2020-08-10
You play with your feet?
I have had the privilege of training with and making the acquaintance of dozens of accomplished organists in my life. All you fellow organists? This little piece is not for you. You will not learn anything you do not already know in it - but if you know folks who might benefit from the quick read - please share!
I am always struck, especially in my work as a sacred musician, how little contemporary Americans know about the pipe organ. Its sound production, its technique, its history, its rôle in Judeo-Christian worship... I get blank stares, often, if I start to explain particulars in those areas, even from quite intelligent, artistically informed acquaintances. Now, this is not to cast any shade, as people say these days; the society that gave rise to the modern pipe organ and relied on its position in worship is in many ways gone, probably forever. But organs are still being built, young musicians are still accepting the challenge of mastering its formidable technique, and virtuosos are still out there concertizing and recording. Just poke around the Web for a few minutes and you will see what I mean.
I will just grab a couple of things that come up, mostly during the informal 'organ crawls' we have at the church where I am fortunate to be music director.
"I never knew you played with your feet!"
Well, that is understandable... if you consistently choose to worship from the second to last row in the building, how could you possibly see? But, yes, full organ consoles include a pedal board with a minimum 2 octaves of bass notes (the American Guild of Organists pedalboard features 32 notes, 2 1/2 octaves). One plays the bass, or low part of the music, with the feet. As you can imagine, it takes years of practice to master the complex "dancing" of toes and heels that comprise pedal technique. Put that technique together with the considerable demands of playing the "manuals" (i.e. regular keyboards) and the brain strain increases.
"What are all the buttons for?"
All organs, acoustic or digital, feature dozens of sounds associated with the four "families" of pipes: diapasons, flutes, reeds and strings. Turning these sounds on and off at the desired moments with the aforementioned "buttons" and combining them in colorful ways is called registration. The bigger the instrument, the larger the palettes and possibilities. Some buttons control the instruments "memory", or combination action. One can preset combinations of sounds and call them back with a thumb press or toe tap during performance. It is very cool... and really tricky.
"How do you become an organist?"
I am always glad when a young person asks this question, though one can start organ study at any age. The first prerequisite, and it is non-negotiable, is that you must play the piano well enough to know all scales and arpeggii; a generous amount of J. S. Bach's keyboard music; some part of the sonatina/sonata repertory; and another representative group of 19th and 20th century piano pieces. A tall order! Why? Basically, there are so many challenges in learning organ articulation and integrating your feet into the music that there is no room for weakness in your hands. They need to play well so your brain can focus elsewhere. Most of the organists I know are also very fine pianists - and there is a reason.
Maybe you could take a few minutes to investigate the extraordinary sound world that the organ inhabits, and perhaps even consider learning to play yourself. The Web has become a marvelous resource for organ aficionados globally, so go explore!
So, again, as you can see, the answer is more complex than one might guess. If you need any hints, I would be happy to supply them. If you have more questions about this topic, don't hesitate to contact me and we can chat.
K