Tag Archives: Organist

Church Musicians & Concordia Theological Seminary

If you’ve been a visitor of this website for some time, you’ll notice I have a certain affinity for the work of Concordia Theological Seminary (CTS) in Fort Wayne, IN.  As a church musician, CTS has been an important component to my growth as a musician — both musically and theologically and how the two intersect.  The chapel staff in particular make a concerted effort to reach out to church musicians, primarily through their yearly Organist Workshops and the Good Shepherd Institute.  It was at one of those organist workshops that sparked an idea that blossomed into this website.

Each year around the All Saints Sunday weekend the Good Shepherd Institute hosts their annual conference which features fellowship, recitals, a hymn festival, and a number of presentations for pastors and musicians.  The conference that is presently underway is entitled “Sing With All the Saints in Glory.”  In March 2010, Dr. Just remarked in their newsletter how the staff determined the conference theme.

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2010 Summer Organist Workshops

Once again I’m making my annual “plug” for the summer Organist Workshops at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN.  I can’t recommend these enough to parish organists of all skill levels.  For three of the last four summers I’ve had the joy of studying improvisation with Kantor Hildebrand, organ playing with Kantor Resch, and handbells with Kantor Muth, in addition to studying theology, meeting fellow musicians, and being fed with the daily rhythm of prayer services.

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Walter Buszin on the Lutheran Masters

Earlier this week the Concordia Publishing House music department celebrated the 60th anniversary of hiring its first full-time head of the music department – Edward Klammer.  That hiring happened at the recommendation of Walter Buszin.  During the 1940′s, Buszin, in the midst of his other teaching responsibilities,  organized the music department catalog, served as an editorial consultant, and finally recommended that CPH appoint Klammer as head of the department. (For more information on Buszin, get the biography published by The Good Shepherd Institute).

In 1948 CPH published an “Anthology of Sacred Music – Chorale Preludes by Masters of the XVII and XVIII Centuries” selected and edited by Buszin.  It is the Foreword of this volume that I’d like to share with you.  First, it provides insight into what CPH was publishing at that time.  Second, it gives some guidance for parish musicians today.  Third, it will provide a segue into another piece I’ll be posting in a few days.

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The Other Essential Lutheran Library – Musician Edition

As I was browsing at the music store in Portland on Saturday, a quote from Luther came to mind:

Many books does not make one learned, nor much reading either; rather to read a good thing and to read it often, regardless of how little it is, that makes one learned in the Scriptures.

I think something similar could be said for church musicians in relation to their musical repertoire and libraries. Publishing companies continue to entice us with their latest offerings; yet we still have existing music waiting to be learned or looked at. To buy or not to buy? The related and potentially better question is: What is the Lutheran musician’s core repertoire (besides the hymnal)?

A few weeks back, Paul McCain at Cyberbrethren wrote about The Essential Lutheran Library — a core list of absolute essential reading for every Lutheran.

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