Beginner organist question: playing Bach

[Contratrombone64]

Judy, love your posts, you always make me smile.

[victorgb]

I shall never forget my first pipe organ experience I was fortunate to video it its now on youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vjWQnpXjn4 it was like flying my first solo flight in a Cessna. Well from playing small Yamaha's to poorly maintained Hammond's I must agree its like driving a big motorcar a memorable moment for sure. It was small pipe organ with 275 pipes but what the heck it was THE REAL THING and its was very well maintained. I have sadly played some poorly maintained pipe organs thats just SAD. Pipe organ maintenance here in South Africa is expensive and our last pipe organ building company closed last December.

Come on people I dare you all tell us about your first with the real thing PIPE ORGAN thats now LOL.

Have a great day to all
Regards
Victor

[Contratrombone64]

Victor - I guess I had never really thought of pipe organs existing in South Africa, but considering at least three major cities must have at least two types of cathedral (protestant and catholic) there must be at least a few. Can you tell me what the ones in the biggest cathedrals are like?

[jvhldb]

I shall never forget my first pipe organ experience I was fortunate to video it its now on youtube http://youtube.com/watch?v=2vjWQnpXjn4 it was like flying my first solo flight in a Cessna. Well from playing small Yamaha's to poorly maintained Hammond's I must agree its like driving a big motorcar a memorable moment for sure. It was small pipe organ with 275 pipes but what the heck it was THE REAL THING and its was very well maintained. I have sadly played some poorly maintained pipe organs thats just SAD. Pipe organ maintenance here in South Africa is expensive and our last pipe organ building company closed last December.

Come on people I dare you all tell us about your first with the real thing PIPE ORGAN thats now LOL.

Have a great day to all
Regards
Victor

I'm glad to hear it's not only the Free State that's suffering from poor organ maintenance. Our church organ was tuned last month, it sounded wonderfule, for 48 hours, then we realised the Prestant and Prinsipaal can't be used together, as well as several other combinations.

Do you also suffer from a lack of organists in Tzaneen? Around here (and in Bloemfontein) many churches are resorting to CD's for accompanyment during services (I guess they must be karaoke fans as well).

TO CT - I don't know if there are any Cathedrals in Victor's region, in the Free State the biggest organ is at the Odeion in Bloemfontein (41 registers), the details can be seen at http://www.janelsenaar.com/saindex.htm (unfortuanately the website is in Afrikaans), with photo's at http://www.janelsenaar.com/saindex.htm, an instrument I will never see except on photos, forget about playing it.

[victorgb]

Victor - I guess I had never really thought of pipe organs existing in South Africa, but considering at least three major cities must have at least two types of cathedral (protestant and catholic) there must be at least a few. Can you tell me what the ones in the biggest cathedrals are like?

Yes sure there is a lot of big organs here please visit this web site http://www.saorgans.ws/ and your question shall be answered

Thank you for your reply
Regards

[victorgb]

Yes Johan we also do suffer from a lack of organist, sadly some of the big churches do not have organists and are resorting to CD's and bands. Maybe I am from the old school but a band in the NG Church just to me does not fit. Or for any other traditional church as per say. How ever I have no problem with band worship churches many in Johannesburg. Here in Tzaneen we are quite a few orgainist, mostly female school teachers. "EK lees ook afrikaans" I also read afrikaans and thank you for the site link I have saved it as well.

Regards to all
Victor

[jvhldb]

I'm not only old school, but old fashioned. I also belong to the NG Church and can't imagine a band during service in our church, although they do seem to fit in in some other churches (except for the christmas song fest when we have part of a symphony orchestra in church). In Ladybrand we have two organists, one student (me) and one other Ladybrander studying organ at Unisa (he did a show here on Friday night trying to raise money to attend a workshop in Brussels). The rest of the churches resort to pianists, CD's, bands etc.

[Matthew Schembri]

Hi Victor,

As Krummhorn and Acc. have said, i would suggest starting with the eight short preludes and fugues. (if i were you i would begin with the a minor and g major, then the c major, the Bb major, etc.) Those are the ones i had started with.

Good luck!
Matthew.