Dennis Reppen, Nunc Dimittis
Dennis W. Reppen died on September 29, 1995, in St. Paul,
MN, of cancer. From 1987 to 1993, Dennis was carillonneur and assistant
organist at House of Hope Presbyterian Church, St. Paul. During this period,
the Noyes Memorial Carillon at House of Hope underwent a major renovation. This
included enlargement of the instrument to 49 bells, installation of a new
practice keyboard, and a new playing cabin. In the summer of 1992, Dennis
inaugurated a Sunday evening recital series, and continued the series in 1993.
In September 1992 he organized a highly successful carillon workshop, taught by
Todd Fair, whose participants came from across the country.
Dennis grew up in Edgerton, Wisconsin, where as a high
school sophomore he began playing organ in 1963 at Central Lutheran Church. He
continued organ study with Theo Wee at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota,
obtaining a BA in Music in 1970. For the next four years he studied organ,
church music, musicology and theology at Heidelberg University. And, at Luther seminary in St. Paul, he studied theology.
Friends and family celebrated Dennis' life at services held
in Edgerton on October 4 and at St. Mark's Lutheran Church, North St. Paul,
where he was formerly organist, on October 9.
Citizen of the year
June Somerville was given a "citizen of the year"
award for playing the Norfolk Soldiers War Memorial Carillon at Simcoe,
Ontario, for twenty years and teaching carillon classes. The presentation was
made by the mayor at Simcoe Town Hall following a reception on January 8.
Until 1992, Somerville was carillonneur at the Niagara Falls
Rainbow Tower, where she played for 16 years, and carillonneur at the Cathedral
of Christ the King in Hamilton, Ontario,
where she served for 13 years. She continues as director of the handbell
choir at Tyerson United Church in Hamilton, and next May will celebrate 25
years as director there. June is a member of the American Guild of English
Handbell Ringers and is now honorary president of the Ontario Guild of English
Handbell Ringers. She holds both a B.M. and a B.S. degree as well as a Master's
in Education.
June's carillon recitals at Simcoe are on Sunday afternoons
from May through September. In December there are daily evening recitals for
the Christmas "Panorama of Lights" in the park.
Niederlander Carillon renovation
The following appeared in the Calvary Church Communicator in
January, 1995, when twenty-six bells were to be removed from the tower,
signaling the start of the renovation and enlargement of the Niederlander
Carillon at Calvary Episcopal Church in Williamsville, New York:
'Twas two days after New Years, and up in the tower,
Ten a.m. had arrived, the removal hour.
It was Fall '92 that the project began,
The Vestry first heard of the Carillonneur's plan.
There was a new way that was recently found,
To retune the carillon and improve the sound.
When the Vestry was told how much it would cost,
Their first inclination was, "Tell her . . . get
lost."
But cool heads prevailed, their outlook turned sunny,
We'll let our Carillonneur raise all the money.
Where will it come from everyone did ask,
To raise all that money is no easy task.
She simply agreed, and despite a few fears,
The money was raised, though it's taken two years.
What's happening in the tower, what's all the commotion?
Seven new bells from across the ocean.
Twenty will be retuned, six will be recast,
Thirty-three clappers will fit right at last.
Down F#, down Eb, now here comes the C,
The bell chamber's looking quite empty to me.
Thirty-seven were there, just eleven remain,
To get a new sound, no one should complain.
The tunes will be small from the bells that will stay,
And hopefully around the middle of May,
There will be a service of rededication,
A concert, reception and big celebration.
When the work is all finished, the last bell they'll raise,
And once again the carillon will ring out God's Praise!
And it came to pass that on April 1, (no fooling) the Verdin
truck arrived with Theo King, seven new bells cast by Petit & Fritsen,
thirty bells retuned by Richard Watson, and thirty-three new cast-iron clappers
and headpieces from the Verdin Co. Three more retuned bells followed a week
later.
Within two weeks the carillon was pronounced ready to ring.
And ring out it did! On Sunday, May 21, at 3 p.m., an outdoor service of
rededication was held. The service was followed by a recital, played by Janet
S. Dundore, which was designed to demonstrate the new range and sound of the
instrument. The day's festivities concluded with a reception in the church.
Janet was featured on a television newscast later that evening in a prerecorded
interview in the tower.
The original 15-bell chime was a gift to the community and
Calvary Church by Daniel and Grace Niederlander in 1959. In 1966, twenty-two
bells were added by Mrs. Niederlander, making the instrument a carillon. Seven
new bells were given this year as thank offerings or memorials by several
donors. The range of the instrument is now 31/2 chromatic octaves (44 bells)
from c, which weighs approximately 590 pounds, to g3 which weighs in at 20
pounds. The retuning of the original Van Bergen bells and the new cast-iron
clappers have made a great improvement in the quality of the instrument's
sound.
