Musical Notes

Trinity's Contributions

Contributed by Fred Fallis

When our predecessors met one hundred years ago to praise God for the new church on the Trinity site, their singing was accompanied by Miss Barton who put her own organ (vocahon) in the tent. Mr McNally was the first organist and choirmaster. He was followed by such gifted successors as R G Kirby, A L E Davies, Don Linden, J Arthur Craig, Eva Goodman, Ernest Shildnck, Dr Russell Marshall, Jennie Bouck, John Linn, John McKnight, David Low, Lloyd Bradshaw and Jim Attwood. Following the major church renovations in 1933, Major A A S Wilkins became a great patron of music at Trinity and honorary president of the choir. In 1937 and 1938 the Major hosted huge formal dinners at the Granite Club for the choir and the ushers Jessie Bremner organized the tables and guest lists.

Major Wilkins and his sister Carrie donated a brand new organ to Trinity just as World War II broke out. The organ was designed by Casavant to the specifications of John Linn, our choir director and organist, and Dr H A Fncker, conductor of the Mendelssohn Choir and director of music at Metropolitan United Church. In John Linn's absence on war service (RCAF) the Major requested Jennie Bouck to be at the console for the dedication service on Sunday, February 2,1941. Lois Bouck (Fallis) sang "His Eye is on the Sparrow". On Monday night Sir Ernest MacMillan gave the opening recital with Jeanne Pengelly, soprano soloist at Timothy Eaton Memorial, as guest soloist. The sanctuary was packed with every seat taken downstairs and in the gallery right to the top'. Just after the war, Trinity was chosen as one of the major Toronto churches to put on one programme in the popular series sponsored by the Toronto Star. Again a capacity audience, this time with John Linn conducting the choir with soloists Mary Morrison, soprano, Vera Wilkinson, contralto, Harold Norman, tenor, George Branton, bass, and Kathleen Williams and Jennie Bouchk, piano duo, and the Leslie Bell Singers What a night'.

Jennie Bouck came honestly by her devotion to music at Trinity. Her father, W P (Poppy) Goodman, was for years chairman of the music committee. He was also founder of the Edith Cavell Young Ladies Class with attendance of about seventy-five every Sunday afternoon at three o clock. The year she graduated from the Royal Conservatory, Jennie won the silver medal for singing as well as a scholarship from the Canadian National Exhibition. She was leader of the Mission Band in the early years. They met in the Fireside Room at ten a.m. Later, Jennie directed the 35-member Junior Choir which produced at least two professional musicians, Mary Lou Fallis and David Fallis.

For years Jennie Bouck also played the piano for Trinity s famous Fireside Hour after the evening service. There were great soloists and what great sing-songs' Gib Ferguson was the leader with help from brother Gord and from Ralph Bates. When these young men went overseas, the Rev Arthur Organ took over the sing-songs "There'll be Bluebirds Over The White Cliffs of Dover" was a favourite. Many of the girls and boys met their future husbands and wives at those Trinity "sings". There was lots to eat when Jennie started rewarding good musical effort by serving her delectable butter tarts to the musicians. She has done this for years also with her Jennie Bouck. Singers after their many concerts, and on at least two occasions with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra when she appeared as their guest conductor. The traditional hospitality is alive and flourishing under the present choir direction of Jim Attwood who has so often opened his gracious home on Euclid Avenue to combined choir rehearsals and dinners. His choral and overall musical expertise have been instrumental these seven years in maintaining the musical excellence for which the Trinity-St. Paul's choir is known.

Music has always been a vital part of the Trinity tradition. From the time of Ruthven MacDonald's deep double bass and Norman Esch's 40-piece Sunday School orchestra through to Lois Marshall and Glen Gardner down to 1986 with our Minister Malcolm Sinclair, formerly of the Carl Tapscott Singers and a gifted hymn writer in his own right. Choirmasters, choristers and committee members have always provided meaningful inspiration Sunday by Sunday. They have also been ready for special challenges whether on the grand scale like the great concerts of the war years and the Amahl and the Night Visitors of Lloyd Bradshaw with juniors and seniors working together, or a rich special effect like the glorious candlelight services building on the Christmas traditions of John Linn, Adeline Hulse and Jack Beattie. There has always been time too for fun and friendship at choir parties, strawberry socials and other church events. What a great tradition we have!

Those who worship at Trinity - St. Paul's will continue to find inspiration and added meaning through our music. Let us make a joyful sound! Let us listen with excited reverence!

Figure 7 - James Attwood, Director of Music

St. Paul's Musical Legacy

Contributed by Ron Pettapiece

Near the end of St. Paul's life as a church building, it was often suggested that the sanctuary be refurnished as a concert hall. Its large seating capacity, excellent acoustics, and a unique pipe organ would make the process of transformation an easy one. Unfortunately, this transition was not to be and approximately one month after the property was sold, the organ pistons seized up entirely. This instrument, so important to the ministry of music at St. Paul's, deserves more than a moment's consideration. Its distinction is due to an unusual versatility. Originally installed in 1911 for $10,000, the Casavant organ possessed what is known as a French Romantic voicing. Different altogether from the later Casavant organs which produced a less brilliant sound in the builders' attempts to accommodate the changing musical tastes, it was as much an instrument for concerts as it was for use at church services. Currently, the instrument's replacement value would be close to one half million dollars. To many music lovers the power and adaptability of an excellent pipe organ makes the instrument seem more living than inanimate. That this organ still exists but is not capable of speech is rather like watching the mental decline of a very vital elderly person. According to St. Paul's last organist, whose memory is staggeringly sharp, the organ produced a sound similar to that made by the organ of St. Sulpice in Paris. Mr. Woolard added that its ability to produce the St. Sulpice sound was afforded by particularly the Quintadena, Tuba Mirabilis, Orchestral Oboe, and Viole d'Orchestre stops in the solo organ register. The organ was designed by G.D. Atkinson (of Sherbourne United) and has four manuals with 52 stops which include a 32 foot resultant (pedal).

Previous to Mr. Woolard's 17 years at the console and as the choirmaster, St. Paul's had many gifted musicians in its employ: Mr. Cunningham, Dr. Ray Ackerman, Fred Geoghegan, John McKnight (who, at other dates played at both Trinity and Walmer Road Baptist), Charlie Kilgour and the renowned Richard Tattersal. These music directors were aided in their provision of outstanding music by much celebrated and fondly remembered soloists like Giuseppe Macina (tenor), Clive McCall (bass), Philomena Buckley and Jean McPhail (Walinsky) (altos), and sopranos Debbie Taylor, Katherine Pimenoff, and Shirley Livingstone, to name but a few.

Throughout the years at St. Paul's, the musical repertoire was vast and varied. This is evidenced by the difficulty and variety of the choices in musical scores. Many members recall the performance of six of the Bach cantatas, "Gloria" by Vivaldi, "Requiem" by Faure and "The Seven Words From The Cross" by Dubois. The latter composition became the traditional choral performance for Easter just as "Oh Holy Night", sung by Giuseppe Macina, was the high point of the candlelight service on Christmas Eve in the later years. He would sing from the uppermost part of the gallery underneath the rose window. And it is said that in the dark sanctuary lit only by the coloured lights, he sounded for all the world like an angel from heaven.

Figure 8 - The "French romantic voice" of St. Paul's.