Greetings from American organist-composer, Rulon Christiansen organist

Greetings, members of Magle International. It is a pleasure to join the ranks. I look forward to sharing my love of music, the organ, and French Symphonic Organ Music, in particular, with other members. I am a graduate of the Eastman School of Music where I received a DMA in organ as a pupil of Russell Saunders in 1983, and Performer's Certificate in 1981.
Other teachers include J. J. Keeler, Robert Cundick. I have toured as a concert organist under the management of Artist Recitals, Los Angeles, for many years, until the untimely death of the agent, Ruth Plummer, from a brian tumor. One of my interests is Louis Vierne. I have studied with pupils of Louis Vierne, including the famous American organist, Alexander Schreiner, and the late French organist, Andre Fleury, among others. My research on Vierne has been used in articles and books by such by writers such as the world famous, distinguished American organist-author Michael Murray and my dear friend, the highly respected and prolific author, editor and recording artist, Dr. Rollin Smith. I am published with compositions in the catalogues of H.W.Gray (now Alfred), Shawnee, Jackman, and have over 60 hymn preludes for organ available with WardOrganist.com, an on-line music publishing company. My latest project has been the composition of a "Lyric Symphony" for organ, an organ symphony in 6
movements, following in the tradition of my mentor, Andre Fleury, in a style that combines and balances modality and tonality, chromaticism and diatonicity, counterpoint and homophony, without denying the stylistic influences of Vierne, Fleury, Whitlock, Cundick, Schreiner. This suite and especially the Toccata, was written to give organists, and especially organ students an alternate to the Boellmann Suite Gothique, and yet giving them something of similar substance, yet perhaps easier technical demands. It is nice to join the ranks.
 

Corno Dolce

Admiral Honkenwheezenpooferspieler
Aloha Dr. Christiansen,

Please feel very much welcomed and at home on MIMF. I am a DMA-less Organist/Vocalist/ Pianist with the complete organ works of J.S. Bach and Charles Tournemire memorised and am working on memorising the songs of Rachmaninoff, Tchaikovsky, Mussorgsky, and Sviridov.

Interesting that you mention Dr. Rollin Smith - I still have his *Repertoire Recording Society* recordings of Vierne Symphonies which I find very fascinating.

Cheers,

CD :):):)
 

marval

New member
Greetings Rulon, welcome to the forum. You will find this an interesting place to be, so enjoy yourself.


Margaret
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
:wave: Welcome to MIMF, Rulon.

Being one myself, I'm always glad to see more organists join this great forum community.
 

wljmrbill

Member
Welcome to the forum. Nice to have another American on board and quite accomplished one at that. Enjoy your time here.

Bill, South Carolina
 

jhnbrbr

New member
Welcome Rulon. I look forward to reading your contributions to the forum with great interest. There are plenty of us here who love the French symphonic organ repertoire. Best wishes, John.
 

dll927

New member
Alexander Schreiner and Robert Cundick -- where have I heard those names? Have you played the Tabernacle organ?

I once had a neighbor who had majored in organ. She claimed she had visited the Tabernacle and Schreiner let her sit at the great console. She proceeded to do a bit of "Twelfth Street Rag", and I guess they just about had to pick poor Alex up off the floor!! Somehow that wasn't his idea of what should be played there.

Given that Schreiner once studied with Louis Vierne, maybe she should have done some Vierne. Schreiner himself composed a piece called "Maestoso" that was re-do of a piece by Vierne. Would that have been before or after the notorious "Woodland Flute Call"?
 
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reply to d11927

Alexander Schreiner and Robert Cundick were both organists at the Tabernacle. Yes, I have played about 25 recitals on the Tabernacle organ as a guest organist. It is pleasure to play this large instrument.

I can imagine that knowing Alexander Schreiner as well as I do as his pupil, that on the one hand, he might be perturbed by the Twefth Street Rag on the Tabernace Organ. However, he was a professional theatre organist for several years, so that repertoire might possibly been something that he played years ago. He could be extremely charming and also rather temperamental, depending on his mood.

Schreiner didn't "redo" or arrange the Maestoso from Vierne's Mass. He merely transcribed it for organ solo. He captures the antiphonal exchanges between the Grand Orgue and the orgue de choeur in the cathedral in manual changes, quite successfully. I am impressed that you have so much music memorized.
 
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