Church organist, 91, spread his love of music
POSTED:   04/29/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
By Virginia Culver
The Denver Post


Austin Lovelace, nationally known composer and church organist, died Sunday. He was 91.
A service is planned at 2 p.m. May 15 at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St. He was Montview minister of music 1964 until 1970.
"He was internationally known for his compositions," said Mark Alan Filbert, dean of the Denver chapter of the American Guild of Organists and organist/choir director at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill.
Lovelace got his first job as a church organist when he was 15 and went on to do workshops and recitals in 45 states and six countries, according to a 2009 Denver Post story.
"He was talented, always thinking, always creating, always accessible, never aloof or arrogant," said Michael Pohlenz, music director at Wellshire Presbyterian Church, where Lovelace had been music minister from 1977 until retiring in 1986.
Between those jobs, he was minister of music at Lovers Lane Methodist Church in Dallas.
He was working on a choir anthem when he became ill in March, said his daughter, Barbara Lovelace Williams of Denver.
"Kids loved him," said his daughter, who was always in his choirs when she was growing up.
"He believed in cradle-to-grave music programs" at churches, said Filbert. "He was a demanding but nurturing teacher."
Austin Lovelace loved sacred music but also loved jazz. Twice, he had jazz luminaries — Dave Brubeck and Duke Ellington, both with their bands — join the choir at Montview for performances.
"People were dancing in the aisles," recalled his daughter.
Lovelace, known for his sense of humor, wrote five books, including "Hymns That Jesus Would Not Have Liked." His daughter especially remembers one, "When the Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-Ling for You and Not for Me," which was actually a hymn title.
Lovelace lectured on church music across the U.S. and other countries. He taught at several colleges, including Iliff School of Theology in Denver.
Austin C. Lovelace was born March 26, 1919, in Rutherfordton, N.C., and began piano duets with his brother, Marc Lovelace, when he was "10 or 11," his daughter said. He earned his bachelor's degree in music at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and his doctorate in sacred music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
He married Pauline Palmer on May 21, 1941. "She was his page turner," said their daughter.
He was a chaplain's assistant in the Navy and served as minister of music in Illinois and New York churches before coming to Montview. He finished his church career at Wellshire but was still filling in as organist at area churches when he was 87.
He told a Denver Post reporter last year that he hadn't "felt comfortable" at his last performance and decided that was it. "It's always best to quit playing before someone asks you to quit," he said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by a grandson.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or [email protected]

Church organist, 91, spread his love of music
POSTED:   04/29/2010 01:00:00 AM MDT
By Virginia Culver
The Denver Post


Austin Lovelace, nationally known composer and church organist, died Sunday. He was 91.
A service is planned at 2 p.m. May 15 at Montview Boulevard Presbyterian Church, 1980 Dahlia St. He was Montview minister of music 1964 until 1970.
"He was internationally known for his compositions," said Mark Alan Filbert, dean of the Denver chapter of the American Guild of Organists and organist/choir director at St. Paul Lutheran Church on Capitol Hill.
Lovelace got his first job as a church organist when he was 15 and went on to do workshops and recitals in 45 states and six countries, according to a 2009 Denver Post story.
"He was talented, always thinking, always creating, always accessible, never aloof or arrogant," said Michael Pohlenz, music director at Wellshire Presbyterian Church, where Lovelace had been music minister from 1977 until retiring in 1986.
Between those jobs, he was minister of music at Lovers Lane Methodist Church in Dallas.
He was working on a choir anthem when he became ill in March, said his daughter, Barbara Lovelace Williams of Denver.
"Kids loved him," said his daughter, who was always in his choirs when she was growing up.
"He believed in cradle-to-grave music programs" at churches, said Filbert. "He was a demanding but nurturing teacher."
Austin Lovelace loved sacred music but also loved jazz. Twice, he had jazz luminaries — Dave Brubeck and Duke Ellington, both with their bands — join the choir at Montview for performances.
"People were dancing in the aisles," recalled his daughter.
Lovelace, known for his sense of humor, wrote five books, including "Hymns That Jesus Would Not Have Liked." His daughter especially remembers one, "When the Bells of Hell Go Ting-a-Ling for You and Not for Me," which was actually a hymn title.
Lovelace lectured on church music across the U.S. and other countries. He taught at several colleges, including Iliff School of Theology in Denver.
Austin C. Lovelace was born March 26, 1919, in Rutherfordton, N.C., and began piano duets with his brother, Marc Lovelace, when he was "10 or 11," his daughter said. He earned his bachelor's degree in music at Wake Forest University in North Carolina and his doctorate in sacred music at Union Theological Seminary in New York City.
He married Pauline Palmer on May 21, 1941. "She was his page turner," said their daughter.
He was a chaplain's assistant in the Navy and served as minister of music in Illinois and New York churches before coming to Montview. He finished his church career at Wellshire but was still filling in as organist at area churches when he was 87.
He told a Denver Post reporter last year that he hadn't "felt comfortable" at his last performance and decided that was it. "It's always best to quit playing before someone asks you to quit," he said.
In addition to his wife and daughter, he is survived by a grandson.
Virginia Culver: 303-954-1223 or [email protected]