“A National Treasure” – Gerre Hancock
C. B. Fisk Organ, Opus 51
Zion Mennonite Church, Souderton, Pennsylvania
by Jon Leight
The late Gerre Hancock, who was considered the premier classical improvisational organist in America, called the Fisk mechanical action pipe organ at Zion Mennonite Church, Cherry Lane, Souderton, a “National treasure,” on a number of occasions. I met Mr. Hancock when I was attending a boy choir workshop. At the time, he was the director of the renowned St. Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Fifth Avenue, New York. We sat next to each other at the closing banquet, and when I mentioned that there was a Fisk organ at Zion Mennonite Church, where I was the music director, he said, “I’ve got to play it!” Gerre had already played the dedicatory recitals on a number of the larger Fisk organs throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan.
Charles B. Fisk (1925-1983) actually took up residence in the Souderton area for six weeks when the Fisk Opus 51 (1968) was being installed in Zion Mennonite Church. As a scholar of historic and early performance practice, Charles Fisk may best be remembered for his Wellesley College organ (1981) which achieved a new distinction in the construction of organs according to historic principles. Duke University music professor Fenner Douglass called Fisk “the Picasso of organ builders.” The most recent Fisk installation is at Christ Church in Philadelphia, Opus 150 (3 manuals, 49 stops, 44 independent voices, 3,095 pipes). I was privileged to hear Alan Morrison, head of the organ department at The Curtis Institute of Music, give the dedicatory recital this summer. It was a thrill for me to have been involved with one of the early Fisk organs for over 22 years and then, to hear the newest one. Up until this year, the only Fisk organ in Pennsylvania was at Zion Mennonite Church.
At the time the organ was contracted, the church’s building was still in the design stage and here, for the first time, Charles Fisk was able to work in collaboration with an architect, Edward A. Sövik. The spare but graceful design of the case and the favorable acoustical climate of the building were achieved by organ builder and architect in an atmosphere of mutual respect. When the organ was completed, Fisk told a member of Sövik’s Firm: “We ourselves feel that it is one of our most successful instruments. A good part of the reason for the organ’s tonal success is the building’s acoustics, which for music are simply elegant. I was grateful to see that the organ, which might inadvertently have become a visual focal point, seemed not to obtrude upon the serenity of the place.” – from Charles Brenton Fisk, Organ Builder, compiled and edited by Barbara Owen, 1968.
To me, even though the building is contemporary in design, it has an ageless quality about it. I remember on occasions when folks would come down from New York or surrounding states to attend concerts, they would think that the church was recently built, even though it was over 40 years old at that time. When Edward A. Sövik retired, he traveled all over the world to visit as many of his creations as he could fit in. Elvin Souder and I had the pleasure of having dinner with Mr. Sövik at the Century House when he came to look over Zion Mennonite Church. There was once a meeting of various prominent architects who went through the building. They concluded that Zion Mennonite Church may one day be on the same level as a Frank Lloyd Wright building.
Gordon Turk. a graduate of The Curtis Institute of Music, Philadelphia, who is the music director of the famous Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Auditorium, will give an Organ Recital at Zion Mennonite Church on Sunday, October 21, 2018 at 4:00 p.m., celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Fisk Organ. No tickets are required. This will be his third appearance at the church. Gordon recently gave a major evening recital on the historic Wanamaker Organ at Macy’s in Philadelphia. He has played throughout the United States, made two concert tours of Japan, and performed frequently in Europe, including Ukraine and Russia. Several years ago Dr.Turk was a winner in the AGO International Improvisational Competition, playing the large Fisk organ at Harvard University.
In addition to Dr. Turk, I was instrumental in having a number of other prominent organists perform on Zion’s organ. These include Marilyn Mason, chair of the organ department at the University of Michigan for over 50 years, the first American woman to play in Westminster Abbey and at the Vatican. Felix Hell, a performing organist since the age of eight, born in Frankenthal/Pfalz, Germany, gave his first performance at Zion at the age of 14, and has subsequently appeared four additional times. Felix has been featured as a recitalist and concerto soloist in more than 850 concerts throughout North America, Europe, Asia and Australia. Cameron Carpenter, also a child prodigy, travels throughout the world with his International Touring Organ and is one of the world’s most visible organists. Stephan Engels was born in Germany and moved to the United States for further study. Mr. Engels achieved his international breakthrough when he was awarded the “Concerto Gold Medal” at the 1998 Calgary International Organ Competition. Stephan’s performance at Zion was sponsored by the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. Barbara Bruns, an authority on Fisk organs, has dedicated and played on many of the larger Fisk organs in the New England area. Gail Archer is the director of music programs at Barnard College, Columbia University, New York, and is the college organist at Vassar College. Marian Archibald, a graduate of Harvard University, accompanied many oratorio performances and recitals at Zion. Mark Bani, a graduate of both The Curtis Institute of Music and The Juiliard School, is currently serving as the director of music and organist at Old St. Joseph’s Church, the oldest Roman Catholic Church in Philadelphia. Scott Myers won first prize in four Regional and National Organ Contests while a student at The Curtis Institute of Music and The Julliard School.
There is something very special about the C. B. Fisk Organ at Zion Mennonite Church. The aforementioned organists were attracted to the church because of this. I hope you will be able to attend the Organ Recital on October 21st at 4:00 p.m. and experience the unique sounds of this organ which, in my opinion, is set in a sanctuary with acoustics that rival The Metropolitan Opera!
