Celebrating 40 Years

by Juli Bey, Organist and Hand Bell Director

Again we celebrated Palm Sunday this year. It had the normal mix of hosannas and preparations for Holy Week. But those in attendance at the Palm Sunday service on April 11, 1981 will remember a very different celebration. That day the Sanctuary organ was dedicated. After nearly a decade of struggles, people then must have been filled with feelings of relief and triumph. Since that day this instrument remains central to the traditional worship experience at Westminster.

But then, as now, the purpose of the organ is not simply to make beautiful music but aid in the worship of God. We have an organ for the same reason we have choirs, hymnals, pastors, or a building—to assist people in connecting with the Lord. We do not have these for their own sake. The purpose of the organ should always be in the front of our minds; it is for God’s glory.

So, for the 40th anniversary of the dedication, we wanted to honor the role of our organ with a Fine Arts Series event. The pre-recorded program, scheduled to be available on June 11, consists of four works: Fanfare and Cortège by Michael McCabe, selections from Eight Short Preludes on Gregorian Themes by Marcel Dupré, Forget Me Not by J. S. Bach, and Organ Sonata No.5 by Felix Mendelssohn. Each of these pieces was selected because they highlight the instrument and, more importantly, its position as a tool in worship.

As you listen and watch there should be plenty to notice. The opening Fanfare features a dialogue between the solo trumpet stop and the full organ resulting in many registration changes, busy hands, and a wall of sound. Dupré’s Alma Redemptoris Mater and Ave Verum Corpus strip down the music by using only the keyboard, allowing the beautiful tunes to shine. In collaboration with vocalist Aaron Schultz, the Bach aria uses the organ for quiet accompaniment so that the words are in the forefront. And the sonata of Mendelssohn, my favorite composer, involves simple sound combinations but relies on intricate footwork and fingering to create its soaring melodies. Through all of this music though, I invite you to experience the presence of God.

Here is to forty more years!