Manz Harmonizations for Lent & Easter
As I was filing away some of the Lenten and Easter music, I realized Paul Manz’s Varied Hymn Accompaniments for Lent and Easter got a lot of use this year. I particularly appreciate that these collections are accessible for organist and congregation alike.
2010 Summer Organist Workshops
Once again I’m making my annual “plug” for the summer Organist Workshops at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, IN. I can’t recommend these enough to parish organists of all skill levels. For three of the last four summers I’ve had the joy of studying improvisation with Kantor Hildebrand, organ playing with Kantor Resch, and handbells with Kantor Muth, in addition to studying theology, meeting fellow musicians, and being fed with the daily rhythm of prayer services.
Organ Music: Chorale Preludes
Church musicians are often in a quandary when selecting sheet music to add to their libraries: a finite budget and seemingly infinite choices from music publishers. The musician needs a discerning eye to determine what will be useful at their skill level and worship context. Random selection might yield a few gems, but also result in a bloated collection. A quality library doesn’t necessarily have to be large. It does, however, have to be well chosen.
To that end, I would like to share with you a recent acquisition to my organ music library which I think will be quite valuable: the six volume series “Choralvorspiele Zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch.”
Walter Buszin on the Lutheran Masters
In 1948 CPH published an “Anthology of Sacred Music – Chorale Preludes by Masters of the XVII and XVIII Centuries” selected and edited by Buszin. It is the Foreword of this volume that I’d like to share with you. First, it provides insight into what CPH was publishing at that time. Second, it gives some guidance for parish musicians today. Third, it will provide a segue into another piece I’ll be posting in a few days.
A Bach Gem From YouTube
As many of you know, you can find virtually anything on YouTube — some of excellent quality and some that is mediocre. One particular organist that I enjoy listening to (and watching) is Rob Stefanussen. His most recent video is of Bach’s Wachet Auf — an obligatory favorite of organists and non-organists alike. Take a few minutes and enjoy this great piece. The videography is detailed and covers the finger and pedal work.
Hymn Playing for Organists
As I was preparing and practicing the hymns for today, I came across the following quote from Luther Reed in a book of Creative Hymn Accompaniments by Gerhard Krapf:
A poor organist will make of hymn playing a commonplace thing. A good organist will challenge the intelligent interest of the congregation and charge its hymn singing with thought and feeling.
Improvisation for Organists
My previous post on hymn introductions (aka Invitation to Sing) got me to thinking about improvisation. To the average organist, it may sound like a daunting task or something that only “experienced” organists can do. You may be thinking, “I’ll stick to playing what’s on the page.” Let me tell you fellow organists: you too can improvise.
Invitation to Sing
Kantor Resch refers to the hymn introduction as an “Invitation to Sing.” If the introduction is “blah”, the singing will be “blah” as well. The “invitation” by the organist gives a foretaste of what is to come. One of the primary responsibilities of the organist is to engage God’s people in song.
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