waicker organ on the cover.
L. Arthur DuMouchel (1841-1919) was born near Montréal, Québec, Canada, and after studying at the Leipzig Conservatory, spent most of his life in Albany, New York, where he served 43 years as organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. The rhythmic, flamboyant, tuneful, and bravura style of this piece qualifies DuMouchel as the Canadian “Lefébure-Wély.”
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PIETRO YON: American Rhapsody. Michael's Music Service. Available from Michaelsmusicservice.com., $14. Pietro Yon is remembered as the composer of “Gesu Bambino” and his melodic and easy mass settings were ubiquitous in Catholic church choir lofts before the liturgical changes brought about by Vatican II. Yon was a successful recitalist throughout the 1920s and '30s, more so after he was instrumental in having Kilgen organs put in Carnegie Hall and St. Patrick’s Cathedral, subsequently dedicating Kilgens in practically every Catholic church in the country. He was a virtuoso, as his player organ rolls bear witness, and he was acclaimed as a fine teacher as certainly his posthumously-published Organ Pedal Technic testifies. His organ music was popular during his lifetime and his 1918 “Humoresque” L'Organo primitivo is still heard from time to time. The American Rhapsody is a potpouri from a time when organ recitals were played to sold-out paid-admission houses and, yes, to less sophisticated music lovers than today. I have to admit that when I played this at the Brooklyn Museum in the 1970s, the audience all but stood on its chairs and threw programs in the air, shouting itself hoarse. This is an audience piece par excellence and you will be doing yourse1f a big favor by including it on your next recital — you really won’'t need to play anything else! After the initial four pages of "Maryland, My Maryland," otherwise known as “O Tannenbaum,” comes an Allegro marziale of the Civil War song, “Tramp, tramp, tramp. The boys are marching.” This is followed by an Adagio (with much Vox Humana and Echo Organ) setting of “Deep River,” which is followed by the scherzo, “Dixie,” played in the pedals. (Here’s where they really get restless!) “Hail! Columbia” works up the finale with an easy sixteenth-note Pedal ostinato and you can either end here or, for an alternate ending, go into the “Star Spangled Banner — effectively sung by all present. The American Rhapsody is not beginner’s material, but it will make a modest player sound like a virtuoso and certainly win friends for the organ recital.
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VERA B. HAMMANN AND MARIO C. YON: THE HEAVENS HEARD HIM. 192 pp. Available as a PDF from michaelsmusicservice.com. $9; available from Amazon on Kindle, $9.99. Published in 1963, this is subtitled “A Novel Based on the Life of Pietro Yon (1886–1943).” Mario was Pietro Yon’s son and only child and, in 1951, the foreign trade consultant in the New York Regional Office of Price Stabilization. He had studied the organ, and in a student recital had played one of the Bach eight little preludes and fugues. Evidently, he provided the information and Vera Hammann wrote the book in what T. Scott Buhrman, editor of The American Organist, described in a 1964 review as a “noticeably overdone style.” The subject of the book is enough to whet the appetite of any organist, and, since the book did not have much currency, it is a boon to have it now available as either PDF or on Kindle. A print version is not available, but if you order the PDF, you can print it out.
Pietro Yon was a native of Settimo Vittone, a small town in northwestern Italy. As a child, he studied piano with the local cathedral organist, and by the age of 14 had entered the Royal Conservatory in Milan, where he studied with Polibio Fumagalli; the next year, he won a scholarship to the Turin Conservatory, where he studied organ with Roberto Remondi and composition with Giovanni Boizoni (of Minuet fame). At 18, he entered the St. Cecilia Academy in Rome and graduated with every honor, having studied organ with Remigio Renzi and piano with Giovanni Sgambati, a noted Liszt pupil. In 1907, he came to America his brother Constantino, a singer, had preceded him) and became organist of the Jesuit church of St. Francis Xavier in New York City. He was a brilliant virtuoso with a certain gift for composition (Christmas in Sicily and a Toccata, 1912; First Concert Study, 1913; First Sonata, 1916; and, of course, Gesù Bambino, 1917), and knew the value of publicity — he gave 24 paid-admission organ recitals in the concert halls of New York (a total that is difficult to document).
This is not an easy book to review, considering that it diverts from the facts so often and is, of course, a paean from a loving son to his father’s memory. In addition to several tear-jerking sequences, there is an over-abundance of Italian clichés and phrases to keep up the paisano flavor, the misconception that an artist has arrived when asked to play in Carnegie Hall (as though the hall were not rented and the publicity paid for), and an elevation of Yon’s Mass of the Shepherds to the stature of the B-Minor Mass (check out a performance on YouTube), not to mention a preposterous scene of His Eminence Cardinal Hayes going backstage after a recital at Carnegie Hall to invite Yon to become his organist at St. Patrick’s Cathedral (no mention of his predecessor, Jacques Ungerer, who was informed by letter of the loss of his job while on vacation during the summer of 1928 — another of those “be careful who you hire as an assistant” situations). There is neither mention of Yon’s wedding at which Giovanni Martinelli was an usher, and Charles Courboin, playing for the Mass, held down a perfect fifth while the vows were spoken, nor of Premier Mussolini making Yon an officer of the Crown of Italy in 1926.
There is so much factual misinformation that the book is almost a disservice to the organist’s memory, and one wonders why it was written as a “novel” and not a biography when the family had all the material necessary. Nevertheless, given the dearth of fictional biographies with famous organists as the subject, this fills the bill and is certainly fairly priced for what you get, just take it cum grano salis.
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CHRISTOS PATTERAKIS: A MEDITATION FOR ORGAN, Roy Perry. michaelsmusicservice.com. Roy Perry was the longtime organist of First Presbyterian Church in Kilgore, Tex. From 1948, he was the Texas representative for Aeolian-Skinner, and during his 20-year association with the company, he sold, designed, and tonally finished $3 million worth of Aeolian-Skinners. His name will be recognized by many for the three selections he played (Walford Davies’s Solemn Melody; Langlais’s Paraphrase on Te Deum; and Sowerby’s Carillon) on the Kilgore organ on the second recording of Aeolian-Skinner’s King of Instruments series. Unfortunately, Perry did not record Christos Patterakis, because it is the ultimate organ-demonstration piece, going from the softest celestes to full organ and down again. A theme, reminiscent of the hymn tune “Penitence,” is accompanied by rich harmonies (some might think “over-ripe”). Frankly, it is a hypnotic practice piece — you can’t stop playing it, and the registrational possibilities are endless. And the title? While driving in California, Perry saw a sign to elect Christos Patterakis as sheriff. Who could resist that?
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