Thanks to Loi Le for the photographs, and thanks to Paul Fritts for hosting the party in his beautifully decorated home!
Pictures from the 2024 Christmas party
Category Archives: Articles
Discount for Poulenc organ concerto at Benaroya Hall
I have been able to arrange for a group discount code for AGO members for the Thursday, January 9, 2025 at 7:30pm and Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 8pm performances by the Seattle Symphony at Benaroya Hall featuring the Poulenc Organ Concerto with soloist Paul Jacobs. The program also includes Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 and Poulenc’s Suite from Les biches.
Our local AGO chapter members may purchase tickets online and receive a 15% discount; ticket fees are waived as well, so that we save about 30%. To purchase tickets using the promo code, go to the Seattle Symphony website and navigate to the performance for which you wish to purchase tickets. Before selecting seats, enter the promo code in the box at the top right corner of the page and click apply. All ticket pricing will adjust automatically and seats can then be selected.
Because we cannot publicly publish the promo code, it is being made available to members in a separate announcement. To see it, log into the Tacoma AGO website and look for the announcement in the leftmost menu column.
Tacoma Chapter of AGO Hosts “Dancing with the Toes” Workshop with David Dahl and Paul Tegels
Historical Perspective
A century ago, it is very likely that a beginning organ student would have studied J. S. Bach’s Eight Little Preludes and Fugues. After all, they were probably written as instructional pieces. It is also likely that the teacher would have taught the student to play legato using these pieces–leaving no space between notes in the manuals nor the pedal and producing as smooth a sound as possible. But there is something wrong with this picture–several things, in fact. First, the pieces were almost certainly not written by J. S. Bach. Musicology research favors one of his students or sons. Second, while the ultra-legato might have been appropriate for the dismal organs being built at the time, both were to undergo dramatic transformations in the near future. Tacoma AGO member David Dahl was at the forefront of the revolution, both in performance practice and organ building.
On Saturday morning, October 26, 2024, David Dahl shared his wisdom and experience with the Tacoma Chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) gathered at Christ Episcopal Church for a program entitled “Dancing with the Toes.” The workshop explored the artistry of pedal technique and historical interpretation, with organist Paul Tegels demonstrating musical examples on the church’s exquisite John Brombaugh organ.
An Organ Renaissance
David opines that all music is either song or dance, and points out that the trend toward one or the other has shifted over the ages, from the songs of the Renaissance to the dances of the Baroque and then to the Romantic period of song. During the 1960s and 1970s, both organ building and performance practice evolved. Organs began to return to the glory of the eighteenth century, with sensitive mechanical action, flexible wind, cases, flat pedalboards, and unequal temperament. In step, performance practice also evolved, bringing new life to music that had suffered so long on electropneumatic organs with distant pipes in chambers connected only by electrical cables.
Enunciated Legato
David describes the result as “enunciated legato,” a style of playing in which one note is fully released before the next one sounds. A novice can get the feel of it by playing a scale with one finger, as Paul Tegels demonstrated. Likewise, in pieces that are dance-like in character, pedal notes should be fully released before the next one sounds. By playing with toes only, the organist can experience a feeling of dancing, and is able to match articulation to the pattern of strong and weak beats in the music.
Pedal Choreography and the “Enunciated Legato” Technique
Using the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues, Dahl emphasized that in order to bring these pieces to life, it is necessary to master the “enunciated legato” technique. This involves creating a slight separation between notes, resulting in a sound that is fluid yet distinct—resembling a strand of pearls knotted with precision. This approach not only brings out the clarity of each note but also enhances the dance-like quality of the music.
To illustrate these concepts, Tegels performed selected passages, his skillful pedal work perfectly embodying the “dancing toes” technique. The demonstration on Christ Episcopal’s Brombaugh organ—a prized instrument known for its craftsmanship and historical accuracy—allowed attendees to fully appreciate the nuances of Dahl’s insights.
About the Presenters
David Dahl, a widely respected figure in the organist community, is celebrated for his contributions to the American organ tradition as a player, composer and educator. His commitment to historical performance practices has inspired countless organists to approach the organ with a fresh perspective. Paul Tegels, a highly skilled organist and also a retired Professor of Music at Pacific Lutheran University, is known for his expressive interpretations and deep knowledge of Baroque and classical organ repertoire.
PDF of the Media Presentation
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Musical Score used in the Presentation
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Pictures from the September 2024 Picnic
Bigelow, Op. 45 installed at Blessed Sacrament, Seattle
by Michael Plagerman, Director of Sacred Music
When Arnold Constable designed the Church of the Blessed Sacrament and oversaw the laying of its cornerstone in1910 his vision included, in addition to lavish plasterwork and marble, a large organ in the chancel. The large chamber, currently used for storage, is evidence of his and the parish’s vision for music in our space. By the time of the building’s dedication in 1925, however, the church’s financial situation did not permit the finishing of the interior of the building, and much less so the commissioning and installation of a large organ.
While the exposed brick and infrastructure within the church has become a much beloved quirk of this still grand Collegiate Gothic building, its lack of a suitable organ has not. Originally, Masses were accompanied from the gallery by a Wurlitzer reed organ. It was not until the 1960’s when the choir of the church – then under the direction of Rodney Eichenberger from the UW – raised funds from among their own membership and purchased a four-stop organ by Vermeulen through Balcom and Vaughan.
That organ served the church from the Gallery most admirably until the arrival of an organ purchased from St. Dominic’s Church in San Francisco. While a fine sounding organ, it had been rebuilt several times in its history, having started its existence at the hands of Henry Erben. By the time of my arrival in 2022 the organ was in very poor condition. It experienced regular problems with the action and it appeared that much of the original Erben pipework had been replaced throughout time. The very rapid purchase and installation timeline of the Manz organ meant that the choir needed to relocate to the space then occupied by the St. Dominic organ. The organ was made available to any church or private individual in the area who might have wanted it, but the necessary timeline for its removal made acquisition impractical. Ultimately, it was decided, both because of its condition and relative lack of substantial historical value, that the historic pipework in the instrument would be given to Rose City Organs, who had expressed interest in it, and the remainder of the organ would be demolished. Following the completion of the Manz Organ, the Vermeulen – which has been purchased privately by Kyle Canaday – will be moved to St. George Church in south Seattle, where it will be used for teaching and practice.
Bigelow Op. 31, the “Ruth and Paul Manz Organ” arrived at Blessed Sacrament on June 26, 2023 and was stored in a temporary enclosure in the north transept of the building until work in the loft could be completed. The primary retrofit that was required was a large steel framework to distribute all of the organ’s 18,000 lbs into two large arches that support the gallery. Additionally, it was decided that the wide concrete steps that comprised the gallery floor were impractical due to their slightly-too-narrow depth. So, the floor was made entirely level eight inches above the rearmost step. The new gallery floor is roughly 26 feet above the floor of the church. Underneath this new floor was laid conduit and air duct that will support the installation of a new trumpet en chamade, which has been commissioned from Bigelow and will arrive sometime in 2025. That stop, positioned on an offset chest on a small shelf built in front of the gallery railing, will be available on both manuals and pedal of the organ. It will be essentially a copy of the Great Trumpet, achieving its power by both its orientation and proximity to the congregation. By choosing a more modest scale and wind pressure, it is our hope that it will be able to serve as an agreeable solo reed for somewhat regular use, as well as the final large reed on top of a chorus that did not previously have such a stop. A 32’ Resultant knob will also be available, created from the already electrically actuated 16’ Bourdon. Bigelow has decided that the move and tonal changes merit a redesignation of this organ from Opus 31 to Opus 45.
As a part of the purchase agreement, the church has agreed to maintain the Manz Organ Recital Series, which will be changed from a monthly noontime recital, to an annual series of four evening concerts featuring artists from around the world. Additionally, the organ is available for teaching, practice, and demonstration to the community. Blessed Sacrament is pleased to have this fantastic organ join its instrumentarium and looks forward to welcoming members of the Seattle and Tacoma organ communities for both the dedication and future programs.