Ayre on “Ein Feste Burg”

Portrait of Martin Luther (1529).

October 31, 2017: In honor of the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, commemorating the historic day when the priest and theologian Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the door of the Castle Catholic Church in Wittenburg, Germany, Henry performs a movement from Michael D. Costello’s Partita on “Ein Feste Burg” on the two-manual and pedal 1989 Schlicker organ at House of Prayer Lutheran Church, Escondido, California, for the pleasure of his classical and sacred music-loving friends.

Henry said, “I first heard Ayre on “Ein Feste Burg” at the 2017 Biennial Conference of the Assocation of Lutheran Church Musicians in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on July 11, 2017, when David Sims, organist and choir director at Holy Trinity Lutheran in Minneapolis, played Michael D. Costello’s new piece, Partita on “Ein Feste Burg” on the 2008 two-manual and pedal Dobson organ in the chapel of Westminster Presbyterian Church. I thought the partita to be excellent and well written, and I purchased a copy of the score from Concordia Publishing House in the Vendor Room at the Hilton Hotel. I decided I would play this as a prelude at House of Prayer Lutheran Church in Escondido, California, where I serve as organist, for the Sunday commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation. You can purchase the music from Concordia Publishing House in Saint Louis, Missouri. The piece is in four voices; the hymn tune appears in the tenor voice. I use the trumpet stop. I think the counterpoint is well crafted. In my opinion, the piece is a pleasure to play and to hear.”

To hear Henry’s recording on YouTube, Click Here.