{"id":47536,"date":"2020-10-27T16:22:03","date_gmt":"2020-10-27T20:22:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/?p=47536"},"modified":"2020-10-29T09:26:18","modified_gmt":"2020-10-29T13:26:18","slug":"bishops-mantle-john-horst-a-music-man-for-all-seasons","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2020\/bishops-mantle-john-horst-a-music-man-for-all-seasons\/","title":{"rendered":"Bishop’s Mantle: John Horst, a music man for all seasons"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In his “Bishop’s Mantle” column in a recent Daily News-Record (10\/24\/2020), Jim Bishop ’67<\/strong> offers this appreciation of fellow music-lover and radio DJ John L. Horst Jr<\/strong>. \u201960<\/strong>, emeritus professor of physics.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jim shares hopes that the article provides “more recognition for John’s extensive efforts to preserve and promote traditional Mennonite music.” Think of it as a companion piece to EMU’s more general appreciation<\/a> of John and his many gifts.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sadly, the live voice is now silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Happily, his recorded voice, and the music he promoted so earnestly, remains in his wake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John L. Horst, Jr., of Park Village, Harrisonburg, died Sept. 16 at age 82 at the University of Virginia Hospital from aftereffects of a subdural hematoma suffered during a fall. He leaves behind his spouse of 48 years, Joan Graybill Horst, son Michael, daughter Grete and five grandchildren \u2013 and a rich educational and musical legacy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Music has played a vital role in John\u2019s life from childhood. Born in Connellsville, Pa., and raised in nearby Scottdale, John sang in a high school male quartet that reached state-level competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He earned a degree in mathematics and music at then-EMC in 1960 and did graduate work in physics education at the University of Virginia and additional graduate work in music. He taught at Eastern Mennonite High School three years and then moved to the college, where he spent 37 years as an associate professor of physics and mathematics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
John records his program, “Mostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella,” in the WEMC studio (Photo by Joan Graybill Horst)<\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

John was a vocalist and composer most of his life, writing works for piano, synthesizer and carillon as well as hymns and hymn arrangements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of John\u2019s most avid pursuits has been \u201cMostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella,\u201d a radio program he developed in 2003 at WEMC, the university\u2019s non-commercial FM radio station that is now managed by sister public radio station WMRA.                                                                                     <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The program title, suggested by former WEMC station manager Phil Easley, aptly describes this unique radio program. It features Mennonite and related Anabaptist groups\u2019 music while including selections from other choral traditions, particularly Lutheran, Anglican and Russian Orthodox. The emphasis is on hymns and anthems rather than extended choral works. John would occasionally throw in \u201csome good instrumentals\u201d for a change of pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John relished featuring local choral groups such as schools, the Shenandoah Valley Children\u2019s Choir, Sons of the Day, Shekinah, the Rockingham Male Chorus along with other frequently-played groups such as The Mountain Anthems of Salisbury, Pa., The Table Singers of Lancaster, Pa., the West Coast Mennonite Men\u2019s Chorus and others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Horst welcomed recordings from music groups across the country as well as from listeners\u2019 private collections, and if the sound quality and music style fit the program, he\u2019d use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Regular listeners grew accustomed to hearing selections from the \u201cMennonite Hour\u201d radio broadcast that in its prime aired weekly on more than 100 radio stations throughout the United States and Canada. John sang bass in the program\u2019s male quartet for seven years in the late 50\u2019s and early 60\u2019s as well as in the Men\u2019s Chorus and Mixed Chorus.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Between 2001 and 2012, John lovingly produced nine digitally-remastered compact disc albums drawing from the more than 800 songs in the \u201cMennonite Hour\u201d program archives and wrote liner notes for each one. These discs are still available for purchase from Dorothy Hartman (dorothyhartman@comcast.net<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJohn Horst was a generous and kind radio host. He loved sharing new music from the Mennonite community and beyond while also keeping older recordings and music alive,\u201d noted WMRA\/WEMC general manager Matt Bingay. \u201cAccording to our audience survey data, \u2018Mostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella\u2019 was one of the most popular programs on WEMC. It was the \u2018Car Talk\u2019 of the WEMC program lineup.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For EMU\u2019s Centennial year, 2017, John put together a CD album of \u201cEMC\/EMU\u2019s Greatest Choral and Orchestral Hits.\u201d The 26-track recording of \u201cmusic from the past\u201d featured acapella chapel singing, choral and instrumental groups and cantata excerpts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He directed the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium in the Suter Science Center for many years, often composing music \u2013 usually synthesizer \u2013 to accompany the program narrative with the Spitz planetarium projector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Park View Mennonite Church, where he was a member for nearly 55 years, John sang in the choir. He sang with several community choirs over the years, including the Rockingham Male Chorus, the Shenandoah Valley Bach Festival chorus and most recently the Valley Collegium Musicum.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John also relished participating in the frequent \u201cHarmonia Sacra\u201d hymn sings held in the Valley, leading hymns and providing information on each selection.  Harmonia Sacra is a shape-note tune book originally published in 1832 by Joseph Funk of Singers Glen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John and I definitely shared a passion for seeking to preserve and promote music from the past \u2013 his the distinctive, four-part acapella singing tradition that appears to be an \u201cendangered species\u201d in the world of Mennonite melody, mine the roots of rock \u2018n\u2019 roll music of the 1950\u2019s. Somewhat ironically, we seemed to admire and encourage each other\u2019s efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJohn was a most remarkable man and one of the most forward-thinking persons I knew of, musically, and in so many other ways,\u201d said Carol Ann Weaver of Waterloo, Ont., a former EMU music faculty member.  \u201cHe was there, musically, long before anyone else I knew in my own community, and he always stayed on that exciting, narrow path of search and discovery, so very vital for the continuation of our human species and for our living in harmony with the wider world around us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WEMC, 91.7 FM (wemcradio.org) plans to continue airing \u201cMostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella\u201d at its regular program times, 8-9:30 a.m. Sundays with repeat broadcasts 8-9:30 p.m. Wednesdays through the end of December in John\u2019s memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How can we keep from singing along?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In his “Bishop’s Mantle” column in a recent Daily News-Record (10\/24\/2020), Jim Bishop ’67 offers this appreciation of fellow music-lover and radio DJ John L. Horst Jr. \u201960, emeritus professor of ... read more about Bishop’s Mantle: John Horst, a music man for all seasons<\/span><\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47537,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[266,7931,17562,5183],"tags":[],"feature":[],"class_list":["post-47536","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumni","category-arts","category-digest","category-music"],"yoast_head":"\nBishop's Mantle: John Horst, a music man for all seasons - EMU News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/emu.edu\/now\/news\/2020\/bishops-mantle-john-horst-a-music-man-for-all-seasons\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bishop's Mantle: John Horst, a music man for all seasons - EMU News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In his “Bishop’s Mantle” column in a recent Daily News-Record (10\/24\/2020), Jim Bishop ’67 offers this appreciation of fellow music-lover and radio DJ John L. 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