John T. Fesperman

John T. Fesperman (1925 Charlotte, NC, USA – June 2, 2001 Mitchellville, MD, USA) was an American conductor, organist and author of several books on organs. From 1965 to 1995 he worked at the Division of Musical Instruments at the National Museum of History and Technology, part of the Smithsonian Institution.^[1]

Career

Fesperman attended the University of North Carolina, cutting short his studies to serve in the U.S. Navy (1943–1946) during World War II. He earned a B.S. degree from Davidson College (1948) and a B.Mus. degree at the Yale University School of Music (1951). He also studied at the Salzburg Mozarteum in 1951. In 1955 he was awarded a Fulbright scholarship to continue his studies in Amsterdam, where he met the famous Dutch organ-builder Dirk Andries Flentrop.^[1] Later he was to write a book on Flentrop's influence in the United States.^[2] He and Flentrop co-authored a paper on The Organs of Mexico City Cathedral, published by the Smithsonian in 1986.^[3]

Fesperman began teaching music at the Alabama College in Montevallo, Alabama.^[4] In 1958 he was the director of the choir at the St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Montevallo.^[5] He then moved to Boston where he taught organ at the New England Conservatory. During this time he was active in arranging concerts and recorded several vocal works and organ masses. In 1965 he accepted a position at the National Museum of History and Technology (Smithsonian), staying with that institution in various capacities for the next thirty years.^[4] While at the Smithsonian, Fesperman was able to assist in restoration projects and in the planning and design of new organs for various buildings. For example, he assisted in restoration of the 1855 Stevens and Jewett organ at the Armed Forces Retirement Home Protestant Chapel in Washington, DC.^[6] He consulted on the organ installation the Pohick Episcopal Church in Lorton, Virginia.^[7] Fesperman retired from the Smithsonian in 1995, and died at the age of 76 on June 2, 2001.^[4]

Philosophy

Fesperman was an advocate of instrument makers who worked in the classic tradition.^[1] However, he did not always agree with traditional practices. He felt that the best placement of an organ was centered on the long axis of the room. He said "among the worst possible solutions is to divide the organ in chambers on either side of the choir of the church" – although this was common practice before the 1950s.^[8] In his 1970 book A Snetzler chamber organ of 1761 Felderman took a positive view of "Residence organs", organs installed in people's homes, which were popular in the 18th century and had experienced a revival in the United States in the mid-1950s.^[9] He was a supporter of the mechanical stop-action, which he praised for its simplicity of engineering and for the advantages it provided to the player.^[10]

Bibliography

• John T. Fesperman (1962). The organ as musical medium. Coleman-Ross Co.. 
• John T. Fesperman (1970). "A Snetzler chamber organ of 1761". Issue 8 of Smithsonian studies in history and technology (Smithsonian Institution Press). 
• John T. Fesperman (1975). Two essays on organ design. Sunbury Press. ISBN 0915548011. 
• John T. Fesperman, Scott Odell (1980). Organs in Mexico. Sunbury Press. ISBN 0915548070. 
• Arend Jan Gierveld, John T. Fesperman (1981). Antieke nederlandse huisorgels uit het bezit van Dirk Andries Flentrop. 
• Arend Jan Gierveld, John T. Fesperman (1981). The Flentrop collection of Dutch chamber organs. Sunbury Press. ISBN 0915548135. 
• Episcopal Church, John T. Fesperman, Joyce Glover, Raymond F. Glover, Marion J. Hatchett, Marilyn J. Keiser, Dennis Schmidt (1981). Hymnal Studies. Church Hymnal Corp.. 
• John T. Fesperman (1982). Flentrop in America: an account of the work and influence of the Dutch organ builder D.A. Flentrop in the United States, 1939–1977. Sunbury Press. ISBN 0915548143. 
• John T. Fesperman (1984). Organ planning: asking the right questions. Church Publishing, Inc.. ISBN 0898691095. 

References