STOP! Doing these FIVE things as an ORGANIST
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- Опубліковано 29 тра 2024
- The Basilica Music Staff Organists team up to bring you a SUBSCRIBER request! STOP doing these five things as an organist! ***STOPLIST BELOW***
Thank you to Bruce Taylor, Julian Mason and Joe Carere for the portrayals!
***PLEASE SUBSCRIBE*** @musicatthebasilica to support our channel and to receive the latest broadcasts.
SWELL
8 Vox Humana
8 Oboe
8 Cornopean
16 Contra Oboe
III Dolce Cornet
2 Flautino
4 Gemshorn
4 Flauto Traverso
8 Aeoline
8 Voix Celeste
8 Viola da Gamba
8 Stopped Diapason
8 Open Diapason
16 Bourdon
Tremulant
GREAT
8 Tromba
V Cornet
III Mixture
2 Fifteenth
4 Harmonic Flute
4 Octave
8 Gemshorn
8 Hohlflute
8 Open Diapason I
8 Open Diapason II
16 Open Diapason
Tremulant
Chimes
CHOIR
8 Tromba (GT)
8 French Horn
8 Clarinet
2 Piccolo
4 Flauto Dolce
8 Viole Celeste
8 Viole de Orchestra
8 Dulciana
8 Melodia
8 Violin Diapason
Tremulant
Chimes
PEDAL
32 Double Open
16 Open Diapason
16 Bourdon
16 Gedeckt
8 Cello
8 Stopped Diapason
8 Bass Flute
32 Contra Trombone
16 Trombone
8 Tromba (GT)
Manual 61 notes
Pedal 30 notes
250 levels of memory
General Pistons 1-12 (duplicated on toe studs)
Divisional Pistons 1-6 (Pedal duplicated on toe studs)
Registration Sequencer toe studs LAST/NEXT
Programable Crescendo
III/51
Whoever edited this is a legend.
Thank you so much for watching!
Personally, I think the crazy socks are a nice touch! 😂
Right?!
Besides, who can see what socks you're wearing?
@@StuNoddwith colored socks you can encode the colored score pedalling 😂
As I do not wear shoes when playing, I shall wear wonderful, brilliant socks! They do not see me anyway, so...what they do not see will not hurt them! 🤪
@@jimthompson3724 I encourage colourful bright socks! It’s those Buffalo Bills I’m not sure about! Lol. Thank you so much for watching!
One of the best organists on UA-cam wears penguin socks; I rest my case.
Something that I’ve always done and which priests are always delighted by is to either move into the pews for the sermon (if the organ is on the ground) or move to a seat on the side (if the organ is in a gallery), and then move back after the peace (in the Catholic or Anglican liturgy) or just before the Pater Noster (in the Norwegian Lutheran liturgy). The priest is your colleague and they will often compliment the music, so you should listen to the sermon and have something nice to say about it. Participating in worship, whether or not you’re particularly devout, is a really great way to understand the character of a particular church, to foster a sense of cohesion, and to understand theology and liturgy better. All things that make you a better organist and make people feel like you’re a part of the church.
I couldn’t have said it better! Thank you so much for watching!
This is what I’ve always done. Thank you for you putting it into words. It also helps a great deal to sing the hymn as I’m playing it. It keeps me on track on what verse we’re on.
Even Bach was said to sometimes leave the organ during sermon: so it has roots in history with the greatest organist
And Faure left the loft to go have a cigarette outside lol
Sermons in Bach’s church were generally an hour long. The organ bench would get rather uncomfortable.
A 'Donations Box' lamp stand. What an innovation! 😉
They who sing PAY twice… lol.
@@musicatthebasilica The irony. I've had that happen to me too!
I've heard a couple of stories about organists not paying attention... one being at St Bartholomew's Armley (home of the famous Schulze organ) where the organist was wont to spend the sermon in a nearby pub, always knew how much time he had... Only to be wrongfooted by a visiting preacher who wasn't so verbose, so he came back to deathly silence, and had the wit to make some banging noises inside the organ, then peer over the edge of the gallery and announce that the organ was now fixed and the service could therefore proceed! Another one involved a genuine fault rectification in the Harrison organ in nearby Halifax Minster, with the organist carrying a candle... which then fell from a great height onto the lower parts of the organ, and continued to burn, risking setting fire to the organ! Fortunately, the organ and church was saved by the expedient of him urinating from twenty odd feet above right onto the burning candle...
Thank you so much for watching! I think many of us could write books on various capers through our careers.
I'm speechless from both of those stories
@@hihi-oc3ve then there's one I know kinda directly (an organist colleague of my parents')… the rather *difficult* Rector announced "the organ will now play". Silence. Repeat, "THE ORGAN WILL NOW PLAY". Reply from organist "Oh no it bloody won't, not unless I play it!".
I love the rebel type!
When I was playing a service that was being broadcast, I found red socks to show up best. As moving hymn and service playing are the most important thing we do, please change the registration for each verse. Virgil Fox could do this within a verse. I'm getting there, but I will never be as good as he was.
Virgil is such a benchmark to strive for! The way he could work his way through a hymn was pretty magical. Thank you for watching!
There are some rare occasions where I change registrations during a stanza.
I've been a church organist since I was 12 years old, and this Dec., I'm turning 62 and still on the bench. I had the great fortune to be taught by an excellent organist who was also a top-notch choir director at my home parish (a Catholic Church), so he schooled me well on accompanying, voicing, and accommodating those little niggling details with singers -- like breathing!
I also benefited from a close relationship with the organist who worked with my teacher-director. She was an ace; totally unflappable. Taught me to remain cool in crises. Just. Keep. Playing. I've mustered through power losses (voop! off to the piano), fire alarms, fainting brides, outside services plagued by bitter cold (I used fingerless gloves one Easter dawn), and brutal page turns.
Not sure at this point if I could adjust to a tablet; aren't the page turns like every nine measures? Oy vey. That's a blink rate worse than a sty! Luckily, I've never lost focus during a homily to any detriment. Nor have I ever launched into the 'wrong' hymn.
Thus far...
It’s so fantastic that we can all have a laugh and share our stories here. Thank you so much for watching and don’t stop playing!
Johnathan Scott: British legend and pride of the Lancashire 🎉
Definitely my modern day hero for sure! Thank you so much for watching.
Ok yes, I’m very guilty of the socks haha 😂 Definitely have to show off our pedal boards somehow, I suppose!
In all honesty, funky socks are fun. Unless the are Buffalo Bills socks… lol. Thank you so much for watching!
Very funny, Church organist here, guilty as charged on most counts!
Thank you so much for watching! In the end it’s good we can all have a laugh about our follies. lol.
A seasoned organist is a treasure! At my daughter’s wedding, one of the groomsmen fainted. The organist went right into an organ interlude while they carried him out. The dignity of the ceremony was preserved!
Exactly! Live music and improvising when we need to! You just never know. So glad it worked out for your daughter’s wedding. Thank you so much for watching!
There was one service I was playing at where there was a coffin drop. The undertakers were one short and there were two at the front carrying the coffin and one at the back. I was just thinking to myself, 'That guy at the back looks like he's struggling,' when crash! he dropped his end of it as they were placing it on the trestles. The priest glided onto the altar as if nothing had happened, and I continued playing as if nothing had happened. When the going gets tough...
The tough get going! I swear we could all write books on our tales over the years! Thank you so much for watching!
I had the same thing happen only the entire set of handles pulled out of the cheap casket. Luckily the bier was still beneath the casket and no one was hurt. I just added a few stops and played while bier and all was moved outside to the church. Pastor AND funeral director were thankful for the rescue.
@@railroadralf it certainly is nice when we can help out as part of the team to cover for such things. Just when you thought you’ve seen it all…..
@@railroadralf Yikes! I'm waiting for that one to happen. There's a funeral director here doing cheap funerals and the coffins look very plywoody. Better make sure I have a few pieces ready..
Very funny ! At 3:43, I thought the prist was going to say : Bruce, wrong hymn ! It's 489, not 498 !
Could make for a good part 2! Thank you for watching!
The organist at St. Paul’s used to go into the stairwell, open the window, and smoke a cigarette.
I know this is tongue in cheek but ipads/tablets cause twice as many page turns for a start.
Frankly I find them more hassle than it's worth.
I do use one for jazz leadsheets when Im playing background cocktail type stuff at events as its usually all on one page or two at the most.
Scott brothers are the best transcription players period.
I couldn’t agree more! Totally brilliant!
Protect those Bills socks at all costs!
I’m not an organist but I found this to be quite humorous!
Thank you so much for watching!
@@musicatthebasilica Thanks for your response! I’m in the Episcopal Church so I see a lot of the things that you mention here. The bit with the thurible really got me!
I love this! There’s not enough Catholic organist/chorister content on the internet! God bless you all.
Thank you so much! More to come! ❤️
I am not super religious, or even Catholic, but seeing some humor in what is normally a serious situation is enlightening. Although the organ itself wasn't supposed to be the star of the program here, the sound quality was really good! Nothing kills the organ more than poor recording equipment. Nice job!
Thank you so much! If we can’t have a good laugh now and again then we are all in trouble. Thank you so much for watching!
Number 6: Not every organ piece has to be a bombastic rattling of the windows. Don't be afraid to turn the volume down.
It’s not as simple as that
Is it even possible to lower the volume on a pipe organ?🎹🎶
Sure is! The pedals below can open and close the shades to increase or decrease the volume.
@@musicatthebasilica thanks. I don't know how pype organs worke. I only play piano🎹🎶
Brilliant hymn intro, I might try that one
Thank you so much for watching, and never stop being creative!
I died laughing when the charcoal hit the altar. Nice sound effects. LOL
someday I may post the whole video of that as a short ... the rest is even funnier! Thank you so much for watching!
And yes I’m a thurifer for a large cathedral. I like to showboat just a bit with some 360 degree loops with lots of smoke and the people love it. I think some Catholic priests may think that’s a little egotistical on my part but the people just beg for more. 😂😂😂😂
@@RustyInSeattle that is so awesome. Truly if you have it flaunt it. There is nothing wrong with adding to good liturgy.
@@musicatthebasilica Thanks! I haven't done the "helicopter" move which would probably make people run for cover. LOL Plus our magnificent gothic thruible is quite a chunk of metal that weighs a little over five pounds which almost tears my arm off. LOL. After a long dry spell, we now have TWO female thurifers. I think I'm still the only one that does 360's. I was extremely nervous a few years ago on an Easter Sunday with the Bishop and a packed cathedral.
LOVED it... especially... "not listening"... classic! can't WAIT for "choir members" ..! (sound effects were spot on !)
Thank you so much for watching! It’s nice that we can all have a little fun instead of being serious all the time! “Choir Members” coming very soon!
There should be a whole choir bass special //disgruntled alto
@@sararamonajohansson it’s coming! Stay tuned and thank you for watching!
The organist didn't even show up for my grandfather's funeral.
That is unfortunate and there is no excuse for that.
Many years ago, I was on the hiring committee for a new assistant organist. We asked the candidates to play a hynm for congregational singing. We expected to hear the melody played stong and clear and the harmony as printed in the hymn book. One young organist just couldn't control himself. He started fine but around the 4th verse, he moved the melody to the tenor line and began to play this very showy descant very loudly. The committee composed of the Organist, several choir members as well as some musically inclined congregation members couldn't manage to sing the melody, never mind the harmony. Poor guy, just wanted to impress us. He did, just not the right way. Nedless to say, we did not hire him. But you're right, it would have made an excellent Postlude or Prelude for that matter.
A story that is all too familiar I’m afraid. You are absolutely right. Time and place for such a thing. Thank you so much for watching!
This church was the host to our beautiful concert on May 3, 'The LORD is my Song.
This magnificent organ accompanied us, played by John Van Iperen!
What a beautiful concert it was! Thank you you so much for watching!
@@musicatthebasilica I sang soprano in the choir :)
This was hilarious!!
Thank you so much for watching. It’s great we can have some fun and not be too serious all the time!
@@musicatthebasilica Long live Virgil Fox!! 🦊Where is your church located? I'd like to look up your stop list.
@@bryceword1768 in Guelph Ontario Canada. I’ll add the stop list to the video description.
Funny, especially the exploding incense!
Thank you so much for watching! Definitely more funny stuff to come.
Here's my pet peeve: organists who do not play with the sense of the words but barrel on through with no concern for the text.
Absolutely. Text should dictate articulation to detail and registration! We stated. Thank you for watching!
This was freakin brilliant. In 55+ years as an organist, I have been guilty of all of these at one time or another. What's the technical term? Oh yeah, showing off. Hard to say I have a favorite... Socks are the least of my worries, but daydreaming or scrolling Instagram after hearing the sermon for the 5th time (and it not miraculously getting any better or more coherent), yep - guilty.
Not especially relevant to your video, but still fun to share - I was working at a Catholic Church in Washington State, which was on the opposite block from an American Baptist Church (where my folks attended, and I knew everyone as well). The Baptist Church organist broke her arm, and my parents volunteered me to help out - the services were a half hour apart. I literally ran back and forth between the two churches. Our priest had to make stuff up (i.e., add extra Bidding prayers) once or twice because he saw I wasn't back yet. Baptists like to sing all the verses of everything before the offertory song could start. Thankfully he had a sense of humor. So many great and funny memories of my days as a "liturgical musician."
I love hearing stories like this! Just when I thought I’d heard it all I can be guaranteed one better! Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching!
I was once in the basilika of Kevelaer in Germany where masses are a kind of ongoing business all day long. The organist had a TV set next to the console to monitor the priest in front of the church. But the TV also provided live recording of world cup soccer which is a huge thing in Germany (oke was). So the organist was playing around on the organ following the liturgical scripts and filling the blanks with amused soccer play by the German team on the TV and routinized turned back to play around on the organ when needed. I was in a little shock but later realized this poor organist is sitting up there all day long...
I love hearing stories like this! So true that some of the big mainstream churches are turning out Masses all day long. If I didn’t have a sub or an associate to help with that I’d be tuning in on the World Cup too! (Hockey in the winter). lol. Thank you so much for watching!
Yes, try not to fall asleep. I was perched on a high console bench wearing a slippery
gown, fell asleep, and suddenly woke up. To regain my balance , in a whirlwind panic
my arms waved furiously. I was on front stage when this happened. The Pastor lost
his audience for a while, needless to say.
Good recovery! Don’t feel bad. We do this job long enough and things like this are bound to happen! Thank you so much for watching!
There was also OrganMuse which followed the music as you played automatically.
Churches want to pay organists less and less. If the organist must pay for something like a digital tablet, he/she may not have the capital to spare.
Concerning socks, are you saying Christoph Bull shouldn't wear brightly colored socks? ;)
What about when an organist "flails" his hands and arms constantly? There's no musical benefit to that, is there?
A friend use to tour with Virgil Fox. Once in a concert at a church, the chain which was attached to one of the reservoirs broke, and when it finally collapsed the organ ceased to play. To which Virgil Fox was heard to say "Is there a doctor in the house?"
After the Postlude, my friend has been known to wing it. Once he played a US patriotic song at an extremely slow pace. A couple did ask him "where you playing....."
A different acquaintance of mine played for a Catholic church. He liked to go up the scale during a performance just to see when the how far he could go before the boys choir's voices would crack! Some of the sisters were not the least bit a amused.
Loved this, thank you! "Be ready for anything" - oh yes. I've had my organ catch fire during an anthem. Then one of my spectacle lenses fell out in the middle of a hymn, straight between the pedals. And I've had to carry on playing a hymn whilst holding two huge hymn books in place on a steadily failing music desk during the procession of a coffin at the start of a big funeral. These three events were all at different services, thankfully. I suppose gravity is the main threat, one way and another.
I swear we could write the best books at the end of our careers with all these occurrences! Thank you so much for watching and never stop playing!
Amusingly portrayed serious points.Thank you! (Aside: would anyone like to donate a tablet for my use? I can't afford one!)
Thank you so much for watching!
This should be good!
In my experience, having a bit of a flashy intro for the entrance hymn can really get people psyched for singing it.
Maybe because they’ve been waiting and waiting, and then there’s sweet catharsis in being able to actually do it! xD
I couldn’t agree more! Sometimes when the spoken word is a let down it’s up to us for sure. Thank you so much for watching!
No.2 Paul Fey🙄
The organ, hymns, liturgy will always be better the the crappy praise music from the bluegrass wire choirs.
Thank you so much for watching and I couldn’t agree more!!
Totally agree
Amen. I left the RC church because of the God awful music .
@@johnbender1603 seems to be getting worse than better thats for sure.
@@musicatthebasilica Sad but true. I console myself now with Delvallee recordings of Tournemire's L'Orgue Mystique and Jean Langlais's music
🤣 as a church organist this made me lol!
Thank you so much for watching and appreciating a lighter side to our profession!
After number 1 and 2 I hoped every entry on the list would start with 'rediculous'
This is all to relatable as an organist
Thank you so much for watching!
I am guilty of not paying attention some times yes!
We’ve all been there friend! Thank you so much for watching!
I wouldn’t know how to use one if I had one. Can someone just assume that everybody does?
For people that are challenged with page turns it’s a great option!
Canada? That explains it. Thought you were Brent Butt. 😀
"Be ready for anything"..........crazy street lady wanders in, stands next to the font and strips naked, then starts bathing herself. The look on the deacons face as he rushed in with a blanket to wrap around the "guest" was a true "Kodak moment" ( for those old enough to remember).
2 years ago this happened to us. Police arrived just in time before the undergarments were removed. Just when you think you’ve seen it all…. Thank you so much for watching!
Crazy socks are just fine most of the time, since in most cases the organist’s feet are hidden. Even if they are visible, so what?
Totally… just not Buffalo Bills … lol. Thanks for watching!
Can I give you my banking details? Suggesting to buy an iPad Pro is ridiculous. Do you know how much these things cost?
The point is if you don’t have problems with page turns then stick to what works. Remember, it’s titled ridiculous page turns.
Thanks for good tips and good humour. Don't agree about the iPad, but everything else ... Many of the other things (especially Be Prepared!) agree with the brilliant "How to play hymns in church" series ua-cam.com/play/PLABcWksVExXuvGPPyQl7h85-EQ32WEiNv.html , which I also found really helpful. Thanks again!
Thank you so much for the kind words! Trying to bring a lighter side to the profession in these unusual serious times. The link you mention is extremely good and I'd recommend that to anyone. Thank you for watching!
😂😂😂😂😂😂no. 2
Thank you so much for watching!
I would contend that playing a secular patriotic song - or for that matter Danny boy or When Irish Eyes are Smiling in mid-march - for postlude is unacceptable. Maybe I'm overly rigid. But I think it demeans our profession and the Liturgy. Yes it's completely true that when playing in the Catholic Church anyway, once the final blessing and dismissal are given, the Mass is in fact over. Even the closing hymn, if you sing one, in actuality occurs post-Mass. But if the postlude isn't part of the overall complex of the religious service, then why are we playing it at all? Everything should be chosen to add beauty and reverence to our Liturgy. I suppose maybe after you've played a postlude, if it's a significant holiday - and in this case I mean if it's literally July 4th on the Sunday, not the Saturday or the Monday - maybe you could give a brief patriotic performance of some kind. This could even be advertised to the congregation.
For sure! Isn’t it great to be able to share opinions like this? Different dynamics for different parishes and even different Diocese. Remember… they don’t walk out of church humming the sermon!
I agree in general but the “O Danny Boy” tune has been used for multiple Christian hymn texts… “Above the hills of time, the cross is gleaming” and “I cannot tell why He whom angels worship, should set His love upon the souls of men…” are the two that come to mind, and I’m sure there have been others. So not every tune that appears to be secular is necessarily being presented that way by the player.
Barefoot is even better.
#7: Play variations on a hymn tune rather than "art pieces".
Totally agree!
Playing notes longer than they are written.
Oh, Kind and gracious sir! Do my ears deceive me? I am ever indebted to you! How very estimable and generous a man are you, knowing my meager wages as an organist, to have so blessedly have deemed to donate an IPad to me, and I, an unworthy clod of a page turner. Oh, may you be blessed and found highly in favor for this remarkably charitable act.
For, I certainly can tell what a kind and gracious gentleman you are by your demeanor.
Thank you a thousand times!
(You may send it to my place of employment at your expense, as long as you are of such a giving nature).
Well let’s first work on getting you a church job that pays real wages. But if you aren’t having trouble turning pages then stick to the paper score. Good luck and thanks for watching!