SPLIT: Organists' influence on liturgical music

[Sarabande]

I find that mean-spirited, bitter, or snobby musicians really don’t have a true, passionate love for the music or have lost sight of why they became one in the first place. They get into the wrong circles and that rubs off on them. Or they were like that in the first place and were fortunate enough to have the technical talent to be a musician, but actually never learned to be a sensitive and truly passionate musician.

For some reason, this becomes particularly true for some organists. I wonder if it is because it is such an isolated profession. They usually work by themselves. If they work in older churches, they are usually in an organ/choir loft away from everyone. Often times, they have their backs to everyone and can only see the mass or service from a little mirror placed on the consul. What they see are the consul and many times all the pipes of the organ (if fortunate to be working on a pipe organ) When they practice, it is usually when the church is empty - sometimes at night. So the organ, for some of these people, become their entire world and they have no other loves. Then when they gather in groups of organists who are the same way, they talk about nothing but the organ. It’s such a tiny world, they also then begin to tear to shreds their fellow professional colleagues behind their backs - especially if they want that particular person’s job.

Again, not all are like this. I think the ones who has a balance life of love for other things are not like this.

 

[Sarabande]

Also, for the record, not all organists who are part of the AGO are good musicians or should even be considered a musician at all. So being part of the AGO isn’t always an indicator that you’ll get a talented musician on the organ bench. (That’s another reason that the many younger organists don’t join it. They don’t want to be part of that reputation.) I personally knew one who is one of the most bitter, egotistical and self-deluded people I know, but with no talent and no love. Only had one organ lesson in his life and not many music lessons (if any), but touted himself as this talented organist and talks a good game, so he fools a lot of people. He has made a total mess of the music liturgy with his lack of ability and lack of musicianship, presenting slop each time. He gets hired for sub jobs because he is on the AGO and people think they are getting something good because of that. What a shame.

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

I once had the privilege of meeting and speaking with Dame Gillian Weir, considered by many to be one of the world’s finest organists. She was one of the kindest and most unassuming musicians I’ve met.

As a parish organist for twenty years, I have visited many parishes and played on their organs outside of a liturgical setting. I usually have gained access through a priest, because the organists are often so zealous in guarding “their” organ that one practically needs a written letter from Bach himself to glimpse the console. When young people with a potential interest are turned away at the loft door for fear that they might deprogram the capture system, it is no wonder that they settle for the guitar.

Settling for the guitar is also a problem in our parishes, because in the years since Vatican II, millions of Catholics have found themselves in parishes where folk music is the only thing available (or popular music issues with awful organ arrangements). Many believe that organ music is too old fashioned or “pre-Vatican” and have little interest in a small group of parishioners wanting to raise funds for a pipe organ. By contrast, in many conservative Episcopalian, Presbyterian, and Mormon churches, an organ is seen as an indispensable worship aid. Also, they are usually willing to pay an organist much more than most Catholic churches are. Why? Because if they payed the organist too much, the guitarists, pianists, flutists, tamborinists, and rain stick shakers would demand the same.

 

[CarrieH]

Also, for the record, not all organists who are part of the AGO are good musicians or should even be considered a musician at all. So being part of the AGO isn’t always an indicator that you’ll get a talented musician on the organ bench.

The only requirement for AGO membership is that one pay the dues. Now if a church were to hire an organist who is certified through the AGO, they can rest assured that this person has a certain level of competency. Those certification performance-exams are tough, and the Fellow level is tantamount to a “black belt” in organ performance. Our local chapter has some non-organists as members, but they are pianists and choir directors who join for the church-music educational resources and programs. I have not found our local group to be snobby and elitist at all, although there are perhaps some individuals who are that way. If anything, I have found them to be encouraging toward those who are seeking to develop their skills at whatever level. And they throw some great parties!

I will be making my debut with the local AGO chapter in a couple of months, playing on a members’ recital (BWV 684 & 685, in case you’re interested). If they eat me alive, I may change my opinion, but I don’t think this will happen.

 

[CarrieH]

Then when they gather in groups of organists who are the same way, they talk about nothing but the organ. It’s such a tiny world, they also then begin to tear to shreds their fellow professional colleagues behind their backs - especially if they want that particular person’s job.

Well, where else can we commiserate about a cipher on the swell trumpet, or malfunctioning pistons, or differences between French and German baroque ornamentation, and anyone will know what on earth we are talking about? Surely not at the corner pub or the bowling alley! Misery loves company, you see, and when we have saved up all of our organ-stories for weeks on end, we don’t bother chatting much about other things.

As far as organists criticizing other organists, it has been said that the only thing a person can get two organists to agree upon is how poorly a third organist has played.

 

[Sarabande]

Well, where else can we commiserate about a cipher on the swell trumpet, or malfunctioning pistons, or differences between French and German baroque ornamentation, and anyone will know what on earth we are talking about? Surely not at the corner pub or the bowling alley! Misery loves company, you see, and when we have saved up all of our organ-stories for weeks on end, we don’t bother chatting much about other things.

Very true. I actually wasn’t putting down them talking about nothing but organ. I talk “shop” quite often with other musicians as well which you also can’t talk about at the local pub. It was more about how catty they are towards their fellow organists who are actually talented. I thought opera singers were bad… It has always been something I have never understood with my fellow colleagues in the classical singing world and what I haven’t understood in the organist realms as well.

As far as organists criticizing other organists, it has been said that the only thing a person can get two organists to agree upon is how poorly a third organist has played.

My organist friends have mentioned the same to me. Constructive and logical critiquing is fine. I mean how many of us had to sit in those master classes to be critiqued in front of entire group of your own peers or just auditors who wanted to sit in an listen? Down right vicious cattiness is so cruel and unloving. I’ve seen it happen in the classical singing world and have experienced it with organists as well as have my organist friends tell me the same. For some reason, it seems to be very prevalent in those two areas of music. Not that all of them are like that. I’ve known and worked with very loving and wonderfully talented musicians in those two particular “instruments”. Some of them are like that, but it seems to be more than with other instrumentalists. Don’t know why, though. Well, I have a good idea why it is so with those kinds of singers who are catty and mean, but I never understood the organist thing.

 

[Sarabande]

The only requirement for AGO membership is that one pay the dues. Now if a church were to hire an organist who is certified through the AGO, they can rest assured that this person has a certain level of competency. Those certification performance-exams are tough, and the Fellow level is tantamount to a “black belt” in organ performance. Our local chapter has some non-organists as members, but they are pianists and choir directors who join for the church-music educational resources and programs. I have not found our local group to be snobby and elitist at all, although there are perhaps some individuals who are that way. If anything, I have found them to be encouraging toward those who are seeking to develop their skills at whatever level. And they throw some great parties!

Again, that’s why I only said “some” organists tend to be this way. I’ve just found that it is more with organists than with other instrumentalists, which I don’t know why that is. Thanks for clarifying the AGO membership vs. certification, but I think that is a problem. Parishes hire “organists” who are AGO members because they think they will be good since they are part of the AGO. And as you know, it is not always the case. There are people out there who claim to be “organists” and “musicians” pay their dues as an AGO member and then make a mess out of everything. One of my organist friends who is of my generation (20s-30s) have told me that many of his colleagues who are around the same age aren’t really interested in joining the AGO because of this problem of “hacks” who also join. And that’s a shame, especially since they do have this certification process.

I will be making my debut with the local AGO chapter in a couple of months, playing on a members’ recital (BWV 684 & 685, in case you’re interested). If they eat me alive, I may change my opinion, but I don’t think this will happen.

Oooo… that sounds exciting!!! Toi! Toi! Toi! on this. I wish you the best on this. Believe me, no matter what, there will always be people there to eat you alive because they just can’t help themselves being cruel. I experienced this at my most recent recital last month. The cat claws came out from a couple of the other women when they realized it was me who was the featured singer of the evening. And I’m sure they were eating me alive after the concert, but tough skin is needed in this kind of profession so you don’t even listen and distance yourself from those people and negative words. And as you know, they LOVE doing it behind your back, as if they never learned that in a small world such as music the good and the bad always gets back to the person you are dishing or praising. It’s a shame that with such a beautiful, open and spiritual profession as music, you have to deal with nonsense such as that.

 

[CarrieH]

Well, I have a good idea why it is so with those kinds of singers who are catty and mean, but I never understood the organist thing.

 

[CarrieH]

Oooo… that sounds exciting!!! Toi! Toi! Toi! on this. I wish you the best on this. Believe me, no matter what, there will always be people there to eat you alive because they just can’t help themselves being cruel.

Thanks! I’ll be scared to death, but I’m going to do it anyway. If someone says something mean, I respond by smiling and reminding them that I am a poor sinner trying to get through the day. And so are they, for that matter. That usually shuts 'em up in a hurry.

 

[Sarabande]

I think part of it is the temperament required to be a professional organist – a person must be very detail-oriented and persnickity. We have so many variables to fuss with which other instruments don’t: which combinations of stops to use for what, coordination of all four extremeties and the musical lines assigned to those in any given composition, etc. etc.

That is sooooo true! I have so much respect for most organists. I sometimes bring my own organist(s) to various church “gigs” that I have in which the church either does not have an organist or the client wanted and was permitted by the church to hire a competent organist. Every organ is a little or a lot different from each other and it always amazes me how they can overcome each little (or huge) quirk with each organ they come across. I know with some of the organists I’ve worked with, they have worked and trained a few years on the organ at their place of employment so that they can really be “intimate” with all the workings of that organ in order to assure that what they put out is beautiful. That is especially in the case of a few of these incredible pipe organs that they have fortune of playing at their churches.

We are scrutinized down to the level of the sixteenth-note by our teachers. So it spills over. I hate to say it, but I saw that very behavior modeled by my first organ professor. My second organ professor is a kind soul who realizes that no one sits down at the console, where we are always in public with no place to hide, and deliberately tries to give a bad performance (unless perhaps they are trying to get themselves fired!). He encourages his students to support one another rather than tearing each other down, and he wants them to learn from each other’s weaknesses and challenges. BTW, the first professor is acquainted with the second and has nothing good to say about him. egos…

Yup… I’m all too acquainted with that kind of personality both with organists and singers. Why can’t they just enjoy what they hear from their colleagues especially if they are good musicians? A lot of times I think it is insecurity on their part and they need to tear down another in order to make themselves feel good. Although it is true of all instrumentalists, singing in many ways is even more psychologically based, because every sound we make is from our own bodies and is mentally heard and created. We’re a human wind pipe and need to mentally and physically make adjustments to our wind pipe when needed. If we’re not in the right frame of mind, it can totally screw up our sound and our technique. And those singers who like to be cruel and catty take advantage of trying to screw with that.

Other times, I think it has to do with singers (and organists) who have forgotten why they became musicians in the first place and have concentrated so much on technique. Technique is very important, yes, but love and a “surrendering” to the music and the instrument (or vocal chords) is just as important. How can one be a passionate and good artist without love?

It’s funny how it goes with different instruments. I seriously dated a tuba player for several years, and those guys (and gals) are great! The same goes with most of the bassoonists I have known. They just want to play together and have a good time. Maybe it’s because in the orchestra their instruments spend much more time in the accompanying role than in the spotlight? That’s part of the reason I play third clarinet in the community band. I call it an “ego-free zone,” and we have so much more fun sitting in the back row than up front with the prima donnas!

Hahaha! I know what you mean. My former voice teacher used to say that the percussionists were probably some of the most fun people in the orchestra to hang out with. They’re pretty laid back. Having the privilege of knowing many percussion majors in college, I would readily agree with her. I love the brass players as well. I think because of the nature of their instruments, they are more forgiving and really enjoy just working with each other.

 

[mystified]

Our parish has a pretty good organ. Where can we get a real organist?
The person at the keyboard each Sunday plays everything as a slow, droning dirge. An Alleujah sounds like a funeral lament.

 

[Sarabande]

Our parish has a pretty good organ. Where can we get a real organist?
The person at the keyboard each Sunday plays everything as a slow, droning dirge. An Alleujah sounds like a funeral lament.

If it is just the tempi that the organist takes with the music and is fine with everything else, then perhaps the director or the pastor can ask the organist to “pick up speed”. Sometimes they might just be following along with what they think the congregation is doing or what the priest is doing. Because the priest tends to have a mic on him, sometimes they can actually drag things because his voice can be overheard everyone else and the organist is trying to follow along. I’ve seen it happen when I would be cantoring. When the priest wasn’t singing, the tempi was fine. Then when the priest would start singing, he’d slow everything down and the organist would follow that instead of just keeping the same tempo of the music.

If the organist is not good all around, then it would be up to the pastor or the director of music to decide what to do with that organist. It could be from offering to pay for lessons to further his/her ability, warning the organist about how they and/or the congregation are not pleased with his/her playing and asking him/her to improve himself, or to letting the organist go and begin an audition/interview process for a new organist. Always make sure when these auditions/interviews happen to have an musician on hand to listen in.

 

[CarrieH]

Our parish has a pretty good organ. Where can we get a real organist?
The person at the keyboard each Sunday plays everything as a slow, droning dirge. An Alleujah sounds like a funeral lament.

Are most parishioners dissatisfied with this person’s playing? I can tell you from personal experience that no matter what I play, someone in the congregation will think it’s too fast while someone else will think it’s too slow! Sometimes the priest has asked the organist to play in a certain way “not too fast,” “not too loud,” etc. But if the majority of folks think this person’s playing is too sluggish and the priest agrees, someone with musical knowledge and authority (such as the choir director, if they are separate positions) should have a chat with the organist. If they still fail to improve, then it might be time to start looking for a replacement.

As far as finding a “real” organist, does your parish have the money to hire one? You get what you pay for, in most instances. If your parish is serious about hiring a real organist, they need to offer a salary and benefits which will attract someone of that level. Someone with a conservatory degree in organ performance is not going to settle for a $75/wk gig with no benefits.

I hope you can work things out with the organist you currently have. I hate to see anyone lose their gig, but sometimes they do need to go.

 

[Sarabande]

Are most parishioners dissatisfied with this person’s playing? I can tell you from personal experience that no matter what I play, someone in the congregation will think it’s too fast while someone else will think it’s too slow! Sometimes the priest has asked the organist to play in a certain way “not too fast,” “not too loud,” etc. But if the majority of folks think this person’s playing is too sluggish and the priest agrees, someone with musical knowledge and authority (such as the choir director, if they are separate positions) should have a chat with the organist. If they still fail to improve, then it might be time to start looking for a replacement.

As far as finding a “real” organist, does your parish have the money to hire one? You get what you pay for, in most instances. If your parish is serious about hiring a real organist, they need to offer a salary and benefits which will attract someone of that level. Someone with a conservatory degree in organ performance is not going to settle for a $75/wk gig with no benefits.

I hope you can work things out with the organist you currently have. I hate to see anyone lose their gig, but sometimes they do need to go.

Excellent advice!

 

[Cavaille-Coll]

Perhaps another reason why Catholic organists are scarce is that we tend to have inferior instruments and little interest in improving them. In my last town, which happened to be the state capital, the Presbyterians south of us had a 45+ rank pipe organ, the Lutherans to the north had one slightly smaller but recently enlarged, the Church of Christ and the Congregational Church both had decent pipe organs. What did we have? An aging Rodgers electronic organ with more bugs than a Louisiana bayou. Other organists actually joked about our organ, especially since the Catholic church building was physically the largest of the churches around.

As with most Catholic parishes I’ve belonged to, most people cannot see the need for a pipe organ. Many will suggest (or worse, purchase) a Clavinova-type keyboard because “it sounds like an organ.” Electronic keyboards are as different from organs as pianos or accordions, but that’s the mentality of those in charge of many parishes. Others cannot justify the spending of money on something seen as window dressing in comparison with feeding the poor. After all, guitarists are free and a dime a dozen.