Eclipsing the back wall of the stage, 5,356 brass and wooden pipes dwarfed the keyboard where a petite organist sat.
The room darkened, and Melanie Yeager, one of six students in UF’s Organ Studio, a pipe organ performance program, set her fingers to the keys.
The Andrew Anderson Memorial Organ was played publicly for the last time this semester on Monday night, showcasing the few UF musicians with the expertise to touch the historic instrument.
More than 60 people attended the recital, an improvement from the average attendance of about 50.
Laura Ellis, associate professor of music and director of the Organ Studio, said she was pleased with the turnout.
“Since we have such a wonderful instrument, it is natural for there to be an organ studio at UF,” she said.
According to Ellis, the Andrew Anderson Memorial Organ is one of the largest in the southeastern U.S.
“It’s quite a draw for potential students,” she said.
The organ was certainly one of the assets that attracted Erica Wessling, a third-year German major and pipe organ performance minor.
“I like the versatility of the instrument,” said Wessling, who played Johannes Brahms’ “Es ist ein ros’ entsprungen” and both “Prelude in G Major” and “In dulci jubilo” by Johann Sebastian Bach.
“You can play pieces from different time periods, and it sounds authentic,” she said.
Students performed 10 compositions, ranging from baroque and Renaissance pieces to modern melodies.
Though the organ recital was the 39th program in the 2009-2010 School of Music Events Series, this particular recital happens only once every semester.
The next organ recital will be held on Jan. 8 and will feature Ellis, who also plays the harpsichord and the carillon, the Century Tower bells heard throughout the day on the UF campus.
