Dr. Jacob Hofeling performs stellar organ recital
Dr. Hofeling demonstrated his outstanding ability in the first performance of Bethel College's Organ Recital Series.
This week, on Tuesday Nov. 12, Dr. Jacob Hofeling, the current Director of Music and Liturgy at St. Mark Catholic Church, came to campus and performed an Organ Recital using the organ inside the Administration Building Chapel.
Hofeling is a very talented organist. He has earned Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts (organ) degrees from the University of Kansas. He also has multiple master's degrees in music theory, in which he focuses specifically on “the complex rhyming structures in the organ music of Jean-Louis Florentz,” Hofeling states.
For this event, in particular, students, faculty, and community members were invited to enjoy the wonderful music that Hofeling was providing. The music was inspired by two several elements, including the organ, modern technology and science fiction.
Hofeling chose to achieve those themes through music in general pop culture. The specific examples he used include music from Interstellar followed by an improvisation to accompany a silent film.
The program started with the song “Fanfare for the Common Man.” This tune was written by Aaron Copland, who "has the connotation of heroism and pomp that often accompany sci-fi films,” Hofeling informs.
Next, Hofeling played a song entitled “Critical Mass.” This song was written by James Mobberly, and Hofeling states it “refers to the idea of critical mass in physics and chemistry.”
Hofeling enjoys adding elements of improvisation to his recitals. In one section of the program, he played the organ whilst the audience watched a silent film titled La Voyage dans le Lune, which roughly translates to “A Trip To The Moon.” This movie was released in 1902 and “is one of the earliest science fiction films ever created,” says Hoffeling.
Hofeling shared with the audience that this film was inspired by Jules Vern’s From The Earth To The Moon. For this particular section, he had only a few ideas of how he was going to play; other than that, he was going off his instinct and skills.
In Dr. Jacob Hofeling's words, the evening “promises to be a fascinating program on Bethel's delightful instrument.” Based on the reaction of the audience, it’s safe to say this prediction was accurate.