Not even the torrential rains of the season's first hurricane could restrict the enthusiasm of the 20 participants from seven states at this year's BACH WEEK at Columbia College, Columbia, SC. Dr. Edmund Shay serves as the director of this annual conference and was joined this year by Dr. Roberta Gary, Professor of Organ at the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music; Dr. Ludger Lohmann, Professor of Organ at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik and Darstellende Kunst in Stuttgart, Germany; Dr. Robert Hawkins, Associate Professor of Worship and Music at the Lutheran Seminary in Columbia; and Laury Christie, a certified teacher of the Alexander Technique and voice professor at the University of South Carolina.
Each day commenced with a demonstration and workout in the Alexander Technique. With each session, Ms. Christie and her skeleton associate, Fred Bonaparte, helped the group to discover an awareness of one's body, freedom and flexibility in movement, and ways in which to use muscles to release tension while playing the organ. (Can you believe that's even necessary?!) My favorite technique was constructive rest, whereby one lies on the floor with back down and knees slightly bent. A few minutes in this position is truly a wonderful escape from any source of tension! The spirals or three-dimensional turns to which we were introduced will be of great value in moving more freely on the organ bench to alter registration.
The remainder of the morning allowed for a host of people to play in a master class setting for Roberta Gary and Ludger Lohmann. The atmosphere was non-threatening, ultra-supportive, and beneficial to all of the participants. This experience was equal to a compact year of organ class.
During the afternoon, we studied the entire Clavierübung III, its structure, suggestions for registration, interpretation of texts and ornamentation, and a performance of each piece. Christ Chapel became Scotland Yard, for we all assumed identities of Sherlock Holmes or Nancy Drew, searching for any possible clues regarding Bach's vast symbolism in numbers.
Thursday evening climaxed the week's study with a concert performed by Roberta Gary and Ludger Lohmann on the Flentrop organ in Christ Chapel. With Bach's Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue in C Major, Prelude and Fugue in E-flat Major, and six settings of Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr', it was an inspiring program.
On Friday, Dr. Hawkins directed us on an historical journey through the liturgy of Bach's services at the Thomaskirche in Leipzig. With this day also came a "much-too-soon" need for farewells to wonderful people who created memorable experiences, including humorous lunch discussions and evening adventures in search of Columbia's finest cuisine. All good things always come to an end but these good times will return. See you next June! For more information contact Dr. Edmund Shay, Columbia College Music Department, Columbia, SC 29203-9987, phone 803/786-3613.
--Denise Elmore Jefferies
Hartsville, SC
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