Projects
Krapf Memorial Organ
 James Louder and Marnie Giesbrecht with the Krapf Memorial Organ |
The Krapf Memorial Positive Organ
Convocation Hall, University of Alberta
By Marnie Giesbrecht
On October 11, 2011 the University of Alberta welcomed a new positive organ. Built by James Louder » of Montreal, the organ is named the Krapf Memorial Organ after the late Gerhard Krapf, who taught organ at the U of A from 1978 to 1987.
The organ has a split keyboard with 5 stops: Bourdon 8, Principal 4, Flûte à cheminée 4’, Dessus de Nasard 22/3’ (treble only), and Flûte à bec 2’. The keyboard is transposable to 440, 415 and 392; its native pitch and tuning are at 415. The Krapf organ is currently tuned to a well temperament created by John Brombaugh and modified by James Louder. The voicing is smooth and gentle — it is a beautiful instrument in every way!
The builder demonstrated the organ to a group of students and guests on October 11, 2011 in Convocation Hall, where the organ resides. At the Monday Noon Hour Concert on October 24, 2011 the organ was first heard in concert; works by Frescobaldi and Zipoli were performed by Marnie Giesbrecht (faculty) and Cynthia Luk (undergrad).
The formal dedication/inauguration of the organ is scheduled for Friday, March 9, 2012 at 8 PM. Members of the Krapf family will be in attendance and donors will be officially thanked.
In the Department of Music we are excited about how the new organ will boost our early music performance and teaching activities.
Gerhard Krapf (1924-2008)
by Marnie Giesbrecht
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My former teacher (DMus, University of Alberta) and dear friend Gerhard Krapf passed away on July 2, 2008. A memorial concert was held on December 12, 2008 at Convocation Hall, University of Alberta. It featured performances by Gerhild Krapf, Marnie Giesbrecht, Jacobus Kloppers, Eileen Armstrong and others. |
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 was 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