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Church concerts are music to community ’ s ears during CO�ID �RITTEN �Y �U��A �ART�N
�hen COVID forced the Rev . Melissa Hall of St . James �piscopal Church to shutter the magnificent stone house of worship on Valley Road in Upper Montclair , it pained her deeply . During other crises , such as 9�11 and Superstorm Sandy , the church had opened its doors tooffer the community shelter and comfort . At the same time , Sean Price , the director of music ministries , had been wondering how hecould bring music to acongregation that couldn ’ t attend church . He had more time on his hands , too , since he ’ dbeen furloughed from his job as head sommelier at the Daniel Boulud restaurant DB Bistro Moderne in New York City .
So when Hall asked if he would be willing to play the tower chimes once or twice aweek to “ reassure people we are here , no matter what happens ,” he responded with acounter-offer� “ How about every day� ”
�ach noontime , seven days a week for more than ayear , Price has mounted the narrow circular stairs in the stone tower and coa�ed melodies out of the 11 enormous bells hanging above him in the belfry . Weighing 1� , 000 pounds , they date to the tower ’ s construction in 1919� seven are dedicated to parishioners who died in World War I . “ It ’ satreat for me to play , and for people tolisten to , because it ’ s the real bell sound ,” says Price , who has undergraduate and master ’ s degrees from Westminster
Choir College in Princeton and studied harpsichord performance at Juilliard .
The noontime concerts , 1� minutes of hymns and secular pieces , have developed a following in the Upper Montclair shopping district . People drawn to the bells ’ resonant sound , which can be heard up to �miles away , often gather on the lawn to listen . “ It ’ s been a lifesaver ,” says Anne Ross , a 91-year-old town resident . “ It gets me up and out every day .”
CONC�RT� W�T� A����� St . James Episcopal Church ’ s central location at �alley Road and �ellevue Avenue in Upper Montclair lends itself to noontime entertainment .
St . James is one of only afew churches in the country whose tower bells can still be operated manually . Today , most churches broadcast prerecorded chimes from speakers in the belfry .
Before COVID , playing the bells was something Price , who also plays the organ and directs the choir for Sunday services , did only on rare occasions . With no heat in the tower , and the difficulty of finding and adapting songs based on just 11 tones , it ’ s a bit of a hardship post .
“ You can only play two orthree different keys in one octave ,” he says . “ You have to figure out ways to make a song work without deviating too far from the main melody . Alot of songs just don ’ t work .”
The concerts are also physically demanding� Price must rapidly push down large wooden levers to activate wires attached to each bell ’ s clapper . “ One thing I ’ ll never play again is Glenn Miller ’ s �In the Mood ,’” he says . “ It ’ s too complicated and way too fast . I thought my arm was going to fall off .”
Since many aren ’ t familiar with the hymns , he says , he ’ ll often include a recognizable , playful tune like “ Baby Shark ” or “ B-I-N-G-O ,” along with apiece from the ’ �0s , ’ �0s or ’ �0s , his favorite musical period .
Despite the challenges , Price has missed only afew days since March �0�0 �once when a wire snapped and someone from the McShane Bell �oundry , which dates to 1856 , had to come from Baltimore to repair it , and another time when he was “ sick as a dog ” after his vaccination . He has no plans to stop the noon concerts , but may have tocut back as restaurants reopen and his sommelier duties resume .
Meanwhile , he is still attracting fans . Mary Stein , who lives in Wayne , says she ’ d just come out of ashop on Valley Road when she heard the “ beautiful sounds of �Amazing Grace ’” and crossed the street to stand on the church lawn and listen . “ It brightened my day , that ’ s for sure ,” she says . ■
TARI� ZE�A�I
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MAY 2021 MONTCLAIR MAGAZINE