Music Annual Report 1/15/07 for Saint Philip's
2006 Annual Report –
Music at Saint Philip’s
Pipe Organ
The organ was tuned in April. Various repairs were made
during the
year, including the stop knob linkage for the swell (upper manual)
Larigot, regulation of the Tremulant, leaking pedal wind chest and
supply, slow Oboe speech, and improper speech of several notes of the
swell 4’ Open Flute. There were several
key-to-pallet linkage breaks
during the year, and several stuck notes in the pedal. We are
indebted
to Dick Frary for underwriting this necessary maintenance and
care.
Some of the Mixture pipes have been `cottoned off’ for many
years as
they do not speak correctly, and these will be repaired during 2007.
We need to resuscitate our defunct humidification system for the organ
chamber. This came to light last winter and spring.
Due to the
particular construction of our pipe organ, the tuning is sensitive to
changes in the relative humidity. This has the greatest
effect during
the winter months when humidity is low, and heating the church on a
Sunday morning drives it lower still. Rob Manseau is working
on making
our humidification system operational, and when it is again running, I
will monitor it closely for proper adjustment. It is
essential not to
allow any condensation, to avoid water damage. The system was
installed originally by Andover Organ Company, but it was shut down
some years ago when a puddle formed on a walkway inside the organ
chamber.
The plaster of the arch and walls above the organ is cracked and loose
in spots. I mentioned this relatively recently to Rob
Manseau. Organ
pipes are made of lead and tin, to be malleable for voicing.
Even
small pieces of plaster falling onto the pipes could cause damage
measured in the thousands of dollars. This plaster should be
repaired,
preferably by someone who is insured for collateral damage.
It may be
prudent to consult Bill Czelusniak (maintainer of our instrument) on
this matter.
Ed Abbe has generously made a gift of an additional stop for the pipe
organ. This is possible because there is already space for it
on the
great (lower manual) wind chest. The stop knob and linkage
already
exist, as does the toe-board on which the pipes will rest.
Only the
rack board and the pipes themselves are lacking. The new stop
will be
a `2 & 2/3 Twelfth,’ which will serve either as a
solo voice (in
combination with an 8’ flute or 8’ &
4’), or as a member of the
principal chorus, which will brighten the sound when many other stops
are drawn. Ed Abbe’s gift will also cover cleaning
and overhaul of the
Mixture stop, including revoicing of the above mentioned `cottoned
off’
pipes. There is economy in doing this at the same time as the
installation of the new stop, because the Mixture has to be removed
from the organ while the new stop is installed. The proposal
for this
work submitted by Czelusniak et Dugal, Inc. was the best of the four
that we obtained competitively. While there is reasonable
hope that
this work will be completed in early April of 2007, we cannot be
certain.
The organ will need a complete tuning in Fall 2007, and thereafter each
fall.
Church Piano
The church piano was tuned in June. Some notes rattle and
buzz, rather
than ring, so the sound board will need to be inspected, and possibly
repaired, during 2007.
Parish Hall Piano
The parish hall piano was tuned during the Fall. New casters
were
purchased because the old ones were worn out and marking the
floor.
Rob Manseau installed these new casters recently. Several of
the lower
notes have strings that make a thunking sound, and these strings will
need to be replaced during 2007. The music desk (ledge on
which music
rests) is in need of repair
Choir
We decided to try a regular Choirs & Croissants breakfast with
the
adult choir. The first of these was on October 15th, and they
have
followed on the first Sunday of each month thereafter (through
June).
These breakfasts are at 8:30AM in the Parish Hall. I was very
pleased
to find that this indeed creates an additional avenue to the
choir.
David Escher, Gail Reddin, and Dawn Leeming have joined the choir,
(though Dawn is currently recovering from a throat
condition). We
already had a very fine choir, but it is good to see that our door
really is open. We are blessed with these additional voices
and
comrades.
At the end of 2006, our choir members were: Diane Slezek, Liz Pinard,
Elizabeth Sites, Gail Reddin, Dawn Leeming, Marge Monat, Bonnie
Katusich, Beverly Ann Howe, Janet Couch, Alex Vanderburgh, Dick
Gregory, and David Escher.
The choir has taken on several anthems that have taken more than one
week’s worth of rehearsal (two hours) to prepare.
We will continue to
include some of these in our mix.
During 2006, we purchased three new anthems, thirteen copies each, all
of which have been presented. Toward the end of 2006, we
purchased
thirteen copies of an anthem book containing fifty anthems. This gives the choir an
infusion
of new music, which we will all be able to enjoy for years to
come.
The first two of these new anthems were offered recently, on January
7th, and 14th, 2007.
During 2006, several choir members sang solo parts: Diane Slezek, Janet
Couch, Liz Pinard, and Bonnie Katusich. There will be more
opportunities in 2007. At Easter, Diane offered
Händel’s beautiful
aria `I know that my redeemer liveth.’
Four members of Saint Philip’s participated in a large choir
drawn from
area Catholic and Episcopal churches. The occasion was a
March 10th
Taizé service at Immaculate Conception Church in
Easthampton.
Participants were Janet Couch, Diane Slezek, Paul Utgoff, and Alex
Vanderburgh.
We do not have an organized children’s choir. I
collaborated with
Molly Ward in teaching our children `Little Drummer Boy’ for
the
Christmas pageant. This was a good place to start, and we
will look
for more opportunities during 2007, approximately every other
month.
Most of the children are too young to handle or enjoy singing parts
(harmony). We will need to stay with unison (one part) music,
which
will engage them musically and give them practice, confidence, and
pleasure in contributing.
We do not have a hand bell choir. I solicited names of those
adults
who might be interested, and we have only four, which is not
enough. I
do not anticipate taking on a children’s hand bell choir, but
I would
be glad to advise an adult volunteer who wanted to try this.
Perhaps a
music student from a local college might welcome such an opportunity?
Cultural Development
I have created and now maintain a set of web pages for the music
program (start at www.saintphilipseasthampton.org). This is
important
for a variety of reasons, as described recently by Father
Ray.
Principal among these is that outsiders can learn about our music
program from wherever they may be sitting at their computers.
Some
will be drawn to us, perhaps in part because of this. The
music pages
include photographs of the participants, radiating a certain amount of
joy, which is very attractive. Have a look.
Many have observed that worshipers are now arriving earlier.
Perhaps
the prelude has been facilitating worship, or perhaps there is some
pleasure in hearing the choir rehearse?
We continue to broaden our set of familiar hymns. The set of
hymns
that we have sung, with the dates on which they were sung, is available
on the music web pages. I have been asked to teach the
congregation
some of the newer hymns that we encounter, not just to teach the choir,
and I plan to do this. Some of the hymns that seem new can
and do
become old favorites.
We continue to broaden our set of familiar ordinaries (Kyrie,
etc).
The set of ordinaries that we have sung, with dates, is available on
the music web pages.
Last winter, I offered a tutorial on music notation. This was
designed
for those without any previous knowledge of music. I will
likely
repeat this. If there is sufficient interest, I may offer a
second
tutorial on basic music theory.
Though I have tried to encourage participation by instrumentalists,
only Ariel Utgoff has shared her gifts thus far. We will have
guest
instrumentalists during 2007.
I have invited requests for hymns, anthems, and other
selections. I
have received several of these, which is a good development.
One
person handed me a list of favorites – good!
I will be giving a harpsichord recital on May 18, 2007, in the
church.
I would do this anyway, but it may increase interest in music events
outside of our worship services. Many churches have such
music
programs. The reason for this concert is that I wish to share
a
program of beautiful art. I will play works by Frescobaldi,
Louis
Couperin, C.P.E. Bach, and Rameau. Any income that may result
for the
church will of course be very welcome.
Submitted January 15, 2007 by Paul Utgoff, Music Director
Last
Updated: June 8, 2007
128 Main Street (Rt 10), Easthampton, MA 01027
Tel: (413) 527-0862 Email: music@saintphilipseasthampton.org