|
Flores del Desierto (1998)
Flores del Desierto was commissioned in March of 1998 by Janice Beck; the request was for a set of three concert tangos for organ in honor of Astor Piazzolla. Piazzolla (1921-1998) has attained legendary status for his risk-taking development of the Argentine tango—a transformation which has taken the dance-based tango and expanded it through the influence of American jazz and contemporary concert music. The principal instrument associated with the Argentine tango is the bandoneon, a hybrid between the concertina and the accordion. The instrument was invented in 1954 by Heinrich Band as a solution for liturgical music in churches which lacked organs. From Germany the bandoneon found its way to Buenos Aires in the late nineteenth century; it was soon taken up by the great tangueros such as Maglio and Greco. It is a part of tradition for tangueros to be performers as well as composers. In this spirit, Flores del Desierto was created. Albarda, the first of the set, is a typical fast-tempo tango, with the more lyrical tristamente section as a centerpiece. After an introduction which foreshadows the primary theme, the piece unfolds as an energetic dance based on the primary theme of the work. The theme for the tristamente section is the exact inversion of the first theme. A recapitulation transforms into a toccata-like finish, with a recurrence of the introductory material as a final statement. The second tango, Espuelita, is cast in the mood of the slower, milonga-type tango. The opening presents a chord progression which functions much like a chaconne and appears often as an accompaniment to the theme of the work. The primary and secondary themes (for just this movement) are presented, then set aside briefly for an intensely expressive interlude based on a slow-moving chord progression. The final section is a recapitulation of the first section, with florid ornamentation of the two important themes. Saiya, the final work of the set, is a fugal tango, somewhat influenced by Piazzolla's Fugata, a piece which stays fugal for about two to three minutes, then becomes increasingly free and unpredictable. Saiya follows a similar plan, but with a much longer final section which gathers momentum and intensity as the various transformations of the fugue subject appear.
Nightsong and Ostinato Dances (1992)
This work is made up of a gentle, mysterious “song” followed by three multisectional dances. The entire piece is continuous; it is not a set of independent movements. The sections flow like a dream sequence in which one surrealistic dream grows out of another; the sections are nonetheless unified and developed with ostinato figures and subtly related motives that transform and evolve as they weave into new rhythmic patterns and harmonic progressions. The harmonic language is based on non-tonal modes having nine or ten notes per octave—modes inspired by flamenco modal or scalar patterns. Among the dance rhythms are habanera (with tresillo), charrada, bolero, and tarantela.
The Greek words kairos and chronos, both meaning “time,” differ significantly in connotation. Chronos denotes the time of day, or the passage of time. Kairos means critical time, or destined time, that is, a period of time of great significance. As the title of this composition, Kairos indicates a destined time in my life.
The primary theme of the work is stated in the opening passages on a four-foot flute. The pathos of the beginning is followed in subsequent sections by an air of agitation, reflected in brilliant manual passagework over the theme in the pedal. The work ends with a forceful toccata.
Retablos (1995, 1996, 1997)
Retablos is a cycle of works based upon Gregorian chant themes: a triptych of pieces which are intended to be as independent as they are interrelated. The cycle can be performed as a whole, or each individual piece can be performed by itself. The musical materials in this set are derived from non-tonal modes incorporating flamenco modal patterns. The term retablo refers to a painted altar acreen in a church; thus, the title suggests possibilities for biblical symbolism and tone painting. The three pieces are based upon the following chants: Pange lingua, Ubi caritas and Victimae paschali.
Pange lingua is cast in a three-part form, with a brief but assertive introduction which presents the first thematic transformation of the chant melody. In the first large section of the work, fragments of the chant theme are developed into an energetic dance in which shifting accents and meter changes animate the rhythmic structure of the chant motives. The middle section is a lyrical meditation, with the chant presented mostly in the pedal. The secondary theme of the work, a harmonic progression which becomes equal in importance to the chant material, is presented in the manual parts. The final section is a powerful dance-like transformation of the chant in juxtaposition with the secondary theme.
Ubi caritas begins gently, with the lovely opening portion of the chant developed in alternation with a harmonic progression which expresses the mood of the chant. The work unfolds essentially as a set of variations on the chant theme, with an ornamented transformation set above an ostinato, a lively dance, a recurrence of the opening material, a toccata, and a closing section in which the Pange lingua and Ubi caritas themes are combined.
Victimae paschali takes shape as a large fantasia. The form is as follows: introduction, with a double-pedal solo and a presentation of the chant theme in large chords; a soft, lyrical section with the chant motives in the pedal and sequential progressions in the manual; a transition combining all three chant themes from the cycle; an Argentine dance in which the chant melody is rhythmically transformed; a very soft section in which the chant theme appears in inversion in the pedal, with an ostinato in the left hand and the right hand moving in expressive counterpoint; and a large-scale toccata which brings the work to a close.
One of America's premier organists, Janice Beck has presented recitals in many prestigious venues in North America and Europe. During the past decade she has toured extensively in Europe, including numerous concerts in eastern Europe. Among venues in which she has played are Coventry Cathedral; St. David's Hall, Cardiff; Lincoln Cathedral; and Westminster Abbey in the United Kingdom; the Cathedral of St. Maurice, Angers, France; Oliwa Cathedral, Gdansk, Poland; the Janacek Conservatory, Ostrava, Czech Republic; the Matyas Church, Budapest, and many others. She has participated in numerous music festivals including the Bury St. Edmunds Festival in England; the International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music, Szczecin, Poland; the International Festival of Organ Music, Gdansk, Poland; the Jozef Grezak Festival in Bardejov, Slovakia and the Kosice [Slovakia] International Organ Festival.
North American venues in which she has performed include the Mormon Tabernacle, Salt Lake City; Hill Auditorium, The University of Michigan; Duke University Chapel; Christ Church Cathedral, Ottawa; Calvary Episcopal Church, Pittsburgh; the First Congregational Church, Los Angeles and Trinity College Chapel, Hartford, to name only a few. In addition, she has played recitals in national conventions of the Organ Historical Society and the American Guild of Organists, and has participated in conferences on organ music at the University of Michigan.
Her teachers include Arthur Rhea, Catharine Crozier, and Marilyn Mason, in the United States, and during a Fulbright Scholarship in Paris, Jean Langlais and Nadia Boulanger.
Among her recordings are three recent compact discs: The six sonatas for organ of Felix Mendelssohn; the Sixième Symphonie and other works of Louis Vierne produced by Arkay Records, and works of Marcel Dupré produced by the French company, REM Editions. Her recitals and recordings have received great critical acclaim being characterized as “brilliant,” “refreshing, energized, bracing, forceful,” “[performed with] masterful skill,” “impeccable technique,” “energy, precision and virtuosity.”
Janice Beck lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan where she is organist at the First United Methodist Church. She is recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, presented by Rollins College “for leadership, great achievement in one's chosen field, and service to others,” and the 1999 Rollins College Alumni Achievement Award in Musical Arts.
She is represented by Phillip Truckenbrod Concert Artists.
Pamela Decker, organist/composer, has been active as a performer since the age of thirteen. She has appeared as recitalist and/or accompanist in churches, cathedrals, and concerts halls in the United States, Canada, and Europe. She holds the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in organ performance— with emphasis also in composition—from Stanford University. During her years of graduate work she studied organ and composition for a year at the Musikhochschule Lübeck (Germany) as a Fulbright Scholar. She has won numerous prizes and scholarships for both performance and composition. She has had solo recitals at two national conventions of the American Guild of Organists, and her compositions for organ have been performed at several regional and national AGO conventions. Pamela Decker has also been active as a recording artist, with three solo compact discs in international distribution. Her compositions have been published by Hinshaw Music, Inc., C.F. Peters, and Wayne Leupold Editions (E.C. Schirmer), with whom she now has an agreement. All of the works included in this compact disc have been, or will be, published by Wayne Leupold Editions.
Pamela Decker is Assistant Professor of Organ/Music Theory at the University of Arizona in Tucson. She is also organist at Christ Church United Methodist in Tucson.
She is represented by Phyllis Stringham Concert Management.
The Frieze Memorial Organ at the University of Michigan had its origins in the famous Farrand and Votey organ built for the Columbian Exposition in Chicago in 1893. At the close of the Exposition, this four-manual instrument of 63 stops was purchased by the University Musical Society, presented to the University, and installed in University Hall in 1894. The Exposition organ was renamed in honor of Henry Simmons Frieze, Professor of Latin, who was influential in founding the Choral Union and the University Musical Society.
In 1913, upon the completion of Hill Auditorium, the Farrand and Votey organ was dismantled, moved from University Hall to the new auditorium, cleaned, and re-erected by the Hutchings Company of Boston. Hutchings also provided a new electric console and two Celeste stops.
University organist, Palmer Christian, hired in 1924 convinced the University to purchase a new instrument for Hill Auditorium. The new instrument, which retained 15 of the original Farrand and Votey stops, was constructed by the Ernest M. Skinner Company and dedicated in 1928. This instrument served the University well for many years and was characterized by Palmer Christian in 1944 as “one of the great organs of the world.” By the 1950's, however, it was becoming apparent that it needed much work including modernization in both mechanism and tonal characteristics. In 1955, a major rebuild of the Frieze organ was accomplished by the Aeolian-Skinner Company under the direction of G. Donald Harrison. Although many Skinner stops were replaced, famous color stops in the solo division were retained as were many other Skinner stops. Currently, the instrument is comprised of 15 stops from Farrand and Votey, 37 from E. M. Skinner, 43 from Aeolian-Skinner, and 25 from diverse and/or unknown sources for a total of 120.
In 1985, then organ technician, Samuel Koontz, removed the cream-colored paint from the zinc facade pipes revealing the original colors and stencil pattern of Farrand and Votey. The pipes were restored to their original design and colors as illustrated on the cover of this booklet.
During the recent past the Aeolian-Skinner console has been renovated with the addition of a solid state combination action of 256 memory levels, a sequencer, and a performance recorder.
This brief description of the history of the Frieze Memorial Organ was derived from a detailed and interesting discussion of the evolution of this great instrument in a book, Pipe Organs of Ann Arbor, by James O. Wilkes, Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Michigan.
The artist wishes to express her sincere appreciation to Professor Marilyn Mason and Dean Paul Boylan of the School of Music, the University of Michigan, for granting permission to make this recording on the Hill Auditorium organ; to Pamela Decker, with whom she has consulted about technical details in the music, especially tempos and registration, for her enthusiastic support throughout this project; to Professor Robert Glasgow for arranging time to practice on the Hill Instrument; to Jerroll Adams, organ builder and technician par excellence, for tuning the instrument and for being available during the recording sessions; to Richard Krueger for facilitating this project in various important ways; to Bonnie Miljour for designing the booklet cover; to Steve Constable for granting permission to use his handsome photograph on the CD booklet cover; and finally, to her husband, Charles, for his encouragement and assistance over many months.
Recording assistant: Larry Weiss
Digital editing: Richard Krueger
Cover design: Bonnie Miljour
Cover photograph: Steve Constable
Janice Beck Plays Pamela Decker
Frieze Memorial Organ, Hill Auditorium,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Flores del Desierto (Tangos for Organ)
4 Nightsong and Ostinato Dances [15:05]
6 Retablo I: Pange Lingua [9:06]
7 Retablo II:Ubi Caritas [10:13]
8 Retablo III:Victimae Paschali [10:37]
|
