October 2023

Peragallo Pipe Organ Company, Patterson, New Jersey; Saint Malachy Catholic Church, Brownsburg, Indiana

From the builder

Schoenstein & Co., Benicia, California

First United Methodist Church, Montgomery, Alabama

When an organ builder approaches a new project there are many challenges, and acoustical environment is generally the most difficult. A good deal of credit for a beautiful musical instrument must go to the room that shapes its sound; likewise, a poor acoustic can limit the potential of even the best-designed organ.

One of my great delights as a church musician is getting to work with instrumentalists—amateurs, professionals, and students. Therefore, I am always on the lookout for music for them. When I have someone coming to play an obbligato for a work with the choir, I search for repertoire for them to play for preludes or postludes. I discovered that there is a wealth of material available for violin and flute, but not as much for the oboe, particularly for oboe and organ.

Organ recitals usually do not create a lot of drama. Even less so are rehearsals for organ recitals the stuff of dramatic tales. However, it was a rather dramatic practice session that marked the first public performance of Györgi Ligeti’s (1923–2006) most famous organ work, Volumina. The memorable event involved smoking pipes, a failing electrical system, and an exasperated organist who had to find a different church in which to perform. But more about these spectacular events in a moment.

Thar she blows.

An update

Several months ago, I fell and tore my right rotator cuff, again! Though I continue to heal, there have been a few setbacks. Holding my arms in the position necessary to play any of my instruments has continued to engender really severe shoulder pain—and so has any effort to type.

Donald Hugh Olson, 83, died July 30 in Scarborough, Maine. Born January 31, 1940, Olson excelled at music of all types in school and was a church organist by age 12. After earning a Bachelor of Music degree from St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, where he studied piano, organ, and bassoon, he moved to the Northeast to join Andover Organ Company, Methuen, Massachusetts. After three years’ service in the United States Army, he returned to the company in 1966.