ORGAN SPECTACULAR X

Composed 2009–10, by Dan Locklair (b. 1949).

Begun in the autumn of 2009, the Concerto for Organ and Orchestra was completed in September 2010. Each of its three movements is musically linked by the G major triad, G-B-D. The opening movement, Entrata, is a three-part form. The full organ immediately outlines a minor triad that is quickly echoed by the full orchestra. Stately dialogues between the organ and orchestra woodwinds, brass and strings soon emerge to a quick and dance-like middle section. The grand style of the opening of the movement, with the power of full organ and orchestra, ultimately returns to end the piece as the organ in the final two bars proclaims the G major triad that unites the three movements of the concerto.

Its second movement, Canto (to God and dog), musically celebrates the sacred in all creation through the musical symbolism of the word “God” (musically spelled G-B-D) and its retrograde spelling “dog” (D-B-G). It is this three-letter word, which forms the G major triad and its various transpositions, that unites the entire composition and generates most of the piece’s musical materials. I owe thanks to the revelation of this most simple of musical material to a gentle canine named Riley (1999-2009). Through his final illness and death, both of which were sad realities as I created this work, this beloved Shetland Sheepdog was often by my side as I composed. He provided me with a daily reminder that the sacred is ever-present in all of God’s creation, especially God’s retrograde namesake, the dog.

Movement II is the heart and soul of the concerto and is the longest of the three. The magical sound of the Bell Tree begins Canto (to God and dog), followed by the solo timpani outlining the retrograde of the triad theme, D-B-G. Through dialogue between the organ and solo orchestral colors (often in canon and supported by antiphonal … underpinnings in the strings, woodwinds and brass), a second melodic element is introduced in the middle section of the movement: the 11th century plainsong melody, Divinum Mysterium (now most often heard paired with the 4th century hymn text, “Of the Father’s Love Begotten”). The climactic final section of the movement unites this plainsong melody with the primary melodic material that opened the movement and Canto (to God and dog) ends very softly with ethereal string harmonics embracing a final organ statement of the movement’s primary melody.

The third movement, Toccata, begins with both timpani and organ outlining the concerto’s uniting G major triad. The one constant in the movement is its energetic and driving rhythm. Ultimately a cadenza for the organ pedals alone emerges, leading to yet more driving energy and excitement between the organ and orchestra that propels the movement to its exuberant conclusion.

Note by the composer, edited by Dr. Joseph Galema.

Composed 2014, by Hans Zimmer (b. 1957)

When Christopher Nolan first approached Hans Zimmer to write the music for Interstellar, all he provided was a single page of dialogue: a simple scene between Cooper and Murph, divorced from any of the plot points or obvious genre markers of the film.

Nolan's vision was for a film score that didn't care that he was making a sci-fi movie – Zimmer, who only had the one page to work from, believed this was a film about the relationship between a father and his son. It was only later that Zimmer discovered Murph was Cooper's daughter, and that the film was largely set outside of our own galaxy, with Murph and Cooper estranged from one another.

That familial intimacy nevertheless permeates the entire score, and there is a loneliness to the organ sound, in particular, that is well-suited to the emptiness of space. Perhaps there's something about a single, brilliant technician operating all parts of an immensely complicated machine – a descriptor that could apply to an astronaut or an organist – that is universal.

The decision to feature the pipe organ so prominently in the score was a multi-faceted one: Nolan wanted a strong feeling of religiosity behind the movie, while Zimmer wanted to move away from traditional orchestral sounds that had dominated the pair's prior film collaborations, like the Dark Knight trilogy. When it came time to record, the pair went to Temple Church, in central London, where a humble organist named Roger Sayer helped the filmmakers discover the full capacity and soundscapes of the pipe organ.

Behind-the-scenes footage from the movie describes the composition process being as much about developing musical materials as it was developing an understanding of how the instrument could sound. In that footage, Zimmer describes the organ as "a huge, complicated synthesizer" – and it's an apt description. Different pipes might be tuned to the same pitch, but they'll have different combinations of overtones, which we generally refer to as the "color" of the sound. Organists use the stops of the instrument to select which pipes will sound at any given moment, layering pipes and their colors atop one another, which is the origin of the phrase "pulling out all the stops."

As Roger took the filmmakers through the potential voicings and colors he could produce at the instrument, the musical materials adapted and grew into the legendary soundtrack we now know.

It's not an exaggeration to say that Interstellar's soundtrack may be the most influential organ music of the 21st century. It is among the most popular movie soundtracks in the world, and has led to the emergence of social media stars like organist Anna Lapwood and others who have brought the power of the pipe organ to an entirely new, younger generation.

This phenomenon has also shed light on a deeper truth about pipe organs: most of them outlive the listeners, performers, and congregations that they serve. In some ways, pipe organs are a repository – a musical memory capsule – for the communities in which they are located.

The history of the Organ Spectacular is fairly young when compared to a viral TikTok of an instrument that served kings and queens. It's a passing down of musical legacy from generation to generation, spanning centuries, not unlike the familial relationship that Zimmer first envisioned when he put pen to paper for the movie, crafting a small, early idea inspired by what it meant to him to be a father.

During today's performance of this piece, a video will play showcasing the size of Earth in relation to our observable cosmos. This video was selected for the feeling of awe and wonder it inspired in us when we first watched it, and how it recalls one of the more famous cosmological quotes of our time, by Carl Sagan: "It has been said that astronomy is a humbling and character-building experience. There is perhaps no better demonstration of the folly of human conceits than this distant image of our tiny world. To me, it underscores our responsibility to deal more kindly with one another, and to preserve and cherish the pale blue dot, the only home we've ever known.

Note by Jacob Pope.

Composed 2021–25, by Roderick Gorby (b. 1977).

An American Tone Poem is a musical answer to the question "What kind of place is America?” This tone poem is a patriotic composition for organ and orchestra, inspired by the beloved hymn “America the Beautiful." It draws on thematic elements from the hymn throughout, transforming those melodic fragments using a variety of techniques, at times obvious to the listener and at other times only apparent to those studying the score. The last two movements were composed in 2021 and premiered on that year's Organ Spectacular. The first two movements were written this year.

The title of each of the four movements is taken from a notable aspect of the text for each verse. The first movement, “Purple Mountain Majesty,” evokes in the listener an aural representation of the hazy, purplish view of Pikes Peak in the early morning hours. This movement exhibits two main textures, the first of which is intended to capture the sound of that purple hue. The second texture, featuring open fifths, gives a sense of the uncompromising edifice that is the mountain itself.

The second movement, “Pilgrims’ Feet,” is more programmatic, musically describing the story of a pioneer family trekking across the Midwestern plains. The organ personifies the father, somewhat brief but always serious, aware of the perils the family may face. The strings and woodwinds reveal the mother’s fears and aspirations, while the sprightly, youthful section portrays the ever-optimistic child.

The third movement, “Every Gain Divine," features a re-arrangement of the melodic fragments of the hymn “America the Beautiful” into a kind of Lutheran chorale, in the style of Bach. The last movement, "Alabaster Cities," evokes the jazzy and ragtime sound inspired by Robert Russell Bennett’s (1894-1981) “Suite of Old American Dances,” George Gershwin, and others.

The tone poem is a compositional genre developed by Franz Liszt (1811-1886), centering a large-scale work around a single theme. The melody from the hymn “America the Beautiful” by Samuel A. Ward (1848-1903) is the perfect vehicle to explore America’s past, striking features, and heroic spirit.

Note by the composer.