Peter Stotlzfus Berton - 29 April - Marietta
7 views
Skip to first unread message
Karl Moyer
Jan 16, 2018, 2:28:51 PM1/16/18
to Lancaster AGO
Hi, fellow AGO-ers,
It is pure delight to share with you that Peter Stolzfus Berton, Lancaster native and sometime student with our late-departed friend and colleague Carl Schroeder, will be playing a recital at 3 p.m. on Sunday 29 April at St. John’;s Episcopal Church, Marietta. The occasion is two-fold: first, part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the church building as of 18 April, and second, in celebration of the renewal of the console of the little Wicks pipe organ there.
The church bought a four-rank Wicks unit organ in 1959 to replace a used Wicks that Reading organ man William Rolland sold the church around the time of W. W. II, when one was hardly able to buy a new pipe organ, not to mention all sorts of other things we could not buy during “the war.” For whatever reason, the 1907 Möller tracker needed replacement, and Mr. Rolland could at least solve the problem for the time being. You may recall, too, that some years ago, Jim Carbaugh, son of Bob Carbaugh, my fellow-organist at St. John’s, added two ranks to the little Wicks, a trumpet rank and a really beautiful celeste rank derived from a broken-up E. M Skinner, plus all of the chest work, wiring, and console matters requited to make the new stops function, and THAT improved the organ greatly.
However, more recent years have found the operating parts of the console becoming less and less reliable, and my buddy-organist Bob Carbaugh, who is a bone fide organ repairman in his own right, finally determined that it was time for some major surgery on the console. The ultimate solution was completely to “gut” the console down to its shell and to install totally new keyboards, pedal clavier, stop actions, pistons, etc., inside the old shell. Bob, being a part-time helper with the Brunner organ firm folks, worked out the plans with Ray Brunner, and the church got what Bob tells me is a particularly advantageous price. Indeed, Bob is going to do certain things on his own as a gift to the church to reduce the cost, bless his soul. I wish I knew what Bob knows!!
So right now we are using a piano, while the console is in the Brunner shop, with hopes that it will return in time for Easter, thus some “shake-down” weeks as well before Peter’s recital. Peter has seen and played the organ and is aware of a few improved choices for the organist: a few couplers, for example, despite the organ’s on-going existence as a unit organ. Peter has declared that he’ll play the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor of Bach on this little organ, and I do trust his judgment — and sure am eager to hear him in action as he does it.
I find all this a real testament to the faith of this little parish AND to their willingness to invest in what is there, rather than to throw it out and get something else, whatever that might be. It’s again also a testament that it need not be BIG in order to be worthy. So it’s a distinct pleasure to invite you to save the afternoon to help this little parish to celebrate its investment in the instrument at the hands of a fine, fine performer who is also “a local boy who has made good.”
A Happy Epiphany Season to you.
Karl
It is pure delight to share with you that Peter Stolzfus Berton, Lancaster native and sometime student with our late-departed friend and colleague Carl Schroeder, will be playing a recital at 3 p.m. on Sunday 29 April at St. John’;s Episcopal Church, Marietta. The occasion is two-fold: first, part of the celebration of the 150th anniversary of the church building as of 18 April, and second, in celebration of the renewal of the console of the little Wicks pipe organ there.
The church bought a four-rank Wicks unit organ in 1959 to replace a used Wicks that Reading organ man William Rolland sold the church around the time of W. W. II, when one was hardly able to buy a new pipe organ, not to mention all sorts of other things we could not buy during “the war.” For whatever reason, the 1907 Möller tracker needed replacement, and Mr. Rolland could at least solve the problem for the time being. You may recall, too, that some years ago, Jim Carbaugh, son of Bob Carbaugh, my fellow-organist at St. John’s, added two ranks to the little Wicks, a trumpet rank and a really beautiful celeste rank derived from a broken-up E. M Skinner, plus all of the chest work, wiring, and console matters requited to make the new stops function, and THAT improved the organ greatly.
However, more recent years have found the operating parts of the console becoming less and less reliable, and my buddy-organist Bob Carbaugh, who is a bone fide organ repairman in his own right, finally determined that it was time for some major surgery on the console. The ultimate solution was completely to “gut” the console down to its shell and to install totally new keyboards, pedal clavier, stop actions, pistons, etc., inside the old shell. Bob, being a part-time helper with the Brunner organ firm folks, worked out the plans with Ray Brunner, and the church got what Bob tells me is a particularly advantageous price. Indeed, Bob is going to do certain things on his own as a gift to the church to reduce the cost, bless his soul. I wish I knew what Bob knows!!
So right now we are using a piano, while the console is in the Brunner shop, with hopes that it will return in time for Easter, thus some “shake-down” weeks as well before Peter’s recital. Peter has seen and played the organ and is aware of a few improved choices for the organist: a few couplers, for example, despite the organ’s on-going existence as a unit organ. Peter has declared that he’ll play the Passacaglia and Fugue in C minor of Bach on this little organ, and I do trust his judgment — and sure am eager to hear him in action as he does it.
I find all this a real testament to the faith of this little parish AND to their willingness to invest in what is there, rather than to throw it out and get something else, whatever that might be. It’s again also a testament that it need not be BIG in order to be worthy. So it’s a distinct pleasure to invite you to save the afternoon to help this little parish to celebrate its investment in the instrument at the hands of a fine, fine performer who is also “a local boy who has made good.”
A Happy Epiphany Season to you.
Karl
Reply all
Reply to author
Forward
0 new messages