 Dear friends!
I received a message today from Dan who seeks helps in identifying this piece: "Hi Vidas, do you have any idea what this piece is here? This recording is taken from some recordings that were done at the school for the blind that we have here in the town where I’m from. I’d went there until 2006, and got my start in organ there in 2004. This is the same organ that I’d started out on, a 1961 3-manual Casavant. This recording, I think was done sometime in the 1970’s." Here is this piece Do you know what it is? Dan would surely appreciate your help.
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Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 474 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Tim. And he writes: Well, I work as a musician playing organ in churches for weddings, services and funerals, mostly funerals. So the challenge for me is always staying on top of the work. Sometimes also arranging music choices so that they can be played on the organ. Obviously, this is a question for Tim when I asked him how his organ practice is going, and what are some things that are challenging for him. So, he’s a church musician obviously, and probably needs to find more time to practice, is what you understand, right? A: Yes, and also how to arrange the repertoire, how to choose the repertoire probably. V: Oh, you mean… A: I think it’s… V: Choral pieces or piano pieces. A: As he says, arranging music choices. V: What does it mean? A: Well, don’t you remember, when working a church, you had to select what to play? Was it always easy for you? To arrange music or to, maybe sometimes you would choose not original piece, you would have to adjust it to the organ? V: Yes, so you mean like piano piece or choral piece. A: Yes, that’s right. V: Um, that’s I think, so usual for church musicians today. Sure you can work through your organ repertoire in church, but in most cases, requirements are much wider. And sometimes you have to adapt choral music, piano music, music for other instrumental ensembles, if you find that suitable for your occasion. And that’s an extra skill to learn. A: True. And it’s interesting that Tim’s playing mostly for funerals. So I guess it must be an old congregation that there are so many funerals. V: Mm hm. A: More funerals than weddings. V: Bach would be glad, right? A: Yes, because when Bach went to live and to work in Leipzig, he was promised to be paid extra for such activities as playing funerals. But apparently he didn’t have too many of them to play, because he was writing to his friend, to Poland, and complaining in his letter that healthy wind is blowing and nobody is dying. So at least, Tim has more funerals to play than Bach did! V: Right. A: I hope he gets paid well for them, as well. But definitely, it’s not the most pleasant thing to do, to play for funerals. I guess you might get used to them after playing for many years, but it’s still not the easiest task. V: Mm hm. Can you select, maybe ten pieces for your funerals, and rotate them, so that you can be prepared for any occasion? A: I think that’s what you should do, probably. Because deceased wouldn’t complain probably. Don’t you think so, Vidas? V: Deceased might not be angry with you, but their relatives might be. A: True, but still, you know, unless there are like some people who often attend funerals just because they like it, and they might notice that, you know, a few funerals, that you are playing the same music over and over again. V: You mean like funeral crashers? A: Yes. V: Uh huh. But I think it’s a good idea for people with less experience, with little experience, to gather ten or twelve pieces in your repertoire, and play a number of them in one funeral, and then select another choices but from the same program in another, and rotate them, and then gradually you start learning something new. A: And I have seen many collections that are used for weddings, written for wedding music, collect for wedding music, and usually they contain lots of arrangements, but actually, I haven’t seen any for funeral, funeral collections, funeral music. Have you seen? V: There must be. A: There must be some. But definitely, if you have a couple collections for funeral and couple collections for wedding, I think it’s more than plenty. V: We never needed those collections, because we selected our own repertoire, or improvised, like a chorale prelude, which would be played on a soft registration would sound very nice, I would say, for any funeral. A: True. And plus I think a lot of that funeral music might be used in service to (another) occasion. V: During communion, you mean? A: Yes. Or offertory. V: During funeral, your purpose probably is to play in a manner that wouldn’t distract the family in attendance and mourners. Basically, it should be like background music, meditative music. A: True, true. V: So, there is plenty of such meditations written throughout ages. As I said earlier about chorale preludes, communion pieces, in later times. Elevations, also. A: True. V: All right. So, I hope Tim will find something for himself as well. And, arranging for music, of course, is a different, separate skill that he needs to work on. I think writing it down is a good idea for beginners who have never done this before. A: Probably, yes. When I just started to play in church, when I was in the second grade of Academy of Music, I wrote down many church hymns. Because some of them were not harmonized, it had only one voice, and some were written in very uncomfortable keys, and because it was new, all that liturgy playing, it was quite hard, because you have so many things to absorb and to do. So I would write them down. V: But now you don’t have to do it anymore, right? We are playing a symphonic poem by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciulionis, Lithuanian romantic composer and painter, and from the beginning of 20th century – it’s called “In the Forest.” And we’re playing from the piano duet performance arrangement, but we’re playing on the organ, as an organ duet. Obviously for piano, this texture works just fine. But for the organ, we need to adjust it in many cases. But I chose not to write it down, and do it on the spot. Would that be accessible for beginner? A: I don’t think so. I highly doubt it. V: Mm hm. A: But that’s what we do, actually, because we realized that, instead of writing it down, we better practice more. V: Right. At our level, it’s already doable. So, guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 471 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Jeremy. He wrote on our Basecamp communication channel for Total Organist Community: Going to be a busy week, so I hope to get to the organ a little more than I think I will. We are having new floors put into our upstairs, so I will be hanging around the house. Piano practice will probably not happen, and my dogs will be going a little nuts with the construction happening. If possible, I will practice on the G minor Little Prelude and Fugue for Postlude on Sunday, and Demessieux's Attende Domine for Prelude. After that, I will be working on my normal repertoire. And I wrote to him: I have a feeling your congregation will enjoy hearing Demessieux. Do you write some program notes in the church bulletin? And Jeremy answered: No. Only a portion of the congregation listens to the preludes and postlude, so that lets me plan things like the Demessieux or even Messaien. And then, Dianne jumped into the conversation as well: A portion is something! When I subbed for my daughter, I played the last half of a 3 minute postlude to an empty sanctuary, save one little old lady, who stood up and applauded when I was done! My daughter says this is normal for her as well, and she is an excellent organist. And they mostly talk through the preludes, or enter the sanctuary at the last moment. To this, I responded: This is all quite sad to hear. Really what happens is that service starts with a prelude and ends with a postlude. So lots of education needs to be done. Including clergy. Maybe write short program notes about the music to be played that week in the church bulletin. What do you think about our correspondence, Ausra? A: Well, that’s very nice that people on Basecamp can communicate between themselves. I think it is very helpful. We can share problems, we can support each other. But the thing that struck me was that old lady who listened to that postlude and applauded afterwards. And it makes me feel that, you know, it doesn’t matter how many people listen to you. You always have to do your best. Because sometimes one old lady might be more important than entire crowd. V: Yes. A: You never know when you will reach somebody’s heart with your music. V: And this old lady might be a very famous organist, for example, traveling the country. A: Well, it doesn’t matter if she is famous or she is not. The most important thing for me is that you reach her, you touch her with your music. And that’s, you know, I think that’s what music is about. V: Touching people’s hearts? A: True. Don’t you think so? V: Of course. Then, I would think that educating people, educating congregation would help here a lot. Do you remember our church, Grace Lutheran Church, when we worked in Lincoln, Nebraska – they had a tradition that musical director, Sara Schott, would write a short note about today’s music selections. And I’m not sure if people read it or not, but it was there, and anybody who was interested could actually get educated this way. A: I don’t remember that, actually. Probably I haven’t read the notes. V: Well, you were busy playing. A: True. V: And, what’s your impression about preludes and postludes in our church, at Grace Lutheran Church at that time? Did people listen? A: Well, some of them listen, but some of them do not. I think it’s common for many congregations around the world. V: Mm hm. A: Somebody cares, and somebody not. You know, I remember thinking in Catholic Church, I sometimes observe people during the mass, that as soon as we receive communion, we leave the building, church building. V: Wow! A: Yes, we, some of them really doesn’t wait for final blessing and the end of the mass. What could you, how could you force them to stay and to listen to your prelude, I mean, for your postlude, if we leave right after receiving communion? V: Maybe you could play the postlude during communion! Ha ha! A: That wouldn’t be good. You would be kicked out of church! V: Yeah, that’s a tricky situation. When people don’t care, what can you do? A: But you know, when we are talking about this problem, I remember this comic strip on the, I believe it was on Dr. Quentin Faulkner's door… V: Yeah. A: Where you know, old lady… V: Brenda. A: Brenda, yes – she was standing next to the organ bench with a long… V: Gun? A: Gun. It’s like hunting gun, I believe. V: Gun shot. A: Yes. V: Shotgun! A: Yes, shotgun! And it said, “Brenda silenced the crowd for her prelude.” (laughs) And I have experienced episodes like this, when I’ve wanted to shut people down for my prelude or my postlude. Especially when I would learn something really sophisticated. V: Yeah. Ausra stands up from, on the organ bench and yells, “You should have listened to my prelude!” A: But the most important thing, I think, and one of the hardest things while serving the church is to play as well as you can, no matter what happens downstairs. And just focus on your music, no matter what. V: Mm hm. It would be interesting to hear other listeners’ opinion and feedback in their churches. Do people appreciate music, or is it just a background noise? A: I think it’s different in each case. I think you can find people always that appreciate music and people who don’t care about it. V: Mm hm. That’s right. The good thing today is that you can find fans for your music, listeners for your music, much easier with technology than earlier. Playing in church is no longer a, you know, one opportunity for the organist to play in public or engage with the organ nowadays. A: You mean not the only opportunity, yes? V: Not the only, yes. Put it online, put your video online, and watch it spread. A: Yes, like Vidas does! V: And sometimes Ausra! A: Yeah. V: Excellent. Thanks, guys. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen.  Thank you everyone for participating! You all made us very happy with your entries. We have selected the following winners.
 Have you ever wanted to start to practice on the organ but found yourself sidetracked after a few days? Apparently your inner motivation wasn't enough.
I know how you feel. I also was stuck many times. What helped me was to find some external motivation as well. In order for you to advance your organ playing skills and help you motivate to practice, my wife Ausra - @laputis and I invite you to join in a contest to submit your organ music and win some Steem. Are you an experienced organist? You can participate easily. Are you a beginner? No problem. This contest is open to every organ music loving Steemian. Here are the rules  Would you like to learn Andantino poco allegretto in Eb Majo from L'Organiste by Cesar Franck? I hope you'll enjoy playing this piece yourself from my PDF score. Thanks to Jan Pennell for her meticulous transcription from the slow motion video. What will you get? PDF score with complete fingering written in which will save you many hours of work. Basic Level. 1 page. Let me know how your practice goes. This score is free for Total Organist students. Check it out here
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra V: Let’s start episode 470, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by James. And he writes: Playing an Eminent digital organ in a local church last night, I discovered that by pressing a couple of buttons I could bring up Netherlands tonality and Kirnberger III tuning! Almost Heaven! Best wishes James V: This is James Spanner, an English organist, who visited Vilnius and played his recital in our church, number of years ago. And from time to time he writes updates about his like and work. So we keep in touch. And I thought of including his feedback here in the podcast as well. Do you like, Ausra, Dutch organs? A: Yes. I like them. It amazes me actually, most of them, because they are so big and have a very narrow keys, but very high pipes. And sometimes, it’s hard to imagine how could we fit all those pipes in such a narrow organ case. V: It’s been a while since we visited the Netherlands, but last time I heard Dutch organ sound, it was not long ago. It was recently submitted a video for our Secrets Of Organ Playing Contest by Partitura And he has several samplers on his digital organ, and he uses Dutch Deventer organ sound. A: And it’s very nice. V: Absolutely gorgeous. A: Yes. But I think that if you wouldn’t see the side of it you might not, that you wouldn’t recognize it’s a real organ, though it’s a digital organ. So I guess nowadays technique makes miracles. Although of course, if you could choose the real thing, you would probably choose the real thing. But nowadays the Netherlands are selling the instruments to Africa and South America. It makes me sort of sad, because those great historical instruments might diminish. V: Mmm-hmm. We’ve been just talking about that the other day—how European churches tend to be emptier and emptier. A: Shrinking, basically. V: Yes. Attendance in liturgy, liturgies of various denominations are shrinking. I’m not sure about organ concerts but the most direct usage of the organ for church services is on decline because of people going to the church less and less. A: And of course government cannot support each single church’s historical monument. So it’s a big dilemma what to do. V: And in many countries, they don’t pay taxes—people don’t pay taxes for churches, like in Germany. In Germany you have to choose either you are a Catholic or Lutheran, and then… A: That’s right. V: your portion of the tax goes to the church. But in other countries it’s divided. The state doesn’t support the church. A: Actually we were surprised so much when we were in London last summer, and gave a recital in St. Pauls Cathedral. Basically it’s really one of the best known Cathedrals in the world. And they also said that it is difficult for them to make a living and they have to take donations. V: Yeah. Government support for keeping the building as a historical monument is not enough for their activities. A: That’s right. V: Obviously they have to get additional funding. And they usually get it from donations, from visitors, and from members of their congregation, probably, who are proud to support such a church, such a cathedral. But we’ve been talking about the Dutch organ quality, right, and to me, I kind of marvel at their pedal towers. And that is very significant for German organ building as well. A: I think they have many similarities… V: Yes. A: Netherlands organs and German organs. Basically, it’s still, you could call it the same region. V: Mmm-hmm. And Kirnberger III tuning, is in our church too. A: Yes, at St. Johns. It’s a nice temperament because you can change so many keys. Basically everything up to three flats or sharps sound well on this temperament. V: Much more, I would say. A: Hmm, well, yes. V: Much more, but what is still present is individuality of the keys. Like C Major is a little bit different than D Major—sounds a little bit different. And D Major is a little bit different than F Major, let’s say. A: So that’s a nice temperament. V: Yes. I guess those digital organs which have samples of various important historical instruments from around the world, make people easy, allow people to have easy introductions to historical sounds, and let people to have those sounds at home. A: That’s very often, when you start to talk about tuning, and temperaments, people cannot comprehend it. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Because if you are only talking about it and you cannot play examples, it doesn’t make sense, most of the case. I think mainly string performers can understand what you are talking about, but others not so much. V: It only saddens me a little bit that James heard this organ, or played this organ at the local church. Not at somebody’s home or his house, but at the church, because usually churches invest in pipe organs. A: Well, not so much anymore. V: Or should. A: Not so much anymore. V: I would say ought to invest in pipe organs—quality pipe organs. And digital organs could be best used for private use. A: But I think it’s all about money. V: Of course. Thanks guys. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen!  Would you like to learn Molto moderato in Eb Minor from L'Organiste by Cesar Franck? I hope you'll enjoy playing this piece yourself from my PDF score. Thanks to Jeremy Owens for his meticulous transcription from the slow motion video. What will you get? PDF score with complete fingering written in which will save you many hours of work. Basic Level. 1 page. Let me know how your practice goes. This score is free for Total Organist students. Check it out here SOPP466: I could not stay with my new organ teacher after all because I am just so busy at work7/25/2019
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 466 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Ariane, and she writes: “I don’t know, I am a bit lost. I could not stay with my new organ teacher after all because I am just so busy at work. Ever since I moved to my current city I have found it almost impossible to practice regularly. Maybe I should just have a break or only play what I feel like playing and watch the world move around me. I also wonder whether it is worth working towards a music exam I will never need anyway.” V: Ausra, have you been ever lost in your organ playing goals? A: Well, yes! I think everybody experiences it sooner or later. V: I can remember, I was a little bit lost when we first came back from the United States to Lithuania, I didn’t know what to do. I did know what to hope to achieve. And, I think maybe 6 months or so was just wandering around. But then, somehow, I found my purpose, which by the way, has changed, and has been changing from time to time, and it’s okay. A: Because, you know, I think there are a few reasons why people practice organ. One thing, I think, if you are a professional and you make your living out of that, you must practice. That’s no matter what; you will practice. Another possibility is that you serve for church. Maybe you are not a main organist or not a music director at church, but you do some sort of service at church, and it doesn’t make your entire living, but it helps to make your living, so that way you have to practice, too. And another case is if you are just playing for fun—if it’s your hobby—you like organ, you like organ music, and you practice because you like it. So, basically, if you are none of these, then I don’t know what kind of motivation you would have to have in order to keep practicing. V: You definitely need some sort of community support in order to stay with this habit for a long time. Right? Because, only very few people I know can stick with the habit and do it when nobody is looking, for no one’s benefit, just for the sake of practicing. Right? And then this practice is no longer an art, because art has to touch other people. And it’s just practice, which is not bad at all, but it’s very difficult to stick with it this way. A: So I guess if you see no goal, you need to find a goal. V: Yes, maybe your goal would be to find a goal—your short term goal would be to find something. To find a purpose why you practice. Ask yourself: If you skipped practice today and tomorrow, would you feel bad about it? Would you miss it? And if your answer is “no,” then maybe organ practice is not so necessary for you, for your well being. But if the answer is yes, if you do miss days when you sit down on the organ bench, then it means something for you, you just have to figure out what does it mean. A: And I think it means a lot for Ariane, because she wouldn’t write such a letter. V: Obviously, plus she is our Total Organist student. And we already have this BaseCamp community which support each other. A: But anyway, since she moved to a new location, as I understood from this letter, I think that might cause this situation, too, because sometimes it’s hard to adapt to a new place. It takes time. V: Exactly, and she had, probably, this organ teacher with whom she studied for a while, and now she cannot do it because she is busy at work, and all this means that she has to find inner motivation. Not external, but internal motivation. If you have a real physical teacher to whom you go every week, then it’s like a deadline for you to prepare something every week. Or, if you go to church and perform for services, the same thing. Or if you perform at recitals, public performances, the same thing. It’s external motivation. But she no longer has that. A: True. V: So maybe she has to find it. A: Yes. V: Not necessarily in the form of a teacher, but for example, participating in our Secrets of Organ Playing Contest. And people who participate, we have just a few people, a very small community there, they participate every week, and sometimes they alternate in judging other people’s work as guest judges. Those people really quadruple their motivation to practice, and also their results. A: Yes, I think it’s a big benefit to participate in something. V: We saw many videos of those participants over time—over tens of weeks. I don’t remember how many weeks we were doing this. But those who stick with it are definitely progressing very fast. A: True. V: So maybe it’s for Ariane and others who are feeling a bit lost at the moment. Alright guys, this was our advice. Maybe think about your goals and reasons why you practice, and if you’re not feeling motivated, maybe give it a try. Give our suggestions a try, and let us know how it goes. And send us more of your questions, because we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 463 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Anne, and she writes: “I am finishing up learning the notes to the Bach Prelude in D, BWV 532. This has been a long road to learn this piece – I started working on it again in January but put it aside in March for the Easter season before getting back to it in late April after Easter was over. I am currently practicing the spots that I have trouble with slowly each day and then I play the entire Prelude up to speed as many times as it takes to get through it with the least amount of errors. Staying focused is my biggest problem at this point. My mind tends to drift when I’m doing all the repetitions. However, each day it feels as if it is becoming more and more familiar and I hope this eventually will allow me to play through the piece with few errors. I will continue doing this for the next month before I begin to think about performing it. I have a lesson this coming week so I’ll be interested to hear what my teacher has to say. I have not had a lesson for a while due to the Easter Season. Hopefully, he will like what I have done with the piece.” V: So, Ausra, Anne’s biggest trouble is with concentration. Right? About when she’s playing BWV 532 Prelude. A: True. I think to be concentrated throughout performing is really challenging for many organists. How can you focus? What do you use? What kind of techniques do you use? V: I use my breathing to help focus. Sometimes, I breathe in and out very slowly and deeply through the nose, and rhythmically. I do this… it depends on the rhythm, sometimes, of the piece, and tempo. Maybe once a measure in, once a measure out. A: Well, I do that breathing exercise when I go to bed in order to fall asleep easier. V: And, does it help? A: Yes! It helps, so if I would use the same technique on the organ bench, I don’t know what would happen. I might fall asleep in the middle of my recital. V: But there are more things to it, I think. Right now, I don’t really need to concentrate on my breathing to stay focused. You know? Because I have 25 plus years of experience playing organ, and I think those years add up, and it gets easier with time. You don’t pay attention to external noises and things that might distract you at first. A: I think that you might lose your concentration when you are playing without a specific goal; when you are not giving yourself a specific goal—why you are repeating this piece over and over again. I think you need to raise a goal for yourself each time playing through. V: Could be. A simple goal like this: The first time she plays a piece or an episode of the piece, she would notice a few mistakes. Right? And the second time, she would try to correct just one mistake. The third time just the third mistake. Would that work, Ausra? A: Well, that might, for her, but when I’m talking about making a goal for yourself, I’m thinking more about, let’s say, “Now I will play this through, and I will really listen to the tenor voice, for example. V: Oh! Interesting. That might be even better! A: Or, “Now, I will play this piece, and I will subdivide everything into 16th notes,” and things like this—musical goals. V: To keep your mind focused. A: Yes, or, “This time I will play this piece through, and I will always lean on the strong beat of each measure.” And when you have this kind of goal, it helps you to keep focused throughout the piece. V: Good idea! I think this is helpful for everybody, not only for playing D major Prelude by Bach, but in general, when you are doing multiple repetitions. A: True! V: Okay, guys, please apply those tips in your practice; this really works. And, keep sending us your wonderful questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen! |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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