1894 Cavaillé-Coll organ at the Église Saint-Antoine, Paris, France

1931 E.M. Skinner organ, Opus 820, at Cathedral of our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Toledo, Ohio

1927 Wurlitzer organ, Opus 1571, at Place de la Musique, Sanfilippo Residence, Barrington, Illinois

Spring is Here

…whether in pagan ritual, songs of sunshine, spiritual revival or April showers, we enjoy the sweet music…and breezes…of springtime music.

Program Broadcast dates:

• Week of April 09, 2012

Links and Resources:

• Printable program listings

Music played in the program

Hour 1

SIDNEY TORCH: On a spring note –Tom Hazleton (Wurlitzer hybrid/Nethercutt Collection, San Sylmar, CA) Klavier K 77014

RUBE BLOOM: Spring Fever –David Peckham (1925 Marr & Colton/Clemens Center, Elmira, NY) VHP 1961

ALFRED FEDAK: Variations on Beach Spring –Alfred Fedak (1929 Skinner/Westminster Presbyterian Church, Albany, NY) Selah 520-160

IGOR STRAVINSKY (transcribed by Tharp): Le sacre du printemps –Stephen Tharp (2005 Casavant Frères/Brick Presbyterian, New York, NY) Pipedreams Archive recorded April 29, 2010

Filler – RUBE BLOOM (see above)

Hour 2

VERNON DUKE: April in Paris –DePaul University Wind Ensemble, Donald DeRoche, conductor; Charlie Balogh (1926 Barton/Rialto Square Theatre, Joliet, IL) JATOE 6

VERNON DUKE: April in Paris –Jelani Eddington (Wurlitzer/Emmerich Manual High School, Indianapolis, IN) Circle Productions 101

JIMMY van HEUSEN: Here’s to that rainy day –Walt Strony (1927 Morton/Kautz Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys, CA) Ironstone Vineyards 1997

JIMMY McHUGH: On the sunny side of the street –Stan Kan (1929 Wurlitzer/Fox Theatre, Saint Louis, MO) SKCD-1001

JIMMY McHUGH: On the sunny side of the street –Walt Strony (1927 Morton/Kautz Ironstone Vineyards, Murphys, CA) Ironstone Vineyards 1997

JOSEPH BONNET: In Memorian ‘Titanic’, Opus 10, number 1 –Vincenzo Ninci (1894 Cavaillé-Coll/Église Saint-Antoine des Quinze-Vingts, Paris, France) Dynamic 230

SIGFRID KARG-ELERT: Choral-Improvisation, Nearer my God to Thee –Stefan Engels (1931 E.M. Skinner/Cathedral of our Lady Queen of the Most Holy Rosary, Toledo, OH) Priory PRCD819

EDVARD GRIEG: The last spring –Lyn Larsen (1927 Wurlitzer/Place de la Musique, Sanfilippo Residence, Barrington, IL) Musical Contrasts CD-207

Filler – VAN HEUSEN (see above)

The selections by Bonnet and Karg-Elert commemorate the centenary of a tragic springtime event that stunned the world 100 years ago, the early morning sinking of the Titanic on April 15, 1912. Legend has it that the hymn "Nearer my God to Thee" was the last piece played onboard by Wallace Hartley’s musicians as the ship, with its many ill-fated passengers, slipped into the Atlantic's icy waters. That text is sung to two different tunes…in England to the melody from 1861 known as Horby by John Dykes, and in the United States (and the rest of the world) to the tune Bethany by Lowell Mason from 1856. By intriguing coincidence, in their memorial tributes, Karg-Elert sets Bethany and Bonnet uses Horby.

The Discovery Channel produced a series titled Deep Inside the Titanic.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5