Getting to know an unfamiliar instrument

[Andrew Butler]

If this works for you, then all well and good. Whilst I would not dispute for a moment that the incumbent organists know their instruments far better than I could on casual acquaintance, nevertheless my method has never let me down. In addition, it does have the advantage of avoiding problems such as the time I had to play at a cathedral where there were few divisional channels and the assistant had changed the 'home' channel to allow convenient performance of a particular work the day before. The settings as found would have made accompanying Evensong most inconvenient. Instead, I re-set the 'visitors' channel in the way I described above, and all went perfectly well.

 

 

 

I almost came horribly unstuck at Canterbury some years ago. I opted to use the then assistant's accompaniment channel for "my" evensong, but between my practicing in the week, and the service at the weekend, he had set the Swell 8 & 4 Reeds on Sw 1 in place of the Celestes - for a psalm verse I imagine. Luckily I spotted it in time!!

[David Drinkell]

On my second visit to Fanakirke, just outside Bergen (first time with St. Magnus Cathedral Choir, this time with Belfast), there was a service between our rehearsal and concert, for which the resident organist reset all the free combinations, much to the consternation of our organists, neither of whom had previous experience of that sort of control.

 

Speaking of Norway, I see they've restored the very big Steinmeyer at Trondhjem. Good for them - I wonder what the new Willis solo reeds sound like....

[sotto]

I was first choice accompanist (and sometimes conductor) of the RSCM Midlands and South West Cathedral Singers for a period of about 12 years during which time I had the privilege of playing in virtually every major church or cathedral within an area deliminated by Lichfield, Brecon, St David's, Truro and Romsey and Wells.

 

One thing that really annoys me is the increasing trend for visiting organists to be expected or required to practice at unsocial hours. At Gloucester or Wells for example you might be offered an hour of unrestricted practice at 9:30am, not terribly helpful if you're travelling some distance and evensong is at 5:15pm. Even less helpful if your hoping to travel by coach with a choir arriving at, perhaps 2:30. But visiting organists are merely preparing for the day's worship which is of secondary importance to guided tours which bring in revenue. Am I alone in thinking this is wrong, it always makes me think of Christ overturning the tables of the money changers in the temple.

 

To answer the question more directly, I will generally start by trying out a few solo sounds, comparing different flutes for example. Then I will explore the divisional channels for the one that most closely matches my own standard crescendo. If that happens to be an unlocked channel I may make some tweaks for personal preference, otherwise I will stick with it. When time allows, which is king of outside the original question, I will always make use of available general channels and programme the stepper system.

[David Drinkell]

It's difficult for cathedrals which attract large numbers of visitors. They want to cater for them as best they can (and they need the income), and it can be very off-putting if the organ is being used for practice. Then again, some cathedrals actually attract people who want to go in and pray....

 

There's a difference between practising and playing through stuff. The former can be extremely trying, but the latter can be uplifting. I remember a verger at Norwich many years ago getting driven nearly demented by a visiting organist rehearsing all the verses of the psalms for the day, and I think he had a point.

 

For myself, I hate having to do stop-and-start practice when there are visitors in and I tend to do mine late at night. But it is different for a visitor who doesn't live close to the place, and the more understanding foundations are flexible about requirements and practicalities.

[innate]

Don’t forget that cathedrals have always been generators of income.

[Colin Pykett]

I feel quite strongly that one should not practice a piece - in the basic sense of trying to get the notes and stops right - when a cathedral or important church is open. It drives me mad to hear it, let alone someone such as the average visitor with presumably less understanding and musical empathy. I'm not even sure it's always an appropriate use of the instrument when the place is closed, though of course one does have to practice registration changes somehow. But not, surely not, the notes themselves? Yes, I do loathe to hear that.

 

Each place seems to have its own culture and atmosphere I have found. I once had to play at Salisbury one summer evening and the only time I could fit in a bit of practice was that afternoon. It was heaving with visitors of course. On passing through the barrier I was asked to pay, which I would have willingly done, except I did explain to the gentle lady that I was about to play the organ. She beamed and said "Oh, how lovely" and would not take my piece of silver!

 

Arriving at the console I asked a nearby verger how loud I could play. He said he had no problem provided it would not be for hours on end, because "the visitors love it". One of the pieces was Stanford's Postlude on a theme of Orlando Gibbons (no. II in his opus 105). I'd worked it up note-wise impeccably on my home organ, and had also worked out a not-too-demanding registration schedule for Salisbury. So I ran through it a couple of times quietly, not piece-wise but completely on each occasion (i.e. none of that infuriating stop-start stuff which so many players do when practising), before trying out the final version. There's a tremendous climax at the end of course, and afterwards I got applause! So the verger was right - the visitors did enjoy it. I didn't run through it again until that evening.

 

At the opposite extreme I've been in two places, one being a very posh church in Battersea, where the verger on both occasions came up and turned off the blower in the middle of a piece. And on both these occasions I was only practising to relieve the titulaire at his request.

 

This was so different to what I have encountered at Salisbury. I think it might have been Simon Lole (or possibly one of his then-recent predecessors) who said that the cathedral regarded the organ as a public resource in the best sense. That view certainly comes over.

 

CEP

[AJJ]

Slightly off tangent - in France I have been extremely lucky to have gained access to a number of cathedral and church organs and in each case the organist has been very welcoming, opened up the console and left me to it for as long as I wish. The 'working inhabitants' of these establishments have always been pleasant and the tourists often sit and listen and have even been known to engage in meaningful conversation. I always go armed with 'up to scratch' repertoire to play and if improvising try at least to make it sound as if I know where I am heading.

 

There must be time for practice if one is a expected to play for a service or recital on a strange instrument and I do feel that if establishments encourage these then they need at least to facilitate this and if not then provide a staff organist to do the job. It can however be decidedly stress inducing when someone is playing repeated chunks of whatever on near full organ and one is working, touring or dare I say it praying in a church or cathedral. And don't get me going on some organists' association visits when on occasions an 'anything goes' method of touring the instrumental resources seems to lead to the abandonment of all musicality!

 

Consideration all round needs to be the name of the game I feel.

 

A

[David Drinkell]

Amen to Colin. I remember hearing an absolute pig's-ear of a noise in King's some years ago. I was quite shocked! I don't think the player would have been capable of accompanying a service anyway, so I don't know why he was let loose when the building was open. This makes me somewhat off-topic, though - sorry.

 

If one practices with discretion, visitors often say how much they enjoy it, and vergers tend to be pleased.

[pcnd5584]

Amen to Colin. I remember hearing an absolute pig's-ear of a noise in King's some years ago. I was quite shocked! I don't think the player would have been capable of accompanying a service anyway, so I don't know why he was let loose when the building was open. This makes me somewhat off-topic, though - sorry.

 

If one practices with discretion, visitors often say how much they enjoy it, and vergers tend to be pleased.

 

I think that this needs qualification, David.

 

Occasionally I have to play at cathedrals or large churches for visiting choirs. One such occasion was Norwich Cathedral, at a few days' notice (the schedued organist had a family emergency). I did not know at least half of the music , and was not able to obtain the scores until the Friday night, with the first service on the following day. Since no-one was able to let me in to the Song School for a few hours, I had to practise on the cathedral organ - which I did so, as I always do: with only the Swell 8ft. Flute (or Stopped Diapason), coupled to everything to which it could be coupled - and with the box shut tightly. I simply had to learn the notes. (Not all of us have the luxury of a home organ.)

 

I certainly disagree with the notion that one should not practise in a closed building. For my own needs, I have neither the room nor the finance for a piano or organ at home - if I need to practise, I go to the Minster of an evening and use the instrument as I requre.

 

I did the same thing at Chester Cathedral a couple of summers ago. In each case, there were no complaints at all, in fact, at Chester, the clergy thanked me for practising so quietly.

 

Unless, as David points out, the organist is hopeless, a few wrong notes, during quiet playing - when one absolutely has to learn a piece - are likely to go un-noticed by the majority of visitors.