Friday, June 26, 2009

FUNERAL FOR PAUL E. EMMERT

Funeral Mass for Paul E. Emmert will be on Monday, June 29 at 10:00 a.m. Choir members are asked to be in church by 9:45. Mark Niese will be the organist.

Monday, June 22, 2009

NEXT UPDATE

This site was updated on June 22, 2009

The next scheduled update for this site will be the week of July 13, 2009

Monday, June 15, 2009

THE ORGAN AT ST. MARY'S CHURCH

NOTE: Some of the pictures at the end of this article were taken from above the ceiling of the church which give a view of the organ not seen by many people.

ORGAN BUILDER: Rodgers (Digital) / Ruffatti (Pipes)

YEAR: 2004
MANUALS: 3
STOPS: 52
RANKS: 11 (pipes) / 112 (digital)


The 2004 Rodgers (T957 console) / Ruffatti was installed in St. Mary’s during the winter of 2004 and was played for the first time during the Holy Week services of that year. The case work is left from the previous organ (1928, 3 manual, 30 rank Kilgen Organ). It was dedicated on November 28, 2004. The dedication concert was performed by Dan Miller.

The organ is a combination of pipes (11 ranks from the Ruffatti Organ Co. in Italy) and digital and utilizes the MIDI (Musical Instrumental Digital Interface) system. This gives the instrument a huge (almost endless) amount of musical expressions and sounds in the MIDI sound module. In addition, an organist can also use a MIDI sequencer for advanced record-and-playback capabilities. This enables prelude music to be played up to a half hour before the Mass while the organist is warming up the cantor or the choir in the choir room.

Another feature of this instrument is a “Voice Palette” or “VP.” Many of the speaking stops on the organ have alternate voices that can be selected and used in performance through the VP feature. VP was so named because it greatly increases the number of tonal colors at the organist disposal; there are many more ranks available to the organist than the number of actual stops on the instrument. VP gives the organist a tremendous amount of added flexibility. For example, not only can the organist choose whether to use the Great Principal 8’ stop in a registration, but they can also choose whether that particular stop uses the default Principal 8’ rank, or one of the stop’s two VP choices: The Diapason 8’ rank or the Prinzipal 8’ rank, each one with a different tonal characteristic. Any of these three selections can be used.

This organ also has twin consoles; one console up in the balcony (the master console) and an identical console down front (the slave console). This enables the organist to play either location depending on the circumstance. When the organist plays down front, the balcony console also needs to be turned on.


THE SPECIFICATION LIST:

* = Voice Palette. > = actual rank of pipes.
MANUAL 1: Top manual: Swell
16 Bourdon (VP: 16 Contre Gambe)*
8 Geigen Principal (VP: 8 Geigen Diapason)
8 Bourdon (VP: 8 Flute Harmonique, 8 Tibia)
8 Viole Celeste II
8 Flute Celeste II
4 Prestant (VP: 4 Unda Maris II)
4 Flauto Traverso
2 2/3 Nazard
2 Flute a Bec
1 3/5 Tierce (VP: Cymbale III)
IV Plein Jeu
16 Bassoon (VP: 16 Contre Trompette)
8 Trompette (VP: 8 Trumpet)
8 Hautbois (VP: 8 Hautbois mf)
8 Vox Humaine (VP: 8 Vox Humana; Strings; Slow Strings)
4 Clairon (VP: 4 Clarion)
Tremulant
Swell – Swell 16; Unison Off; Swell-Swell 4


MANUAL 2: Second from the top manual (Middle manual): Great
16 Violone (VP: 16 Bourdon)
>8 Principal (VP: 8 Diapason; 8 Prinzipal)
>8 Rohrflute (VP: 8 Chimney Flute; 8 Flute Harmonique)
8 Gemshorm
>4 Octave (VP: 4 Principal; 4 Oktav)
>4 Spitzflote
>2 Super Octave (VP: 2 Fifteenth; 2 Waldflote)
>IV Fourniture
8 Trompete (VP: 8 Trumpet)
Chimes (VP: Harpsichord; Handbells)
Tremulant
16 Swell to Great
8 Swell to Great
4 Swell to Great
8 Choir to Great


MANUAL 3: Third from the top manual (Bottom manual): Choir
8 Spitz Geigen (VP: 8 English Diapason)
8 Holzgedackt (VP: 8 Concert Flute)
8 Erzahler Celeste II (VP: SATB Ah; SATB Oo)
4 Prinzipal (VP: 4 Fugara)
4 Koppelflote (VP: 4 Flute d’Amour)
2 Oktav (VP: 2 Flautino)
1 1/3 Larigot (VP: Sesquialtera II; 1 Sifflote)
IV Mixture (VP: IV Rauschquinte)
8 Cromorne (VP: 8 French Horn; Harp)
8 Festival Trumpet (VP: 8 Tuba)
Tremulant

Choir Unison Off
16 Swell to Choir
8 Swell to Choir
4 Swell to Choir


FLOATING DIVISION: Solo
8 Violincello Celeste II (VP: Stings, Slow Strings; Boy Choir Ah)
4 Harmonic Flute (VP: SATB Ah; SATB Oo; Brass)
8 French Horn (VP: Orchestral Oboe; Soprano Ah; Amens / Alleluias)
8 English Horn (VP: Harpsichord; 8 Festival Trumpet, 8 Tuba)
Tremulant
Solo on II
Solo on III
Solo on Pedal


PEDAL DIVISION:
32 Contre Bourdon (VP: 32 Contre Violone)
>16 Principal (VP: 16 Open Wood)
16 Subbass (VP: 16 Bordun)
16 Violone
16 Bourdon Doux (Sw)
>8 Octave
8 Gedackt
4 Choral Bass (VP: 4 Nachthorn)
IV Mixture
32 Contre Bombarde (VP: 32 Contre Basson)
16 Basson (Sw) (VP: 16 Contre Trompette [Sw])
8 Trompette
4 Rohrschalmei (VP: 4 Clarion)


8 Great to Pedal
8 Swell to Pedal
4 Swell to Pedal
8 Choir to Pedal



THUMB PISTONS:
Memory 1, 2, 3, 4
General 1-10
Swell 1-5
Great 1-5
Choir 1-5

MIDI Great A
MIDI Great B
MIDI Swell A
MIDI Swell B
MIDI Pedal A
MIDI Pedal B
MIDI Choir A
MIDI Choir B

Great/Pedal Pipes Off
Great/Pedal Ancillary On
Choir Pipes Off
Choir Ancillary On
Melody From Swell
Melody From Choir
Bass

Main Off
Antiphonal On
Main Tremulant II
Flute Tremulant II
Quick Menu
Set
All Swells to Swells Expression
Solo to Choir Expression
Great / Pedal Enclosed
Festival Trumpet (on Choir) Enclosed
Swell to Pedal
Great to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
Swell to Choir
Alternate Crescendo
Choir / Great Transfer
Tutti
Zimbelstern


TOE PISTONS:
General 1-10
Pedal 1-5
Great to Pedal
Swell to Pedal
Choir to Pedal
32 Bourdon
32 Bombarde
Tutti

EXPRESSION PEDALS:
Choir (and Great)
Swell
Crescendo


PICTURES:


The console down front






The console down front



The only organ in the state of Ohio believed to utilize the Staple's "Easy" button! Yep, when the music gets tough, the Staples Easy Button is just an arms reach away!



A view of the rear gallery or balcony.



The rear gallery or balcony console.



The "C" side of the organ in the balcony.


The dedication plaque.



The blower and reservoir.


The 6 "Reflective" speakers can be seen along the wall on the right. There are 6 of these speakers on each side of the organ. These speakers fire early and cause the sound to reflect off the back wall of the church, then down the naive. The 6 regular speakers (again, 6 on each side) which fire directly into the naive of the church can be seen to the left behind the bass / pedal pipes.


Two of the four huge "Woofer" speakers in the organ.


Behind the organ taken from one of the windows in the
steeple stairway.


Balcony organ taken from above the church ceiling.


Closeup of the antiphonal speakers which lay on top of the reredos.


Above the altar platform with the antiphonal speakers laying on top of the reredos.


Balcony C-Side of the organ taken from above the church ceiling.


The C# side of the balcony organ taken above the church ceiling.

Wednesday, June 10, 2009

MUSIC MINISTRY BANQUET, WHAT FUN !

The annual end - of - the - year Music Ministry Banquet took place Wednesday evening, June 10 with 57 people in attendance from the Contemporary Choir, Parish Choir, Vocati Praising Choir (Funeral Choir), and Cantors. A great time was had by all ! ! !

A year of hard work well done! ! !

Now unto next season!

Pictures below: (pictures were left off of people eating! Those will be saved for use at a later date). Just Joking! :)

Ron Smith, Jim Grimm, and Pete Dubois



Mary Conley Riedy, Jim Riedy, Kathy Erney, & Heather Gerber



Carol Icsman, Ralph May, Eileen May



Connie Napper, Monica Deubel, Jeff Claar, Dave Proy,
Kay Proy, Deb Claar



Judy Guendelsberger, Shirley Dubois, Julie Castello,
& Ron Blake


Gary & Judy Guendelsberger & Shirley Dubois


Eileen May, Hank Pfanner, and Pat Pfanner


Rosemary Manner, Barb Harkness, and Leann Ward


Pete Dubois, Fr. Phil Feltman, Jim Grimm, &
Ron Smith



Daughter and Mom: Stephanie Rowland, &
Marsha Mulvin


Contemporary Choir Members: Kathy Kirner, Jen Kustec,
Marie Grimm, Heather Gerber, Ceci Wightman, AJ Kreidler,
& Marianna Kreidler.

Monday, June 8, 2009

ORDINARY TIME

By Tim Claubaugh

Ordinary Time. What is "Ordinary Time?" Simply put, Ordinary Time is the time during the Liturgical Year (Advent - the Feast of Christ the King at the end of November) that does not celebrate the mysteries of the other liturgical seasons (Advent, Christmas, Lent, or Easter). Where Advent focuses on Christ's coming for Christmas as well as his second coming, Christmas focuses on Christ's nativity, Lent focuses on reconciliation, and Easter focuses on his Resurrection; Ordinary Time focuses on the many other aspects of Christ and our faith and salvation journey. Considering all the areas that this encompasses, there really is nothing "ordinary" about Ordinary Time.

What are some of the things that we do during Ordinary Time this summer?

Here at St. Mary's Church, we use Mass Parts (or Service Music) which is known throughout the country during specific times of the year when we may get more than the usual amount of visitors to our parish. For example, during the Advent and Christmas seasons we will use the "Mass of Light" by David Haas and during the Easter season we will use "Mass of Creation" by Marty Haugen. These 2 Mass settings are known by about 95% of the Catholic population in the United States. So people that are visiting during those holiday seasons will feel "at home" by knowing and singing those Mass parts.

The same is true during the summer since we get a very large number of visitors who are vacationing in the area. For that reason, during the summer we use the "People's Mass" and the "Danish Amen" Eucharistic Acclamations as well as the Gloria from the "New Mass for Congregation" by Carroll T. Andrews and the Lamb of God from the "Holy Cross Mass" by David Clark Isele. Again, these Mass parts are known by a very large number of Catholics across the country, so when we sing them during the summer, our visitors will feel "at home" by knowing and singing these Mass parts.

We will also sing some hymns this summer using the "Cross Tune" technique. But more on that in a later article in our upcoming "Hymnody Series."

I pray that everyone has a relaxing, enjoyable, and safe summer. And don't forget to worship God and give Him thanks for all your many blessings at Sunday Mass; even during the summer!

MONTHLY UPDATES

Besides our weekly "This Sunday's Music" being updated every week, be sure to check out our monthly updates for June on "This Month in St. Mary's History," and "Monthly Videos" pages. Also, check out the "This Month in Music History" on the Sandusky Chapter of the American Guild of Organists web site! These links are also in our sidebar for your future use.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

LEXINGTON CATHOLIC HIGH SCHOOL CHAMBER CHOIR CONCERT WRAP UP

BACKGROUND

Monday, June 1 at 7:30 pm, the Lexington (Kentucky) Catholic High School Chamber Choir gave an outstanding performance at St. Mary's Church. Intonation and blending never seemed to be a problem for this group of high school juniors and seniors under the direction of Adam Beeken. They performed many works a cappella and a few pieces were either accompanied on organ or piano by faculty member Robert Vanover, who also performed two solo organ pieces.

The Chamber choir is on a 5 day tour which included Sunrise Assisted Living (Cincinnati), Trintiy Lutheran Church (Columbus), St. Mary's Catholic Church (Columbus), St. Joseph Cathedral (Columbus), St. Mary's (Sandusky), Sandusky Central Catholic High School, and St. Paul Catholic Church (Lexington, KY).

Earlier this year, the group performed for the Kentucky Music Educators Association state convention and performed the Rutter "Requiem" with a professional orchestra as well as many other performances throughout the year.

The choir program at LCHS, under the direction of Adam Beeken and Robert Vanover, is a young program. In recent years the choir has grown from under 30 students with one part time instructor to over 200 students with two full-time instructors. The school has six curricular ensembles and three extra curricular groups. The music department has developed its curriculum to include Honors Music Theory, AP Music Theory, Introduction to Piano, and Advanced Piano.

The choir commissions a new choral composition each year; this year being the world premiere of "Song of Creation" by Joseph Martin. They also took their first international tour during the Summer of 2008 to France and Italy which included performances at Notre Dame and St. Peter's Basilica.

THE PROGRAM
SONG OF CREATION - Joseph Martin
(Commissioned 2009 for LCHS Chamber Choir)

SICUT CERVUS - Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina

DIXIT DOMINUS from "Vesperae solennes de confessore" - W. A. Mozart

SELECTIONS FROM "12 CANTICLES" - Randall Thompson
II. "God is a Spirit"
III. "When Thou Liest Down"
IV. My Grace is Sufficient"

SAUL - Egil Hovland

SALVATION IS CREATED - Pavel Tschenekoff

YE FOLLOWERS OF THE LAMB - E. E. Ferguson

APPALACHIAN CELEBRATION - Earlene Rentz

VADO CON SPESSO CANGIANDO LOCO - Salvatore Rosa
Bass Soloist: Clay Thompson

SEASONS OF LOVE - arr. by Mark Brymer

BLUE SKIES - arr. by Steve Zegree

GEORGIA - arr. by Ed Lojeski

EVERYTIME I FEEL THE SPIRIT - arr. by William Dawson

HOME IN D' ROCK - arr. by Brian Tate

WITNESS - arr. by Jack Halloran


PICTURES


Lexington Catholic High School Chamber Choir


Adam Beeken, Director








Rob Vanover, Organist / Pianist