Holiday Music from 1960s Cleveland

After my post of Christmas music from Oberlin College, a few readers thanked me for presenting local artists. So here is an excellent holiday LP from one of the great churches in nearby Cleveland.

It originates from the Church of the Covenant, a Presbyterian congregation in University Circle, just a block away from Severance Hall. The Covenant, as it is called, has a long-standing and robust music program, well displayed in this album, which I believe dates from the mid to late 1960s.

Side 1 of Music at the Covenant, presents Christmas music, with side 2 focusing primarily on Easter.

Henry Fusner

Leading the Covenant Choir is church music director and organist Henry Fusner, who was in residence there from 1956-70, before moving on to a long career in Nashville. Joy Lawrence directs the delightful Youth Choirs and Bell Ringers. The soloists are Cinderella Paradiso, soprano, Ruth Porter, contralto, William Martin, tenor, and Marshall Bell, baritone.

As you might expect, the choir handles Romantic and 20th century works more smoothly than Palestrina and Gibbons. But the standard of execution is impressive, and this program is sure to please. The sound is high quality mono, engineered by Vlad Maleckar, who was responsible for Cleveland Orchestra broadcasts for many years.

The recording was presumably made in the church, an imposing Ralph Adams Cram design dating from 1911.

Church of the Covenant