Choir Director and the Pipe Organ

[Stan McDaniel]

I am teaching a university class in the practice of church music for both organ and choral conducting majors. I would like to provide the non-organists with article/chapter from book/or other resource with tips about how to communicate effectively in rehearsal with organists. Such a resource might include basic info about the organ as an instrument, tonal quality of various stops, what to look for in an accompaniment - is it organistic or not - and so on. It seems like a great idea to me, but I am not remembering seeing such a resource. Have you?

[marval]

HI Stan,

Welcome to the forum, good to have you here.

As for your question, I am afraid I can't help you, but there are many Organists here who might be able to. So please stay around and hopefully there will be an answer.


Margaret

[Krummhorn]

Hi Stan,

As a professional organist, I have had the opportunity to work with a great variety of conductors. I've yet to have a rehearsal session go awry with a strange choral conductor - through my formal training I have also been versed in how to be an effective accompanist. It only takes a minute or two for me to "learn" the new directors "motions" and how he or she directs cues, cutoffs and the like.

I have had a long standing verbal agreement with most conductors:
- I don't tell them how to conduct
- They don't tell me how to play

I am not aware of any printed literature out there that explains director/organist relationships. I am sincerely hoping that our organ pedagogue Tom Dressler will be able to shed some light on this as he is both an accomplished organist and a very learned choral director.

Usually, things just "happen". In most cases, the director and the organist are both professional musicians and get along fine. Most organists, even without the formal training, will be able to follow a choral conductors jestures with few problems.