% X, * > ORGAN * AND % CHURCH MUSIC ( AT GRINNELL Grinnell College Bulletin ORGAN AND CHURCH MUSIC AT GRINNELL Entered March 25,1903, at Grinnell, Iowa, as Second-class Matter under Act of Congress of July 10, 1894 THE LILLIAN LOUISE TERRIL MEMORIAL ORGAN Better Church Music VERY minister, and every church-goer, knows that in the musical part of our church ser¬ vices, both instrumental and choral, there is need of vast improvement. As an aid to devotion good church music rightly merits its title as the “handmaid of religion”. Just to the degree that good church music fulfills such a function, so does poor, inappropriate, and badly presented music in the service destroy the spirit of wor¬ ship, and tend to nullify the influence of the church in its own community. The problem of better church music is almost entirely the problem of better training for church musicians. There is presented herewith, for the consideration of those who have this particular field of music at heart, the ex¬ ceptional advantages which Grinnell College and its School of Music provide for the training of competent organists and choir leaders. There are few colleges or music schools in this country, and ceriainly none west of the Mississippi, where so much emphasis has been laid upon the higher forms of devotion¬ al music as at Grinnell. The College Vespers, which for twelve years have been held every Sunday afternoon during the college year, are renowned for the high quality of music presented, the uniquely worshipful atmosphere, and the exceptional capability of the vested choir of stu¬ dents which provides the rich musical portion of the ser- vice. Regular attendance at these services alone would constitute a splendid course in the theory and practice of the best church music of all the ages, and no student can spend four years in Grinnell without acquiring lofty ideals of what church music may be. The opportunities to hear good organ music are better at Grinnell, than one would find, with very few exceptions, in any college in the country. The College is rich in the fine organs which have been presented to it. The Lillian Louise Terril Organ in Herrick Chapel, which is heard not only at Vespers, but daily at Chapel and at frequent recitals, has no equal in tonal resources, richness and ex¬ pression, in this part of the country. During the past summer, through the generosity of its donor, many inter¬ esting additions have been made to it which are a constant fascination to those who use and those who hear it. Each student who completes the four years’ course in organ music gives two or three public recitals on this organ, and the extensive use of organ music at other public occasions in the life of the College has come to be a prominent feature. The Turner Memorial Organ, in Alumni Hall, is a typical two-manual organ, such as is in use in many churches throughout the country. All organ students do a considerable portion of their study on this organ so as to be prepared to adapt themselves readily to organs of its size, but every student has at least two years’ experience with the larger organ, and becomes competent to handle effectively any organ large or small that he is likely to meet. A smaller organ is used for the purely technical part of organ practice, but regular use of the larger organs is necessary and required of every student. The usual de¬ ficiency in study of the pipe organ lies in the fact that stu¬ dents must do their work on small, incomplete, and obso¬ lete types of organs. At Grinnell this deficiency does not appear, as the greater part of each student’s work is done on pipe organs of modern construction and ample magni¬ tude. Each organ is blown by electric power, and is well situated as regards heat and light, so that practice is car¬ ried forward under the best conditions. Equal in every respect to the exceptional advantages for study of the organ are the opportunities in choral music. 1 he chief exponent in this field is the Gnnnell College Choir, a vested choir of forty-four students, members of the two College Glee Clubs. This choir won the $400 grand prize and gold medal at the Des Moines Eisteddfod on March 1st, 1914. The liturgy and music at Vespers, pre¬ sented by this choir, has been established to provide a complete and authentic standard of the proper use of music as an aid to worship, and the list of sacred music which has been presented at Vespers is a guide to the best religious music of every period of the Christian church. Other choral organizations, such as the Oratorio Society of one hundred and fifty members, and the First Congre¬ gational Church Choir of fifty members, both made up largely of students, provide special training in choral music; and in the choirs of other churches in Grinnell, Metho¬ dist, Baptist, and Presbyterian, are plenty of opportunities for students to exercise their ability. The Methodist church is to install a very fine modern pipe organ, estab¬ lishing another center of influence for good in this direction. Over and through all these specific elements of train¬ ing for church musicians is the high religious and spiritual atmosphere of the college and community; without which no amount of technical proficiency would be of avail. The actuating spirit in our church music must be that of consecrated devotion to religious ideals; the display of per¬ sonal talent has no place in the church. The spirit of Grinnell in regard to this point is emphatic, and the lead¬ ing of a “sober, righteous and godly life’’ is fundamental in any course of training which the College offers. For those who wish to make music teaching their pro¬ fession, the study of the organ and choral music is a most valuable asset. The number of large organs is increasing with unprecedented rapidity in churches of every denomi¬ nation, and the need for specially trained organists is con¬ stantly more urgent. Any music-teacher who can qualify as an organist or choir leader will find the road to success made plain. There is also a decided movement toward freer use of the organ: in many cities in the United States large and very fine organs have been placed in public buildings, and in three cities at least —Pittsburgh, Portland, Me., and Atlanta—organists have been engaged by the municipalities to give weekly recitals. The further exten¬ sion of this idea is inevitable, giving a new incentive to the study of the organ. There are many who would like to study the organ, but who do not desire to undertake an entire course in music: for such the College has made a very desirable ar¬ rangement, by which study of one branch of music, up to a liberal proportion of the college course, may be counted toward a college degree: and in certain cases the degree of Bachelor of Arts may be obtained. The combinations that may be made of music with college work are many, and whatever a student’s proclivities may be, it is possible to meet them in every individual case. Complete catalogues of Grinnell College and the Grinnell School of Music will be sent on request, giving detailed information; correspondence regarding proposed study, for a short term or for the full course, in any of the branches of music, is welcome at all times, and should be addressed to George L. Pierce, Director, Grinnell, Iowa. The best time for entering on a course of study, long or short, is in the fall: but students may enter at other times with but slight disadvantage. The Grinnell Organs The Lillian Louise Terril Memorial Organ HERRICK CHAPEL GREAT ORGAN 16 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Open Diapason I 8 ft. Open Diapason II 8 ft. Flauto Major 8 ft. Flute Harmonique 4 ft. Octave 4 ft. Wald Floete 2 rks. Mixture 8 ft. Corno d’Amour CHOIR ORGAN 8 ft. Spitzfloete 8 ft. Melodia 8 ft. Dolce 4 ft. Flauto Traverso 2 ft. Flageolet 8 ft. Clarinet Tremolo ECHO ORGAN 8 ft. Violin Diapason 8 ft. Stopped Diapason 8 ft. Viol d’Orchestre 4 ft. Flute Harmonic Tremolo SWELL ORGAN 16 ft. Bourdon 8 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Stopped Diapason 8 ft. Salicional 8 ft. Viol d’Orchestre 8 ft. Voix Celeste 8 ft. Aeoline 8 ft. Rohr Floete 16 ft. Contra Fagotto 8 ft. Cornopean 8 ft. Oboe 8 ft. Vox Humana Tremolo PEDAL ORGAN 16 ft. Open Diapason 16 ft. Bourdon 16 ft. Lieblich Gedeckt 8 ft. Flute 8 ft. Gedeckt Sixteen couplers, eighteen adjustable combinations; pneumatic and electro-pneumatic action; electric blower. The Turner Memorial Organ ALUMNI HALL GREAT ORGAN 8 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Melodia 8 ft. Dulciana 4 ft. Octave 4 ft. Flute d’Amour PEDAL ORGAN 16 ft. Bourdon 8 ft. Violoncello Four couplers; five SWELL ORGAN 16 ft. Bourdon 8 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Stopped Diapason 8 ft. Salicional 8 ft. Aeoline 4 ft. Violina 8 ft. Oboe Tremolo tracker action; electric combination pedals; blower. The Organ in The Firs GREAT ORGAN 16 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Open Diapason I 8 ft. Open Diapason II 8 ft. Grosse Floete 8 ft. Gemshorn 4 ft. Octave 4 ft. Hohl Floete 8 ft. Trumpet CHOIR ORGAN 8 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Melodia 8 ft. Dulciana 4 ft. Chimney Flute 2 ft. Harmonic Piccolo 8 ft. Clarinet Tremolo Nine couplers; twelve adjustable electric Congregational Church SWELL ORGAN 16 ft. Bourdon 8 ft. Open Diapason 8 ft. Stopped Diapason 8 ft. Salicional 8 ft. Viol d’Orchestre 8 ft. Voix Celeste 4 ft. Violina 4 ft. Traverse Flute 3 rks. Solo Mixture 8 ft. Cornopean 8 ft. Oboe Tremolo PEDAL ORGAN 16 ft. Open Diapason 16 ft. Bourdon 16 ft. Violone 16 ft. Lieblich Gedeckt 8 ft. Flute 8 ft. Violoncello combinations; pneumatic action; blower. The following complete works are among those which have been presented by the Grinnell Choral Organizations: God’s Time is the Best Rhapsodie Requiem Frithjol Easter Cantata The Seven Last Words of Christ The Banner of Saint George Messe Solennelle Olaf Trygvasson The Messiah The Creation Elijah Hymn of Praise Hear my Prayer The Ninety-fifth Psalm Hora Novissima Night Samson and Delilah The Crucifixion Requiem The Death and Resurrection c Hiawatha’s Wedding Feast The Death of Minnehaha Hiawatha’s Departure The Liturgy of Saint John Ch Bach Brahms Brahms Bruch Bruch Dubois Elgar Gounod Grieg Handel Haydn Mendelssohn Mendelssohn Mendelssohn Mendelssohn Parker Saint Saens Saint Saens Stainer Scheve • Christ Siheve Coleridge-Taylor Coldridge- Taylor Coleridge- Taylor /sostorn Tchaikovsky Typical Student Organ Recitals RUTH WILKINS CLASS OF 1914 January 23, 1914 PROGRAM Prelude and Fugue in E Hat (“St. Ann’s”) Bach (a) Lento Jadassohn (b) Scherzo (Canon) Jadassohn Liebestod, from Tristan and Isolde IVagner Sonata in B minor, op. 146 R heinberger Prelude and Fugue Theme and Variations Fantasia and Finale ROWLAND MANUEL CLASS OF 1913 March 4, 1913 PROGRAM Prelude and F'ugue in B minor Siegfried Idyll Fifth Sonata in C Minor Allegro appassionata Adagio Scherzo Recitativo Choral and Fugue Bach IVagner Gui burnt MABEL GOAVA BLAIR CLASS OF 1914 January 9, 1914 PROGRAM Sonata in L sharp, op. 1 11 Rheinberger Grave, Allegro moderato Adagio non troppo, l’istesso tempo Allegro maestoso Intermezzo from op. 116, No. 6 Prelude, op 19, No. 5 Prelude and fugue in G minor. Book 3, No. Waldweben, from Siegfried Brahms-Lemare Guilmant 5 Bach Wagner-Lem are