Mozart famously called the organ “the King of Instruments.”
On Sunday, May 3 at 4:00 p.m., First Parish in Wayland will formally celebrate and dedicate our new King of Instruments. Join us for this special service featuring an acclaimed guest organist who will showcase the instrument’s power and versatility.
The Rev. Dr. Stephanie May will lead the Service of Dedication, with a litany and a prayer.
Brian Jones, Emeritus Director of Music and Organist at Trinity Church in Boston’s Copley Square, will present a program including works by Lefébure-Wély, Johann Adam Reincken, Johann Sebastian Bach, and Daniel E. Gawthrop. A reception will follow.
Jones, one of America’s most highly regarded church musicians, has also served as Director of Music at Boston’s Old South Church and Associate Organist at Harvard University’s Memorial Church, and has performed in some of the nation’s most notable venues, including the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C.
First Parish Music Director and Organist Pauline Oliver oversaw the selection and installation in 2014 of the parish’s new instrument, a tracker organ custom-designed and built by Andover Organ Company, in Lowell, Mass. Called Opus 118, the instrument was designed to complement both the space and the architecture of First Parish’s historic 1815 Meetinghouse.
Andover Organ Company describes the organ’s design: “For Opus 118 we drew inspiration from the elegant cases of Thomas Appleton, Boston’s renowned Federal Period organ builder. Appleton’s cases featured a tall center tower with shorter outer towers. Between the towers were flats of pipes with top moldings rising in graceful elliptical curves to the center tower. To split this design we used two tall central towers to frame the center window.”
Splitting the organ’s pipes into two separate cases allows them to flank the Palladian window on the rear wall of the Meetinghouse, over the front door. The pipes of First Parish’s previous four organs, dating back to 1831, blocked the graceful window.
First Parish has long been known for its commitment to fine church music. Opus 118, made possible by a capital campaign completed in 2014, is a testament to the congregation’s ongoing appreciation and support for excellent music.
Free childcare will be provided for children from infant through pre-K. First Parish in Wayland is located at the intersection of Rtes. 20 and 27. The current Meetinghouse was built in 1814 and the church was gathered three and a half centuries ago.
Submitted by Barbara Heffner on behalf of First Parish Church
