In many cities and on many campuses, classical
music--especially organ music--is hard to find during the summer
months. Not so at the University of Michigan. Only some of the many recitals
are mentioned here.
On June 19, a splendid recital featuring music of Bach,
Mozart, and living American composers could be heard in the Blanche Anderson
Moore Hall of the University of Michigan School of Music. The recital began
with a performance by Marilyn Mason of J. S. Bach’s partita, O Gott,
du frommer Gott, BWV 767. The variations
effectively showcased the capabilities of the Marilyn Mason Organ by C. B.
Fisk. Next was a piece by Alice Jordan (b. 1916), written in 2004 to honor the
life of Elizabeth Wilson. The American Suite
style='font-style:normal'> is a succession of pieces based on American
melodies, written for violin and keyboard; this was the first performance of
the entire suite, performed by Marilyn Mason (piano) and Tapani Yrjola
(violin). Mozart’s Exsultate, jubilate
style='font-style:normal'> (op. 157) featured soprano Brenda Wimberly,
accompanied by Marilyn Mason at the organ. The final selection for the
afternoon was a collection of spirituals written by Calvin Taylor (b. 1948),
commissioned by and dedicated to Marilyn Mason. For each of the spirituals (Steal
Away; This Little Light of Mine; Were You There; Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
style='font-style:normal'>), Ms. Wimberly sang unaccompanied and was followed
by the organ arrangement, played by Dr. Mason. The enthusiastic audience
applauded enough for two encores: a repeat of Exsultate, jubilate
style='font-style:normal'>, and a solo performance of the spiritual, Give
Me Jesus.
Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra gave an organ recital on June 26,
consisting of Dutch, French, and Italian psalms and improvisations. Three of
the five segments of the recital were based on Genevan psalms, which originated
in the 16th century. First, Genevan Psalm 98 (Sing, sing a new song to the
Lord God) was treated in the Dutch style,
beginning with a rearrangement of a 1566 harmonization by Claude Goudimel and
followed by four additional verses of improvised variations. The second cycle
of improvisations featured the Italian toccata based on psalm tone cadences,
featuring Mode I. Ms. Ruiter-Feenstra observed that Italian organists playing
on original old instruments will play toccatas very freely. Toccatas served as
an introduction to something else, and the long notes provided other
instruments the opportunity to tune! The selection consisted of several
toccatas, each followed by an improvisation. Genevan Psalm 42 (As the
deer in search of water) was treated in a
style similar to what Pachelbel would have done. The bass melody had mostly
equal note values, and the lines moved much faster. Sample titles of the
improvisations were gigue, arpeggios, and ornamented treble. The third segment
was a French classical improvisation on Te Deum Laudamus
style='font-style:normal'>. The audience was furnished with the score of the
underlying chant. Ms. Ruiter-Feenstra performed this piece in the style of
Couperin’s Mass for the Parishes, in alternatim format. The audience had the pleasure of hearing
Ruiter-Feenstra as cantor between the organ improvisations on the segments of
this chant. The recital concluded with Ruiter-Feenstra’s setting of
Genevan Psalm 65 (Praise is your right, O God, in Zion . . . Yes, all
creation sings). The first verse was the
1566 Goudimel harmonization, followed by three verses by the performer. The
audience expressed its appreciation with a standing ovation.
On June 27, the first day of the two-day 26th International
Organ and Church Music Institute, the audience filled Dr. Marilyn Mason’s
teaching studio. The day began with a session on “Introduction to
Improvisation,” conducted by Dr. Horst Buchholz from the University of
Denver. Volunteers from the audience performed the improvisation exercises.
Next, in preparation for his evening recital, Dr. James Hammann talked about
the life and music of Felix Mendelssohn and his family. In the afternoon,
Barbara Owen spoke about the music of Brahms, especially the eleven chorale
preludes, and the audience became part of a masterclass on the chorale
preludes. The afternoon concluded with a presentation by Dr. Wayne Wyrembelski
on the first three published organ works by Olivier Messiaen (Celestial
Banquet, Diptych, Vision of the Eternal Church).
In the evening, Dr. Hammann performed all six organ sonatas by Felix
Mendelssohn-Bartholdy on the recently restored organ in Hill Auditorium to a
standing ovation.
The second day of the Institute began in the Blanche
Anderson Moore Hall with the entire morning devoted to “Improvising
Chorale Partitas and Dance Suites.” In this session, Dr. Pamela
Ruiter-Feenstra from Eastern Michigan University shared excerpts from her
forthcoming book entitled, Bach and Improvisation: Learning the Language
(Göteborg, Sweden: GOArt).
The afternoon sessions took place in Hill Auditorium. First,
James Hammann played and discussed Dudley Buck’s “Studies in Pedal
Phrasing,” and then conducted a masterclass on the Mendelssohn organ
sonatas. Horst Buchholz then had members of the audience improvise and
harmonize melodies for use in church services. The afternoon ended with Dr.
James Wagner sharing his insights into similarities between Gershwin’s Rhapsody
in Blue and Franck’s Grande
Pièce Symphonique (hint: the
similarities are frequent half cadences). The complete work was beautifully
performed by Seth Nelson.
The evening featured a recital by Horst Buchholz. The first
half of the program consisted of organ transcriptions, and the second half was
music by American composers. The final piece was to be an improvisation on a
theme submitted by Marilyn Mason. To everyone’s delight, Dr. Mason
submitted the German national anthem, and Dr. Buchholz’s improvisation
more than did justice to the theme!
