A conversation over coffee led to this weekend's guests joining us for Made in Manitoba.
The Altona Bergthaler Quartet will be featured, with music from their album "Wonderful Words of Life" which was released almost thirty years ago. At the time of the recording, the group was made up of original member from 1950, the late Bernie Braun, as well as George Wiebe, Art Froese and Edgar Loeppky. After that coffee conversation last week, a cassette was dropped off for us to share, and George says they were quite surprised by all of this.
"I think it's amazing, and I'm very grateful that they remember us, that they're still playing our songs, that they're still enjoying our songs, it's just amazing," said Wiebe. "John Martens (the friend) and I were at the table sharing coffee with some friends, and then he mentioned that song, 'The Three Nails'. He says, 'Do you remember singing that?' 'Oh, yeah, I said, I remember singing that. That was a great song.' And he says, 'Well, that was a great song,' but he didn't say he was going to bring it to you at (CFAM Radio 950)."
George Wiebe (Second Tenor) joined the group in 1968; Art Froese (Baritone) also joined in 1968 and Edgar Loeppky (Bass) joined in 1987. The album "Wonderful Words of Life" was the Altona Bergthaler Quartet's third, and was recorded with Faith and Life Communications in Winnipeg, Reg Sawatzky was the recording engineer. The album also included soloist Milly Klassen and Anne Friesen on piano accompaniment. The album includes some of the most well known gospel songs including "Just A Closer Walk With Thee", "There is A Fountain" and "Peace Like a River" as well as "The Three Nails" which prompted the group's appearance on Made in Manitoba.
Reflecting on Palm Sunday and Easter
"Our message, or our thing, was to sing the message of God and to have every song have a good message," said Loeppky. "When we did tapes, we each picked maybe ten songs. Those were our favourites. We picked songs, and then we took songs out of those that were picked until we had a tape."
Inside the liner notes of "Wonderful Words of Life", it's stated the "listener is challenged to a closer walk with God".
"I'm thinking particularly of the song 'The Three Nails,' reflected Wiebe. "When I think of what Jesus did during that time. He put himself on planet Earth voluntarily. He allowed himself to be humiliated, tortured and nailed to the cross. We need to understand why he did that, and that he did that for all of us, and he was resurrected again. It shows us how important it is for us to understand that, to believe in him and accept him."
Decades of performing and sharing the Word
Art, George and Edgar spent decades singing together, and those memories made continue to be vivid today.
"I have fond memories of singing with the Quartet," shared Wiebe. "After the rehearsal, we would chat a little bit, and talk about things that had gone on that day. We just had a good time. We enjoyed it. We had fun. I remember all those years, and I remember them very fondly, and I wish I could go back."
Loeppky had a more humorous take on the time together which included hundreds of performance across Southern Manitoba and beyond.
"I always was standing beside him (pointing to George), so I ribbed him a lot, and he had to take all that stuff," he said. "Those were four of my greatest friends that I had, because I was there for thirty years with them."
For Froese, he was drawn back to the time he spent with his family travelling to the various concerts and performances, noting he had not been married for very long before joining the group.
"Most of the time, even when we went longer distances, most of the time my family came with us, and that's a very strong memory," he shared while noting it was a wonderful and challenging experience to live up to the words they were signing.
You can listen to this weekend's Made in Manitoba featuring the Altona Bergthaler Quartet, below.