WORDS OF ALBERT SCHWEITZER AND THE MUSIC OF BACH AT ST. PHILIP'S
EPISCOPAL CHURCH, APRIL 16, 2004

   This multimedia drama was written by Thurston Moore and his late wife
Georgianna, who together also founded Tennessee Players Inc. It is aimed
not just at preserving Schweitzer's memory and ideals, but at spreading
them as well. The relation between Schweitzer - also an accomplished
organist - and the music of Bach is included. The drama opened with
projected images of Schweitzer in various settings and a playback of
Bach's Toccata in d Minor, as orchestrated by the conductor Leopold
Stowkowski (himself an organist earlier in his career). Immediately
afterwards organist Robert Knupp played the Fugue (BWV565) that is
normally paired with the Toccata, giving it a performace both brilliant
and dramatic. In the trialogue that followed, Don Lacy took the role of
Schweitzer, with Jean Smith Vaughan and Ferrell Tadlock as Woman and
Man, respectively, who alternately questioned Schweitzer and commented
on his life. During all this images were following one another on the
screen, and more Bach organ music was played, by Knupp and by David
O'Steen, organist at St. Philip's Church and host. These included
"Now Is Come the Heathen's Saviour" (BWV659), "Blessed Jesus, We Are
Here"(BWV731),"By the Waters of Babylob" (BWV653), "Kyrie, God, Holy
Ghost" (BWV671) and the Andante from the Trio Sonata #3 in d Minor
(BWV527).

   Areas covered in Schweitzer's life included his musical activities,
especially his love of the music of Bach, the organ as instrument, and
the many organ concerts he gave; his decision to study medicine just to
be able to minister to his fellow man in Lambarene, in Equatorial
Africa; and his philosophy, which he called "Reverence for Life",
and which extended far beyond humans. Despite his hope for humankind,
he recognized the overall environmental crisis, with the famous comment
"Man has lost the capacity to foresee and to forestall. He will end by
destroying the earth." In spite of that he never wavered in his work.

   The production covered these areas with appropriate images, of
Schweitzer at different ages, with different people, doing different
things, and in different parts of the world; finding all these images
and organizing them was clearly a monumental task, but obviously also
a labor of love for the Moores. The dramatic interplay between the
characters was varied, and included a number of questions directed to
Schweitzer, questions that brought forth profound answers. Near the end
David O'Steen played Bach's Triple Fugue in Eb (St. Anne; BWV552),
in which Bach matched Schweitzer in profundity. O'Steen's playing was
stunning.

   That Schweitzer's message to the world is desperately needed in our
day was made abundantly clear by Moore's dramatization, and we are
grateful to the actors Lacy, Smith, Tadlock, and musicians Knupp and
O'Steen for bringing it so vividly to life. 
                                                     - Glenn A. Gentry