As some of my readers know, last Saturday I played an improvised organ recital based on the motives from the fairy tale "The Little Mermaid" by the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen.
Here's what two of my listeners wrote about it in my testimonial book after the recital: Arthur: "Unique and magnificent improvisations, each time new and never the same." Vadim: "If one wants to hear not only classical music but some of the finest contemporary masterpieces which are unique for their improvised content neither too conventional to be boring but neither excessive with intricacy to be misunderstood - they should check out Dr. Pinkevicius performances". I'm grateful for this feedback from my student Vadim and his friend Arthur whom I invited to sit behind the organist bench during the recital so they saw everything from up close. Here's the video and my blueprint I had in front of me on the music rack during the performance. I hope you'll enjoy the musical story. And if you choose, just like these listeners, to share your thoughts about this performance, I would be immensely grateful. PS I will play my next improvisation recital based on the motives from the Lithuanian folk fairy tale "Egle, Queen of Grass Snakes" at Vilnius University St. John's church on August 22.
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I'm currently working on transcribing some of my improvisations into music score notation and have just finished the work on the piece I call "A Storm". If you want to learn how I improvised this little piece, here are some of the important steps to try for you as well. It's not a terribly difficult composition with the right hand moving in toccata-like sixteenth note figuration while the left hand has open fifths moving in quarter notes and reinforced by the pedals. If you print it out and play it, please let me know, how it went for you.
PS If you missed my previous little piece "Morning in the Countryside", you can print it out here. Welcome to the Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast
#2! Listen to the conversation Today's guest is George Ritchie, an organist whose lifelong contribution to the organ world cannot be overestimated. He's mostly known for his famous CD recordings of all Bach organ compositions on historically informed organs in the US. More recently he collaborated with FugueStateFilms to create a stunning documentary DVD and CD recording of Bach's the Art of Fugue. Also his organ method book which he wrote with George Stauffer "Organ Technique: Modern and Early" really became a classic for organists who want to learn both styles of playing - legato and articulate. Beside numerous graded exercises and repertoire pieces, it has lots of scholarly information about the performance practice issues of various schools of organ composition and historical periods as well as on some other aspects of organist profession, such as organ practice, organ design, hymn playing, and even avantgarde organ playing techniques. George Ritchie is a totally inspiring man, completely generous, full of insights - this is a conversation you will want to listen to many times. Enjoy the interview and share your comments below. Relevant links: George Ritchie's website Method book Organ Technique: Modern and Early All Bach Organ Works CD Recordings The Art of Fugue DVD and CD project This blog is committed to fight back the "Ping" with some productive work. Forward it to someone who can run to the organ balcony when inspiration strikes. " A few years ago I noticed a disturbing pattern in my life. It was a tiny sensation, a little pinprick in my gut every so often. I called it the "Ping." The Ping is that little sensation that occasionally prompts me to check my e-mail or my social media accounts. It's the impulse to mindlessly surf news sites instead of doing something productive." ...said Mozart about this piece by Bach, when he was visiting St. Thomas church in Leipzig (Bach was already dead at this time) and he heard this incredible composition, ran upstairs to the organ balcony, and asked the cantor to show him the score. Since the cantor only had separate vocal parts, Mozart spread them out on the floor, and didn't leave until he fully understood the music. Because of this incident Mozart's style became more polyphonic. Question: What's the most recent piece by any composer you could learn from? What I'm working on:
Writing "Picking up apples". Continue writing fingering and pedaling for the Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor. Editing Sonata No. 4 by Teisutis Makačinas. Transposing hymn setting "O Lord, I Am Not Worthy". Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C Locrian mode (from C with 5 flats). Performing a private recital for the group of 21 tourists from Germany (Clavierubung by Johann Ludwig Krebs). Improvising in Locrian mode. Composing "A Storm". From "The Accidental Creative": My greatest, strangest, and bravest ideas in the past have tended to appear while I was doing these things: 1. Picking up apples from my lawn 2. Trimming the grass 3. Watering the flowers 4. Vacuuming the carpet 5. Showering 6. Shoveling the snow 7. Jogging 8. Doing the dishes (...) All I have to do, then, is to undertake these activities more often and keep my notebook and pen at hand. When do your greatest ideas come up? What I'm working on: Writing "From playing sports to recording all Bach organ works". Writing in fingering and pedaling for Toccata by Widor. Editing Sonata No. 4 by Teisutis Makačinas. Transposing hymn setting "The Mouth of Fools Doth God Confess". Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C harmonic major mode (from C with Db and Ab flats). Performing an improvisation recital on the story of "The Little Mermaid"). Composing "A Storm". From "The Accidental Creative": Expect that great things are going to happen, but don't place parameters on what those things will be; inevitably, they will lead to disappointment or cause you to miss opportunities simply because you're not looking for them." This blog doesn't wait for inspiration to strike. Forward it to people who carry notebooks in their pockets just in case.
Do you remember the story about the young Johann Sebastian Bach in Arnstadt who didn't get along with the church authorities at least on 4 occasions: 1. When he traveled on foot to Lubeck to learn from Dieterich Buxtehude in 1705 (Bach was 20 years old at the time). He originally planned to be away for 4 weeks but returned only after about 3 months. Of course church officials were not at all happy to have been left without the main organist during the entire Christmas season. 2. When Bach came back, his congregation was somewhat frustrated that his playing style changed which made the hymn singing confusing. Initially he inserted improvisatory flourishes and runs of all kinds between the chorale lines and made the harmonies quite dissonant. When asked to simplify things, Bach reportedly started playing too plainly. 3. After returning home from church, one evening Bach was confronted by one of his church musicians, a certain Geyersbach, who tried to make Bach apologize to him for calling him a Zippel Fagottist ("a nanny-goat bassoonist”) which he refused to do and even draw his dagger. A fight might have ended ill if it were not for his cousin, Maria Barbara, who was walking together with him and separated them. This incident was reported to the town officials and Consistory and they were not pleased. 4. When in the words of Consistory, Bach allowed "an unfamiliar maiden" to the organ loft to sing. Apparently this was the same Maria Barbara, his future wife. After these events it was almost certain that Bach couldn't work in Arnstadt for much longer and in 1707 he found an organist position in Muhlhausen. So the young Bach appears to have had quite a temper as a young man. He clearly wouldn't take mediocrity of his fellow musicians lightly. He knew his worth and above all he valued his independence and the ability for continuous study and improvement. Question: Should Bach have behaved more politely, obeyed the rules, and didn't bring too much attention on himself? And more importantly, when we think about it today, is it wise for a very talented young organist to follow directions to the letter, not to overestimate one's skills, not to cause any trouble even if this would mean compromising one's artistic integrity? What's your opinion? What I'm working on:
Writing "That's the music one can learn from". Editing SOP Podcast No. 2 with George Ritchie. Continue writing fingering and pedaling for the Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor. Editing Sonata No. 4 by Teisutis Makačinas. Transposing hymn setting "He Leadeth Me". Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C Locrian mode (from C with 5 flats). Practicing Clavierubung by Johann Ludwig Krebs for tomorrow's recital. Improvising in Locrian mode. Composing "A Storm". Reading "The Accidental Creative". The Dorian Toccata and Fugue is not the only piece Bach wrote using ancient modes, of course. In the above picture of Das alte Jahr vergangen ist, BWV 614 we can see that it appears this chorale is in A minor but ends with the half cadence, which is weird. More likely, it's written in E Frygian mode (like natural minor but with flattened 2nd scale degree - hence no F#. You are probably wondering why the ending chord is E major? It's called Picardy Third: a technique to end Baroque minor pieces in major. This is because keyboard instruments back in the day were tuned with at least several major thirds. Hence a major third E-G# in this chord sounds more pure and stable that a minor third E-G. Are you playing any Baroque piece that is written in a minor key? Chances are that it may also be modal. Share your ideas in the comments. Take a look at the above picture (it's an opening of Bach's Dorian Toccata and Fugue, BWV 538). Is everything the way we would write today? If this is a piece in D minor (and it is), why is one flat missing next to the clef? It turns out that this composition is a remnant of what we call today the Dorian mode - it's constructed like natural minor but with raised 6th scale degree - hence no Bb. So Bach really remembered the tradition and times when major and minor keys were not invented yet. Instead composers at that time used modal system of sometimes 8, sometimes 12 modes. This was before the Baroque period (although this example indicates that modes were still significant factor for Baroque composers, too). What I'm working on: Writing "A young rascal". Recording SOP Podcast No. 2 with George Ritchie. Continue writing fingering and pedaling for the Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor. Editing Part 3 of Sonata No. 2 by Teisutis Makačinas. Transposing hymn setting "He Was Not Willing". Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C Frygian mode (from C with 4 flats). Playing Office No. 35 from “L’Orgue Mystique” by Charles Tournemire. Improvising in Frygian mode. Composing "A Storm". Reading "The Accidental Creative". Organ Improvisation Recitals It's hard to create and perform a good organ improvisation recital. You've got to make it worth people's time to engage with it. I've often been asked to appear in public in various venues. I approach it by making it fun and interesting - worthy of the 30-60 minutes of time I'm asking for to participate. On Friday, I will be performing a private recital for a group of tourists for Germany and on Saturday - a musical poem based on the story of The Little Mermaid. Improvisation recitals are amazing ways to tell stories that resonate with listeners. It's a great way for your organization to make compelling connection with many people. Email me if you want to chat about an organ improvisation recital for your organization. This blog doesn't remember the times when major or minor keys weren't invented yet . Forward it to someone who still composes using ancient modes.
This blog is intrigued by the Lydian mode. Forward it to someone who is not intimidated by a 6th grader singing Frygian instead. What I'm working on: Editing Modulation Workshop Week 11. Writing "One flat wanted". Continue writing fingering and pedaling for the Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor. Editing Part 1 of Sonata No. 2 by Teisutis Makačinas. He was my first improvisation teacher some 21 years ago (it seemed like yesterday). Transposing hymn setting "Abide, O Dearest Jesus". Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C Aeolian mode (with from C with 3 flats). Playing Office No. 35 from “L’Orgue Mystique” by Charles Tournemire. Improvising in Aeolian mode. Composing "A Storm". Reading "The Accidental Creative". One of the exercises we do with 6th graders at National M.K. Ciurlionis School of Art during ear training classes when the time comes to introduce them to the ancient modes is this: I ask them to compose a melody in a certain meter with a certain amount of measures in a certain mode using any rhythms that works for this meter. How they are surprised that when later I ask them to sing their melodies together AT THE SAME TIME, it sounds quite interesting. Sometimes strange, sometimes beautiful, and sometimes really artistically pleasing. Well, it's not exactly easy for all of them to sing different melodies together and if this is too much, I ask them to learn to sing their melodies at home and the next time they come to class we would sing them again. Usually they are delighted to hear the product of their imagination and they of course are wondering why 10 or more kids can write seemingly random exercise and it would sound great when performed together (sometimes we even add words to it to make it more fun). So what makes it possible to do it all at the same time? That's because they all sing in one mode. Now for those of you who don't know about ancient or diatonic modes, here is a video demonstration and explanation of them on the organ. In other words, if there no foreign notes to the mode, then it all works together just fine. You are probably beginning to wonder how my musical adventures with these 6th graders relate to organists? The thing is, if you can internalize these modes (some of them have 7 notes, some of them only 5) and play from any note, then you can easily create a short melody on the spot using only the notes of the modes, just like my 6th graders. And that could be a very useful skill because it's just one step away from playing two melodies in the same mode at the same time. Imagine that - two voice polyphonic improvisation is within your reach! That's amazing, isn't it? You can create dialogues (conversations) between the voices and/or duets playing simultaneously. And that's not very far away from creating a longer piece using several modes or the same mode but in different transpositions changed at semi-regular time intervals. That's (almost) all I do when I improvise using modal techniques. So, do you care to try too? This blog cares about quintuplets. Forward it to your fellow rhythmic enthusiast. What I'm working on: Publishing a press-release for "The Little Mermaid". Writing "Concerning Modes". Continue writing fingering and pedaling for the Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor. Found out while on the phone with the composer Teisutis Makačinas that his new Festive Sonata-Symphony is dedicated to the 15th anniversary of the rebuilding of the great organ at Vilnius University St. John's church which I will premiere (together with improvisations) on October 17 (interview with the composer planned before that date). Starting editing Part 1 of Sonata No. 2 by Makačinas. Transposing hymn setting "Be Still My Soul". Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C Dorian mode (with from C with 2 flats). Playing Office No. 35 from “L’Orgue Mystique” by Charles Tournemire. Improvising in Dorian mode. Composing "A Storm". Reading "The Accidental Creative". One evening I was sitting at the recital at my church of a colleague, a very creative organist, who played exclusively modern organ music. Harsh-sounding compositions changed with even more depressing sounds, the entire event was a test of my level of tolerance. I thought to myself "I had enough" and "is this the best modern organ music has to offer?" and "why is he still playing when the recital should have been long over?
Was it my fault, the organist's or the composer's that it didn't connect with me? Incidentally, I stayed in the church entirely out of politeness. Modern organ music might seem quite odd for some listeners - strange melodies, irregular rhythms, sometimes unpredictable form, dissonant harmony and other features makes an organist's job of connecting to the people who hear you play even more tricky. The thing is that modern organ music sometimes might lack the objective that was all-prevalent is earlier times. It doesn't have to be beautiful. It doesn't have to make you say things, like "I was enchanted" or "I was transported to another world because it reminded me of bliss." Sometimes it does, but other times it makes you say things, like "This was interesting" or "I didn't expect it to end this way" or even "I'm glad it's over." So what it takes for a listener (and an organist) to appreciate modern organ music? It asks of you to have an open mind. To try things that perhaps you have never tried before. To go deeper than you ever dared to go. To cause a change to happen in a way you listen. If you can, arm yourself with as broad music theory knowledge as possible. I mean explore the modes (5 note modes, 6 note modes, 7 note modes, 8 note modes, even 10 note modes), harmonies (chords with 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 notes), rhythms (quintuplets, septuplets, non retrogradable rhythms, additive rhythms, etc.). And I have to say it gets easier with practice. If you listen to and play modern organ music regularly, your mind becomes more receptive to these sounds, your eyes and fingers become more accustomed to the strange accidentals, your feet will learn to move in advanced syncopations. Free improvisation helps a lot. As you sit at the instrument, explore some of these things I've mentioned above and maybe, just maybe all of a sudden you will find yourself saying "I don't want this to end too soon". What's your level of tolerance when it comes to modern organ music? Is it higher now than a few years ago? Or do you feel like I did during that all-modern music recital of my colleague? Welcome to the Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #1! Listen to the conversation Today's guest is a very dear friend of mine and mentor, an organ builder Gene Bedient who’s going to share with us his insights about the art of organ building. Gene Bedient started the Bedient Pipe Organ company over 40 years ago. He based the company on a combined love of all things technical and music. Over the course of this journey, Bedient made many pipe organs throughout the US that are a legacy of craftsmanship, artwork, technical engineering, and audible beauty. In 1969, Bedient started rebuilding and repairing organs in a garage in Lincoln, Nebraska. His vision grew over the next 40 years. Together with a small, dedicated crew, Bedient Pipe Organ Company built more than 80 organs, large and small, each unique, each an artistic and technical work of art. Because Gene has recently retired, The Bedient Pipe Organ company is now under the leadership of Paul Lytle and Mark Miller. Both men together with the group of passionate builders are dedicated to carrying on the legacy of the founding builder and continue to craft intricate works of art. Art that endures and inspires. Enjoy the conversation and share your comments below. Relevant links: Gene Bedient on Facebook Bedient Pipe Organ Company of Lincoln, NE Bendient Pipe Organ Company on Facebook The Wind at One's Fingertips Dom Bedos de Celles English translation of Dom Bedos treatise "L'art du facteur d'orgues" by Charles Ferduson What I'm working on: Writing "How to Understand Modern Organ Music". Continue writing fingering and pedaling for the Toccata by Charles-Marie Widor. Finishing editing Part 3 of Sonata No. 1 by Teisutis Makačinas. Transposing hymn setting "Despair Not, O Heart". Practicing 12 Technical Polyphonic and Rhythmic Studies Op. 125 by Oreste Ravanello. Practicing "Virtuoso Pianist" by Hanon in C Mixolydian mode (with from C with Bb). Playing Office No. 35 from “L’Orgue Mystique” by Charles Tournemire. Improvising with Dominant 7th chords and their inversions. Finishing composing "A Morning in the Countryside". Starting composing "A Storm". Reading "A Beautiful Constraint". This blog is fascinated with organ pipe sandcasting techniques. Forward it to anyone who cares about flexible winding as well. |
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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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