This post is dedicated to my significantly influential musical mentor, John Von Spreckelsen. Please help us to know his whereabouts and/or condition.
As a child, I first met John when he, one Sunday, visited and performed in our church. I believe that John was visiting a family in the church with whom he was friends. John had one of the most beautiful tenor voices I had ever heard. I have distinct memories of John singing “I’ll Tell The World (That I’m A Christian).” However, I’m not at all sure whether that memory was from that initial encounter, or a later one. John was then Minister of Music and organist at an Episcopal church in Selma, I believe. And, he also taught private students: piano, organ, and voice. It was significant that John was a composer and was a wonderful improviser. My musical life was changed by observing him transform hymns into his own creations which were things of beauty. He had at least one published composition, the song: “Little Willie Evergreen.” My family performed (another story) a version of Little Willie Evergreen that my mother arranged for our family ensemble.
My family developed an ongoing friendship and love for this gentle, dear man that continued actively for a number of years. During these years, I was taken to Birmingham (Pinson) several times for lessons from John, during which he assisted me in my quest to learn to improvise. He instructed me that: “When you are improvising—there is no such thing as a mistake…” At the time, I had much trouble understanding the depth of that statement… However, over the years I have been able to understand the permission to explore afforded by embracing that axiom.
Several years after I graduated from Samford University, during the period I returned to Birmingham, I challenged myself to audition as piano soloist in the annual Birmingham Symphony auditions. During that time I took extra lessons from my former piano professor at Samford, Witold Turciewicz. Shortly before the audition, I went to visit John for an extended weekend, during which he coached me on the pieces I had chosen: The Mendelssohn “Capriccio Brillant” and Cesar Franck’s “Symphonic Variations.” I spent a great deal of time in preparation, but was not a winner of the Auditions. Nonetheless, I gained a great deal from my study of those two pieces that I intend to eventually record as part of my goal to record every significant musical work I’ve ever played.
I lost touch with John completely after he sold most of his Selma home’s contents, including his beautiful Kawai baby-grand, and moved to San Francisco. As the Internet initially came online I made a number of phone calls to Von Spreckelsen phone numbers I had found in Ohio. I eventually contacted a family member, who told me that they also had lost John. I feared he was dead—but, was unable to find him in the Social Security Death Index.
Sometime in the late 1990’s, John called my parents out of the blue… His health had deteriorated because he was one of those–unlucky enough to have been stuck with “post-polio syndrome.” As if his first 1950’s battle with polo had not been devastating enough, the second occurrence left him significantly weakened. For the next couple of years, John and I continued to talk by phone at least semi-annually. It was during this time that I asked John for permission to record “Little Willie Evergreen.” He enthusiastically approved my request. It was several years before Roberta and I recorded our arrangement of “Little Willy Evergreen” in 2008 as part of 2008’s Christmas Project.
Sometime about 2006, John moved from his apartment in San Francisco and I lost him. I was able to finally reach a friend of his who told me that John had come out of the hospital after a serious illness. I asked his friend to help me to know his progress. Since that time, I have been unable to contact my dear friend and mentor.
If you read this and know any information concerning John Von Spreckelsen, I will be indebted if you will share what you know about John, via the “Leave a comment” contact form below. If you knew John and/or have stories about how his life touched yours, please share them with our readers.
Sincerely,
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