The latest bulletin board in the courtyard of the Lutheran Church of Honolulu focuses on the history of the music program with special focus on the Rudolf von Beckerath organ and organ concerts which have been held at the church since 1975. You may or may not know that Carol Langner, whom I call the Queen of the Bulletin Boards, is the creative genius behind these works of art. See my previous post, “A labor of love” to see how Carol condensed my 35 years at LCH to a single bulletin board!

So much of what Carol compiled is an important history which has appeared in various places in bits and pieces, so I asked her to send me the texts of the individual panels to post on my blog. The document is too long to put into a single post—so, if you would like to read the complete version, click here.

What is a tracker organ?

Tracker organs date back many hundreds of years, and there are still tracker-action instruments being constructed today. In a tracker organ, the organist presses keys and pulls stops which control the organ’s pipes and couplers through a complex matrix of levers and valves. The valves, which admit air to the pipes in order to produce the sound, are directly controlled by the force of the organist’s fingers on the keys, allowing for the subtle attack and release of each note or chord, increasing musical expression. Because the linkage is mechanical, most tracker organs have the keyboard console built as an integral part of the organ’s case where the pipes are housed.

Albert Schweitzer 
theologian, organist, philosopher, physician,and medical missionary in Africa (1875-1965) 

Schweitzer was a member of that remarkable generation which remade the cultural, scientific and intellectual life of Europe prior to the onset of World War I.  Although best known for his medical work, he was equally influential as a musician, and his work in this field helped create the Organ Revival Movement (Orgelbewegung).As a young man, Schweitzer rapidly gained prominence as a musical scholar and organist, dedicating himself also to the rescue, restoration and study of historic pipe organs. With theological insight, he interpreted the use of pictorial and symbolical representation in J. S. Bach‘s religious music.  In 1905 Schweitzer collaborated to establish the Paris Bach Society, a choir dedicated to performing J.S. Bach’s music; he played organ for their concerts until 1913.  He further collaborated to publish new editions of Bach’s organ works, insisting that the scores should show Bach’s notation with no additional markings.   

Music during the Early Years

Deutsche Evangelische Lutherische Gemeinde zu Honolulu was founded on September 9, 1900 by prominent Honolulu merchants of German ethnic origin.  Chief among them were Johann F. Hackfeld and Paul Isenberg.  The original church building, dedicated in 1901, was located on South Beretania Street at the corner of Miller and Punchbowl.  It was designed by the architects Charles W. Dickey and Clinton B. Ripley.  

From the beginning, music was an important part of the spiritual and cultural expression of LCH.  Henri Berger, born in Prussia in 1844, was a founding member of LCH, and advised the Trustees of the excellence of German-built organs.   He served as Bandmaster for the Royal Hawaiian Band from 1872 until his death in 1929.  In 1879 he became a naturalized citizen of the Kingdom of Hawai‘i.  Berger was also a pivotal figure in the founding of the Honolulu Symphony in 1900 (now the Hawai‘i Symphony Orchestra). It is the second oldest orchestra in the USA, west of the Rocky Mountains.  Berger also helped establish the Punahou Music School at Montague Hall.  

Early on, Erich Kahl arrived from Germany to be the Organist & Director of Music of the new Lutheran church.  Kahl served from 1906 through 1909 and again, after some time back in Germany for further training, from 1924 through his retirement in 1945.  During the early Kahl years, many evenings of musical entertainment were organized.  For example, the Bach-Wagner concert given at the church on February 25, 1909 included Bach Fugue in G Minor, Bach Sarabande (2 violins and organ), and Bach-Jadassohn Recitative and Aria Psalm 100.  Mrs. Kahl, known for her lovely mezzo-soprano voice, would often sing for these events and Kahl, also a violinist with the Honolulu Symphony, often played.  In 1924, the congregation replaced the original organ with a Hillgreen-Lane pipe organ, made in Alliance, Ohio.  Kahl gave the dedicatory concert. 

The Organ Revival Movement

Although music of earlier historical periods had been studied in the 18th-19th centuries, musicians did not seek to imitate original performance practices.  Mozart, Samuel Wesley, Mendelssohn and others especially sought out the music of Bach.  Other musical scholars began to study the polyphonic choral works of the Renaissance and Baroque periods.

Schweitzer’s published works on organs and organ building fit neatly into this growing interest, effectively launching the 20th-century Orgelbewegung (Organ Revival Movement).  The symphonic approach to organ sound prevalent in the 19th-century lost favor.  Instead Baroque/classical principles of building and articulation were championed, aiming at clarity in the performance of polyphonic works. 

The Beckerath in Worship Commemorating 48 years!

 Founded in 1900, LCH has always demonstrated its identity as a Lutheran congregation in the German tradition through good preaching based on scripture, a strong social ethic, and music.  Following Luther’s conviction of the importance of congregation singing, music has been a vital part of the life of the congregation from its earliest days.  

Since the 1975 installation, LCH has relied on the Beckerath organ to lead our Worship—some 3600 services (75 yearly Sunday morning services and additional special seasonal services)—during which an estimated 14,500 hymns have been sung to organ accompaniment, along with psalms, anthems, and some 7200 preludes and postludes.  Barry J. Wenger began his tenure with LCH on November 1, 2022.  He joins a handful of players who have served as organists on this instrument. Only two of them have played the Beckerath as our service instrument for a long tenure: Katherine Crosier (Organist for 35 years — 1977-2012) and Mark Wong (Organist for 9 years — 2013-2021). 

The Beckerath as a Teaching Instrument

Since retiring from LCH ten years ago, Kathy has continued with a busy schedule of teaching children and adults to play the organ, utilizing the Beckerath as the instrument for both practice and lessons. Using teaching materials published by Wayne Leupold, children as young as age four learn the basics of music, using the pipe organ as the first teaching instrument (rather than the second, after piano).  And at LCH, young students have a special opportunity to learn something about several keyboard instruments — organ, piano, and harpsichord. 

The Beckerath as a Concert Instrument

Virtually every organist who passes through Honolulu stops by to try out the Beckerath. Many have given public concerts — here are a few of our recitalists over the years! A few of the many concert organists to play at LCH:  

(inner ring, counterclockwise from upper left)

Jonathan Dimmock, Lynn Zeigler, Marilyn Mason, Marie Claire Alain, Harald Vogel, Rodney Gehrke, Bruce Bengtson, Andrew Shenton, David Dahl.

Outer right:

Paul Tegels and Dana Robinson (Four Hands, Four Feet; March 2017) with Hans-Ulrich Erbslöh, Hamburg, Germany; Beckerath organ technician; Byong-Suk Moon (January 2018) with Katherine Crosier; Katherine Crosier-Jieun Kim Newland-Sachi Hirakouji (Organists 1-2-3, Oct., 2018); Katherine Crosier & Jieun Kim Newland (Happy 337th Birthday, Bach; March 2022)

Outer Left:

McNeil Robinson (June, 1975 Dedicatory Recitals); Joey Fala (as an organ student, about 2005); Joey Fala (March 2017)