News of Note
Saturday, May 22, 4 p.m. Augusta, ME. First Annual Tedesco Memorial Concert "Wind,Wire and Quill" A "progressive" concert beginning at the South Parish Congregational Church, 9 Church Street and proceeding to St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 9 Summer Street. Organist: Thomas Marshall.
At the South Parish church Mr. Marshall will play the 1866 E.& G.G. Hook organ. At Mark's he will play his own French-style harpsichord and the St. Mark's Espicopal Church Andover Organ Company Opus 73 (1973).
Following the concert, a reception will follow in the Parish Hall. Donations for the concert ($10 suggested) benefit St. Mark’s organ concert fund. Please contact St. Mark’s Episcopal Church office at 622-2424 for directions or more information.
Andover Organ Company Newsletter 2009
The AOC newletter describing 2009 activities is now here on the website in PDF format. You will need Adobe Reader to get the newsletter. If you need Adobe Reader, click the logo to download it for free:
For the PDF of the 2009 newsletter, click here.
NEWSLETTER CONTENTS for your navigation:
Page 1 - "Peter Griffin Residence, Harpswell, Maine, Opus 117, 2009" - description, photo, and stop list.
Page 2 - "First Congregational Church, Littleton, New Hampshire; Hook & Hastings, Opus 1074, 1882; Andover R-72, 1966 - R-72B 2009"- history, description, photo, stop lists.
Also"Christ Episcopal Church, Plymouth, MA" - description.
Page 3 - "First Church of Christ in Suffield CT" - description, photo, and stop list.
Page 4 - "Union Congregational Church, Groton, Massachusetts, Estey Organ Company, Opus 3040, 1932" Description, photos, stop list
Page 5 -Page 4 continued. "St. Christopher's Episcopal Chatam MA" - desciption. Also description of smaller jobs.
Page 6 - "On the Floor": Round Lake Auditorium - description and photo; St. Anne's Episcopal Church, Lowell MA - description; Christ Church, Episcopal, Charlottesville, VA - Description. Photo on Page 7
Page 7 - "Happenings"; Also page 7 - "Andover Opus 28 turns 50"
Page 8 - "Pipe Organs Do NOT need to be heated", "Help Reduce Maintenance Costs"; AOC CD's Available (Also see below)
New CD performed on AOC Opus 114, Baltimore
A recording of the new Andover organ in Christ Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Maryland has just been released by AFKA Records (SK-562). Andover's Opus 114 has three manuals, 81 stops and 82 ranks spread out over five divisions.
The organ was the highlight of the recent American Guild of Organists Regional Convention , held in Baltimore, in a stunning recital by James David Christie. In a review of the instrument in Choir & Organ magazine, Samuel Springer states, "This organ plays the French Classical literature remarkably well. Messe pour l'orgue bu Gaspard Corrette showed off rich French colours... The solo in Franck's Chorale No. 3 ...calls for Oboe and Trumpet in combination. This is hard to fulfill on a number of instruments because of the nature of the voicings, yet here is works perfectly. The new Andover organ is something that Christ Lutheran Church and the Andover Organ Company should both be proud."
Christ Lutheran's Music Director, Dr. Paul Davis plays the following program:
Johann Sebastian Bach, Kumm, Gott, Schöpfer, heiliger Geist, BWV 667
Cézar Franck, Chorale No. 3 in A Minor
Gaspard Corrette, Messe pour l'orgue
Arthur Foote, Christmas, Opus 80
Felix Mendelssohn, Sonata No. 1 in F Minor
Johann Sebastian Bach, Herzlich tut mich verlangen BWV 727
Antonio Martin y Coll, Batalla de 5. Tono
William Walond, Voluntary in G Major
Jacques Charpentier, L'Ange à la Trompette
The CD can been ordered from the Andover Organ Company, P.O. Box 36, Methuen, MA 01844; by telephone 978-686-9600 or by e-mail: andover4u@verizon.net. The cost is $15.00 which includes shipping and handling. Sorry, no credit cards accepted. Sales will be offered through other venues as well.
AOC organ now on YouTube
You can now see and hear an Andover Organ Company organ on You Tube. Let us know if you add or find others.
Hesston Mennonite Church, Hesston, Kansas - Andover Organ Company,
Opus 116 - 2008:
Kenneth Rodgers, Organist gives an excellent tour of the organ and its parts: www.youtube.com/watch
"The Devil's Bagpipe, or God's Voice? The Organ in Historical Context" by John E. Sharp, from Hesston College, explains why for 425 years MC Mennonites rejected instrumental music in favor of "the living sounds of the human voice"--a cappella singing.
www.youtube.com/watch
Upcoming Recitals - 2008
Happenings
On Friday, February 29th John Morlock, Ben Mague and Don Olson boarded a plane to Wichita, Kansas, en route to Hesston, about 20 miles north of Wichita, to attend the dedication festivities of our new Opus 116 for Hesston Mennonite Church and Hesston College. The new Church building is located on the campus of Hesston College, a Mennonite College, and the Church and College share the facilities.
We had been invited to stay at the home of Mary Ann and Hugo Boschmann in North Newton, right next to Hesston. Mary Ann is one of the organists of the Church and the Chair of the Organ Committee. It is a beautiful home and large enough that we each had our own room. Cheryl Hershberger, one of the Church's Pastors, joined us for the evening meal at the Boschmann's.
The celebration began on Saturday evening with the Hesston College Partner Dinner for contributors to the College. Following the dinner, we adjourned to the Church where Hesston Professor John Sharp gave a short talk entitled: "The Devil's Bagpipe or God's Voice?" outlining the history of instruments, organs in particular, in the Mennonite worship service. (Youtube video) The talk was followed by a tour of the organ by Kenneth Rodgers. (Youtube video) Both the talk and the tour can be viewed on youtube.com, by searching on "Andover Organ" or "Hesston College." (or by clicking the links above)
Student organists Naomi Tice and Oliver Kropf played several selections and Stephanie Wyse and Jasmine Martin sang solos accompanied by the organ. The program ended with Ken Rodgers playing the piece may be exchanged by Don Locklair and Johann Gottfried Walther's Concerto in B Minor.
The Sunday morning worship service was the official dedication and opened with student organists Oliver Kropf and Naomi Tice. Church organists Mary Ann Boschmann and Marna Burckhart along with violinist Julie Krehbiel played the "Gathering Music." In the Mennonite service the hymns are sung in four parts a cappella by the congregation and are not usually accompanied by the organ. During the "Children's Time" in the service, the organ was introduced to the children by Ken Rodgers and each child was given a drawing of the organ to color. The two bell choirs joined the organ and congregation in two hymns, Hymn to Joy and My Shepherd Will Supply My Need. Mary Ann Boschmann played postludes by Haydn and Schroeder.
During the Sunday evening dedication concert, the combined choirs of the College and Church opened the program with Gustav Holst's Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence, followed by the hymn When the Morning Stars Together, and then they were joined by a brass choir in Come Christians, Join To Sing. Ken Rogers then showed the organ to its best advantage with works by Boehm, Bruns, Mendelssohn, Vaughan Williams, Mäteling, and ended with Two Jazz Preludes: Bossa Nova (Wunderbarer König) and Afro-Cuban (In dir ist Freude). A reception followed the concert and Andover people gave tours through the organ for many of the audience members. It was a weekend to remember.
CURRENT PROJECTS UNDERWAY
Please see the 2008 newsletter at the top of the page for reports of updates and current projects. Return to newsletter.
Maintenance Notes
If your organ is not yet on our maintenance list and you would like service or tuning, please call our office at 978/686-9600.
If you are slated for maintenance in cold weather, please make sure heat is up at least four hours prior to tuning so the pipes will stabilize at Sunday morning temperatures or the temperature during performance. Please do not schedule any other activities in the room during tuning, such as seasonal decorating, rug cleaning, or Junior Choir, as complete silence is needed.
Andover CDs Available
Andover Organ Opus 114,Paul Davis, organist
Dr. Paul Davis performs on the Christ Lutheran Church, Baltimore, Maryland, AOC Opus 114. Program includes works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Cézar Franck, Gaspard Corrette, Arthur Foote, Felix Mendelssohn, Antonio Martin y Coll, and Jacques Charpentier.
The CD can been ordered from the Andover Organ Company, P.O. Box 36, Methuen, MA 01844; by telephone 978-686-9600 or by e-mail: andover4u@verizon.net. The cost is $15.00 which includes shipping and handling. Sorry, no credit cards accepted. Sales will be offered through other venues as well.
CD Recording Update
Thomas Heywood's new recording "Grand Organ Gala" of the E.&G.G. Hook & Hastings organ in St. Joseph Cathedral, Buffalo, New York on the Pro Organo label has just been released. Included on the CD are Mozart's "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" and Beethoven's "Egmont Overture" in arrangements by Mr. Heywood along with organ works by Hollins, Best, Bach (Fantasia and Fugue in G Minor), Guilmant. Heywood's own "Humoresque for Pedal Trombone" is something to behold. The disk concludes with Heywood's inprovisation on "The Star Spangled Banner".
The CD is available at leading record stores, and the Organ Historical Society. It can be purchase from Andover for $15.00 which includes shipping.
GERMANIA
German Romantic Organ Works of Otto Dienel
Edward Zimmerman plays the Organ works of Otto Dienel (1839-1905), prominent member of the Berlin school of organ composers. Dienel studied organ with August Wilhelm Bach at the Royal Institute for Church Music in Berlin. Bach was also the organ teacher of Mendelssohn. Volume 1 contains Grand Sonatas No. 1 and 4 along with 17 Chorale Preludes. Volume 2 contains Grand Sonatas No. 2 and 3 along with 14 Chorale Preludes. The Sonatas are played on the E.&G.G. Hook (1861)/George S. Hutchings (1894)/Andover (1988) organ in The Cathedral Church of St. John, Providence, RI. The Chorale Preludes are played on the restored E.&G.G. Hook, Opus 389, 1866 in South Parish Congregational Church, Augusta, ME. Dr. Edward Zimmerman is a graduate of the Eastman School studying with Russell Saunders. He is currently Associate Professor of Music at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL. Cost $16 each or both for $25, includes shipping.
Music for the Christmas Season
Improvisations by Earl L. Miller, organist (1946-1989). AFKA Records, Compact Disc, SK-547, no SPARS code, TT=67:30. Distributed by Andover Organ Company, P.O. Box 36, Methuen, MA 01844, Tel. 1.888.ORGANCO. Cost $16 includes shipping.
Andover Opus 111, Inaugural Recital
University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Robert Burns King, Organist. Andover Organ Company 1999, AND 101, TT=62:18. Available from Andover Organ Company, P.O. Box 36, Methuen, MA 01844. Tel. 1.888.ORGANCO. Cost $10 includes shipping.
Thomas Murray's Hook Documentary
issued by the Organ Historical Society on LP records has been reissued by AFKA records in a CD format. The 2 CD reissue was sponsored by Education Committee and the 2001, A Boston Odyssey Convention Committee of the American Institute of Organbuilders. The organs featured are: E.&G.G. Hook (1827) in the Essex Institute; The Northfield Hook, Opus 48, 1842; The Hinsdale Hook, Opus 93, 1849; The Jamacia Plain Hook, Opus 171, 1854; The Church of the Immaculate Conception Hook, Boston, Opus 322, 1863/1906; The Holy Cross Hook, Opus 801, 1875. The recording is available through the OHS at the OHS Catalog or call 804/353-9226.