Projects
Krapf Memorial Portativ Organ
My former teacher (DMus, University of Alberta) and dear friend Gerhard Krapf passed away on July 2nd, 2008.
More on Gerhard Krapf
Memorial gifts for the Gerhard Krapf Memorial Portativ Organ may be made by sending a cheque to the University of Alberta, noting in the memo line “Gerhard Krapf Memorial Organ.” The fund has raised $36,000.00 to date (March 1, 2009), with $25,000.00 still to raise before construction can begin.
Information on the Krapf Memorial Organ can be seen at www.jameslouder.com.
Please mail to:
Gehard Krapf Memorial Organ
c/o Department of Music
Faculty of Arts 3-3
Fine Arts Building
University of Alberta
Edmonton, AB T6G 2C9
Attn: Marnie Giesbrecht
A Memorial Concert was held
Friday, December 12, 2008
Convocation Hall, University of Alberta
–featured performances by Gerhild Krapf, Marnie Giesbrecht, Jacobus Kloppers, Eileen Armstrong and others
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Gerhard Krapf
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Obituary taken from Organ Canada and The American Organist (Sept 2008)
Gerhard Krapf, Professor Emeritus, University of Alberta, former AGO and RCCO member, born Dec. 12, 1924, passed away on July 2nd, 2008 after a long illness. He is survived by his wife Trudl, three daughters and a son.
Gerhard Krapf is renowned for his significant contribution to church music with prolific compositions of organ, choral and vocal works; for the designing and supervision of the 1978 Casavant Organ in Convocation Hall at the University of Alberta; scholarly works on the organ and a decade of teaching at the University of Alberta from 1977 to 1987.
His distinguished career, along with building the undergraduate and graduate organ programs at the University of Iowa prior to his appointment at the U of A, contributed significantly to the development of the graduate programs in keyboard and library resources at the University of Alberta, and the first Doctor of Music degree in Organ Performance at an English speaking Canadian University.
A champion for tracker action, the U of Iowa was the first American State University to acquire a mechanical action instrument (Casavant) and the U of A followed suit upon Krapf’s faculty appointment. A dedicated and brilliant teacher of organ and related subjects, theory and counterpoint, it was said he could improvise a six-voice fugue.
Those of us who had the privilege of working with him will remember his amazing intellect and accomplishments, his devotion as a teacher and friend, his deep Christian convictions and his delightful sense of humour.
He is greatly missed.
Submitted by Marnie Giesbrecht
Professor of Music, Organ Performance
University of Alberta
marnie.giesbrecht@ualberta.ca