‘A reminder that we’re not alone’: In Chestnut Hill, a church turned to bagpipes to reach those forced inside by the coronavirus
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church enlisted bagpipers and a drummer to ensure their Easter music could go the distance. “So if I can surprise some of our neighbors with some joyful, loud music that they don’t see coming, I feel like I’ve done some Easter work," the rector said.
Corey Purcell (left )and Charlie Richard play outside St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church in Chestnut Hill on Sunday before parading through the neighborhood performing traditional Easter hymns.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
When the Church of St. Martin-in-the Fields’ Easter processional marched by, neighbors came out onto their porches. Folks walking their dogs made their pets hold up. People nearby called out “thank you!” With the passersby not wearing masks, you could see whole faces light up. Some spectators even held each other close as they listened.
Church officials called it a socially distanced parade. The revelers — a rector, two bagpipers and a drummer on snare — were making their way around a portion of Chestnut Hill. The bagpipes could be heard from blocks away. Hymns that could reach people from afar were, of course, the goal, for on this holiday of considerable religious tradition, a deadly virus had made most places off-limits, including churches.
“Honestly, it started off as a little bit of a joke in a letter I wrote to the parish. I was just trying to find a way to say, ‘What can we possibly do?' We want to follow the rules, and keep people safe,” explained the Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, the rector at St. Martin-in-the-Fields. “And so I just thought, well, bagpipes! They’re loud. You can hear them inside your house, even if you don’t come out.”
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Before the spread-apart march officially kicked off, the trio of musicians warmed up with Beethoven’s “Symphony No. 9,” less formally known as “Ode to Joy.”
“You can’t have an organ? Get a bagpipe,” the rector reacted in approval. He didn’t play an instrument, but recorded the performance on his phone as the group moved through the sunlit neighborhood.
As the Fifield family saw the parade coming down the street, they played along with a flute and tambourine.
Jenny Gellhorn, 38, was hiding Easter eggs with her daughters Cecily, 7, and Louisa, 5, when they heard the stirring, low-rising melodies and went to find the source. Gellhorn’s husband, Alfred, is a doctor who was called for a month-long assignment treating COVID-19 patients in New York. With him away, life at home has been hard. The Easter procession for them was unexpected and heartily welcomed.
“It's such a treat to see so many people and to see neighbors. This is actually the first time I met the woman who lives across the street from us,” Gellhorn said. “And it's just a reminder that we're not alone, to see people smiling. It made me quite teary.”
Corey Purcell, left, and Charlie Richard, right, play outside the church on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Rev. Jarrett Kerbel waits for the parade to begin outside his church on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. Rev. Kerbel said he wanted to something since the church was closed because of the coronavirus.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Sara Kalb, left, and her daughter, Elle Pfeffer, right, watch outside their home on Willow Grove Avenue as a parade passes on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. Kalb said it was the highlight of her week.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, right, said he wanted to something since the church was closed because of the coronavirus.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Minturn Osborne records a video with his phone outside his home on Willow Grove Avenue as a parade passes on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. Osborne said he was surprised and came out to watch in his pajamas.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. The Rev. Jarrett Kerbel, not pictured, said he wanted to something since the church was closed because of the coronavirus.( Left to right) Corey Purcell, Charlie Richard, and Rod Nevin march along Willow Grove Avenue.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Episcopal Church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. Drummer Corey Purcell, of Allentown, pauses along Willow Grove Avenue.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Jenny Gellhorn and her children Cecily, 7, and Louisa, 5, watch as the parade pauses on Springfield Avenue on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020. Gellhorn said her husband, Dr. Alfred Gellhorn, is in New York for a month helping victims in the coronavirus outbreak.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
The parade pauses on Springfield Avenue on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Corey Purcell, left, and Charlie Richard, right, perform along Willow Grove Avenue on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Mala Richardson, 8, left, and her brother, Naveen, 4, collect Easter eggs outside their home on Willow Grove Avenue as a parade passes on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
Neighbors come out to watch as the parade pauses on Springfield Avenue and Navajo Street on Easter Sunday. St. Martin-in-the-Fields Episcopal Church organized the Easter parade with two bagpipe players and a drummer to perform traditional Easter hymns in the Chestnut Hill neighborhood in Philadelphia, PA on April 12, 2020.Read moreDAVID MAIALETTI / Staff Photographer
When the Episcopal church reached out to Roderick Nevin, the Reading-based bagpiper who led the musicians Sunday, he didn’t need convincing. It was a chance, Nevin explained, to spread happiness. And it was a chance to play, which Nevin hasn’t done in some weeks because of the pandemic. When they reached the corner of Willow Grove and Germantown Avenues, they performed a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
“It was a blast,” Nevin said after the march. “It was more fun than we’ve had in a month.”
St. Martin-in-the-Fields prerecorded its three Easter services, with Kerbel posting videos of musical selections on Facebook. Along the walk, he mentioned wanting to do this again next year.
“There’s no greater surprise in human history than Easter,” the rector said. “So if I can surprise some of our neighbors with some joyful, loud music that they don’t see coming, I feel like I’ve done some Easter work.”
