Organ Anecdotes For Book Wanted

[churchmouse]

Dear members,

 

I'm new here but have thoroughly enjoyed reading many of your posts. I was directed to read the amusing incidents topic which was great and through that I discovered Adrian Taylor who has been most helpful by sending me some excellent tales that had me laughing out loud.

 

The reason I'm searching for organ stories is that I'm preparing a book for publication containing tales from the organ loft - or console -or at least something to do with the organ. Many of the tales already on this board are also about choirs - I think they would take a separate book, so at the moment I'm keeping it strictly to organs.

 

So far I have approached about 266 organists from around the world to contribute (and am still writing frantically). People who will be contributing include Christopher Herrick, Dame Gillian Weir, Massimo Nosetti, Roman Krasnovsky, Gordon Stewart, Hans Hielscher, Robert Ampt, Jennifer Bate, and a host of others.

 

But there are people like you and me who also have stunning stories from our organ lives that are too good to waste simply telling a narrow circle of friends over the dinner table. If anyone would like to tell me about them, do get in touch with me at book@nzorgan.com. Deadline for stories is July 31. No need to worry about the written English - that's my job! If you'd like more details go to nzorgan book stories - it has more about the project, lengths, what YOU get out of it and so on.

 

If you can come up with more like those on the funny incidents thread such as from MusingMuso and AJT, I'll be thrilled.

 

chirps from New Zealand,

Jenny

www.nzorgan.com

[MusingMuso]

I'm afraid that if I were to tell ALL the funny stories I know, the book would probably get banned.

 

If it's of any help, Simon Lindley at Leeds PC has quite a collection of andecdotes. I'm sure he would be worth contacting on the web site of Leeds Parish Church, which should come up with a simple Google.

 

Actually, I have up my sleeve a more or less true story, which I made into an extended one with a touch of artistic licence, entitled "A Lancashire Organ Crawl."

 

Even though I say so myself, it is hilarious, because only something that really happens could be quite so funny: one could never invent it in a million years.

 

I would also refer you to my Christmas Story, "The ox and ass," which is also based on actual events, and which appeared on the board last Christmas.

 

Contact me with a private message if these are of interest.

 

MM

[churchmouse]

Many thanks MM - have sent you a PM. If the book got banned, that's the best selling device of all!

Back to my trawling the archives here.

 

Thought for the day:

 

Is it my imagination or do organists generally have a better developed sense of humour than many other species of musician? Hmmmmmmm . Could it be something to do with putting up with corny and inexhaustible supplies of wisecracks about organs? Sigh......

 

Jenny

[Guest Psalm 78 v.67]

Some years ago, during a Family Service that often tended to be a bit of a "free-for-all" with kids wandering everywhere, an angelic looking little girl, about 3, appeared in the organ loft while I was playing a hymn, and came and stood beside the console watching me - and promptly "dissapeared". As the hymn finished, her head popped up beside the organ stool, she smiled sweetly, waved at me, and departed, pulling up her knickers as she went - leaving an enormous steaming yellow puddle on the floor!

[Barry Jordan]

Many thanks MM - have sent you a PM. If the book got banned, that's the best selling device of all!

Back to my trawling the archives here.

 

Thought for the day:

 

Is it my imagination or do organists generally have a better developed sense of humour than many other species of musician? Hmmmmmmm . Could it be something to do with putting up with corny and inexhaustible supplies of wisecracks about organs? Sigh......

 

Jenny

 

You mean, of the "What's worse than lobsters on your piano?" sort? Yes, possibly. One of the reasons I moved to a German-speaking country.

 

B

[Peter Clark]

Is it my imagination or do organists generally have a better developed sense of humour than many other species of musician? Hmmmmmmm . Could it be something to do with putting up with corny and inexhaustible supplies of wisecracks about organs? Sigh......

 

Jenny

 

Hi Jenny - I started a thread about this very subject last year, under the heading "Joke and 'joke'". I particularly liked Nigel's "comeback" and some other jokes there.

 

Peter

[Vox Humana]

Thought for the day:

 

Is it my imagination or do organists generally have a better developed sense of humour than many other species of musician? Hmmmmmmm . Could it be something to do with putting up with corny and inexhaustible supplies of wisecracks about organs? Sigh......

 

Jenny

It's down to the working conditions. If we didn't laugh we'd all be in floods of tears.

[MusingMuso]

You mean, of the "What's worse than lobsters on your piano?" sort? Yes, possibly. One of the reasons I moved to a German-speaking country.

 

B

 

 

===========================

 

In the Bach of my streaming consciousness, I think the words "Krebs" and "Orgel" mean much the same there as they do here.

 

Of course, there is this myth that the Germans have little sense of humour, but I haven't found this to be true at all; in the world of motor-racing at least.

 

On of the funniest evenings I ever spent was with two music students from Leipzig, when I attempted to make a valuable contribution to their continuing education, by introducing them to the outstanding scholarship and musical qualitiy of P D Q Bach.

 

Anyway, here's one for Jenny, which is quite brief.

 

I stopped to give a lift to a hitch-hiker, and took him to civilisation after he had missed his train.

 

During the journey, I turned on the radio, and the music of Vivaldi issued forth.

 

I soon noticed that the hitch-hiker, who was obviously from the south of Europe, was quite musical. He tapped his slender fingers to the music, waved his forefinger about from time to time, and nodded his head at the start of each section.

 

It soon became apparent that he was from Italy, and the conversation soon swung around to music.

Of course, I rambled on about my days as a chorister and the fact that I played the organ, and he talked about string-players and conductors, but as the conversation developed, I noticed that there were little things creeping in which were just a little deeper than most items of musical conversation.

 

After a couple of hours in the car, we pulled up for refreshments, and I was just telling him about the difficulties of orchestral-transcription as played on the organ and the theatre-organ. He gave a pained look, and said, "So, you-a play da organ of the kinema?"

 

I had to confess that I had indulged this dubious pursuit from time to time, and that people liked it.

 

"I a-play da violin in da concerts, and people like dis too, so I don't a haf to play funny instrument," he replied with a bemused smile, then continued, "Like instrument which is a one thing, and yet is pretending to be other."

 

He asked where I played the organ, and of course, I gave him the full biographical bit. I thought this may impress him ever so slightly, but it elicited not much response at all. Out of courtesy, I asked if he played with an orchestra.

 

His reply rang in my ears long after I dropped him off, "You have heard of I Musici?"

 

 

MM

[pcnd5584]

... "You have heard of I Musici?"

 

Actually, no.

[MusingMuso]

Actually, no.

 

 

=====================

 

 

You CANNOT be serious?

 

http://www.imusici.info/homeng.html

 

The stuff of musical legend.

 

 

MM

[pcnd5584]

=====================

You CANNOT be serious?

 

http://www.imusici.info/homeng.html

 

The stuff of musical legend.

 

 

MM

 

Why not?

 

I do not play a stringed instrument. I am further happy to confess that I do not like the timbre of any stringed instrument. There are also probably a few ensembles of which you have not heard, MM!

[Vox Humana]

There speaks an organist!

[MusingMuso]

There speaks an organist!

 

 

=====================

 

 

 

MM

[Barry Jordan]

===========================

 

In the Bach of my streaming consciousness, I think the words "Krebs" and "Orgel" mean much the same there as they do here.

 

"Krebs" is a composer, and something you eat, and "Orgel" is a musical instrument, and refers to no part of the body whatsoever, that word being, as in English, "Organ" except for that bit which everyone things of in English when you say the word "organ", which is rather "Glied", meaning "member" - oh this is complicated. But my son had teachers in primary school called "Frau Glied" and "Frau Brust". Probably just as well that it was primary school.

 

I HAVE heard of I Musici. I have even heard them. Old fashioned, but good.

 

Cheers

B

[Paul Morley]

Were they that old fashioned? It's ten years or so since I last spun my copy of their recording of the Bach Double Violin Concerto, as it rests in the (domestic) loft with the rest of my vinyl. However, I seem to remember the outer mvts. being pretty crisp, brisk and exciting.

[Barry Jordan]

Were they that old fashioned? It's ten years or so since I last spun my copy of their recording of the Bach Double Violin Concerto, as it rests in the (domestic) loft with the rest of my vinyl. However, I seem to remember the outer mvts. being pretty crisp, brisk and exciting.

 

Yes. But modern instruments, high pitch and plenty of vibrato. But I liked them.

 

B

[Guest Psalm 78 v.67]

There speaks an organist!

 

A few years ago, a peripatetic instrumental teaching colleague who taught the flute (she was young and drop-dead gorgeous! ) was let down by her usual exam accompanist. I offered to stand in at the last minute - for whatever reward might have been forthcoming but got my come-uppance (sp?) - she charmingly declined on the grounds that as I am an organist ergo I must be an apalling pianist! (Probably true!)

[Vox Humana]

So did you suggest she come and blow with you on the organ instead?

[contrabordun]

So did you suggest she come and blow with you on the organ instead?

MM is quoting hourly rates for this over on another thread

[Guest Lee Blick]

So did you suggest she come and blow with you on the organ instead?

 

I guess it depends if she wanted to play with a 1' Sifflot or a fat 4' Tibia Miribillis...

[Guest Psalm 78 v.67]

I guess it depends if she wanted to play with a 1' Sifflot or a fat 4' Tibia Miribillis...

 

Err - not absolutely certain what you are implying here, Lee - how do you know that I have either a 1' Sifflet or a fat 4' Tibia? Or are you drawing comparisons? Perhaps she was content with a medium-scale 8'

 

However, she had two delightful swells!

[David Coram]

Err - not absolutely certain what you are implying here, Lee - how do you know that I have either a 1' Sifflet or a fat 4' Tibia? Or are you drawing comparisons? Perhaps she was content with a medium-scale 8'

 

However, she had two delightful swells!

 

Edited blank because some people might be eating...

[contrabordun]

Err - not absolutely certain what you are implying here, Lee - how do you know that I have either a 1' Sifflet or a fat 4' Tibia? Or are you drawing comparisons? Perhaps she was content with a medium-scale 8'

en chamade, natch

[Guest Lee Blick]

en chamade, natch

 

or Trompette Harmonique

[David Coram]

or Trompette Harmonique

 

By which you presumably mean one which performs a function in the manner of one half its size?

 

Good job it's not a flute, or the half-way hole would make life very difficult.

 

I think we had better think about restoring good taste, as my deleted comment about swells and the boxes they come with is starting to look lame by comparison...