Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Goshen native who discovered Bach’s preferred temperament to perform organ recital Oct. 30
Concert: Guest Artist Recital – Bradley
Lehman, organ
Date and time: Sunday, Oct. 30, 2005, 7:30 p.m.
Location: Rieth Recital Hall, Goshen College Music Center
Cost: $8 adults, $5 seniors/students. GC students free with ID.
For more information: Tickets available at the Welcome Center by
calling (574) 535-7566.
Web site: www.gcmusiccenter.org
GOSHEN, Ind. – Bradley Lehman, a Goshen native and 1986 Goshen College graduate, solved the centuries-old mystery of what appeared to be an arbitrarily scribbled design on an original copy of one of J.S. Bach’s compositions.
The results of that discovery – an organ tuned to Bach’s preferred temperament – can be heard on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Rieth Recital Hall, located in Goshen College’s Music Center as Lehman, who now resides in Virginia, offers a guest artist organ recital on the college’s new Opus 41 pipe organ.
Goshen College’s organ is the first organ in the world – since the 18th century – to be built with the “Bach/Lehman 1722” temperament. The second one, in September 2005, is a new organ in Helsinki, Finland, by the Austrian organ-builder Kögler.
The concert will include music by Bach, Brahms, Froberger, Frescobaldi, Bull, Attaingnant, Fischer, Lehman and Burkhart. Some of the music is based on hymns or chorales, including several new compositions specifically for this organ and its tuning: taking advantage of the expressive sounds available on this instrument. The older repertoire will contrast improvisatory styles and dance-based rhythms. About a third of the selections are also on the CDs, produced by Lehman, that will be available at the concert.
Lehman’s article about his musical finding was published in the February and May 2005 issues of Early Music (Oxford University Press), with further clarifications and elaborations at the Web site www.larips.com/.
Lehman released a CD in 2005, titled “In Thee is Gladness,” of trumpet and organ music, performed with trumpet player and Goshen College alumnus Martin Hodel. His harpsichord and organ recordings, both featuring Goshen College’s instruments, are scheduled for release in October 2005. “Playing From Bach’s Fancy” presents harpsichord solo music by J. S. Bach and his oldest son, Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. “A Joy Forever” is a three-CD set demonstrating the expressive tonal palette and the tuning of Goshen’s organ.
The Opus 41 organ, dedicated in May 2005 and made by Taylor & Boody Organbuilders of Staunton, Va., is based upon 18th century North German models. It features more than 1,600 pipes, and a case of carved solid white oak. The key and stop action are mechanical (tracker), with two manuals and a straight and flat pedalboard.
Editors: For more information about this release, to arrange an interview or request a photo, contact Goshen College News Bureau Director Jodi H. Beyeler at (574) 535-7572 or jodihb@goshen.edu.
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Goshen College, established in 1894, is a four-year residential Christian liberal arts college rooted in the Anabaptist-Mennonite tradition. The college’s Christ-centered core values – passionate learning, global citizenship, compassionate peacemaking and servant-leadership – prepare students as leaders for the church and world. Recognized for its unique Study-Service Term program, Goshen has earned citations of excellence in Barron’s Best Buys in Education, “Colleges of Distinction,” “Making a Difference College Guide” and U.S.News & World Report’s “America’s Best Colleges” edition, which named Goshen a “least debt college.” Visit www.goshen.edu/.
