The Music Club met April 12 at Broad Street United Methodist Church for an evening of “Sacred Music.” Performing on the program were Perla Lantigua, vocalist, front; and back, from left, Tim Daugherty, organ; Roger Lantigua, violin; Nacor Lantigua, piano; Ariel Lantigua, vocalist; Andy Hunt, organ; and Karen Archer, program director.
After welcoming members and guests, President Maurine Olin opened the meeting with words of special appreciation to the hosts for making the music club feel welcome in their beautiful church facilities.
The minutes of the March meeting were read by Pat Henley serving as a stand-in for secretary Dortha Townsend who was unable to attend the meeting. Treasurer Terry Barger presented the financial report.
Pat Meagher, chairman of the club’s Nominating Committee, presented for approval a slate of nominees to serve as officers for a two-year term starting in September. They are: Jean Henderson, president; Nancy Paul, first vice president; Robbie Cody, second vice president; Pat Henley, secretary; Terry Barger, treasurer; Easter Frady, historian; Debbie Huebschman, parliamentarian; and Maurine Olin, past president. The nominees were elected by unanimous vote. In accordance with the club’s by-laws, the new officers will be installed at the monthly meeting on May 3.
Meagher, who also chairs the Scholarship Committee, announced that music scholarship auditions will be held on April 15. Joining Meagher in judging the applicants at the audition will be Martha Lessig, Sawyer, R.G Wolf and Rick Donegan.
Turning to the music program of the evening and in the absence of Easter Frady, Jane Sain presented the Hymn of the Month that had been selected by Frady. Her choice was “Blest Be the Tie That Binds.”
Sain talked about John Fawcett, a pastor of a small Baptist church in West Yorkshire, England, who wrote the inspirational words of the hymn in 1772. After serving faithfully for seven years on wages much too small to support his large and growing family, he received an offer to serve as pastor at a very large and influential Baptist church in London. In desperate need of a better income, he accepted the offer. However, after preaching his farewell sermon and loading up his belongings, his parishioners begged him under tears to stay because of his bond with them. Deeply moved, he unloaded the wagon and stayed. To commemorate this event he later wrote the words to this hymn.
Starting her program, Archer introduced her friends, the Lantigua family, who came from the Dominican Republic and has made Cleveland home. Chaperoned by their parents, the four siblings made their musical entrance with several contributions to the program.
Perla and her brother Ariel sang the “Hymn of Promise,” with words and music by Natalie Sleeth. They were accompanied by their two older brothers, Roger, playing the violin, and Nacor, the piano.
Next, Roger surprised his audience with two violin solos that earned him well-deserved applause and prompted special compliments from R.G. Wolf who expressed his amazement about the intensity and feeling the young musician put into his play.
Roger started with “Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty,” a hymn written in 1826 by Reginald Heber, a bishop in the Church of England. The young artist’s second violin solo was “The Love of God.” It was an arrangement that included at the beginning and particularly at its conclusion portions of Robert Schumann’s famous “Träumerei,” often translated as “Dreaming.”
Tim Daugherty, on the organ, continued the program with “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” a hymn based on Joachim Neander’s German chorale “Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren.” Johann Sebastian Bach used the chorale as the base for his chorale cantata with the same name. Daugherty’s second selection was “Thine be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son,” a popular Easter hymn, written by the Swiss Edmond Budry and set to the tune of a chorus from Handel’s oratorio “Judas Maccabaeus.” With German lyrics, it is an advent hymn.
Andy Hunt completed the program with a “Hymn Medley” on the organ, and Jane Sain led the group in singing several verses of the Hymn of the Month she had earlier introduced.
After thanking all performers, particularly the Lantigua family, members gathered together to socialize and enjoy refreshments provided by Jeannie Sawyer.
