BELLS & WHISTLES St. John s Tower Bells, C. B. Fisk Organ, Op. 127,

Transcription

1

2 BELLS & WHISTLES St. John s Tower Bells, C. B. Fisk Organ, Op. 127, A Concert in Celebration of the 100 th anniversary of the Tower Bells 10 th anniversary of the C. B. Fisk Organ, Op. 127 St. John s Episcopal Church Tallahassee, Florida This concert is a celebration of two anniversaries, and is intended to raise awareness--in the congregation of St. John s and the community of Tallahassee--of the musical treasures present in this 1881 building, to offer thanks to God for the gifts of these two musical instruments, to get a sense of their histories, and to share in the possibilities these instruments offer. The brochures provided with the concert program give detailed information about the history of the bells and the organ, the people involved in procuring them, and the makers of the instruments. In today s concert the bells will play familiar hymns from the tower and we will see and hear a demonstration of how the bells are played. We will hear organ music of J. S. Bach (a work played at the dedicatory recital) and Louis Vierne (a work making reference to the Westminster Chimes of Big Ben). We will experience how the organ leads congregational singing by joining in several hymns together (with texts mentioning organs and bells, and a tune written in honor of our organbuilder), and we will see and hear how the organ beautifully accompanies choral music so important to the Episcopal liturgy (including an anthem sung at the organ dedication in 2006). We will even hear handbells played in the accompaniment to some of our singing. Handbells were developed in the early 18 th century in England for rehearsing by tower bell players--both for the convenience of the players and for the ears of the neighborhoods surrounding the tower bells! What we will not hear is the organ playing with the tower bells. There are two reasons for this: (1) the bells and organ are tuned differently and do not sound well together and (2) the tower bells are better heard outside the church, making any coordination between organist and bell players virtually impossible. However, the opportunity to celebrate these two gifts has culminated in this unique and diverse concert today. We offer all of this to the glory of God and to the enrichment of the Tallahassee community.

3 Program Please withhold your applause until the final Closing Trinity. Opening Tower Call Joyful, joyful we adore thee Westminster Chimes Welcome Helen West, Tower Bells Becky Reese, Tower Bells Ode to Joy The Reverend David C. Killeen Hymn 390 Please stand Praise to the Lord, the Almighty Lobe den Herren Verse 1 Harmony Verse 2 Harmony Verse 3 Unison Verse 4 Unison Prelude in E Minor, BWV Seated Johann Sebastian Bach Michael Corzine, Organ Love divine, all loves excelling Hyfrydol Susan Mau, Tower Bells The day thou gavest, Lord, is ended St. Clement Zannah Lyle, Tower Bells Hymn 620 Seated Jerusalem, my happy home Land of Rest Verse 1 Unison Verse 2 Organ: Prelude on Land of Rest Robert Powell Verse 3 Harmony Verse 4 Organ: Sarabande on Land of Rest Gerald Near Verse 5 Unison Roger Ponder, Organ Tower Bell Demonstration and Commentary Sharon Rolfes & Alan Asker

4 What wondrous love is this Wondrous Love Susan Jones, Tower Bells Hymn 439 Seated What wondrous love is this Wondrous Love Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 All All Marcia Cook, Elizabeth LaJeunesse, Karen Ponchak, & Barb Wing, Handbells Anthem If ye love me Philip Wilby If ye love me, keep my commandments, and I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever; e'en the Spirit of truth. And ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless. I will come to you. St. John s s Betsy Calhoun, Director Elizabeth LaJeunesse, Organ Organ Commentary Michael Corzine Hymn 190 Seated Lift your voice rejoicing, Mary Fisk of Gloucester Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 All Kimberly King, Organ Come, thou fount of every blessing Nettleton Sharon Rolfes, Tower Bells Praise God, from whom all blessings flow ( Doxology ) Lynwood Arnold, Tower Bells Old 100 th

5 Anthem Refrain Sung by all A Song to the Lamb Donald Pearson All Refrain For you created everything that is, and by your will they were created and have their being. Refrain And yours by right, O lamb that was slain, for with your blood you have redeemed for God, from every family, language, people, and nation, a kingdom of priests to serve our God. Refrain And so, to him who sits upon the throne, and to Christ the Lamb, be worship and praise, dominion and splendor, forevermore and evermore. Refrain St. John s s Betsy Calhoun, Director Elizabeth LaJeunesse, Organ Marcia Cook & Karen Ponchak, Handbells Sarah Davis, Cymbelstern; Meg Graves, Triangle Hymn 432 Please stand Verse 1 Verse 2 Verse 3 Verse 4 O praise ye the Lord! Unison Harmony Harmony Unison Laudate Dominum Carillon de Westminster, Op 54, No. 6 Seated Elizabeth LaJeunesse, Organ Louis Vierne Tower Bells Peals and Changes Please remain seated until the end of the Closing Trinity. Sharon Rolfes, Tower Bells Closing Trinity Lynn Bannister, Tower Bells Please join us in Alfriend Hall for a festive reception following the concert.

6 Tower Bell Guild 2015 not only marks the 100 th Anniversary of St. John s first ten tower bells, it is also the 40 th Anniversary of the St. John s Tower Bellringers Guild. According to the book God Willing, At the time the two additional bells were dedicated in 1975, the chimers organized a St. John s Bellringers Guild with ten charter members ranging in age from the 20 s to the 60 s. We would like to acknowledge Ms. Patty Paul, one of the charter members of the Bellringers Guild, for her three decades of serving as the Guild s captain. Patty will long be remembered for her seemingly endless energy and love of the bells. She was instrumental in the training and continuation of the St. John s Tower Bellringers Guild, which is still active and currently has 12 members: Lynwood Arnold, Alan Asker, Lynn Bannister, Cathy Bishop, Jim Briede, Carrie Holden, Susan Jones, Zannah Lyle, Susan Mau, Becky Reese (Co-Chair), Sharon Rolfes (Co-Chair), and Helen West. Organists Michael Corzine served as organ consultant for the purchase and installation of C. B. Fisk Op. 127 during the years He played the dedicatory recitals and frequently plays for weddings, funerals, and choral evensong services at St. John s. Roger Ponder served as parish organist from 1994 until 2008; he remains available to substitute for occasional services. Elizabeth LaJeunesse has been parish organist at St. John s since She plays weekly for the 9:00, 11:15, and 5:30 services. Kimberly King served as parish organist from 1998 until 2008, has played at choral evensongs, and substitutes frequently on Sunday mornings. In addition to the organists heard today, St. John s is fortunate to have several other organists available to play at various times. Mike Norris plays weekly at the 8:00 Sunday service. Marissa Hall and Gray Hodsdon, FSU Sacred Music Interns, regularly play voluntaries at the 8:00, 9:00, and 11:15 Sunday services and substitute for services. Joseph Kraus, a member of the choir, serves as substitute organist for services. St. John s is blessed to have such an elegant organ which, according to Steven Dieck, president of C. B. Fisk, will insure that St. John s will never lack for a fine organist. Together with the beauty and appeal of the Episcopal liturgy, the church has created a welcoming and inviting atmosphere for organists. We continue to enjoy the benefits of this instrument, and to be thankful.

7 In August of 2015, St. John s will travel to England to sing as the choir in-residence at two cathedrals: Christ Church, Oxford, and Lichfield. During this 10 day trip, we will sing services of Choral Evensong and Holy Eucharist, explore the roots of our rich Anglican tradition, and strengthen international choral and liturgical relationships. If you are able, please consider contributing to this trip. You may place your donation in an alms basin on a table at three locations in the church. At the reception the Organ Dedication Service and Recital and Wondrous Love CDs will be sold, as well as notecards with original watercolors of St. John's. All benefits will support the England Tour. Many thanks for your support and generosity.