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Our music in worship is carefully prepared and
lead by our three choirs. All who participate are vested leaders of
worship.
The Deo Gloria Cantores
choir is our principal leader in
worship. They sing choral music, lead in the singing of hymns,
psalms and
liturgy which reinforce the Scriptures read and proclaimed.
Schola Cantorum (choir school), when in session, periodically sings at worship. They are a
preparatory group that focuses on learning how to sing in a choir and how to
read music. This experience prepares our youth for a more profound understanding
of what it is to worship God through music.
Deo Gloria Ringers use bells to
present the psalms and sometimes assist with the anthem.
Choirs
The Deo Gloria Cantores
Rehearsals – Thursdays
7:30 pm
Schola Cantorum
Rehearsals – Tuesdays
Deo Gloria Ringers
Rehearsals – Sundays
12:00 noon
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The
Gallery Organ
The
organ for First Lutheran Church of West Seattle was built in 1976 by the Noack
Organ Company of Georgetown, Massachusetts, under the direction of Fritz Noack,
founder and president. It is the eighty-third organ to be built by the
firm. The entire instrument, except for some of the smaller metal pipes
made in Germany, was built in the Georgetown shop.
Fritz
Noack was born in Germany in 1935. During his high school years he studied
organ building and cabinet making, and was also an active musician. He
began his apprenticeship with noted Hamburg organ builder Rudolph von Beckerath,
and later worked with Klaus Becker and Ahrend & Brunzema. After coming
to the United States in 1959, he worked with New England builder Charles Fisk,
and in 1960 organized the Noack Organ Company. Mr. Noack also teaches
classes in organ construction at the New England Conservatory of Music in
Boston, and has served as president of the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of
America.
The
organ for First Lutheran Church takes as its inspiration the great seventeenth
and eighteenth century organs of Germany and France. It does not seek to
copy them, but in the builder's words it "admires old organs".
The instrument is a unique creation based on timeless principles of architecture
and sound. The
elegant casework was inspired by the parish gothic architecture of First
Lutheran Church, as well as aspects of certain gothic organ cases. Like
nearly all the parts of the instrument, the case is constructed of solid white
oak. It has been fumed to achieve its rich color, while enhancing the
natural highlights of this hardwood. In addition to its visual beauty, the
case serves important musical functions in blending and projecting the
sound. Placed high in the gallery on the central axis of the building, the
organ stands twenty-one feet high and speaks directly into the church from this
ideal position.
The organ is comprised of eighteen stops
controlling twenty-three ranks (or sets of pipes), with a total of 1,132
pipes. The pipes range in speaking length from one-fourth inch to
approximately sixteen feet. All but two stops are made of metal in
an alloy of 25% tin and 75% lead. The other two, both large pedal
stops, are of white oak. Pipes visible on the front of the case
are those of the Principal 8' of the Great (upper level) and the
Principal 2' of the Positive (lower level, just above the music
rack). Much of the pipe work is inspired by the work of the German
baroque masters, especially Arp Schnitger, while the manual reed and
mutation stops resemble more the work of eighteenth century French
builders. The temperament used is a modification of Kirnberger II,
named after its originator, a pupil of J. S. Bach. One unusual
mechanical devise on the organ is the Cymbale, or Star of bells, which
is comprised of nine tiny, high-pitched bells which ring in a random
fashion, providing an occasional festive touch to the music.
Mechanical playing and stop actions give the organist sensitive and
reliable control of the instrument without the interference of
insensitive electrical connections. The only electricity required
is that for the blower which produces the organ's wind supply. The
manual keys are covered with ebony; sharps are of coco bolo, a Brazilian
hardwood. The stop knobs are of rosewood. Inlays of
rosewood, mahogany, and maple cover the elegant music rack. The
stop list is as follows:
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