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dealing with impolite congregations

goodwill67

New member
Hello all.

I have only posted here one other time, but this might be something that has affected others of you. Today, while I was playing the prelude at church, a congregation member's cell phone rang loudly. While it annoys me very much in the first place that people do not turn off their cell phones during worship I did not believe that this individual would actually answer it but she exceeded my lowest of expectations and not only answered it but proceeded to engage in a conversation that was audible even above all the other people who never listen to the prelude but rather prefer to talk through it. People do not understand that the prelude is part of the service.

I am sure I am hardly the only organist to experience this kind of thing, but for some reason this one has bothered my all day. Has anyone else here seen this kind of thing happen and how did you deal with it?

Thanks.
 

grober

New member
:rolleyes:
Hello all.

I have only posted here one other time, but this might be something that has affected others of you. Today, while I was playing the prelude at church, a congregation member's cell phone rang loudly. While it annoys me very much in the first place that people do not turn off their cell phones during worship I did not believe that this individual would actually answer it but she exceeded my lowest of expectations and not only answered it but proceeded to engage in a conversation that was audible even above all the other people who never listen to the prelude but rather prefer to talk through it. People do not understand that the prelude is part of the service.

I am sure I am hardly the only organist to experience this kind of thing, but for some reason this one has bothered my all day. Has anyone else here seen this kind of thing happen and how did you deal with it?

Thanks.

I can understand forgetting to turn off the cell phone, but to converse goes beyond forgettfulness to rudeness!!
 
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jhnbrbr

New member
This sort of experience can be very annoying, but i think it's important to grit your teeth and not to take it personally. It would be naive to imagine that every member of the congregation is going to sit quietly and listen to your playing, but some will.
 

methodistgirl

New member
Organist are not the only ones. I've seen when the preacher was
preaching people get up and walk about. If that wasn't enough some
one would let their kid squall for a good while before they would
take it out. I've also seen it where you could tell if the congregation
was listening to the preacher or tuning him out. I hate it when that
happens when he was being tuned out. What is really aggravating
is feed back on the microphone and it whistles loudly.
judy tooley
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
I've used the approach that Dorsetmike and Contratrombone64 have suggested many times ... does it always help? Not really. After 48+ years on the organ bench in church, I have given up trying to play preludes that tie in to the lessons or theme of the day.

The only exception being the festival or feast services where I have standard pieces that I always play on those given days year after year.

I made a bet with another organist once saying that I could actually play "I'm a Yankee Doodle Dandee" during the prelude and nobody would notice. I won the bet ... and yes, I really played it, however quite "reverently" ... not one single parishioner caught on to it.

When the din becomes annoying, I will just start increasing volume, adding stops until I have achieved tutti, then will suddenly drop to the quietest stop ... the worst offending yakkers quickly get the point and then shut their traps. Works every time!

For the most part, I accept it as the norm these days .. except when someones mobile phone rings - now, that's just plain rude, and there is no excuse for that happening.
 

wljmrbill

Member
I have experienced this situation many times in my career.. and usually ingnore the issue and go on with my music.. I do tend to increase the volume to cover them up.. I too love to catch them at it with a sudden "ppp"...then they feel like a jackass they are... Most the of priest I worked with made it quite clear they would not tolertate chatting and cell phone on "ring" within the nave or durning services..
 

JONESEY

New member
It's not happened to me, but I think I'd be inclined to stop where I was, let them have their conversation and then start again - surely they'd take the hint at that?.

I was playing a prelude yesterday and the sidesperson started ringing the bell before the service - while it is necessary not only does it drown the organ out, but I can't find a key to play in that is in tune with the ruddy thing!!!!!!!
 

dll927

New member
Has it occurred to anyone that some kind soul could put an announcement in the service bulletin or program, which most churches use? Maybe it should be right at the top so it's the first thing people see. I've seen bulletins that say that the organ prelude begins the service.

Anyone failing to turn off a cell phone in church ought to be called on the carpet in no uncertain terms. Since there's always a person up in front doing a lot of talking, that person would be the one to lay down the law.
 

Aristide

New member
I adhere to wljmrbill's approach, playing PP or PPP, which causes the rest of the congregation to give the renegade the evil eye. Usually works.
This thing seems to happen mostly during weddings ... and funerals.
 

Mat

Sr. Regulator
Staff member
Sr. Regulator
Regulator
When the din becomes annoying, I will just start increasing volume, adding stops until I have achieved tutti, then will suddenly drop to the quietest stop ... the worst offending yakkers quickly get the point and then shut their traps. Works every time!

Wish you could do that during a philharmonic concert...
 

QFE

New member
Hi all,

This is a perennial problem that seems to be part of the organisits lot, at least in the small parishes.

On the subject of mobiles, one went off last night, on the occasion of my school choir singing a traditional evensong for the first time (to the delight of all the old-timers). Whilst playing the choir in, a phone started to chime. 'Bl**dy parents' thought I; until I realised it was mine...
 

musicalis

Member
You should stop your prelude at once and play the same tune that the cell phone ring until she understand and get ou the church
 

mollysgran

New member
.....impolite congregations

This is a universal problem with church musicians.

I have played for services in many different settings -- military chapels, Catholic, Protestant and non-denominational churches, etc. I have been doing this professionally since 1955.

Most congregations have not been informed about how important the prelude is as a preparation for worship. I have worked with many ministers and chaplains who have taken the time to teach about how all the parts of the service work to make the worship experience whole.

One thing that can be done, and we did it in a Presbyterian Church for over 18 years, until I retired -- is to have the organist play the prelude AFTER the minister does the greeting and call to worship.

Also, our congregation became accustomed to remain seated during the postlude after our minister reminded the congregation how it could be a good time to reflect on the service.

Remember to keep loving that congregation of yours. Take my word for it, they do love your music.
 

JONESEY

New member
I recently attended a Volunteer Organists course over here and it included a Choral Evensong at the local Cathedral.
The order of service said in bold letters - sit during the Organ Voluntary. The service is not finished until this is complete.

No-one talked, we all listened to a superb piece of Organ playing and then left quietly afterwards.
 

John Watt

Member
You have my deepest musical sympathy. As a self-employed electric guitarist-singer my profound might not be deep enough, and as a descendant of Scottish Highlanders, being an Aaronic Priest, your Catholic music and equipment legacy might be unknown to me, but people continuing to talk while the prelude starts, or through the entire piece, should be predictable.
Look what you have shown and broacast at you waking up in your residence, entering theatres or concerts. In public, opening acts are sacrificed for the audience's entrance pleasure. The pipe organist or symphony is not the loudest audio experience for many people now. And upgrading your technology and extending it's portability is what's hot and advertised through every access to your eyes and ears.
From a public point of view, I don't like broadcast contests where there's no mail-in or simple email, but specific audio-video compositions, where you can meet the star, programming young minds and excluding lower income users. I also don't like international television broadcasts with online entrants that only includes the host country.
And if you have ingrained ideas of religious ownership and superiority with edifices of historic interest, it's time for men of God to speak to congregations, to say The Words Of Jesus to be understood by all, and follow Him.
If you're the type of organist who looks around, you might get agitated with me, looking up so sorrowfully, so sad in remembrance, at fanciful depictions of a crucifiction, as His Voice continues to say "make no graven images unto me", using now the invented English of King James of Scotland, The Return Of The Scion, translator of The King James Holy Bible, not Aramaic, the regional language of Jesus of Nazareth. I type Your Name and feel shame.

May All Worship Be Bestowed Upon You,
by adult baptism recognating Him,
from the laying on of hands,
Jubal as our musical host.
Peace & pure harmonics.
as always, John Watt.
 
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QFE

New member
There is one advantage to having a loud congregation prior to the start of a service, you can really get to grips with improvising in public and not worry about the outcome.
 

philomela

New member
rudeness in congregations

It's sad that so many churches now are not places of worship; they
are simply social venues for various people and have a very thin
veneer of real religion or spirituality to them.
 

branchporter

New member
I am not an organist but this bothers me. I would like to listen to the prelude and postlude without a lot of noise, but ours is a "noisy" church. Our minister is no help at all, instead, he is a big part of the problem. He wanders the sanctuary and talks with people during the prelude. We probably lost an excellent organist because of this. I've talked to him about how much this bothers the organist and others, but I guess he thinks people conversing is important, and that the prelude is just some background music like in a store or in an elevator.
 
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