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Nunc Dimittis

January 24, 2003
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As this issue was going to press, word was received of the death of Pierre Firmin-Didot on January 5 after a long illness with cancer. Mr. Firmin-Didot was a founder and long-time president of the Grand Prix de Chartres competition and made many contributions to the organ culture in France. An obituary will appear next month.

 

 

Gaylord Carter, one of the country's most popular theatre organists for eight decades, died on November 20 at the age of 95. He had performed from the age of 10 until about five years ago in churches, theatres, on radio and on television. Carter was named organist of the year by the American Theatre Organ Society and inducted into its Hall of Fame in 1975. Born in Weisbaden, Germany on August 3, 1905, Carter emigrated to Wichita, Kansas, where his father became a church organist and his mother taught piano. At age 10 he began playing the organ in Wichita's Congregational Church, and at age 14 played for children's matinees in a theatre there. In 1922, the family moved to Los Angeles, where he began accompanying silent films. In 1926 he was hired for $110 a week as organist at the Million Dollar Theatre. In 1935 he moved to radio with his own "Prelude to Midnight" program on Los Angeles KHJ and accompanied several network shows. For 17 years he played "The Perfect Song" to introduce the "Amos'n'Andy" show. During World War II, Carter was a Naval motion picture officer in the Aleutians. Returning to Los Angeles he played for radio's "The Whistler," "Suspense," and "Bride and Groom," and later for television's "Pinky Lee Show" and others. He also had his own local show, "Everybody sing with Gaylord," on KCOP Channel 13. A memorial service was held on December 12 at the First Congregational Church of Long Beach.

 

Justin A. Kramer died on November 20, 2000. Closely associated with the Reuter Organ Company for much of his professional career, Mr. Kramer represented Reuter in California for many years and left his mark on countless organ projects around the region. Born on June 7, 1924, he graduated with honors from Loyola High School in Los Angeles and attended the University of Southern California where he graduated with honors at the age of nineteen. He continued at USC to earn the Master of Music degree. While a student, he worked as a musician at all the major motion picture studios, was drum major and became interim director of the USC band. On January 1, 1953, he married Jean, his wife of almost 48 years. His love of the music of the Catholic Church was a life long vocation. A Gregorian chant expert, he formed several choirs in many Los Angeles churches, and wrote a book on the proper performance of chant, entitled The Pange Lingua. He devoted much of his work to the study of acoustics, and was awarded more than 20 U.S. patents relating to the organ, sound, and performance. He served as a special consultant to the University of California in the construction of the bell towers at the Riverside and Santa Barbara campuses. As a pipe organ builder and designer, he was a member of the International Society of Organ Builders and of the American Guild of Organists. For the U.S. Bicentennial, he wrote the story of the Liberty Bell entitled "Cast in America," working with such international authorities as Alfred Paccard and Paul Taylor. It was his knowledge of bells that led to his being commissioned to produce a bell profile to replace the original bells that once marked El Carnino Real. His most recent contribution is the design and casting of the International Bell, which thus far has been placed throughout Baja, California, marking the original trail of the Franciscan missionaries. Kramer was especially devoted to Padre Junipero Serra, working for his beatification and then for his canonization. He composed "Cancion de Fray Junipero Serra," the official hymn of the Serra Bicentennial Commission, and, in Serra's honor, established the Schola Cantorum at St. Mary's by the Sea Church in Huntington Beach. At the time of his death, Mr. Kramer was engaged as special bell consultant to the architect for the new Catholic Cathedral of Los Angeles.

 

Stanley Sorensen died on November 24, 2000 in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin, at the age of 85. He served as president of the Hammond Organ Company from 1955 until 1971. Mr. Sorensen graduated from Schurz High School in Chicago in 1931. He was hired as one of two office boys for the Hammond Clock Company of Chicago, starting at $8 a week, and worked his way up to becoming president. He expanded the engineering and marketing aspects of the company, increasing the popularity of the electronic organ for home use. Mr. Sorensen is survived by his wife Ethel, two daughters, a brother, two grandchildren, three step-grand-daughters, and a great-grandson.

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