When Ralph Hastings ’70, ’73 & ’02 was a graduate student at SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music, his professor, Dr. James Stoltie, handed back a graded paper with a note, “Keep this. You might need it sometime.”
Hastings, an aspiring music teacher, took those words to heart. “I thought, I’d better keep track of it, because I might use it someday… which I did!” Hastings said.
Years later, that paper became the foundation for Hastings’ thesis during his second master’s degree at Crane. What began as a graded assignment evolved into an academic manuscript now housed in the Cook Music Library at Indiana University—one of the world's largest music libraries.
“Ralph’s thesis is an important contribution to the history of organ building in America,” said Professor Emeritus Dr. James Madeja. “As his thesis advisor, I am proud of him and his work, and I am delighted that his manuscript is being well received as an exemplar in historical research in music.”
For Hastings, music was a family following. Both his mother and grandmother were organists and church musicians—and he began to study the instrument at the age of 12 himself. Not only that, his father played the trumpet, and his brother and sister both played trumpet and piano. Hastings himself began his college career at Onondaga Community College before transferring to Crane, where he majored in music education.
Hastings poses for a portrait outside The Crane School of Music.
“From my years at Potsdam and at Crane, it was made clear that to make a difference in one’s life and in the life of others, one has to contribute something—thus you become a part of the ‘spirit of Potsdam’ and the ‘spirit of Crane,’” Hastings said. “The ‘spirit’ was and is reflected by faculty, administration and alumni alike—thus influencing each class of students.”
As an undergraduate, his engagement with the organ continued even as he concentrated in voice.
“During that time, when I was picking up extra credits, Jim Autenrith constructed an independent study course in organ literature for me,” Hastings said. “Years later, I got a call from Jim Madeja, telling me I’d better come and talk to him. When I had completed my master’s in music education, I had taken extra music history seminars and classes in composition and the organ. It turned out that I had 90 credit hours accumulated, and only needed nine more credits to complete a Master of Music degree in music history and literature.”
Hastings ended up putting together a plan to flesh out his original paper into a full-fledged thesis—which would turn into a 725-page manuscript years later. “E. & G. G. Hook and Hastings and Nineteenth Century American Romanticism” traces the history of America’s leading manufacturer of pipe organs in the 19th and early 20th centuries. While writing, Hastings received much-needed assistance from SUNY Distinguished Librarian Edward Komara, director of the Julia Crane Memorial Library at Crane, and himself the author of nine books. "Ralph worked carefully on his text over a long time," Komara remembers. "So, with each passing week, I watched with fascination while he was drafting and revising his pages."
“The monumental scope, depth of research, and quality of writing far surpass that of a typical master’s thesis,” said Professor Emeritus Dr. Gary Busch. “Beyond its obvious relevance to organ scholarship, this study is of value to all with an interest in the wider venue of 19th century American liturgical music in the cultivated tradition. Its richly contextual approach offers a chronicle of the growth of American Romanticism and the effects of American religious movements and urbanization upon a major instrument maker during that period.”
Hastings completed his second set of graduate studies in what little free time he had while teaching music at the Malone Central School District, where he taught for 34 years, and on top of being the organist at Malone’s First Baptist Church.
“In addition to the wealth of material contained in this monograph and the example of high standards in research and writing that it offers to current and prospective Crane students, its excellence attests not only to the work ethic of its author, but also to the academic richness of The Crane School of Music and SUNY Potsdam as a whole,” said Professor Emerita Dr. Nelly Case.
In addition to his scholarly work, Hastings also found time to create new works over the years, having composed, published and premiered multiple pieces for organ and chorus and written articles for The American Organist magazine, published by the American Guild of Organists (of which he served as dean of the St. Lawrence River chapter for a decade).
“Mr. Hastings, also a composer of accessible, yet truly delightful music for organ, has contributed significantly to organ scholarship through this highly detailed work,” said Dr. Michelle Martin-Atwood, an instructor of music theory and organ at Crane. “This study provides a sterling model of the highest standards of excellence in research. Mr. Hastings is owed a debt of gratitude for his careful, fastidious and dedicated work in compiling this immeasurably important information.
Hastings has likewise remained deeply involved with his alma mater and with organizations dedicated to philanthropy and the arts—including as the past president of the Julie E. Crane Alumni Board, and a member of the board for the Orchestra of Northern New York. He is also a member of the Phi Mu Lambda Fraternity, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and the Masonic Lodge and Order of the Eastern Star.
“Being a transfer student from Onondaga Community College and not being a college-bound student in high school, I was nontraditional. However, because of Potsdam’s strong teaching preparation and the importance of one-on-one advisement, I earned three degrees… nontraditional didn’t matter! Potsdam and Crane were there for me, and to ‘find the right fit,’ individual faculty worked one-on-one to make it happen,” Hastings said.
Hastings resides in North Bangor, N.Y., with his wife, Donna. The couple have two children and three grandchildren. Retirement hasn’t slowed his commitment to music and community, either. He continues to keep busy, composing new music and serving as a guest organist at area churches, keeping the “spirit of Crane” burning bright in his own heart and sharing that joy with others.
Article by Alexandra Jacobs Wilke, photos by Jason Hunter