“A Celebration of the Hammond Organ: An Afternoon of Sacred Organ Music” will be held Sunday, December 15, at 3 p.m. at Angel Visit Baptist Church, 29566 Tidewater Trail, Dunnsville. Virtuoso organists Milton L. Beale and the Reverend John E. Nickens will demonstrate through their music the influence of the Hammond organ on the African-American worship experience.
Developed in the 1930s as a smaller, less expensive alternative to the pipe organ, the Hammond organ with its distinctive sound has had a major impact on the evolution of gospel music. According to music historian Bob Marovich, editor-in-chief of the Journal of Gospel Music, by contrast to a pipe organ “the Hammond organ can shout.”
Mark your calendars and plan to celebrate a ministry in song with these veteran musicians, each of whom has played the organ for more than 50 years. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call 804-443-5977.
