Playing the King of instruments, the reigning youth virtuoso of the pipe organ will present a concert Sunday afternoon at the First Congregational Church in Traverse City.
Paul Jacobs, chair of the organ department at Juilliard, renowned national and international performer and teacher, is just 30 years old. A proponent of the instrument, its rich history dating to 246 B.C. and the extensive literature that can captivate both novice and experienced listener, Jacobs is devoted to the complex instrument and its endless potential.
"I wish to demonstrate the versatility and color of the instrument,” he said. "Frequently the organ has been played in a staid, dry fashion, which has deterred people from attending organ concerts, but this need not be the case.”
"The organ is the most daring, colorful and dramatic of all the instruments,” Jacobs added. "As Mozart said, 'By my eyes and my ears, the organ is truly the king of instruments.'”
Jacobs will present a program featuring pieces by J. S. Bach, Cesar Franck, Max Reger, Olivier Messiaen and Julius Reubke. Sally Lewis, music coordinator and organist at the First Congregational Church, booked Jacobs a year ago, accepting any date in his packed schedule that would bring him to town. She is eager to hear Jacobs play on the church's upgraded organ, which was expanded to more than double its size last year.
"I know these pieces, I've played some of them, they are all masterful organ works and will really serve to show the many colors of this organ,” said Lewis. "This is just such a special concert, I feel really honored to have him here at the beginning of his career, though I don't know where you'd say the beginning was but he certainly had room to grow… his name will be known all around the world.”
Bach is an old friend to Jacobs. In 2000 in honor of Bach's death date, Jacobs gave an 18-hour marathon concert of all of the composer's organ works — from memory.
"He was still an undergrad when he did this,” noted Lewis with awe. "He did it once in New York and once in Pittsburgh.”
Jacobs performs about 40 concerts a year around the globe, with the bulk of his overseas and national dates in the summer during his break from teaching at Juilliard. He believes the organ is accessible to anyone and is determined to share its sound with as broad an audience as possible.
Playing across the country, Jacobs has witnessed a growing popularity of the organ outside of the church setting. He finds that in recent years, organs are being placed in concert halls across the United States, an encouraging development.
"Usually audiences for which I've had the pleasure of performing are significantly diverse in terms of what they may or may not know about the organ, or classical music for that matter,” said Jacobs. "But beautiful music is profoundly meaningful and always relevant, even to those with little knowledge of its intricacies.”
Reflecting on the surge of interest in the instrument, for Jacobs the question is not why is the organ now regaining popularity.
"My question is how in the world an organ could fall out of appreciation, I think that's the more pertinent question,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs will hit town Friday to familiarize himself with the unique characteristics of the First Congregational Church's instrument.
"The organ is not a standardized instrument and, like a new friend, one has to spend time getting to know it,” he said.
Paul Jacobs will present a pipe organ concert on Sunday, April 22, at 4 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 6105 Center Road. A free will offering will be accepted. For more information, call the church at 947-6698.