Rhonda Edgington will be playing a recital at St. Francis de Sales Catholic church in Holland on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 7 PM. She will be joined by French horn players Greg Bassett and Lisa Honeycutt, on a piece for two horns and organ by Telemann, and one horn and organ, by Corelli.
In the solo portion of her program, Rhonda will play a combination of Baroque and modern pieces which were written for smaller instruments, and show off the lovely colors of this organ. Included in the program will be pieces by a 17th century Dutch composer – Sweelinck, a 17th century German – Buxtehude, and a 17th century Italian composer who was also Catholic – Fescobaldi. The modern pieces are all by North American composers – Rachel Laurin, a Canadian, has written four volumes of “Twelve Short Pieces”, perfect for smaller instruments. Carson Cooman and James Woodman, both Americans who live and work in Boston, have also written lovely pieces in an accessible, melodic style, using a high degree of craftsmanship and musicality. The piece by Woodman, Little Organ Mass, is based on a number of well-known Catholic chant melodies.
The small pipe organ that sits in the sanctuary at St. Francis was formerly the teaching organ at Hope College, and was bought and moved to the church in 1998, when the college acquired a new teaching instrument. Built by the Dutch firm Pels and van Leeuwen in 1970, it was one of the first instruments in the area to be built in the style of earlier Baroque organs – in this case, 17th and 18th century Dutch Organs. Many area organists remember this as one of the first times they were able to experience some of these Baroque sounds, as organs of the mid-20th century tended towards a more romantic design and sound palate.