Larry Abbott, 75, died quietly in his home in Santa Monica, California, on June 29. He was a founding partner of Abbott and Sieker Organbuilders, the Los Angeles firm that led the revival of tracker organbuilding on the West Coast in the early 1960s. At the time of his retirement as firm president in 1991, Abbott and Sieker had built or rebuilt over 100 organs. Several established West Coast organbuilders worked at Abbott and Sieker before launching their individual firms. A native Californian, Abbott served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War II. He attended Pomona College, graduating in 1950 with a degree in theory and composition. He was a founding member of the American Institute of Organbuilders and an active member of the Los Angeles AGO Chapter.
Roger Hannahs, AAGO, died on Christmas Day, 2000 at age 82 after a long illness. He sang as a boy at Trinity Episcopal Church, Potsdam, New York, receiving his earliest piano and organ training from Gilbert Macfarlane. He graduated from Crane School of Music and moved to Ithaca, New York, where he set up a voice and piano studio and sang bass in the Ithaca Civic Opera Company. He held a master’s degree in composition from the Eastman School of Music and a doctorate in composition from Cornell University. Hannahs taught harmony and counterpoint in various public schools and at RPI in Troy, New York, where he also conducted choruses. He was the conductor of the Burnt Hills Choral Society and the Thursday Music Club in Schenectady, New York, and served as organist/choirmaster at various Episcopal churches in New York. While busy as teacher, organist, and conductor, he wrote compositions for performance and publication, several of which have been recorded, and some have received awards. Funeral services were held at Trinity Church, Potsdam, New York. All of the organ music that was played for his Requiem Mass was composed by Dr. Hannahs; Susan Armstrong was the organist. Hannahs is survived by his wife, Mary, and four daughters.
Alice Martz, a pianist and voice coach well known in the Chicago musical community, died on July 12 of natural causes. Born in Ohio, she studied at Chicago Musical College and was a student of Rudolph Ganz. She played at Orchestra Hall and Grant Park in Chicago and is remembered for her work in later years in inspirational music, reaching out to those who needed the gift of music but were unable to travel to hear it. She also worked at Carl Fischer Music for many years. She is survived by her goddaughter, Soma Priddle, and her many students and friends. A memorial service was held at Joyce Methodist Church, Chicago, on July 17.
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