Organ recital at the cathedral

DATELINE  Bishop Serratelli dedicated and blessed the refurbished organ in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist here on Sunday, April 15, before a recital by Stephen Tharp, a world-renowned musician, composer, recording artist and educator.

The Paterson-based Peragallo Organ Company, which had designed and built the organ for the Cathedral, sponsored the 4 p.m. concert, which also commemorated the 100th anniversary of the company and was part of ongoing celebrations for the 80th anniversary of the Diocese. Tharp performed pieces by Louis Marchand, Frederic Chopin, Henri Mulet, Jeanne Demessieux, Cesar Franck and Franz Liszt, along with his own work. Bishop Serratelli also delivered remarks in the second half of the recital.

Under the leadership of Bishop Serratelli, the Cathedral was completely restored in 2017, which included a new design that sought to restore the music ministry to sing from on high in the choir loft. The architectural vision of the pipe facade design allows full visibility of the gallery windows, which were previously hidden by the original organ design. John Peragallo III, Frank Peragallo and their sons, Anthony and John IV, were directed to refurbish the instrument.

Preston Dibble, the diocesan music director, helped refine the specification of the pipe organ to create an instrument to fully support diocesan liturgical celebrations. The organ now includes 53 ranks of pipework, embodied by 2,967 individual pipes. Ten ranks of pipes date back to the original 1880 Erben organ. In the French cathedral tradition, an Orgue-de-choeur, (choir organ) has been provided in the new twin cases in the sanctuary.

Henry Erben Company of New York originally installed the Cathedral pipe organ in the late 1800s.