San Francisco Classical Voice

Pipe organs come in many sizes. Some, such as in Grace Cathedral or Davies Hall, are quite large, while most others are fairly small. When playing on a small instrument, the organist's main task is to bring out as much variety in tonal color as the organ will permit--in other words, to make the instrument sound--bigger than it is. On Sunday, James Welch, Organist and Lecturer in Music at the University of Santa Clara, accomplished this with panache as he played the dedicatory recital on the new Mark Austin pipe organ at St. Francis Lutheran Church in San Francisco.

After a fluffy processional featuring cute canonic interplay, Richard Baker's Trumpet Tune for the Queen Mother, Welch launched into Bach's "Toccata in d minor" (Dorian). Less famous than its earlier counterpart (the one often featured in horror films), the Dorian Toccata is notable for its key signature (sans b-flat) and its manual indications (i.e. changes of keyboard--it was rare for Bach to indicate his preferences in this regard). Although Welch played with gusto, it was difficult to tell whether his fast-and-loose approach to tempo was deliberate or not. The result left this listener hoping for a bit more rhythmic strength.

Three pieces from the Twentieth Century French repertoire followed, two by Maurice Duruflé, and the Scherzo from Louis Vierne's Second Symphony, a milieu in which clearly Welch feels very much at home. The first of the Duruflé pieces, Prelude on the Introit of Epiphany, would have benefitted from a more relaxed tempo, but the performance of his Fugue on the Theme of the Clocktower Bells of Soissons Cathedral (the title is almost as long as the piece) exhibited vitality and depth, and Welch was able expose the thematic material without making it sound studied or labored.

The Scherzo is typical of Vierne's work, influenced by Impressionism but completely idiosyncratic in its chromaticism. Delightful, and immediate, and fiendishly difficult to play, the piece in a good performance should sound nonchalantly tossed-off, which is how Welch played it. The organ, too, exhibited a sympathetic leaning to this kind of music, soft and playful, warm and rich.

However, ‘soft and playful' is what Max Reger's Introduction and Passacaglia in d minor is not. After a tortured introduction and exposition of the passacaglia theme in the pedal, the tension and volume builds steadily through thirteen variations until a triple-forte outburst in D major. One of the true warhorses of nineteenth century organ liturature, it really doesn't translate well to a smaller instrument in a dry acoustic, no matter how good the performance. Both organ and player did their best to convey the gigantic nature of the piece, but sometimes there is only so much one can do.

Four hymn-preludes by American composers provided a chance to get back to a more human scale, albeit with mixed results. John Leavitt's setting of "Dear Christians, One and All, Rejoice" and Robert Hobby's "Ode to Joy" are nothing more than bouncy musettes that depend heavily on ostinato accompaniment and diatonic harmonies. Paul Manz's angular setting of "Praise to the Lord" carries more compositional weight, as does Emma Lou Diemer's toccata on "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing," with its monolithic arpeggios superimposed on the hymn-tune melody. Welch infused these pieces with a light-hearted demeanor and sparkling technique.

According to Welch's introductory notes, British composer Derek Bourgeois composed his "Serenade" as a recessional for his wedding, and wrote the piece in mixed meters so as to keep dowdy Anglicans "on their toes." This derivative piece is based on such a simple ground bass and melody that, were it not for its metrical complexity and utter charm, would be ndistinguishable from the product of an unprecocious twelve-year old. But charming it was; so was the presentation, and the audience had a nice chuckle.

The program closed with a Toccata on the hymn "Rejoice, Ye Pure in Heart." by Albert L. Travis. As it is heavily influenced by the French organist/composers of this century, one is struck by the question of why a contemporary American composer would want to spend so much time and energy trying to imitate a national style not his own. While there's no denying the appeal of a piece like this, considering all the wonderful work of composers like Daniel Pinkham, Gerald Near, Emma Lou Diemer and others, listening to this piece is a bit like eating yesterday's warmed-over French toast.

Intermingled throughout the program were two hymns and a moving performance of "Bring Him Home," from the musical "Les Misérables" sung by tenor J. Wingate Greathouse. The concert was dedicated to the memory of past organists at St. Francis, notably David Hogan, who was killed in the crash of TWA Flight 800, and Jon Rollins, the guiding force behind the new pipe organ, who died of AIDS several months ago. Organist Welch and the organ showed themselves to be sensitive accompanists throughout the evening, demonstrating that, even in a small setting, there can be big results.

(John Karl Hirten is Director of Music at St. Stephen's Church, Belvedere, a frequent recitalist in the Bay Area and a composer.)

©1998 John Karl Hirten, all rights reserved