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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
Andrew J. King, Cantor & Dean W. Hard, Choirmaster
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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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