Pipe Organs of Meadville

(This article originally appeared in the January 2019 edition of the church newsletter.)

From time to time someone will ask me how First Presbyterian’s pipe organ compares to others in Meadville, or how many are in town altogether. It’s an interesting topic: one can glean a great deal about a region’s economic and cultural history by investigating its pipe organs. (Actually, this might make a fruitful avenue of research for a school project!)

Most of Meadville’s churches did have a pipe organ, large or small, at one time. Pianos, being associated with saloons of ill repute, were deemed inappropriate for worship; harmoniums (pump organs) can’t muster enough volume to accompany a singing congregation of more than a few dozen. Thus, particularly after the end of the Civil War, pipe organ manufacturing was a booming business in America. Two now-defunct Erie companies, Felgemaker and Tellers, produced several thousand instruments between them, some of which ended up in Meadville. (Until the fire of 1970, our church had a Tellers organ with four keyboards.)

I can’t speak to the fate of every pipe organ in town, but many have been replaced with electronic substitutes over the years, including St. Brigid, Trinity Lutheran, and Ford Chapel. Stone Methodist bought an electronic in 1991, but a few pipes from the previous organ were retained and can be played alongside the computer-generated sounds. Of the pipe organs still intact, the Unitarian Church’s is notable: built in 1894 by George Hutchings of Boston, it is a masterpiece of mechanical craftsmanship. Sadly, years of neglected maintenance have left this modest-sized organ in an unusable state (though the congregation is interested in restoring it). St. Agatha has a more substantial instrument built by Tellers in the early 1900s. To my ears it has some gorgeous sounds, and benefits greatly from the building’s natural reverberation, but it too needs a major overhaul.

The two largest pipe organs in town are, of course, our 1972 Schlicker and the 1977 Austin at Christ Episcopal Church, which has the same number of keyboards but fewer pipes. Christ Church is notable for having pipes at both the front and rear of the building, offering the congregation a “surround sound” experience: an arrangement often found in large cathedrals but not so common in more modest-sized churches.

Not surprisingly, with the closure of several large factories in the 1980s, no pipe organs have been installed in Meadville since then — only electronics, which are certainly cheaper but not nearly as durable as pipes. Zooming out to the national level, there are still organbuilders crafting new instruments, though not on the scale of a hundred or even twenty years ago. In a sense, a pipe organ is an investment for the long haul: a barometer of a congregation’s confidence that their church will continue to exist for the foreseeable future. The congregations that now opt for them do so because they have thought long and hard about the purpose of their worship, and decided a pipe organ will enhance that worship — not simply because “we’re a church so we ought to”, as the thinking once was.

Kevin

(edit: the Organ Historical Society maintains a wonderful database [https://pipeorgandatabase.org/index.html] on which information about most of Meadville's current and former pipe organs can be found -- as well as virtually every other city and town in America!)

December at First Presbyterian

December 2: Advent I
Worship with Holy Communion at 8:30 & 11:00 AM
Preaching: Rev. Dr. Brian Jensen
12:00 PM 'Chili, Cornbread, & Carols' in Fellowship Hall

December 9: Advent II
Worship at 8:30 & 11:00 AM
(French Creek Brass Quintet at 11:00)
Preaching: Rev. Dr. Brian Jensen

December 16: Advent III
A Service of Lessons & Carols at 8:30 & 11:00 AM
(choir at 11:00 only)

December 18: Lunch @ First
Organ recital by Kevin Dill, 11:45 AM
with soprano Sonya Eagles-Dill
(Recital admission is free; a $5 lunch is available afterwards)

December 23: Advent IV
Worship at 8:30 & 11:00 AM
Preaching: Rev. Dr. Brian Jensen

Dec. 24: Christmas Eve
Family Service at 7:00 PM
Choral Candlelight Service at 10:00 PM
Preaching: Rev. Dr. Brian Jensen

Dec. 30: 1st Sunday after Christmas
Worship at 11:00 AM only
Preaching: Rev. Larry Peters

Photos from "Shades of Time" concert

A sizeable audience came out to hear Shades of Time perform on a cold, wet evening.



Director Alan Amy led the group in hits of the Big Band era, with a few diversions to the 1960s and 1970s.



Vocalists Sue Kipp and Shawn Amy treated the crowd to a few of their favorite ballads.




Thank you to Shades of Time for a fantastic evening of music!

Shades of Time

The First Presbyterian Church of Meadville hosts a free performance by Shades of Time on Saturday, November 17 at 7:00 PM.

Shades of Time was organized in 1988 by Alan Amy with the aim of bringing together alumni musicians from the Townville/Maplewood school district. Today the band comprises 15 musicians from Crawford, Mercer, and Venango counties, specializing in music of the Big Band era with an occasional detour to the 1960s or 1970s. They have performed at many local venues, including the Crawford County Fair.

The program at First Presbyterian will showcase the talents of two vocal soloists: Sue Kipp singing “Let’s Fall in Love”, “All of Me”, and “It Had To Be You”; and Shawn Amy singing “Summertime”, “The Way You Look Tonight”, and “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore”.

Brass Instruments in Biblical Worship

(This article originally appeared in the October 2018 edition of the church newsletter.)

Thanks to the generous support of Dr. Dennis and Marci Finton, I’m pleased to report that the French Creek Brass Quintet will once again be enriching our worship with their musical talents several times over the next year.  The first will be on Reformation Sunday, October 28^th, at the 11:00 service.  We’re actually quite fortunate to have such a fine group of brass players available to us here in Meadville.  I realize that in the past I’ve written articles on the organ, handbells, and piano, but I’ve never taken the opportunity to say anything about the use of brass instruments in worship.  So let’s do that now!

With all due respect to those 16^th-century Reformers who felt that instrumental music had no place in worship (I’m looking at you, John Calvin), there is ample Biblical evidence to the contrary.  Before metalwork was practical for the nomadic Jews, their instrument of choice was the shofar, a ram’s horn.  It’s unlikely that actual melodies were played on this instrument: Exodus 19, Leviticus 23, and Joshua 6 imply that the shofar’s function was simply to make a loud noise — an auditory signal of God’s presence.  (Even to this day, observant Jews blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.)

Fast-forward a few centuries to the time of David and Solomon, and it’s clear that a variety of metallic instruments were now in use by the musician-priests.  A nameless chronicler describes the scene as the Ark of the Covenant is ceremonially brought into Jerusalem’s newly-dedicated temple:

“Now when the priests came out of the holy place…and all the Levitical singers…stood east of the altar with a hundred and twenty priests who were trumpeters (and it was the duty of the trumpeters and singers to make themselves heard in unison in praise and thanksgiving to the Lord), and when the song was raised, with trumpets and cymbals and other musical instruments…the house of the Lord was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.”  (II Chronicles 5:11-14)

In the New Testament we find passages where the function of these instruments is not praise but proclamation: 

“And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.  The first angel sounded…”  (Revelation 8:6)

“The trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.” (I Corinthians 15:52)

And proclaim we will, loudly and boldly!  Hope to see you on October 28^th, or even before.

Rehearsals Begin

Rehearsals for the Chancel Choir will begin at 7:30 PM on Thursday, August 30th.  Rehearsals for the Liberty Bells will begin at 12:15 PM on Sunday, September 16th.  New members are welcome in both groups!  Contact Kevin Dill for more information.

Jail-break, part four

Nearly six weeks after work began, most of the site has been leveled.

Jail-Break, part three

Demolition of the county jail continues. After all these years, being able to see the back of the courthouse may take some time to get used to!

Jail-Break, part two

Today we got to see the heavy machinery in action.






A closer view of the cells. Not exactly luxury accommodations!

Jail-Break

Not related to music, but interesting nonetheless: the old County Jail, which has stood unused for years right across the alley from the church, is being demolished. From the second floor we have a good vantage point to view the work in progress (click to enlarge).

A pile of scrap metal and wood is accumlating in the alley below.

More images to come as the work continues!

Just Right!

(This article originally appeared in the June 2018 edition of the church newsletter.)

Hymn playing is a church organist’s bread and butter, but surprisingly it's not something that gets a lot of discussion. Maybe it's assumed that hymns are the easiest part of the job. In a technical sense that's true — it’s less challenging to master the notes of Amazing Grace than of a Bach Toccata. But at the same time, there are plenty of ways an organist can discourage congregational singing by making unwise choices. Here are some factors I have to juggle in deciding how to approach a hymn:

Registration: in choosing the sounds I use, I'm guided first and foremost by the text. What is its mood: triumph, penitence, hope, longing? (Lent’s sonic spectrum is obviously more muted than Easter’s.) Changing sounds for each verse also emphasizes the progression of the poetry. Some organists use the same sound on every verse of every hymn, but in my experience that quickly gets irritating!

Key: can the congregation reasonably be expected to hit the high notes printed on the page? It depends: people generally aren’t in good singing voice at 8:30 in the morning, so I lower the keys for their comfort. Even at 11:00 I try to ensure that the first hymn doesn’t soar too high. On the other hand, our red hymnal places some of its songs in surprisingly low keys, so I raise them to make them more engaging.

Tempo: This is probably the issue concerning which organists receive the most feedback, whether it’s “too slow!” or “too fast!” (Rarely do we hear “just right!”) Aware of the impossibility of pleasing everybody, I’m guided by several considerations: what is the mood of the text? Can the average singer manage each phrase in one breath? Is there time to actually think about the words as they go by?

Timing: Lifting my fingers off the keys at the end of every phrase allows us all to breathe together. It would be very rude of me to plow through a hymn without giving some space for breathing — although I have heard organists do it! I also add a somewhat longer pause between verses so people can send their eyes back to the top of the page and remember which verse is coming next. Some timing decisions are made on the spur of the moment: on Christmas and Easter, for example, I may have to improvise an interlude before the last verse of the processional hymn to give the choir enough time to reach the loft.

So how do organists learn this art? Formal organ study generally focuses on recital repertoire; only the colleges with a large pool of organ majors tend to offer a course in hymn-playing. For the vast majority of us, it’s a case of ‘learn by doing’…and of course, we also learn by listening to and imitating the people who do it really well.

Summer music schedule

As we wrap up another year of programming and shift to our summer schedule, our Chancel Choir and Liberty Bells are taking a well-deserved hiatus. Music for our 9:30 combined services will be offered by the following:

June 3 -- Agape Bell Quartet

June 10 -- Braden Green, trumpet

June 17 -- Lois Kafferlin, piano

June 24 -- Lois Kafferlin, piano

July 1 -- Tom McFate, bass

July 8 -- Jennifer Dearden, trumpet

There are still Sundays available later in the summer. If you feel called to enhance our worship with your musical gifts, Kevin Dill would be delighted to hear from you!

Spring Ring

The phrase "heavy metal" takes on a whole new meaning on Saturday, May 12th, as handbell ensembles from three Meadville churches present a concert for the public. The venue is the historic Stone Methodist Church on Diamond Park, and the performers are the Carillon Ringers from Stone Church, the Trinity Belltones from Trinity Lutheran Church, and the Liberty Bells and Agape Trio from First Presbyterian Church.

A conversation between Patrick Bier, James Ross, and Kevin Dill, the organists of the three churches involved, sparked the idea for this concert. "We've brought our churches together for other events in the past, such as a Choral Vespers service on Ascension Day," notes Bier. "This time around we thought: why not assemble our handbell choirs and perform a few pieces for each other and for the community?" In addition to the bell pieces, Ross, Bier, and Dill will each perform a solo on the church's hybrid pipe-digital organ.

Handbell ringing has been practiced in Europe for centuries, but is a relative newcomer to America. "The art really surged in popularity around the time of America's bicentennial celebration," explains Dill. "First Presbyterian, for example, launched its Liberty Bells in the mid-1970s, and some of the founding members of that ensemble are still ringing with us today."

The program includes a variety of music including arrangements of traditional hymns and festive works by contemporary composers. The audience will also witness the ringing technique called "four-in-hand" in which two bells are held in each hand, allowing them to be rung either individually or simultaneously. "It's a difficult technique that can take years to master," notes Ross, "but there are indeed a few of our ringers who can handle four bells at once!"

The performance begins at 7:00 PM, and admission is free. For more information contact Stone Methodist Church at 724-6736.

Mysteries of the Pipe Organ

The First Presbyterian Church of Meadville presents:
Mysteries of the Pipe Organ
Tuesday, April 17
Kevin Dill, presenter

We're all familiar with the sound of pipe organs, but how do they actually work? And how did they come to be associated with the church? Join Kevin Dill, First Presbyterian's Director of Music, as he leads a hands-on demonstration of Meadville's largest and most complex musical instrument. (If you've always wanted blow into an organ pipe, this is your chance at last!)

This presentation wraps up another year of First Presbyterian's Lunch @ First series, which hosts speakers on a variety of topics on the third Tuesday of the month. A potluck lunch will be served in the fellowship hall at 11:45 AM, and the presentation begins in the sanctuary at approximately 12:30 PM.

Get "SMART"

(This article originally appeared in the January 2018 edition of the church newsletter.)

It's a well-guarded secret that in order to do the work I do, I first had to pass an exam. This exam, known as the Sacred Music Aptitude Revealing Test (SMART), is administered annually to those earning degrees in disciplines such as organ performance and choral conducting. In this exclusive for the Evangel, you'll get a peek at examples of the tough questions being posed to the next generation of church musicians.

1. A bellringer remarks that your conducting is hard to follow. Should you:
A) thank her for the constructive criticism, and work on refining your gestures
B) confront her and ask if she could do it better
C) 'promote' her to music librarian
D) buy her a one-way ticket to Australia

2. The pipe organ's electric blower expires after 35 years of service. Should you:
A) beg the church trustees for funds to replace it
B) raise money by holding a bake sale
C) round up a crew of burly men to pump the organ by hand
D) attempt to replace it with the motor from a vacuum cleaner

3. During the sermon, you realize that you’ve left your copy of the choir anthem in the music room. Should you:
A) dash out and retrieve it while the congregation recites the Creed
B) steal a copy from one of the singers
C) try to conduct from memory
D) just flail your arms randomly, since nobody’s really watching

4. A church member complains that you play the hymns too loudly. Should you:
A) find him a pair of earplugs
B) play the hymns much softer
C) play the hymns much louder
D) give up the organ and learn the banjo

5. The storage room is stuffed with old anthems you’re not likely to use. Should you:
A) recycle them
B) keep them and let the next music director deal with them
C) donate them to a church with more shelf space
D) use them to heat your house in winter

Bonus question: what is your reason for considering church music as a vocation?
A) an office with a window
B) an excuse not to travel on Christmas, Easter, or Mother’s Day
C) sincere desire to inspire others with the message of God's love
D) last resort after being rejected by Burger King