Tribute to Abner Martin, Founding Conductor of Menno Singers
Mark Diller Harder, Menno Singers President
On Friday, November 23, 2018, Abner Martin passed away after a long and fruitful life. Our deepest prayers and support go to his wife Shirley Martin and their entire family.
Abner Martin was the founding artistic director and conductor of Menno Singers in 1955. It was his dream and vision as a young musician and recent graduate of Rockway Mennonite High School. He wanted to establish a choir dedicated to quality choral and sacred music, sung for the joy of singing, and with utmost care, musicianship and professional standards. He gathered many other recent grads (from Rockway and Goshen College) and passionate musicians. His expectations were high! The choir rehearsed Saturday evenings and only performed when the music was fully ready. For many years, the music was predominately a cappella, slowly introducing instrumental accompaniment and full orchestral support.
In 1962 the choir first presented Bach’s Mass in B Minor with orchestra and soloists. Abner also invited a broader community of singers to form together as Mennonite Mass Choir to perform larger choral works. The first of many Messiahs was performed in 1974. Abner directed both choirs until he retired in 1979 after twenty years of involvement with Menno Singers. It is hard to fully measure the huge influence Abner Martin and Menno Singers had on the musical depth and breadth of local Mennonite congregations and the broader community.
I personally began as a singer in Menno Singers in 1993 and have had the privilege of serving as its President for many years. While Abner was no longer the artistic director, his influence and presence were still felt and experienced in many ways. His vision continued to shape the choir and he was seen as a mentor and strong supporter. I have enjoyed many good and stimulating conversations with Abner after one of our performances or in Toronto as he supported his daughter Stephanie in her years of directing Pax Christi, our sister Mennonite-rooted choir. He was articulate and well versed and could add his sharp wit and insights to any topic.
I also happen to be one of the pastors at St Jacobs Mennonite Church, a home congregation for Abner earlier in life and where he led singing and shaped congregational song and good music for many years. That has been a neat connection for me. One of my strongest memories of Abner is him once again conducting Menno Singers in a Hans Leo Hassler piece (sung at Menno Singer’s inaugural concert) for our 60th Anniversary Celebration Concert, held at St Jacobs Mennonite Church three years ago. He also shared a profound and challenging talk that night on the role and joy of sacred music and what it can do to create unity in our fragmented technological world. I re-read his talk this week and was once again filled with gratitude for Abner, his musical and communal vision and the choir he began.
I am left with these words from Abner:
‘I wish that everyone could experience the unique joy of singing in a highly disciplined choir. Singing in a group is all about immersing one’s self into the community of singers where, as one person said, the “I” or the “me” becomes “us”. When all aspects of good choral singing are in perfect sync there is a great bond of unity that comes from the exhilaration of singing a perfectly executed phrase. The reward is in the singing itself.’
Menno Singers is profoundly grateful for the legacy and life of Abner Martin. We offer our prayers, support and thanksgivings.
Requiem æternam dona eis, Domine:
et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Eternal rest give unto them, O Lord,
and let perpetual light shine upon them
Mark Diller Harder
Menno Singers President
Visitation for Abner Martin
Friday, November 30 from 2 to 4pm and 7 to 9pm
Erb and Good Funeral Home
171 King St S, Waterloo N2J 1P7
Funeral for Abner Martin
Saturday, December 1 at 3pm
Waterloo North Mennonite Church
100 Benjamin Road, Waterloo N2J 3Z4
