Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 557 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Monty. And he writes, Vidas, I'm slowly going through the Orgelbuchlein. Because of a very late start, my playing resembles one of your slow-motion videos, but nevertheless I greatly enjoy it. A wonderful thing about music is that there is something great for everyone. One thing I especially appreciate is that you mention things, and dozens of times they've turned out to be very useful. For example, I use the Wayne Leupold Orgelbuchlein edited and fingered by your old teacherQuentin Faulkner. It is a treasure. Had you not mentioned Faulkner I probably never would have been introduced to his books. Another example. A while back you mentioned that you were going to interview Frank Mento. I didn't know anything about him but I went right to Amazon and picked up his two new consolidated volumes. While my Hauptwerk organ has a harpsichord sample set (without of course realistic touch), so far the pieces work for organ. This is a beautiful progressive series, thoughtfully created by someone with an obvious dedication to education. As mentioned near the beginning of the podcast that I just started, it required a huge amount of work to produce. The books contain hundreds of nice period pieces. Advanced organists who already play well and understand early fingering might find the series to be too elementary, but I'm getting a lot out of it. In particular, there is a strong focus on shifting hand positions. Maybe to give one more example, someone was once having trouble with Bach and it might have been Ausra who suggested that maybe they should try Pachelbel because his works were more approachable. So I picked up the Belotti edition from Wayne Leupold and, sure enough, it was full of very nice fugues that can be played by ordinary people. The year is almost at an end and I'll wish you and Ausra a very Happy New Year. ~Monty V: First of all, Ausra, where is the question? A: It seems like it’s more like appreciation, and it’s very nice and very thoughtfully written, and we truly appreciate it. It’s very nice to receive a feedback from our listeners and our readers. V: That’s right. I read it through and was looking for something to click, but I didn’t notice any specific concern that Monty is having, other than his wish to thank us. A: Yes. And it’s very nice that he mentions Quentin Faulkner, who was our professor at UNL, and it’s really nice, it’s a remarkable person - he worked in both directions, as an educator, and also as, I could call him a philosopher even. If you would read his book, “Wiser than Despair,” you would know what I mean. V: Mm hm. A: Because his ideas about how human mentality developed during the centuries, it’s really interesting. V: Yeah, it’s a book about evolution of the ideas around music and the church. Specifically, not about church music itself, but ideas around music and the church. I heard he is almost done with his new publication. What it’s about? Registration of Johann Sebastian Bach’s work maybe? Organ works? A: Yes, and do you know if Wayne Leupold is going to publish it or not? V: Not sure, but it’s possible. A: It’s possibility, because they have collaborated a lot during the lifetime. And in general, Wayne Leupold name was mentioned a few times in this letter, and I think it’s worth mentioning, because he’s really one of the most outstanding editors in the organ field. V: And I was lucky to interview him for the podcast, too. A: Yes. V: I remember holding the laptop on my knees and sitting in our former summer cabin. A: Yes. And he’s remarkably good with all the commercial stuff. I think if more musicians would have his skills, we would all be much more rich, richer. Wealthier. V: He’s good, you mean, with selling his music. A: Yes, yes. Remember how his demonstrations would go? Talking about his music when he publishes. V: He has a good quality of a salesman, too. A: Sure. V: Which could only be admired. And taken as an example for some of the musicians who are maybe either shy, or for some other reason, don’t bother marketing their music. A: Yes. And actually, it’s sort of a joke, but he reminded me a little bit about that turtle from the Ice Age… V: Oh - who could sell anything! A: Yes, yes! And it’s sort of, really good at what he is doing. But you know, I am talking this because of admiration. Because what he’s selling, he’s selling the good stuff. We have tried it many many times ourselves. So we can really advocate for it. V: Yeah. First of all, you have to be good at what you do, and don’t sell crap. I mean, there are organists online who advertise themselves basically shamelessly. Much more than a real good organist do. But their music is, well, let’s say below average. Right, Ausra? A: Yeah. V: Have you seen them? And I think they spend more time marketing themselves than playing organ. And in their particular situation, I would reverse, reverse the efforts and practice more and market less. A: Sure. V: And for some other organists, maybe do the opposite: market more and practice less. A: (laughs) V: But that’s, of course, very, very personal. What else can we say - Frank Mento, right -you haven’t met him when we visited Paris. No? But I talked with him for three times, I think, on the podcast, about his harpsichord method, and highly recommend it. I’m glad that someone like Frank started doing it for the harpsichord, because there wasn’t anything available online. And his age, I mean, he’s a senior, and already retired, and to do this online work is not easy for seniors. And he of course has good health, collaborates with probably someone with more technical knowledge. And that’s very good advice. If you’re not equipped technically, find someone who is. A: But I guess now, age is not an obstacle. More and more elderly people discover the internet, and even I have heard that teenagers are leaving Facebook because their grandmas actually are sort of taking over Facebook. V: Have you met grandmas who sell harpsichord methods yet? A: No, but… V: That’s what I mean. They usually are users of the platform, but not creators. That’s a little different level. And from time to time, one or two people also reach that level. But it’s rare. A: Yeah, it’s rare, but I think it will become more often the case. V: I mean, it’s not rare if you did this your entire life, and you gradually discovered the internet, and share your work there. Because you’ve been sharing it offline all your life - it’s not that big of a difference. But if you haven’t done this before, to switch the mindset that you can be a creator online at this age, this is truly rare, I think. A: Yes. But I think it will become more and more popular. Don’t you think so? V: Absolutely. There is no other way. Because if there are...it’s just statistics. The more users there are, the more creators, too. A: Because now the new generation will grow up, who were born with smartphones and the internet. And they had it together with mother’s milk, so to say. So they don’t have to learn it in middle of age, as we did, for example. V: Yeah. A: Or as elderly, as there are some people now. So it will be natural to publish your work online, and to share your work online. V: The different thing with us is that we went to the United States, right, early enough. And we picked up new ideas from there. And when we got back, we could talk similar language with the teenagers, because those new ideas were just getting transferred to Lithuania. But not necessarily picked up by the people of our age, but only by the people of earlier generation, right? A: Yeah. V: Okay. And of course, Monty likes Pachelbel, and we highly recommend Pachelbel as well. A: Yes, he’s an excellent composer. I have done many of his pieces in church. V: I haven’t… A: For liturgical purposes. V: I haven’t played Pachelbel for awhile now. Maybe I should prepare some slow motion videos and give our team to transcribe for fingering. A: Yes, I think that’s a good idea. It’s very useful for church musicians. V: Yes, and easier than Johann Sebastian Bach. Like a preparation for Bach. A: True. V: Good. Thank you, guys. Thank you, Monty, for your thoughtful message. We really appreciate it. And please keep sending us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
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Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 534 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Richard, and he writes, Dear Vidas and Ausra, How lovely to see our conversation make one of your SOPPs this week. Thank you! I don’t know Franck’s L’Organiste. I will order it and enjoy a good read. Do you know Guilmant’s ‘Organiste Liturgical’? A wonderful collection of his music that would have been (and still could be) used during Mass in France. Another gorgeous work I am dipping in and out of is Vierne’s Messe Basse for organ, again for use in Mass. It contains some wonderful movements, particularly ‘Elevation’ and ‘Communion’. I am vice chairman of the local organists’ association. The association is 70 next year and I’m arranging the trip to Paris as our birthday event. The organists I’ve met, or emailed this year, have been really lovely and welcoming. I have played some superb instruments, large and small, and am looking forward to the trip in April (I’m going back for a weekend in November as I just adore the wonderful instruments!). We will be playing at St. Eustache, St Clotilde, St. Laurent (Cliquot pipework), St. Gervais (Couperin dynasty), Notre-Dame des Champs (where Cavaillé-Coll worshiped and had his workshop just round the corner. He was always tinkering with the organ in the church which is why it is such a large two manual! The sound………….WOW!!!) and others. You’re right when you say that the playing must be perfect. It’s why I’ve already started learning music from Couperin to Langlais. I hope the other 9 players are working hard too! It should be a good trip! With best wishes to you both, Richard PS I drink decaf coffee too! A: Nice. V: Remember, Richard sent us some donation for us to drink coffee. A: Yes, I remember. That was very nice of him. V: Mm hm. A: And it’s wonderful that he is planning this trip to Paris. I think everybody will be excited about it. V: Yes. He mentions Guilmant’s Liturgical Organist Collection. It’s very practical. It has amazing variety of pieces, as well as Vierne’s low mass, Messe Basse, for the organ. And yes, you can pick Elevation and Communion out of that, they are easy to play in your service any day. But for his trip, it will serve a purpose of demonstrating some of the quieter organ stops, like maybe celestes and gambas. A: Yes, I think any of these mentioned collections, including Vierne, Guilmant, and Franck would definitely work well on such a trip. V: I mentioned Franck because we have done fingering, complete fingering for them - it would be easy for people to pick up and start practicing the efficient way right away. A: And of course, if he will have a chance to, and his crew will have a chance to play at St. Clotilde, then you definitely have to do some Franck to honor him, because St. Clotilde was his church. V: Yes, yes. Maybe something with pedals would be nice by Franck, as well. A: True. V: Like one of the easier pieces like Prelude, Fugue, and Variation in B Minor? A: Or Cantabile maybe? V: Cantabile, yes. Pastorale, too. A: Yeah. V: Or C Major Fantasia. Those several pieces would be wonderful to try out in Paris. You know, I’ve done fingering and pedaling for Couperin’s Mass for the Convents, and he can find that in our Secrets of Organ Playing Store, and I think I have a course on learning this piece with Widor’s, where I demonstrate my own playing on St. John’s organ. That could be useful to him as well. Wonderful. Some of the modern pieces, and modern composers could be applied to such trip, too, don’t you think? A: True. And what do you mean when you say modern pieces and modern composers? Do you mean like Dupre, or is he too old as well, and you mean something even newer? V: Maybe… A: Like Bedard? Or what? V: Bedard is a living Canadian composer, and he created French-sounding pieces which are very easy to play, actually, quite successful. And audiences love it. It creates great effect, but requires not much of, not as much practice as real French music. So that could be an option. But I wonder if, for example, Messiaen would be practical to learn here, or some of the modern pieces of living composers, like Naji Hakim and maybe Thierry Escaich. Although they might be too difficult. A: True. V: They are concert pieces mostly, probably. I just wish more French organists would write down their improvisations. A: And would you learn them? V: Yes, some of them, sure. And Tournemire would work as well, in St. Clotilde. A: Yes, that’s right. Because he, I think, was an organist there as well. V: Yeah, successor of Franck. A: So I think it’s a wonderful city with a wonderful organ history. Although, I’m not so sure about Messiaen, if you would play it. In church, then yes, but in others, because, well, what Messiaen did to his organ actually wasn’t such a nice thing, when I think from the historical perspective of the instrument, himself, because he installed so many mutation stops because those were crucial for his compositions, but they are not so common in general French tradition. So he sort of ruined, a little bit, the French instrument. V: Let’s say “improved.” (laughs) A: Well, you know, time will decide for him. But I don’t consider it as an improvement of the instrument. V: In that time, of course, it wasn’t historically right thing to do. Because, as we know today, if you have an historical instrument, you should try to preserve the original condition, and not augment something else, not add things that change the nature of the instrument. A: That’s why sometimes the most exciting historical instruments are found in the villages. Because if you have an instrument in a large city, then it’s more possibility that during a war, it will be damaged, or the congregation will have too much money and will renovate it a lot and will rebuild it a lot, and the perspective of a few centuries. But in the village, there are less possibilities for a bomb to hit the church, or for people to have money to ruin it. V: Because it draws less attention. A: True. And that’s, for example, I think, one of the reasons why the good Baroque instruments in Paris almost… V: Non-existent. A: Non existent. Because of all the revolution and all those things. V: Yeah, when pipes, lead pipes were made into bullets. A: True. So I guess probably French really needs to feel grateful for Cavaille Coll, that he lived after the Revolution, not before it, and we have all these wonderful instruments built by him. V: That’s right. At any rate, let’s hope Richard will write back to us after his trip, and we’ll share his experiences so that we could also discuss them. A: Yes, let us know how your trip went, and we will be glad to hear from you. V: Ok 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.
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra V: Let’s start episode 543, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by several people. And maybe even answers to our community on Basecamp, members of Total Organist, where I asked them: ‘How do you like Total Organist so far?’ The first to reply, Jeremy. He wrote: Jeremy: I enjoy that there is a place that I can find encouragement. Being an organist and pianist, I spend a lot of time alone with little insight from other people. That occasional "Boost" makes the days sometimes more manageable, and I like that people post the same problems that I am having. We are not alone! Vidas: I wrote: I also enjoy seeing people supporting each other. It's one thing for me to connect with everybody through email but it's an entirely different level to give like-minded people an opportunity to connect to each other. Ruth jumped in, in the conversation: Ruth: I enjoy the diversity of persons who write in Total Organist. I am learning a great deal from their writing and experiences. I appreciate the energy and work that all of you are putting into your organ practice. Of course, you inspire me! Vidas: I wrote to her: This diversity is enormous! From amateurs to concert organists, from elderly to young, from underprivileged societies to developed countries. We all are different and have different needs but also share some of the commonalities also and are able to speak the same organ language. V: What can you add, Ausra, to this conversation? A: Well, it’s inspiring to read it. V: Mmm-hmm. Imagine if you are a Total Organist student, Ausra. What would you say? A: Well, probably something similar to all of those. V: Starting with, which side struck you the most, first? A: Well, while reading all of these responses, actually the thought that came into my mind, was, all these supporting groups, in general in life. Like you have Alcoholics Anonymous and other groups like that. I’m not wanting to compare organists with alcoholics but it just came into my mind. V: Mmm-hmm. A: So and groups like this, I think it’s nice to be in your own community that people share similar ideas and share the same and similar problems. Then you feel not alone and you can solve your problems much more easier. V: You know, but there is another side of this. Not all of the people want to get involved, right? Some are very, I don’t know, shy or maybe introvert or maybe they prefer to solve their problems on their own. Like when somebody signs up for Total Organist, I immediately add their email list to the group of Basecamp channel, right. So that they could sign in and jump in and take advantage of all those support that we give to each other. But a lot of people choose not to, right? You can see what kind of people respond, and there is a certain group which are very active right, which is very active. But another portion of our community is not active. So why do you think is that? A: I think that everybody probably enjoys in general social media, so all these Facebook and Twitter and all that kind of stuff…. V: Mmm-hmm. A: and Basecamp, actually reminds to some people of that, I think. And maybe somebody don’t want to join because of this. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Mentioned before this AA group, yes? V: Mmm-hmm. A: I think there are much more drinking people. And not everybody attends those group meeting. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Much(?) to everybody it helps, not everybody, so maybe this is something similar. V: Right. I would probably go to such group if I had a problem with this. Would you? A: I don’t know. I just know about these all groups from the movies that I watch, because so often there are like especially in the comedies. V: You know, we, you and I, we’re, we have different personality types probably. I prefer speaking my mind out loud in public for example, right? And in to some degree you prefer to speak either to yourself or among ourselves, right? A: Um, yes, that’s right. V: So I think, I suspect people similar to you would find some of your advice also helpful by listening to our conversation right now, because you are different than me, right? People can relate to me who are extroverts let’s say, right? And people who are introverts can relate to you more. A: Yes, because extroverts they get energized while talking with other people and sharing their ideas and taking their ideas back. But introverts, we just get tired and exhausted after conversing with somebody. V: Of course, we have to keep in mind that in my days, there is not so much talking involved outside my online activities, right? A: True. V: For as for you, you spend a lot of hours talking in school. A: Yes, a few hours a day, at least. So after speaking for so many hours you just want to be quiet. And in general I think the organ is an instrument for introverts, not for extroverts. V: You think so? A: I think so. I strongly believe so. Even if you think most of the times in church, organ is not standing up in front. We standing back in the balcony, on the balcony. V: You this, hearing you makes me a little sad because what should I do? I have to options now: quit playing the organ or become introvert, right? A: I don’t think you can do either of these two things. V: What can you suggest? Please, O master, teach me! A: Stop making fun out of me. But in general, I think in general organist is alone. So and maybe because you are an extrovert as you imagine yourself, that’s why you need all the social media and to put you on the Facebook on a regular basis. V: Mmm-hmm. A: But that’s okay. V: I have the right to exist you mean. A: True. V: (Laughs). Even I have the right to exist. Good! Um, so, yeah, whatever your needs are, I think Total Organist can be of use to you. Whether you decide to join Basecamp channel and stay active in there, replying to daily questions about your activities, about what you’ve been working on, what things you find inspiring, or what things are you struggling with. Those questions you get frequently. But you can also be an introvert like Ausra says and enjoy observing other people, reading perhaps, but not getting involved. Ausra, we don’t know exactly who’s reading, right? A: Yeah. V: We only know who’s responding. A: True. V: Maybe, yes, let’s speculate that a portion, at least a significant portion of people not actively involved in conversation, are listeners, readers, right? A: That’s a possibility. V: That’s right. Look at our email subscribers, right? We have thousands of subscribers but we don’t get thousands of messages everyday, right? So majority of people are reading, and passively participating, not asking questions, for example, every day. They might send questions from time to time. So yes, I haven’t thought about that, that some people enjoy observing other people. A: That’s right. V: Mmm. Nice. Alright guys. Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. Whether you are an introvert or extrovert, doesn’t matter. Our goal is to help you reach your dreams, not complain. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen! SOPP536: How can a self-taught organist become proficient and get to the master level of the organ?12/13/2019
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra V: Let’s start episode 536, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This questions was sent by Kirk. And he writes: Vidas It has been a long time since I have written you. How are you doing? I am working out of Marcel Dupre 79 Chorales for Organ. Talk about working on coordination, for me to do them I am practice between 50-60 MM. And if I mess up I go to the measure and practice at least 10 times just to start. Question besides having a teacher, how can a self-taught organist become proficient and get to the master level of the organ? V: Well, Ausra, I guess our website is all about being self-taught and getting help, not from a physical teacher but from online sources, right? A: Yes, true. If I would be in Kirk’s shoes and I would like to learn organ, to play organ, to be proficient, I would gather information that I need, let’s say from our web site or in general, books, and get the scores that I need. Then I would keep working and following those guidelines. And then of course I would record my work and listen back to it. Because I would have to be teacher for myself so I would have to listen to my recordings and be critical about them and then try to improve them. But of course, it’s always nice when somebody else will listen to your recordings and excites you. V: Then you need to have a teacher—online teacher, right? A: Yes, online teacher. V: Mmm-hmm. Get online coaching. I guess with technology today it’s possible to live in one side of the world and be taught on another side of the world, or get access to a teacher if you are living in an area without teachers. Right? It’s all about just being open to new possibilities. But as he says, practicing each measure ten times at least to improve and avoid mistakes, is a good start. A: Yes, it is. Although I myself never count how many times I have practiced certain measure or certain spot. I’m not a number person so if I would have to count each time how many times I played certain measure, I would just give up practicing at all. V: You know, there are all kinds of people who prefer methodical learning, counting the repetitions. Some don’t because it’s boring for them. Some prefer scales and arpeggios and exercises. Some want to go straight to music. I think a person has to choose whatever works for them and stick with it. Any method will work. Maybe some methods work better than others but as long as you keep practicing regularly and diligently, you will keep doing progress. A: But you know about this playing, let’s say certain measures, certain numbers of times, yes? V: Mmm-mmm. A: I think it doesn’t work. You know why? Because I don’t know any of piece of music that would be equally hard from first measure to the last measure. There are always easy measures in the piece and there are always harder and very hard measures in the piece. And if you will play exactly the same number, each measure, then certain spots will be harder for you to play. You will never master it. You will never be comfortable with entire piece. V: But I can write to you equally well designed measures and you can practice them ten times. A: No thank you! V: (Laughs). It would be very boring. For example, I’m practicing right now the two Bach’s chorales from Eighteen Great Preludes, or Leipzig Collection—Nun komm der Heiden Heiland, BWV 660, and BWV 661. And at first I started really counting repetitions and being very methodical about that. But after about third day, I understood that it won’t last with me—this kind of method, because I’m not a beginner anymore and I can master things naturally, really. And now I’m just enjoying myself and still making progress. Would you say, Ausra, that this is more beneficial to my situation? A: What, counting or not counting? V: Not counting. A: I think it’s more beneficial. V: Mmm-mmm. But for some people, they do like to count. They do want to feel the need to see a progress. Maybe they don’t understand if they’re playing better or not but if they count the number of repetitions, they feel that they’re progressing. It’s maybe a different thing. A: But still you need to work on some starts more than on the others. Because, believe me, for example, now I know that sort of repeating the Wachet auf, from Bach’s Schubler Collection… V: Yes. A: The famous C flat major, which is the work that Bach himself really done from his Cantata 140. V: This is BWV 645 in Schublers Collection. A: Yes. And it has this common form for most of the Lutheran’s chorales. He has a bar form which has an A section repeated and then the B section which is a new one. V: Bar, meaning like B-A-R, right, the word? A: Yes, B-A-R, and it has, if I would have to draw a form of it, it would be like A-A and B. So you have the A section repeated. V: And B is usually longer than A. A: Yes, that’s right. And because I don’t have much time to practice so usually I play it, well once a day… V: Mmm-hmm. A: And now after practicing it for what, three weeks, I notice that, that A section goes just so well. V: Because? A: Because I play it twice. Because that’s how the music is written. But the B section is much harder now. V: And longer. A: And longer. V: Mmm-mmm. So naturally if you repeat some things more times, you learn it better than other spots. Yeah. So I hope Kirk would take advantage of that, will take advantage of our courses that we have to offer because you can only learn so much from those free conversations that we provide. And if he needs more specific guidance, we have many training programs and scores with fingering and pedaling which will save him tons of time too. 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! I checked my email and saw a message titled "Oink Oink" from @laputis who sent me a link to some video. In this video a Greek reporter was being chased by a pig. I thought the pig wanted to be friends but video said she tried to have a bite at reporters pants.
https://www.delfi.lt/video/uzsienis/graikijos-zurnalista-tiesioginiame-eteryje-uzpuole-kiaule.d?id=82892123&jwsource=cl It was now the time for me to go downstairs and practice some organ. In about 3 weeks @laputis and I will play "Christmas with Bach" recital and the two solo pieces I will be playing will be 2 versions of "Nun komm" - BWV 660 and BWV 661. I played it through a couple of times stopping at every beat. I later calculated I will need 10 days to master these chorale preludes, if I will manage to stop at consecutively larger fragments each day. Today should be stops every half measure. Then I remembered to check if Markek wrote some of his ideas on Facebook about the recent Ciurlionis organ competition. Having not found anything, I wrote a proposal to play organ duet recital to Riga's St John's church and to Ireneusz Wyrwa with the proposal to be on the jury of his organ duet competition in 2020. In the evening @laputis and I went to practice our Bach cantata organ duet arrangements. The hardest for me still is the opening chorus from "Wachet auf" cantata and the tenor aria from the 2nd cantata from Christmas Oratorio. I still can't remember its title. Maybe it's because tenor clef seems to be very user unfriendly to me. When @laputis played her solo chorales "Nun komm" and "Wachet auf", I read "American elf, 1999'. I wish I hadn't done this while sitting on the sofa behind our pipe organ because I simply love when @laputis practices. Next time I hear her play, I promise to pay attention and cheer her up. When we were done practicing, @laputis asked me, "How many steps do you have?" I said, "7400 and you?" "12600. Fitbit gave me more when we played. It's obvious whose part is more difficult." SOPP528: Martin Sander About Organ Playing, Being Competition Judge And Physical Chemistry11/24/2019
Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast episode 528!
Today's guest is a German organist Martin Sander who is an internationally renowned concert soloist and professor of organ at the Hochschule für Musik (University of Music) Detmold as well as at the University of Music in Basel. He studied at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater Hannover with Ulrich Bremsteller, organ, and Gerrit Zitterbart, piano and received his "Konzertexamen" degree in 1994. Master classes with Harald Vogel, Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini, Flor Peeters, Daniel Roth and other renowned teachers completed his musical education. After having won one of the highest national awards, the Mendelssohn Prize in Berlin (1986), he succeeded in winning three of the most important international organ competitions:
Other successes were the 2nd Prize at the International Organ Competition "Anton Bruckner" in Linz, Austria (1986) and the 2nd Prize at the First International Organ Competition Musashino-Tokyo (1988). He has given recitals in many important churches and concert halls (amongst others, Cathedrals in Passau, Munich, Vienna, Helsinki, and Trondheim, Berlin Philharmony and Schauspielhaus, Herkules Hall Munich, Meistersinger Hall Nuremberg, Gewandhaus Leipzig, Brucknerhaus Linz, Dvorák Hall Prague, Tchaikovsky Hall Moscow, Kapella and Philharmony St. Petersburg, Suntory-Hall Tokyo, Izumi-Hall Osaka, Aichi Arts Center Nagoya, Teatro Municipal de São Paulo) and performed at renowned festivals (Bach Festival Stuttgart, Internationale Orgelwoche Nürnberg, Göttinger Händelfestspiele, Niedersächsische Musiktage, Musikfestspiele Saar, Prague Spring Festival, Wiener Musiksommer, Bach-Tage Odense, Festival Toulouse-les-Orgues, Philadelphia Bach Festival, and others). Read some press reviews here. Among the orchestras he played with as a soloist are the Berlin Symphony Orchestra, Bach-Collegium Stuttgart, Händel Festival Orchestra Halle/Saale, Radio-Philharmonie Hannover, Bochumer Symphoniker (all in Germany), Basel Sinfonietta (Switzerland), Szolnók Symphonie (Hungary), Filharmonia Pomorska Bydgosz (Poland), Fukuoka Symphonietta (Japan), Orchestra of the Teatro Municipal de São Paulo (Brazil). Various German and foreign stations recorded many of his concerts and invited him for productions. Especially successful was a TV recording of the organ sonata by Julius Reubke which also appeared on CompactDisc and was awarded the German critics' prize, "Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik". His other CompactDiscs span the range from North German baroque music to the 20th century. A number of live recordings are available on YouTube. From 1999 to 2012, he worked as a professor of organ at the Hochschule für Kirchenmusik (College of Church Music) in Heidelberg. Since 2011, he is professor of organ at the Hochschule für Musik (University of Music) in Detmold. Additionally, from 2008 on, he is teaching at the Hochschule für Musik (University of Music) in Basel (as the successor of Guy Bovet). He conducted numerous master classes, amongst others in Prague (State Academie of Musical Arts AMU), Warsaw (Academy of Music "F. Chopin"), St. Petersburg, Kazan, Seoul (Yonsei University), São Paulo, and at historical organs of different times in Salzgitter-Ringelheim (Schweimb and John 1696/1707), Grauhof near Goslar (Chr. Treutmann d.Ä. 1734-1737), Verden/Aller (Furtwängler&Hammer 1916), and Heidelberg (Voit&Söhne 1903). Martin Sander is regularly invited as a member of the jury of international organ competitions, such as the Prague Spring, „M.K. Čiurlionis“ Vilnius, the J.S. Bach Competition Wiesbaden, the Buxtehude Competition Lübeck, the Helmut Bornefeld Competition Heidenheim, the competitions in Rome, Kazan, and Heidelberg (Ph. Wolfrum). His main interests and repertoire priorities center around:
In this episode Prof, Sander shares his insights about organ playing, being competition judge and physical chemistry. Listen to the conversation Relevant link: http://www.martinsander.de Eirimas Velicka shared this video on FB about this instrument from Laos. Sounds very jazzy, isn't it?
Vidas: Hi, guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra V: Let’s start episode 510, of Secrets Of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jay, who is on the team to transcribe our podcast conversations so we really appreciate his work every week. And he writes: Accuracy in all parts, especially pedals, keeping correct tempo throughout. V: So basically this is his answer when I ask him what is his main challenges. What are some things that he is challenging, what is he frustrated with, right? Things that are keeping him from reaching his goals. Let’s talk about accuracy, Ausra, or accuracy in all parts. A: Yes. I always envy organists who can play without any kind of mistakes. V: Always envy, or not so much anymore? A: Not so much anymore, but of course there are organists that played without any mistakes, even the smallest ones, that you can always record their concerts and put them on CD’s. But that’s a rare case. Often you might not hear mistake because you don’t know that piece very well or you are not focused enough while listening to the piece, and you might miss it. Because, for instance, there are sometimes these moments when you are playing yourself, and you think that something’s very wrong, but then you listen to recording and it seems okay. V: I did this. Remember my first organ CD with Giedrius Gelgotas, the flutist. I played D Minor Toccata. A: Yes, I remember that, but it wasn’t a case. You played it and you thought it... V: It was okay… A: was okay, and I thought so too. And then we listened to the recording. We heard the mistake… V: In the first page. A: Yes. V: And I didn’t repeat this page. Therefore, my sound engineer had a very difficult time in eliminating this mistake. But he did it, I think. A: Yes, he did it. So, do you think accuracy is the most important goal, the final goal, of each organist or not? V: Accuracy, probably, is important for beginners, very much, because they are just starting out and struggling to play without mistakes. And if they make too many mistakes, the quality of the perception of the piece, or the performance gets distorted in your listeners ears, in your listeners minds. Therefore, it’s good to aim to play with accuracy and it’s good to aim to master the piece with this kind of accuracy, right? A: Yes. I think it’s very important to play as accurate as possible. But I don’t think it’s the only goal, or the most important goal. I guess the most important goal is of course to play as accurate as possible but I think that even more important is to keep steady tempo throughout the piece, even if you made a mistake. And that’s what happens with the beginners, especially, we make a mistake, we got all stressed out and we stop keeping tempo. Or we stop... V: Mmm-hmm. A: in the middle of performance and might [want] to repeat it again and they make mistake at the same spot again, and, I have heard such performance. V: Or they freeze and don’t know what to do. A: Yeah. V: Yeah. This kind of situation is the worse I think, for listeners. A: True, because if you occasionally make a mistake—who doesn’t—we are no computers or robots. But if you will give a steady tempo then nobody will notice. Or maybe just a few professionals, but not the general audience. V: Do you think people mess up more pedal parts or manual parts? A: Well, I never thought about it. Never counted… V: Mmm-hmm. A: if I have heard more mistakes in the pedals or made myself, in the manual part. But I guess pedal part is still a challenge for many organists. V: Mmm-hmm. A: For beginners. But I guess if we would just relax and let it go, I think we would do [a] better job. I think it’s all mostly mental. V: Yeah. And it also, I was going to say, depends on peoples ability to multitask, right? Because when you play the organ, you have to be able to do many things at once—play with your right hand, play with the left hand, play with the right feet, foot, and play with the left foot, at the same time. Sometimes really together, all those four parts. Sometimes in alternation. And this requires coordination of your various body parts. And beginners and people with less experience on the organ bench or less experience with different kind of instruments, usually get distracted while doing this kind of assignment of playing different parts together. And if they mess up someplace, in someplace, they can’t pickup from the same place seamlessly. They have to stop and start again. But I think that that’s very natural. And after a while, experience, if you don’t stop yourself from practicing over the years, practicing and playing in public, playing on different instruments, if you keep advancing, I think your experience will teach you all things that you need to know. And it will not be very challenging to pick up the music without stopping and keep going, just keep going, right? A: Yes. It’s very important. And another thought that came to my mind while reading Jay’s question about keeping the correct tempo throughout the piece, that if it’s difficult for you to keep that tempo throughout the piece… V: Mmm-hmm. A: that maybe you picked up the wrong tempo. V: Or the wrong piece. A: Well, that’s [a] possibility too, but let’s not go into to selecting repertoire. V: Mmm-hmm. A: but maybe, it’s not the right tempo for you. Maybe it’s the right tempo for that piece, but maybe you still have to work on some difficult spots, and to strengthen your abilities, technical abilities to play it. V: Quite often, the most challenging episode comes, not at the beginning, but towards the middle or towards even the end of the piece. A: Well, it’s often the cadences that we are talking about… V: Mmm-hmm. A: in Bach’s music. V: So even if this cadence is the first cadence that you meet in Bach’s music, it’s not in the first measure. A: Sure. V: It’s after a few measures. And if you start at the concert tempo and it goes smoothly, like for three, four, six measures, and then you encounter a cadence and then you slip, right? You first have to think about this cadence and be able to play it at the comfortable tempo fluently. And then, pick this tempo for the beginning of the piece. A: Yes. And sometimes I found out for myself, that if I pick up a new piece that I don’t know, then everything is just fine. But if I decide to learn some well known organ piece that I have heard many, many time, I sit down on the organ bench, and I want to play it in the right tempo, as I hear it in my mind. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And then it’s really [a] problem. Because you cannot pickup right away very difficult song, organ piece, and play it in a concert tempo. V: No, not yet. A: So I find it’s challenging sometimes, to slow me down. V: Well, you have to, you want to have immediate results, right? A: Yes, but it’s impossible I think, for anybody. If somebody tells the other way, maybe we just exaggerating their skills. V: Even Bach was known to stop for several times while say, creating a piece on the harpsichord, while visiting his friend. This was documented in one of his letters. And then after that he exclaimed that it’s not possible to sight-read everything. A: Excellent! V: Mmm-hmm. So guys, don’t worry. Even Bach was a human being, even if it’s hard to believe. Thank 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!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 498 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And, this question was sent by Linda, and she writes: “If I could I would practice organ 10 hours a day, but I can't because it would ruin my hands. I had hand surgery in 2015 from over-practicing. I passed Part I of the AGO colleague exam in May. I am set to take Part II in November. I'm sixty years old, and in the remaining years God gives me on this earth, I hope to also achieve the higher AGO exams, plus learn as much organ literature as I can. I heard a youtube recording of Klaas Jan Mulder's "Fantasie-Toccata on 'Was Gott tut, das ist wohlgetan", which blew me away. Dutch organ literature is definitely an area I want to explore, as well as the standard organ literature I haven't learned yet. Love your website. There's a lot of material there. Blessings on you, and thank you again.” V: So, Ausra, would you practice for 10 hours a day if you could? A: Well, I don’t think it’s necessary to practice for 10 hours a day. But I would be happy if I could practice 4 hours every day. V: What would you play? A: Everything. V: Starting from what? A: From everything. All the Trio Sonatas by J. S. Bach—because so far, I have played four of them, so I still have two sonatas to learn—and other excellent stuff. Maybe Franck’s “Chorale in E Major,” which I haven’t played, yet. V: The first one? A: Yes, the first one. So, and other stuff, too. V: We will be playing our organ duet recital in a couple of days, or in a few days, maybe on Saturday, and after that, probably it will be time to start playing solo, too. A: Yes, if school doesn’t kill me. V: Yeah, that’s a big consideration. I think I’m going to be a little bit busy even after this recital with various organ demonstrations and educational events, I think. But, I will continue sight reading. This is really good for my own skills. A: But what do you think? Is it always necessary to practice for 10 hours? V: I have never practiced for 10 hours. Well, maybe once. Maybe once, when I was really short on time, and the concert was maybe in two days. A: You know, the most I have practiced was actually four hours, but it was four hours of excellent practice. But even though four hours is not like 10 hours, I could not practice the same amount of hours the next day, because, simply, your head needs to lead your practice, not your hands. V: It’s the same with physical exercise. If you do over-train one day, you will not be able to do the same type type of exercise the next day. You will have to rest one day. A: True. So, I guess, even if you practice a lot on one day, you need to take it easy on the second one; on the next one. Because, I think when you are learning the organ repertoire, you also need to do some mental work with the music that you are playing. V: Mental? A: Yes, and it’s not only… you don’t do it only by sitting on the instrument and practicing. You need to think about the music, too. V: What do you do when you think about it? A: Well, I often think of different excerpts from the piece and think about the form, about the meaning of the piece, and it helps, too. V: I used to do that more when I had time. Now, I just don’t have this privilege anymore—sitting without the instrument—because there is so much on my plate already. But, when the occasion arises, for example, I’m traveling, sitting in the hotel, the concert is tomorrow, and I still need to work on something, obviously that would be a great way to practice mentally. A: Plus, I’ve realized that sometimes you keep practicing and practicing and practicing, and instead of improving things, you sort of start messing things up. And sometimes, giving a break of one or two days actually makes your program sound better. V: Or come back to the same program after practicing something else for a week, or two weeks, or a month. Right? You switch things up a little bit. It’s like physical exercise. One day you want to work on your upper body muscles, maybe, the next day, maybe on your lower body, maybe the third day on your core abdominal muscles, and then maybe the next day, you might rest. After 3 days, you take a rest., and then, start over again. There are all kinds of methods of mixing up physical exercise, so I think with organ practice, this could be applied in some way, too, this type of a variety. A: True! And, as Linda mentioned that she already had surgery, and that she loves to practice a lot, I guess this trouble with her hands shows that you need to practice less, actually, and to practice fewer hours, actually, but maybe to do it more efficiently. V: And maybe warm up. A: Yes, that’s a good idea, too. V: And maybe practice easier pieces? A: That’s a possibility, too. V: We don’t know exactly what her level is, but certainly overextending yourself doesn’t help. A: But it’s very nice that she has the goal of what she wants to achieve. That’s very important. I guess when you have a goal, then it’s easier for you to practice. V: Yes, you feel motivated externally, and then you just have to follow through. Thanks guys, this was Vidas! A: And Ausra! V: Please send 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 506 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Brendan. And he donated us £10 and we were so surprised when we received his Paypal donation. And I wrote a thank you message to him, and then asked him about his organ playing, too. So he writes, Hi Vidas, Just thought I'd be able to buy you a coffee! You guys put in so much work! My playing is improving - which is good news - but slowly. While I was working regularly, it was hard to practice as I worked away from home. Now that I'm approaching retirement I've space to practice daily. I'm going back through your sight reading material - which is very useful. I've even been able to cover in church services while our regular organist took a couple of short breaks. Might not seem much - but a huge milestone for me! Enjoy the coffee. Best wishes to you both. ~Brendan A: Very nice. We are very grateful. So now, we can go and get some coffee. V: And then work in the garden. A: True. V: Wonderful. You know what fascinated me the most, that he was able to substitute regular church organist for a couple of times. A: It means he is doing progress! V: Yes. It means that he is not panicking when mistakes occur, he can keep going. Not to freeze, doesn’t freeze. A: And it’s nice, because if you can substitute for somebody it means that in time you can take a regular position as a church organist. V: Yeah, for example part time position. Even when you are retired. I know many people do that, and it’s a good supplement. A: True. It goes both ways. You can learn some, you can earn some additional income which is always nice, and you can also have some things to do, which slows down you getting old. V: Yeah, you postpone your aging process by having more interest in the world, and more specifically, in organ music. And this external motivation when you have to show up on the organ bench at church every week or even less often gives you boost in productivity and practice efficiency, because you know many people depend on you. A: Plus, being able to play organ shows that you are also keeping some sort of physical health, because you cannot be completely cripple and still play organ. You still need to sit down on the organ bench, and play pedal, and use both your hands and feet together. V: Yeah, it’s a total body and mind coordination. Good. Do you think, Ausra, it’s a challenge at this age, when he’s approaching retirement, to do this? Because, when he had to work, and he didn’t have time to practice, it was one thing, but now when he has more time to practice, maybe he has even other interests, maybe his other hobbies might take more time than organ playing. A: That’s true. But usually it’s the case that the more you do, the more you can do, and when you do just very few things then you might stop doing anything at all. Because usually busy people do enormous amounts of various things. Don’t you think so? V: Yeah, but they lack sleep. A: I know. But sometimes, when you are thinking, “Oh, I have a free day - I will do this and this and this and that” and finally the day comes, and you do nothing. Have you experienced it? V: Not recently, because I’m always running around like a squirrel with all those activities that I have to do. For some people, my activities might seem very unworthy of attention, right? A: That’s what I thought when you said it. V: (laughs) And that’s why I replied before you commented. I know how you think. A: I know, yes! V: We know each other too well. A: That’s right. V: So anyway, thank you so much, Brendan, for sending us some coffee money, and we really appreciate your support. You’re very generous. And to other people who are supporting us, we really are very grateful Please send us more of your 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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