RETIRING FACULTY limited availability. At the time, nearly all of the organs Bach originally played were in East Germany — behind the curtain of Communist rule and, therefore, unreachable. *** So when the Berlin Wall fell in 1989, it was, as Ritchie put it, “Christmas in July.” The new information broadened the two researchers’ work and inspired UNL’s first international organ conference, which took 115 people to Naumberg, Germany, in 2003. Now, Faulkner and Ritchie realize what they’re talking about isn’t the most accessible of topics, and they’re taking great pains to make sure they’re understood correctly. But they’re not elitist or condescending. In fact, they’re quite patient. It’s their signature teaching style, said Sara Schott, a former student and co-chairwoman of the Lincoln Organ Showcase and director of music at Grace Lutheran Church. “They’re incredible teachers, and students were gifted with their partnership,” she said. Schott, a 1996 graduate, took organ instruction from Ritchie. “He was the pickiest man alive, and I never made a mistake he didn’t make a comment on, but he was so nice about it that I always tried harder and harder to do my best,” she said. She also took courses on church music from Faulkner and uses what she learned daily at Grace Lutheran. Once all the gritty details about recordings and transcriptions have been cleared up, it’s time to move on to the next topic. Despite their forthcoming departures from the University, neither man is very interested in retiring. Faulkner is heading to Germany for a year to teach historical organ practice courses and to discuss with students their country’s historic instruments. He’s staying near Bach’s hometown, and he’ll be checking out the various organs in the area while doing research. Meanwhile, Ritchie plans on catching up on “about 10 lifetimes” of interests, including reading, watching films, hiking
Photo courtesy of Quentin Faulkner
Church Music Workshop Panel Discussion Leaders in Naumburg (Maria Magdalenen Kirche): Quentin Faulkner, George Ritchie, Christoph Wolff and Robert Clark.
From the March 1982 American Guild of Organists magazine
1982 UNL Organ Conference leaders (left to right): Robert Emile, Maurice Peress, Charles Fisk, Gene Bedient, William Albright, Robert Newman, Richard French, Quentin Faulkner, Eugenia Earle, Myron Roberts, George Ritchie and Raymond Haggh.
and traveling. *** Both said they want to ensure a smooth transition for Christopher Marks. But they also know it’s time to move on. That’s part of the job, they both agreed, and they hope it’s one thing those around them will remember. “We are only links in a centuries-long chain of people trying to keep a tradition going,” Ritchie said. “We’re here for a relatively short time here in the big picture, so we try to take what we’ve learned and pass it on from one generation to the next.”
Hixson-Lied College of Fine and Performing Arts
There’s plenty more to talk about, but eventually the two professors decide they’re content with what’s been said. They add they’re grateful to the University for its support, and they hope their students will remain involved with performance, the Showcase and the American Guild of Organists just like they have, but other than those few notes, everything’s been touched upon. After all it’s time to close that office door. This story first appeared in the Lincoln Journal Star. Reprinted with permission.
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