Music @ St. John's

Music is an integral part of the life at St. John's Lutheran Church.  The St. John's Chorale, comprised of volunteers and paid singers, provides music for worship the 11:00am service each week. The choir, under the direction of Daniel Damaschke and Brink Norton, consistently prepares beautiful music to praise God and enhance the worship experience for the congregation.  

The St. John's Handbell Choir provides music on special occasions. This group of volunteers performs on three octaves of handbells and hand chimes.

The St. John's Children's Choir provides special music during worship a few times each year, and finishes the year with our annual Christmas Pageant

History of Music at St. John's

Jacob Eckhard began as the first organist and choirmaster soon after the church was constructed. A Thomas Hall pipe organ was installed in 1823 in the current church and the case for that instrument still fronts the current Shantz instrument which includes a trompette en chamade.

A nineteen-bell carillon that may be played from the organ console was placed in the steeple in 1992. The carillon strikes the hours and automatically plays hymn melodies on a regular schedule. The organist also plays additional hymns and melodies for special occasions such as weddings or special community events.

St. John's is proud to participate in the Spoleto Organ recital series with a number of public performances conducted each year in the sanctuary. The rich acoustics of the building provide an almost mystical performance space for both choral and organ recitals. The church's Arts Council also sponsors a variety of other concerts through the year to enrich the musical heritage of the city, as well as music programs for and from the congregation.

St. John's Lutheran  Church Pipe Organ

Jacob Eckhard began as the first organist and choirmaster soon after the church was constructed. A Thomas Hall pipe organ was installed in 1823 in the current church and the case for that instrument still fronts the current 1965 Shantz instrument (33 ranks, rebuilt 1991) which includes a trompette en chamade (specifications listed below).

A nineteen-bell carillon that may be played from the organ console was placed in the steeple in 1992. The carillon strikes the hours and automatically plays hymn melodies on a regular schedule. The organist also plays additional hymns and melodies for special occasions such as weddings or special community events.

Full Organ Information

St. John's Lutheran Church Carillon

On Easter Sunday, April 19, 1992, as part of its 250th Anniversary, St. John's Lutheran Church dedicated the Haymaker-Vogelgesang Carillon, consisting of nineteen bells. The bells were cast in Ammecy-Ie-Vieux, France, by the Paccard-Fonderie de Cloches. The largest bell, a swinging bell, weighs about 1500 pounds and is rung as a "call to worship" bell. It forms the bass note of the carillon which covers the range from G3 to G5. The smallest bell weighs 71 pounds.

Betty Bell 1Each bell bears the inscription of its donor and a biblical inscription, selected from the "I am ... " statements in scripture. The bells were installed by Paccard representatives at the Van Bergen Bellfoundries, Inc., of Charleston.

The carillon strikes the hours and automatically plays hymn melodies on a regular schedule. Additional hymns and melodies for special occasions such as weddings or special community events can be played from the organ console.

Betty Bell 3The carillon was made possible by the endowed bell fund given by the late Dr. Richard E. Haymaker in memory of his mother, Emma Vogelgesang Haymaker, and by gifts of St. John's members and friends.

St. John's original bell was installed in 1859 but was removed two years later and given to the Confederacy to be melted down for gun metal.

St. John's swinging bell weighs 1500 lbs. and is the largest of the 19 bell carillon.