Since I missed the concert given recently by our church's organist, I bought the CD of the program so I could listen to it in the car. I'd been playing it for a couple of days before I took the time to look at the notes on the cover.
There I read among the organist's credentials an award from the pipe organ contest founded by my father and named in his honor after his death, nearly twenty years ago. I got a big lump in my throat.
Those words were like Proust's madeleine, bringing back many memories. Back in the late 1960's my father, an amateur organist himself and huge pipe organ aficianado, was concerned that young people were not studying the pipe organ and feared future churches with fine organs would not be able to find organists able to play them. So he got together others of like mind in San Antonio and organized a competition to encourage pipe organ students in Texas colleges and universities.
He raised money for the awards, wheedled a foundation to support it, and every year sent out letters to professors inviting both graduate and undergraduate students to enter. The competition began at our home church: University Presbyterian, which while small, was on the corner of Trinity University campus. Members of the church helped out on contest days by serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to the students on contest weekend. Daddy had me make many sandwiches and cookies for the meals and help with registration and set-ups. He loved nothing better than to take the "late night practice shift" the night before at the church when the students took turns practicing on the organ there so he could listen to them. The competition emphasizes sacred music. Contestants must sight-read hymns in addition to offering prepared pieces.
After 10 years or so the contest grew too large for University PC to handle, so First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio agreed to host the competition, where it continues today.
The William C. Hall Memorial Pipe Organ Competition was always be scheduled during Fiesta Week-- the week in which San Jacinto Day is celebrated (April 21). I just realized that is this week!
Daddy would have been so tickled to know that our organist at MDPC was one of the students that he hoped the contest would encourage, and that pipe organs in the churches are not silent, but continue to ring out with the praise of God in worship-- playing forward his dream into the future.
There I read among the organist's credentials an award from the pipe organ contest founded by my father and named in his honor after his death, nearly twenty years ago. I got a big lump in my throat.
Those words were like Proust's madeleine, bringing back many memories. Back in the late 1960's my father, an amateur organist himself and huge pipe organ aficianado, was concerned that young people were not studying the pipe organ and feared future churches with fine organs would not be able to find organists able to play them. So he got together others of like mind in San Antonio and organized a competition to encourage pipe organ students in Texas colleges and universities.
He raised money for the awards, wheedled a foundation to support it, and every year sent out letters to professors inviting both graduate and undergraduate students to enter. The competition began at our home church: University Presbyterian, which while small, was on the corner of Trinity University campus. Members of the church helped out on contest days by serving breakfast, lunch and dinner to the students on contest weekend. Daddy had me make many sandwiches and cookies for the meals and help with registration and set-ups. He loved nothing better than to take the "late night practice shift" the night before at the church when the students took turns practicing on the organ there so he could listen to them. The competition emphasizes sacred music. Contestants must sight-read hymns in addition to offering prepared pieces.
After 10 years or so the contest grew too large for University PC to handle, so First Presbyterian Church in San Antonio agreed to host the competition, where it continues today.
The William C. Hall Memorial Pipe Organ Competition was always be scheduled during Fiesta Week-- the week in which San Jacinto Day is celebrated (April 21). I just realized that is this week!
Daddy would have been so tickled to know that our organist at MDPC was one of the students that he hoped the contest would encourage, and that pipe organs in the churches are not silent, but continue to ring out with the praise of God in worship-- playing forward his dream into the future.
Wonderful post, wonderful man ~ how lucky you are to have that heritage of a love of organ music in your life.
ReplyDelete(o)
ReplyDeleteThis is PERFECTLY WONDERFUL!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing it, and your father.
Cool!
ReplyDeleteSo wonderful!
ReplyDeleteI'm grateful for your father's vision!
That is so cool. What a great way to have your dad still with you!! And what a wonderful gift he left.
ReplyDeleteThis made me cry. Which struck me as odd as I'm not a fan of pipe-organ music and over in Tallinn UMC they have a big fund raising appeal to build a good pipe organ (they need 4 million EEK - and have raised 1 million to date)
ReplyDeleteWhat made me cry, I think, is the legacy your dad left. It's awesome that he valued something, poured his efforts into it- and today you saw the harvest in a beautiful way.
It's a picture of heaven - though personally I hope there are corners with different worship styles there :)Diversity is important, united by faith in one Jesus and one Spirit.
My question:
ReplyDeleteDid you close the loop by identifying yourself to the organist? Did you tell him/her how it made you feel?
Yes, Mark, I did. I sing in the choir and she is our accompanist, so I know her. I emailed her this post and she thought it was remarkable!
ReplyDeletehow wonderful!
ReplyDeleteThanks too, QG, for leaving your own legacy to children who will benefit from your generosity of sponsorship!
And thanks for helping keep me out of the pickle hat.
You're awesome--like your father seems to have been.
:-)
how wonderful- and what a legacy. Thanks for sharing this! :-)
ReplyDeleteYes it is a wonderful legacy your father left to the world. And he is right about being concerned about the dwindling numbers of organists.
ReplyDeleteIt's harder and harder to find organists these days and so many of who play the organ are primarily pianists - and playing the organ has such a different technique. I wish I could play the organ well!
Great post.
What a lovely post--thank you.
ReplyDelete