ago summer recital

5/22/2018 AGO Summer Recital

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2014 Summer Recital SeriesThe American Guild of Organists

Charlotte Chapter

presents

Timothy Belk, OrganistJuly 6, 2014 | 7:00 p.m.

olian-Skinner Pipe Organ | Opus 1196Schlicker Pipe Organ | Opus 8274

Covenant Presbyterian Church1000 E. Morehead Street | Charlotte, North Carolina


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American Guild of Organists History

The American Guild of Organists (AGO) is the national professional association serving theorgan and choral music fields. The Guild serves members in more than 300 chaptersthroughout the United States and abroad.

Founded in 1896 as both an educational and service organization, the Guild seeks to set andmaintain high musical standards and to promote understanding and appreciation of allaspects of organ and choral music.

Under the leadership of the National Council, a network of volunteer committees andofficials at the regional, district, and local levels directs the activities of the Guild. The AGONational Headquarters is in New York, New York where a full time staff supports andcoordinates publication, administration, and development activities of the organization. For

purposes of administration and representation, the Guild is divided into nine geographicalregions, and each chapter is assigned to one of them.

The American Guild of Organists and the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America(APOBA) share a mutually beneficial association, a collaboration that has existed since1975. For several decades this relationship has been strengthened by financial contributionsfrom APOBA and its members in support of the AGO and its Pipe Organ Encounters (POE)program. The AGO has responded with generous provisions for bringing news from APOBAand its members to the organ public.

American Guild of Organists Purposes

# To advance the cause of organ and choral music, to increase their contributions toaesthetic and religious experiences, and to promote their understanding, appreciation,and enjoyment.

# To improve the proficiency of organists and choral conductors.# To evaluate, by examination, attainments in organ playing, choral techniques,

conducting, and the theory and general knowledge of music, and to grant certificates tothose who pass such examinations at specified levels of attainment.

# To provide members with opportunities to meet for discussion of professional topics, andto pursue such other activities as contribute to the fulfillment of the purposes of theGuild.

# Guild sponsored activities include a series of examinations for professional certificationas well as programs and an extensive list of publications, CDs, DVDs, and learningresources for all levels of interest. The Guild sponsors competitions in organperformance and improvisation and in organ and choral composition. National andregional conventions held in alternate years, present the finest performers. THEAMERICAN ORGANIST magazine, published monthly by the AGO, is the most widelyread journal devoted to organ and choral music in the world.


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for the glory of God in loving memory of

my beloved father, parent, and friend

James Loyd Belk, Jr.

1934 - 2013

Timothy Belk, Organist

The Program

Symphony VI in G Minor, Op. 42 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Charles-Marie WIDOR, 1844-1937

Allegro

Charles-Marie Widor was a literal heir to the French organ tradition, born as he was into a family oforgan builders. His family was on close terms with the pioneering organ builder AristideCavaill-Coll, who arranged for Widor to begin his formal studies in Brussels with Jacques-NicolasLemmens and Franois-Joseph Ftis in 1863. He moved to Paris in 1869, and in 1870 was appointedto a provisional one-year term as the organist at the church of Saint-Sulpice, home to one ofCavaill-Colls finest instruments. Widor remained there for 64 years. He also became professor oforgan at the Paris Conservatoire, succeeding Csar Franck. His students included Louis Vierne,Charles Tournemire, Darius Milhaud, Marcel Dupr, Arthur Honegger, Edgard Varse, and AlbertSchweitzer.

The orchestral voicing of Cavaill-Coll instruments encouraged writing of symphonic scope andtexture, although Widor consistently urged his students not to consider the organ a substitute for theorchestra. The modern organ is essentially symphonic; for this new instrument we must have a newlanguage and a different ideal from that of scholastic polyphony, Widor said. He composed tensymphonies for the instrument, referring to the suite-like first four of Op. 13, however, ascollections. He created the template for the new form with the four symphonies of Op. 42. Thepower of the Cavaill-Coll designs inspired the blazing chords of the main theme of the SixthSymphonys opening Allegro, while the toccata-like swirlings that alternate with it emphasize colorand fluency. John Henken

Variations on All Creatures of Our God and King . . . . . . . . . . . Denis BDARD, b. 1950

Maestoso

AllegroAndante

Vivace

Written in 2005, a sphere of variations follow a grand introduction. The chorale is warmly stated onthe foundation stops, before the melody is heralded on a solo trumpet. A quiet meditationaccompanies the fragmented melody in the pedal before giving way to a brilliant dance.


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Sonata III in A Major, Op. 65 . . . . . . . . . Felix MENDELSSOHN-BARTHOLDY, 1809-1847

Con moto maestoso

Andante tranquillo

Although not published until the mid 1840s, the majestic and glorious opening measures of Sonatain A Major,were originally composed several years earlier, back in 1829. Mendelssohn had promisedthat year to write a wedding march for his sister Fannys impending marriage ceremony. Delayed in

England by an accident, he was not able to complete the composition in time and so Fanny, who washerself a gifted composer, composed her own wedding march (Prelude fr Orgel).

When Mendelssohn turned to writing several pieces for the organ in the 1840s, he remembered thiscomposition and reworked it, dropping the original middle section (which he told Fanny in a letterthat he detested) and adding instead a fugue which features the German chorale tuneAus tiefer Nothschrei ich zu dir(Out of the depths I cry to you). After the initial entries of the fugue subject, thechorale melody occurs in the pedal, each phrase separated by increasingly elaborate keyboard music.Tension builds toward the conclusion of the fugal section, with an ascending line in the pedalpreparing for the return of the majestic music of the opening measures, music which one writer hasdescribed as having the radiance of sun shining through stained glass windows.

Dr. Wanda R. Griffiths

Cortge et Litanie, Op. 19, No. 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Marcel DUPR, 1886-1971

Throughout his 28-year stint as professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory, Dupr had a profoundinfluence on subsequent generations of French organists. His students included such luminaries asOlivier Messiaen, Jean Langlais, Jehan Alain, Marie-Claire Alain, Jeanne Demessieux, PierreCochereau, Marie-Madeleine Durufl, and Jean Guillou.

Dupr first composed Cortge et Litanieas one of five pieces of incidental music for small orchestra,publishing it in 1922 as one of four works for piano . He later transcribed it for organ, and then fororgan and orchestra. Susan Jane Matthews


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Come Sweet Death, Come Blessed Rest, BWV 478 . . . . Johann Sebastian BACH, 1685-1750arr. Virgil FOX, 1912-1980

Come, sweet death, come, blessed rest!

Come lead me to peace for I am weary of the world, oh come!

I wait for you, come soon and lead me, close my eyes.

Come, blessed rest!

Virgil Foxs arrangement of Bachs Come, Sweet Deathis arguably the piece most closely associatedwith the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ. Fox was asked to perform for the 1939 NationalConvention of the American Guild of Organists in Philadelphia, and was encouraged to play a Bachchorale on his program. Fox knew that the massive resources of the Wanamaker organ could not befully exploited with a simple Bach chorale. He also knew that Leopold Stokowski, an organisthimself, had transcribed the chorale into an arrangement for full symphony orchestra, with richersonorities, additions of inner string voices and soaring flute melodies. Fox was inspired to transcribeStokowskis arrangement for performance at the convention, bringing the work full circle, back toan organ solo.

Fox worked on the arrangement for eight consecutive Tuesday nights, commuting from Baltimoreto Philadelphia, in preparation for the concert before 13,000 of his peers. That performanceestablished Foxs reputation as one of the worlds greatest organists, and Come, Sweet Deathbecameone of his signature tunes. His arrangement was published by H. W. Gray in 1941.

Peter Richard Conte

Mditation, No. 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Louis VIERNE, 1870-1937

The Trois Improvisationsby Vierne at Notre-Dame Cathedral were realized by Maurice Durufl fromthe 1930 gramophone recordings.

Choral in A Minor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Csar FRANCK, 1822-1890

Over the last twelve years of his life, Csar Franck composed a lot and was even more active as ateacher. It was this constant work which enabled him to refine his style, to perfect his technique, andto cast the new molds from which the Trois Choralswere to emerge.

He must have carried them inside his head for a long time, for they were actually written withincredible speed. Much weakened by the cab accident which was to cause his death shortlyafterwards, Franck realized these great frescoes in a matter of weeks. He was looked after by friendsin the country through that summer of 1890, and it was at their grand piano that the Choralswerewritten.

The third Choralis a Toccata in two sections framing a central Adagio. Three different themes areclearly exposed and developed, before two are superimposed. The first theme is in a Toccata styleand recalls a little of J. S. Bachs Prelude in A Minor. The second theme is the chorale itself. Itstwo expositions alternate with three developments of the Toccata. In the very famous Adagio, a thirdtheme is exposed on the Trompette and Hautbois and sings very freely over a soft accompaniment.Both the second and third themes are combined to build a slow and effective crescendo. The Toccataappears in the relative key, the second theme is recalled in fragments. In the final Tutti, both the firstand second themes are superimposed in a brilliant and majestic conclusion. Marie-Claire Alain


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...a splendid example of kindness, courage, and generosity. Susan Landale Paris, France

Timothy J. Belk(b. 1964) holds B.M. and M.M. degrees in organ performance from theNorth Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. As a North Carolina Emerging ArtistGrant recipient, he studied at the Conservatory of Music in Geneva, Switzerland earning thedistinguished Prix de Perfectionnement. His principal organ teachers include John S.Mueller and Lionel Rogg. His concert tours have taken him across the European continent,England, Bermuda and the eastern United States. As an accompanist, he has recorded choralworks of Benjamin Britten, Zoltn Kodly and Carlyle Sharpe with the Cantata Singers ofCharlotte and was featured at a Manhattan Music Festival in New York City where heperformed DuruflRequiemwith the Manhattan Chamber Orchestra and Festival Choir atthe Cathedral of Saint John the Divine.

Mr. Belk has served the mission of First Presbyterian Church in Gastonia, North Carolinasince 2003. An integral part of a diversified ministry, Timothy is Director of MusicMinistries and Organist. During his tenure, he coordinated Legacy of Love, the largestcapital fund drive in the churchs history, yielding more than $6M for the preservation of thearchitectural treasure designed by the late Harold E. Wagoner. In addition to oversight ofthe complete restoration of the 44,000 sq.ft. facility, his most recent ministry endeavorsinclude the funding and rebuilding of both the Chapel (Schlicker) and Sanctuary (Casavant)Organs. Beyond the scope of this ministry, he has consulted more than 140 organ projects,acoustical enhancements and has led church music workshops throughout the southeastsponsored by chapters of the American Guild of Organists, the Fellowship of United

Methodist in Music and Worship Arts and numerous organ builders. He celebrated histwelfth season with the Annual South Carolina United Methodist Youth Choir Festival inApril 2014 and recently served on conference faculties of both the Presbyterian Associationof Musicians and the Association of Lutheran Musicians.

A graduate of the National Institute of Church Finance and Administration at EmoryUniversitys Candler School of Theology, Mr. Belk is a certified church administrator. Anactive member of the American Guild of Organists, he is honored to coordinate theSoutheast Regional Convention 2015 and presently serves the Charlotte Chapteras Sub-Dean.

The Worship and Music Ministry of Covenant Presbyterian

invites you to welcome Mr. Belk at an informal gathering

immediately following in the Parlor.


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Chancel Organolian-Skinner | Opus 1196 | 1949

SWELL

Lieblich Gedeckt 16Geigen 8

Stopped Diapason 8Viole de gambe 8

Flauto Dolce 8Flute Celeste 8

Prestant 4Cor de nuit 4

Octavin 2Scharff IVFagotto 16

Trompette 8Hautbois 8

Vox Humana 8Clairon 4Tremulant

GREAT

Quintaton 16Principal 8Bourdon 8Spitzflote 8

Flute harmonique 8

Principal 4Rohrflote 4Quinte 2 2/3

Octave 2Fourniture IV

Hooded Bombarde 8

CHOIR

Contre Gamba 16Rorhflote 8

Viola 8Dulciana 8

Unda Maris 8Prestant 4

Koppelflote 4Blockflote 2

Sesquialtera IIScharff IV

English Horn 16Krummhorn 8

Rohr Schalmei 4Tremulant

POSITIV

Nachthorn 8Nason Flute 8

Principal 4Spillflote 4

Nasat 2 2/3Principal 2Tierce 1 3/5Larigot 1 1/3

Octave 1Cymbel III

Regal 8Tremulant

SOLO

Gamba 8Gamba Celeste 8Orchestral Flute 4

French Horn 8Trompette harmonique 8

Clairon harmonique 4Trompette en chamade 16Trompette en chamade 8Trompette en chamade 4

TremulantChimes

ECHO

Diapason 8Gedeckt 8

Viole dOrchestre 8Viole Celeste 8

Octave 4Peek Trumpet 8

Oboe 8

PEDAL

Contra Bourdon 32Lieblich Quint (sw) 32

Contra Bass 16Subbasse 16

Quintaton (gt) 16Lieblich Gedeckt sw) 16Contre Gamba (ch) 16

Principal 8Gamba 8

Stopped Flute 8Still Gedeckt (sw) 8

Choral Bass 4Nachthorn 4Blockflote 2Mixture IV

Contre Fagotto (sw) 32Bombarde 16

Fagotto (sw) 16Trompette 8

Clairon 4Regal (pos) 4

Zimbelstern

The Chancel Organ, olian-Skinner Opus 1196, was contracted in 1949 and built in the companysBoston factory and stored there until completion of Covenants Sanctuary in 1953. The consolebears the signature plate of G. Donald Harrison, president and tonal director of the olian-SkinnerCompany, a distinction reserved for the firms finest instruments. In 1975, concurrent with theinstallation of the Gallery Schlicker Organ, a four-manual rocker tab console, capable of controllingboth the Chancel and Gallery Organs, replaced the original olian-Skinner console. The organunderwent minor revisions and several additions before a complete restoration in 2003-2004 by Mid-Atlantic Organ Company. The preservation included a new five-manual console built by Robert M.Turner of southern California. The console rests on an hydraulic lift and can be moved to theChancel center. The console incorporates solid-state technology facilitating greater versatility incontrolling the combined eight manual and two pedal divisions.


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Gallery OrganSchlicker | Opus 8274 | 1975

HAUPTWERK

Quintadena 16Principal 8

Rohrfloete 8Octave 4

Flachfloete 2Sesquialtera

Mixture IV-VITrompete 8

BRUSTWERK

Gedeckt 8Principal 4

Rohrfloete 4Principal 2

Quintfloete 1 1/3Scharf IV

Krummhorn 8Tremolo

PEDAL

Subbass 16Principal 8

Pommer Gedeckt 8Choral Bass 4Blockfloete 2Mixture IVFagott 16

Schalmei 4

Zimbelstern

Installed in 1975, the two-manual mechanical action Gallery Organ was a gift of Marion Nebel inmemory of her husband, Mr. William Nebel. Opus 8274 was the last organ built by Herman L.Schlicker, founder of the Schlicker Organ Company of Buffalo, New York, before his untimelydeath. The organ case is constructed of Honduran mahogany and features facade pipes of burnishedcopper and polished tin. North German in design, the organ is especially suited to the music ofJohann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. The Chancel console controls the Gallery Organ bymeans of electric pull-downs. Dr. & Mrs. Bruce Berryhill contributed a dramatic horizontalTrompette en Chamade in memory of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William Scott Berryhill, in 1982.


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The Ann & Robert Stigall Scholarship FundAmerican Guild of OrganistsCharlotte Chapter

Ann & Robert Stigall retired September 15, 2001after thirty-eight years of exemplary service toCharlotte's Myers Park Presbyterian Church asDirector of Music and Associate Organist. TheStigalls administered a comprehensive worship andmusic ministry serving the national PresbyterianChurch (U.S.A.) in various advisory and editorialroles.

The AGO Charlotte Chapter established a

scholarship in 2002 to honor the work of Ann &Robert and encourage organ study of students ingrades six through twelve. Freewill offeringsreceived at the Annual Summer Recital Seriesmake this endeavor possible. Our goal for the2014-2015 fiscal year is $10,000.

We encourage you to join us in providing anopportunity for young organists.

MEMORIALS AND HONORARIUMS

in memory of

Alice & Elwood Coggin

Emily C. Gulledge

Royston J. Merritt

Jean R. Merritt

Betty & Richard Peek

Doris Anne Bradley

Camille & Bill Pilcher

Fran P. & Manning Huske

in honor of

Jane Arant

Kristy & George Lampe

Christopher Jacobson

Maia & Britt Setzer

Laura Anne Roller

Anonymous

Joseph Setzer

Maia & Britt Setzer

Ann & Robert Stigall

Hazel & Murray F. Somerville

Stigall Scholars and Teachers

Kristy & George Lampe

Alden Wright

Karen & Henry Alexander


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ago summer recital

Documents