World Pipe Organ Day!!! 850 Live Concerts!!!

[KB7DQH]

http://www.southernminn.com/owatonna_peoples_press/arts_and_entertainment/article_a1bec4f8-1a6c-5f5e-bfdf-ce29bb6b669e.html

Posted on May 1, 2013

    Stacie Rions

    by Stacie Rions

Musicians throughout the world will observe World Pipe Organ Day on Sunday, May 5, 2013. There will be concerts in most major cities as well as smaller communities throughout the world. St. John Lutheran, 1301 Lincoln Ave. SE, will be the site of the local concert. At 3 p.m. the first of three organists will perform: Brian Williams, followed by Dr. James Hammann and then Matt Lehman. The concert is free. It will be followed by a reception in the St. John Lutheran Social Hall.

Within the City of Owatonna there are no less than ten unique pipe organs. The oldest one is in the First Baptist Church. It is a Steere and Sons Pipe Organ and it was installed and dedicated in 1893. It is on the National Historic Register of Tracker Pipe Organs. The smallest pipe organ in the city is in Our Savior's Lutheran Church. It is a Jon von Daalen (Minneapolis, Minn.) instrument and it was dedicated in 1979. The largest of the local pipe organs is the Hendrickson Pipe Organ at St. John Lutheran and it was designed and built specifically for the church by Charles Hendrickson of St. Peter, Minn. It was dedicated in 1976.

Most musicians think of a pipe organ as The King of Instruments. The Cathedral of Notre Dame in Parish had a pipe organ in use in the 1300s. There is evidence that the ancient Greeks, 3rd century BC, were familiar with rudimentary forms of the pipe organ. Around the 7th century bellows were used to supply the wind pressure to sound the pipes. By the 17th century most of the sounds used on the modern classical pipe organ had been developed.

When musicians talk of pipe organs they talk of manuals (number of keyboards on the console), pipes (the van Daalen in Our Savior's has 242 pipes – the Hendrickson in St. John has 2,682 pipes...some pipes are as small as a tiny ballpoint pen – others like one at St. John Lutheran is 22 feet long – pipes can be made of metal or wood), ranks (usually sets of 54 or 66 pipes – First Baptist has 14 ranks – the Trinity Holtkamp has 46 ranks - the one at St. John has 51 ranks) and stops (a group of pipes permitted to play when a stop is activated – the Redeemer Reuter has 13 stops – the Trinity Holtkamp has 42).

These are the Owatonna pipe organs with name of church – builder of the organ – dedication year:

Associated Church – Reuter (1986)

Emmanuel Lutheran Church - unknown

First Baptist Church – Steere (1893)

Our Savior's Lutheran Church – van Daalen (1979)

Redeemer Lutheran Church – Reuter (1971)

Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church – Bennet (1921)

St. John Lutheran Church – Hendrickson (1976)

St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church – Kilgen (1929)

St. Paul Episcopal Church – van Daalen (unknown)

Trinity Lutheran Church – Holtkamp (1990)

Unfortunately, four unique pipe organs in the Owatonna area have been destroyed by fire: St. Joseph Roman Catholic lost two, St. Paul's Lutheran in Meriden lost one and St. John Lutheran in rural Claremont lost one.

Article submitted by the Rev. Rudolf, a retired Lutheran pastor.

Sidebar:

History - World Day of Organ Recitals

    World Day of Organ was created to celebrate the 850 years of the organ at the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France. Since the beginning of the organ in the 13th century, there have been more than 50 organists playing beautiful music that reverberates throughout the cathedral.

    Famous organists at Notre Dame include Couperin, Daquin, Charpentier, Vierne, Dupré, Duruflé, Cochereau, and so many others. Organ recitals held each Sunday at the Cathedral has given over

    2000 organists from every continent an opportunity to interpret organ classics.

    Today in a 24 hour time period, throughout the world there will be over 850 live organ concerts.

Eric
KB7DQH