11/26/2025
Congratulations to Dan Locklair for the recent description of ๐ ๐
๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ in The American Organist magazine.
"A Festive Processional (In Gold and Black), Dan Locklair. Subito Music Pubยญlishing, 2025. Locklair composed the original version of this piece in 1993 for the convocations at Wake Forest Univerยญsity, where he recently retired as composer in residence and professor of music. It was first titled In Gold and Black (A Festive
Piece for Organ), apparently named after the school's colors. In 2002 he revised the piece, "not planning for it to be published;' and then rediscovered it again in May of this year, when he made an "extensive reยญvision;' resulting in the present publicaยญtion. It is stately and majestic, with the meter varying between 2/4 and 3/4, mostly fortissimo and fortississimo ( cerยญtainly with the use of a large solo reed if available), going down to forte with warm foundations in the lyrical middle section. It has similarities to the Phoenix Procesยญsional of 1996, in harmonie language and use of crisp 32nd-note figures on top of an underlying quarter-note rhythm (but, alas, there are no pedaล glissandos at the end). A fair amount of the important melodie writing is above the staff, so you would want a registration with broad, high-qualยญity tone in that range. At about five minยญutes long, the piece has provisions for adjusting the length if used as a procesยญsional. It is moderately difficult and would work well as a big voluntary in a service or as a recital piece." THOMAS BOHLERT, FAGO, The American Organist
