April 2015

Words and music 

Ralph Kirkpatrick: Letters of the American Harpsichordist and Scholar, edited by Meredith Kirkpatrick. University of Rochester Press, November 2014, 186 pages, $60.

Patrick J. Murphy & Associates in Stowe, Pennsylvania, recently completed a major renovation of the organ at Church of the Covenant, Scranton, Pennsylvania. The 3-manual, 37-stop, 56-rank instrument recasts the existing 1960s-era Schlicker with a new Swell division, revoiced Great and Positive fluework, new chorus reeds throughout, and a new PJM Signature console.  

Quezon City, Philippines, is the largest and most populated city in metropolitan Manila, with a population of over 2.5 million; at one time it was the capital of the country. In this city is the Central Complex of the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church of Christ), registered in the Philippines in 1914 by Felix Manalo, and at present administered by the Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo. The church has grown to millions of members with congregations in over 100 countries. 

Charles Dodsley Walker, 94, died in New York City on January 17. At the time of his death he was the conductor of the Canterbury Choral Society, organist and choirmaster emeritus of the Church of the Heavenly Rest in New York City, and the artist-in-residence of St. Luke’s Parish, Darien, Connecticut. 

The first University of Michigan Organ Conference took place in 1961, featuring Anton Heiller, and was the brainchild of Marilyn Mason. It is singular in the organ world for its longevity. Just two other schools offer comparable conferences: The Eastman School of Music initiated the EROI festival in 2002, and Indiana University started an annual conference in 2010.

Valve jobs, ring jobs, and protection

Most faucets and spigots have rubber washers that act as gaskets. When you turn off a faucet, the washer is compressed, sealing the opening to the pipe and stopping the flow of water. If you turn faucets too hard when shutting off the water, you compress the washer more than necessary—not too big a deal, except the washer will squish and wear out more quickly.

Listening Carefully II 

As I wrote last month, I want to continue to muse about aspects of listening carefully to one’s own playing while actually playing. I say “muse” because this is not cut-and-dried. It is about the psychology of playing, of motivating one’s self, of being honest with one’s self, of trying to shape the playing beyond what can be planned for or expressed through specific ideas. At least that is what it is about in part—it is also about just plain knowing what is going on and keeping things together. 

John Obetz, of Leawood, Kansas, died February 12, 2015. He was 81. Obetz, known for his “The Auditorium Organ” radio program, broadcast from the Community of Christ (previously RLDS) Auditorium, taught for more than 30 years at the University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Conservatory of Music and was a key figure in the installation of the Casavant organ in Helzberg Hall at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.