Music at St. Ansgar's
1981-1989

Notes compiled by Jette Blair
from conversations with Marian Holobow, Maren Nelson & Elaine Nelson

Music at St. Ansgar’s 1981-1989

Pastor: Marat M. Holobow

Organists:
Gita Nichol
Gerda England
Marian Holobow,
Ingrid Lavergne
Linda Tae
Ruth Stoltzfus,
and Bo Alphonce.

Senior Choir (Director Marian Holobow)
The Senior Choir sang at services on the church year festivals. It led the congregation singing and in learning new hymns and liturgies. The Choir joined with other Montreal Lutheran choirs at several Reformation Services – in particular, the 1983 service commemorating Martin Luther’s birth.
By the mid-1980’s, the choir had grown and required more robes, which were sewn by Ingrid Holm, from material purchased by the Ladies’ Aid. Later, new stoles were made to complete the colours of the church year.

Junior Choir:
A Junior Choir composed of Sunday School children was formed from time to time. The Junior Choir would sing on Palm Sundays and occasionally on Advent Sundays. Marian Holobow, Maren Nelson and the Sunday School teachers were responsible for this choir.

Youth Choir: During the 1980’s St. Ansgar’s had an active Youth group with members in their late teens and early twenties. One of their contributions was that of rehearsing special music which they sang at services. Linda Tae was the director & accompanist for their music.

Reformation Choir: During the years 1981-1983 a small singing group was organized and directed by Dr. Fred Stoltzfus. Half of its members were from St. Ansgar’s. This small a capella group sang for services at several Lutheran churches once a month. In 1982 it sang a Choral Mass composed by Dr. Paul Pedersen.

Grand Piano:

Prior to 1985, the stalwart old piano from the Beck Hall was wheeled into the sanctuary whenever it was needed for special music there. Elaine Nelson had begun a Piano Fund which had been built up from memorials to loved ones and from organists’ waived salaries to the point where the purchase of a piano could be considered.

A small committee (Maren Nelson, Marian Holobow, Paul Pedersen and a piano expert from the McGill Department of Music) answered a newspaper ad for a used grand piano – coincidentally, belonging to one of Susan Smith’s high school teachers, now retired. The piano was pronounced sound and an offer accepted for its purchase. It was dedicated in September 1985 and has, more than once, substituted for the organ at times of power failure. The piano was regularly tuned by Bo Alphonce until his departure.

Pipe Organ:

In the mid 1980’s there were beginning to be problems with the existing electronic organ. Also, it was beginning to be increasingly difficult to secure trained organists and it was thought a better organ would attract organ students, for example. About the same time, a very generous memorial gift was willed to St. Ansgar’s from the estate of Marinus Christiansen. An organ committee was struck (Jean and Paul Pedersen, Ruth and Fred Stoltzfus, Eero and Linda Tae, Bo and Birgitta Alphonce) to begin a search for a reconditioned pipe organ.

The committee, having met with no success in this search, was redirected to investigate the cost of a new, but small, baroque organ. In this end, the committee members and Pastor Holobow individually made sizeable contributions to the Organ Fund. Karl Wilhelm (organ-builder in St. Hillaire, and builder of the organ at Christ Church Cathedral and other notable organs) was contacted. He was so impressed by the musical and monetary interest of a relatively small congregation that he agreed to build, in his words: a cadillac organ for the price of a volkswagen organ.

After congregational discussion and vote, a contract was drawn up with Karl Wilhelm for an organ designed specifically for St. Ansgar’s: the organ architecture matching that of the sanctuary, its ranks of pipes suited to the lively acoustics of the building, and its cost within reason.

Several weeks before installation of the organ, a group of the congregation accompanied the Organ Committee to the organ factory where they were led through all the steps in organ construction. As the doors opened to the room containing the nearly-completed St. Ansgar’s organ with its characteristic sloped front, spontaneous applause broke out.

The organ was dedicated in April 1989 and Ruth Stoltzfus, Linda Tae and Marian Holobow all played at the service of dedication. Special introductions to the hymns and psalms were written by Bo Alphonce. Karl Wilhelm himself attended the service. He remarked that he’d had great personal satisfaction in the building of this organ because of the knowledgeable input of St. Ansgar’s organ committee.

Once-a-month Music Vespers became a regular event after the organ installation.

Handbells:

In 1984 an octave set of handbells was donated to St. Ansgar’s by Camilla Clausen in memory of her husband, Jørgen. Later, additional bells were added to give a larger choice of music. The handbells were used as call-to-worship bells and for other special music. Maren Nelson first organized and directed a Sunday School Bell Choir and an Adult Bell Choir.

Cantors and Soloists:
Maren Nelson
Susan Smith
Emil Haltiner
Eric Kristensen
Wentworth McFarlane
Fred Stoltzfus

Music students in the congregation were encouraged to use their talents providing music for services. Instrumentalists (Niels & Jane Golding, Ketty Madsen, the Taes, the Armstrongs, the Blairs, for example) beautified the service with their talents.

Hymn Studies:

Background studies to the hymns and other music used for the services at St. Ansgar’s were written for each month’s Messenger by Linda Tae. Later, Bo Alponce provided music background studies for each Sunday’s bulletins.

Sing-Song Booklet:

St. Ansgar’s members have always loved to sing. At almost every congregational gathering there were sing-songs. To help in these events, Dorothy Andersen and Marian Holobow prepared a booklet (1985?) of words to favourite songs.

Dated: 04/08/03