St Luke's Church celebrates 135 years with music

Michael Reckord, Gleaner Writer

The celebration of the 135th anniversary of the founding of St Luke's Church continued last Sunday with an organ recital by former church member Dr Richard Beckford and singing by tenor, Lieutenant Commander John McFarlane.

Having begun in March with a thanksgiving service at the church, the celebrations will include several other events later this year and culminate in March 2011 with a movie premiere and the publication of a commemorative magazine.

The extensively trained Dr Beckford - he has six sets of letters after his name - told the audience that he "left Jamaica as a pianist" but continued studies in England on the organ, under the tutelage of David John Sanger.

"One of the world's great concert organists," the latter died two months ago, Dr Beckford said, and part of Sunday's repertoire was dedicated to him.

Referring to his choice of music for the recital, Dr Beckford said, "The majority of today's music was meant to be played in a cathedral" during politically "difficult times" for the Church.

Among the composers whose works the organist played were Cesar Franck (Piece Heroique), George Frederic Handel (Concerto No. 2 in B flat), Johann Sebastian Bach (Prelude and Fugue in E flat, BWV 552), Louis Lefebure-Wely (Sortie in E flat) and Julius Reubke (Sonata on the 94th Psalm).

His last two items were spirituals, Roll Jordan Roll and Joshua Fit' de Battle of Jericho.

Chatted with the audience

Often, before he again demonstrated his mastery of his instrument, Dr Beckford chatted with the audience, showing an engaging personality. We heard, variously, that Franck "was considered the father of modern organ music", that Dr Beckford had been an admirer of Commander McFarlane's singing before he left Jamaica and was delighted to be sharing the platform with him on Sunday, that spirituals had been sometimes sung to give instructions to American slaves escaping on the "underground railroad", that Dr Beckford' had been "born into the church", and that his mother, "Miss Mavis", was in the audience. (At one stage she stood to acknowledge the applause of the audience.)

After his studies in England, Dr Beckford attended the University of Southern Mississippi, Hattiesburg and Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge. He is now associate professor of music and director of choirs at the South Carolina State University, Orangeburgh.

Multi-talented man

In addition to being choral director, Dr Beckford is a recital organist, piano accompanist and choral clinician. He has performed in the Caribbean, including Jamaica, around the USA and in Europe.

He has received numerous prizes and honours and under his baton the Southern University Concert Choir won first place in the Winner of Winners competition in the 15th Annual Negro Spiritual Festival in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Accompanied by pianist Archie Dunkley, Commander McFarlane, with his "fantastic voice" - as one audience member termed it - gave at least as much pleasure as the featured musician.

For one song, Lil' David Play On Your Harp, the tenor both played the piano and sang.

His other songs were the hymn The Lord Is My Light, Donizetti's Una Furtiva Lagrima and Puccini's Nessum Dorma. Commander McFarlane's powerful, flexible, wide-ranged voice and his sincere delivery continually earned him strong applause.

Shown by the profile in the evening's printed programme to be a man of many and varied interests, Commander McFarlane, a popular concert soloist, has served as choir master for the Galilee Gospel Hall and organist for the annual convention of the assemblies of Christian Brethren. He also plays the violin and guitar.

A standing ovation marked the end of the musical segment of the evening. Presentations to the performers followed.