Pipe Organ Players

[Corno Dolce]

An organist can, provided a suitable instrument, make music like that of a 100 instrument orchestra. Its hard to beat such a combination.

[FOWL]

I have a friend who is the musical director of a church. Last time I went to visit him he let me play with his organ!!!
It was awesome, amongst some random improvisation, the set included Life is Sushi, the Scary, and Accept Martial Law With a Smile. What a feeling it is to get to play an instrument that has a building built to be it's resonating body! An experience I HIGHLY recommend!!!

[methodistgirl]

By "Cathedral" you are possibly meaning the Diocese Church of the area? Our Diocesan "Cathedral" is a rather large edifice and it does have a pipe organ, and that's about all that can be said about it. The last time I played it, the organ (25 odd ranks) was in need of lots of TLC as there were dead notes, non working stops, not to mention that the organ chamber (in the chancel area) was high up on the wall (no pipes showing whatsoever) trying to speak out of an enclosure opening about 6 feet square ... a typical "service instrument" installation with no thought to the organ ever being used for anything more than playing hymns and liturgies. The acoustics are what saves this organ - marble floors, no carpeting anywhere, high ceiling, very long nave ... about 3 to 4 seconds natural reverberation. Alas, the organ isn't used all that often - they primarily use Mariachi's and other ear piercing noise makers.

When I was vacationing in Sacramento a few months ago, I was looking specifically for a couple good pipe organs to see ... alas, found only the one (Presbyterian above) and a Lutheran church who's pipe organ was recently torn down and replaced with an electronic while being refurbished. The local "cathedral" there does have an organ, but it is not known whether it is pipe or electronic. Even at that, the Presbyterian church was doing contemporary rock (happy clappy) services the weekend that I so dearly wanted to hear the pipe organ played ... pitty ... real pitty that these great organs are being cast aside so that we can have the hairs on our heads parted in the middle and experience loss of hearing by age 40 with over amplified distorted noise.

During the first service the organist will play along with the rock band
type musicians. It sounds great!
judy tooley

[JONESEY]

I guess it's all down to what you want to hear. I just associate Church services with pipe organs.

I played for a morning service recently instead of my normal evensong - I was offered the piano to play but still played the organ.
There were 3 traditional hymns and one more modern one - funnily enough even in the more family oriented service, the traditional hymns were sung well and the modern hymn was less well known.

Is it just me, or do the old hymns just sound so much nicer?

[Corno Dolce]

Oh yes,

The old hymns are writen for singers - the new HappyClappy hymns are for egomaniacal "soloists" who crave to dominate a microphone to showcase their "talent" or lack thereof. When will these "singers" ever learn how to sing without a microphone??? To truly sing requires hard-work and sacrifice in developing a vocal instrument with which you can modulate dynamics, inflection, color, intensity, and rhythm. If you can't do these without a microphone you're only a dilettante and a poser.

The singing of hymns is a communal affair. When there is four-part vocal harmony in hymns, the original intention was that everybody was to be included, not just everybody singing the Soprano line. When the Church "bothered" to teach all its parishioners how to sing in parts it made the worhip more communal and inclusive. Today we have insipid melody and text lines like "Shine, Jesus Shine" - "Blaze, Spirit Blaze" - Who are we to command what Jesus and the Holy Spirit should do?

[methodistgirl]

I have a small transistor organ, YUK! Once you've played a real organ you will never wan't to go back.

I know what you are saying. I played a Hammond like that at a small
presbyterian church when I was a kid up to my teens. Since I played
the pipe organ at the church I go to now, I wouldn't feel right to
play another hammond like that one. That hammond was a pain in
the kuester at times.
judy tooley