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. 鈥�60, emeritus professor of physics.
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 黑料正能量’s more general appreciation of John and his many gifts.
Sadly, the live voice is now silent.
Happily, his recorded voice, and the music he promoted so earnestly, remains in his wake.
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 鈥� and a rich educational and musical legacy.
Music has played a vital role in John鈥檚 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.
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.
John was a vocalist and composer most of his life, writing works for piano, synthesizer and carillon as well as hymns and hymn arrangements.
One of John鈥檚 most avid pursuits has been 鈥淢ostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella,鈥� a radio program he developed in 2003 at WEMC, the university鈥檚 non-commercial FM radio station that is now managed by sister public radio station WMRA.
The program title, suggested by former WEMC station manager Phil Easley, aptly describes this unique radio program. It features Mennonite and related Anabaptist groups鈥� 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 鈥渟ome good instrumentals鈥� for a change of pace.
John relished featuring local choral groups such as schools, the Shenandoah Valley Children鈥檚 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鈥檚 Chorus and others.
Horst welcomed recordings from music groups across the country as well as from listeners鈥� private collections, and if the sound quality and music style fit the program, he鈥檇 use them.
Regular listeners grew accustomed to hearing selections from the 鈥淢ennonite Hour鈥� 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鈥檚 male quartet for seven years in the late 50鈥檚 and early 60鈥檚 as well as in the Men鈥檚 Chorus and Mixed Chorus.
Between 2001 and 2012, John lovingly produced nine digitally-remastered compact disc albums drawing from the more than 800 songs in the 鈥淢ennonite Hour鈥� program archives and wrote liner notes for each one. These discs are still available for purchase from Dorothy Hartman (dorothyhartman@comcast.net).
鈥淛ohn 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,鈥� noted WMRA/WEMC general manager Matt Bingay. 鈥淎ccording to our audience survey data, 鈥楳ostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella鈥� was one of the most popular programs on WEMC. It was the 鈥楥ar Talk鈥� of the WEMC program lineup.鈥�
For 黑料正能量鈥檚 Centennial year, 2017, John put together a CD album of 鈥淓MC/黑料正能量鈥檚 Greatest Choral and Orchestral Hits.鈥� The 26-track recording of 鈥渕usic from the past鈥� featured acapella chapel singing, choral and instrumental groups and cantata excerpts.
He directed the M.T. Brackbill Planetarium in the Suter Science Center for many years, often composing music 鈥� usually synthesizer 鈥� to accompany the program narrative with the Spitz planetarium projector.
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.
John also relished participating in the frequent 鈥淗armonia Sacra鈥� 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.
John and I definitely shared a passion for seeking to preserve and promote music from the past 鈥� his the distinctive, four-part acapella singing tradition that appears to be an 鈥渆ndangered species鈥� in the world of Mennonite melody, mine the roots of rock 鈥榥鈥� roll music of the 1950鈥檚. Somewhat ironically, we seemed to admire and encourage each other鈥檚 efforts.
鈥淛ohn was a most remarkable man and one of the most forward-thinking persons I knew of, musically, and in so many other ways,鈥� said Carol Ann Weaver of Waterloo, Ont., a former 黑料正能量 music faculty member. 鈥淗e 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.鈥�
WEMC, 91.7 FM (wemcradio.org) plans to continue airing 鈥淢ostly Mennonite, Mostly Acapella鈥� 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鈥檚 memory.
How can we keep from singing along?