Jul 3, 2020

One of the best-known marches of John Philip Sousa (1854-1932) “America’s March King”, the Washington Post March has opened every one of our “Old Fashioned Fourth” concerts at Holy Spirit – including this one. (from 2019)

Jul 3, 2020

Gordon Balch Nevin (1892-1943) was an American composer, primarily living and working in western Pennsylvania.  In folklore, a “will o’ the wisp” is a strange ghostly light often seen by travelers late at night and often has sinister implications.  Modern science is more likely to explain it as bioluminescence or...

Jul 3, 2020

Original Rags and The Entertainer

Scott Joplin (1868-1917) was the first famous black American composer and is best remembered for his contribution to ragtime.  Here are two of his most famous rags – while they were written for the piano, they translate well to the organ. (from 2015)

Jul 3, 2020

The hymn “How Great Thou Art”, derived from a Swedish folk tune and hymn text, is a great favorite among many churchgoers. Dale Wood (1934-2003) gives us a beautiful lush setting that shows of some of the quieter sounds of the organ. (from 2015).

Prelude on How Great Thou Art © 1993 The Sacred Music Press
Reprinted...

Jul 3, 2020

Dan Miller (b. 1954) is a well-known figure amongst American church musicians.  He has served as the organist at several major American churches and now is the tonal director for Rodgers Instruments, one of the leading builders of digital organs.  Here he takes an old Gospel hymn and has great fun doing some surprising...