Luther College Professor Emeritus Weston Noble passed away on Wednesday, December 21st in the late afternoon. He was 94 years old.
Most people will associate Weston Noble with directing the Luther College Nordic Choir for 57 years. Even after retiring in 2005, he maintained an active presence in choirs across the country and around the world, even doing residencies at Augustana College and Wartburg College.
I could go on and on and on about how Weston Noble was a legend and how he was among the pioneers of the Lutheran Choral Music tradition. I could even be as bold to suggest that his work helped Luther College to become one of the three epicenters of this great genre (the other two colleges being St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, and Concordia College, Moorhead, MN). But he was so much more than a conductor, educator, and pioneer. He was something much more personal to us. He was (and still is) the very essence of Luther College.
What a lot of people don't know was that he also conducted the Luther College Concert Band for 25 years, and he was a catalyst for creating the Dorian Music Festivals and the Dorian Summer Music Camps. His dedication to Luther's music department led to having two places named for him; the Jenson-Noble Hall of Music (The main hub of the Luther College Music Department), and the Noble Recital Hall (The main recital hall inside of Jenson-Noble). He also had a scholarship set up in his honor; the Weston Noble Music Scholarship was set up in his name to attract ALL musicians (music major or not) to participate in private lessons and ensembles.
Even after retirement, Mr. Noble maintained his presence on campus, always coming to concerts, rehearsals, and recitals. He frequented the Oneota Market, one of our in-campus eateries, and would be willing to strike up a conversation with students passing by. He was (and is) known and loved at Luther, especially in the music department.
Personally, I wasn't able to get to know him, but Weston Noble played a factor in all the reasons I am going to Luther now. I received the Weston Noble Music Scholarship, I went to the Luther College Dorian Summer Music Camp for three years, and I performed at concerts which Weston (he is known on a first-name basis all over campus; you say "Weston" and people know who you're talking about) personally came to.
Luther Alumni also played a big role in my choosing Luther. When I was still applying to schools, I found that most Luther Grads that I talked to had the same pride for Luther and a similar personality trait (I have heard this trait or way of life called the "Luther Way"). I couldn't really tell you what exactly the Luther Way is, but the Luther Way is one of those things that is a rare quality, and it's only seen in people who went or were a part of the Luther community... but if you have it and you experience it for the first time, it makes you feel like everything's right with the world.
Recently (but not recent enough to have my emotions affected by his death), I watched a really old video of Weston and the Nordic Choir singing at the Crystal Cathedral, and I felt powerful feelings. I am a pretty sensitive person, but I don't cry all that much. For some reason though, I ended up tearing up a bit by the end of the video, and I didn't know why. I had watched this video many times, but I felt something powerful this time. It took the death of Weston to realize why I felt so emotional.
Weston was never afraid to show his emotions. In his interviews I've watched, he always stressed how important it is to be true to your feelings. He was known to cry if the music touched his heart enough, and he would encourage people to make music in a way that makes them feel these complex feelings. Vulnerability was a word that Weston used often, and vulnerability is a word that I would say describes our sound as Luther musicians. In order to achieve our sound, we must stay emotionally vulnerable and delve deep into emotions that we're otherwise afraid to touch.
After I was doing some thinking, I realized how guarded I am with my emotions. I may be sensitive, but I certainly don't show it, not because I would be embarrassed, but because I feel like I need to be a bulwark for the people I love. I would build walls around my soul. In order to make music that will change the world, I have to cut the crap and let myself feel feelings. I realized that I cannot have the Luther way if I keep my guard up. So, I let myself cry in the practice room if I feel like it, and I acknowledge and appreciate the warm tingles I feel when a piece of music really touches me.
Along with being vulnerable, Weston Noble was a spiritual person, and he was ardent in his faith. You could certainly see how his faith influenced how he directed his choirs; Nordic Choir has this tradition started by Weston Noble where they sing Pavel Tchesnokov's "O Lord God". This particular recording does not have Weston conducting, but you can still feel Weston's faith in his God and all the faiths — whether or not it involved a God or a belief in something greater — of all the Nordic members, past, present, and future, through Nordic's singing. Weston would always quote Psalms 104:33 — "I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing to my God with all my being", which just so happens to be part of the lyrics of "O Lord God".
Weston Noble was the Luther Way, and now after writing all this, I think I can FINALLY put into words what the "Luther Way" actually is:
The Luther Way is to be open-minded and open hearted.
The Luther Way is to be emotionally vulnerable, to be open and honest with your feelings, and to encourage others to do the same.
The Luther Way is to have faith in something, anything.
The Luther Way is to foster kinship with other Luther people, regardless of if they're music people or not, regardless if they go to Luther or not.
The Luther Way is to take pride in our campus. This can be as simple as picking up trash when we see it (Weston was known for doing this), or to encourage others to come to Luther.
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Weston was able to see one more Christmas at Luther performance shortly before he died. When I was sitting in my spot in the Symphony Orchestra, I could see him clearly, sitting in his wheelchair. At this point, he wasn't doing all that well anyway (again, he was 94 years old), but I could still see him soak up every note we sang and played. I was probably seeing things, but I might have even seen him tear up during the candlelight piece ("Still, Still, Still").
Really, Weston may have been a choral legend, but he was first and foremost the man that gave Luther College its voice. He was ours and we were his. And we were lucky to have him for as long as we did.
Weston Noble, words can't express how grateful I am that you were alive. Without you, I wouldn't be here at Luther studying what I love best. Thank you for everything you've done for Luther, and I can't wait to feel your presence from above as I perform. I hope I will some day embody the Luther Way as you intended it through my words and actions.
You will be missed. Soli Deo Gloria.
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Weston Noble (1922-2016)
This article is dedicated to the Luther College Music Faculty and Students, especially Jennaya Robison ('96), and Andrew Last ('97).
