Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!

Subject: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: wilco
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 12:10 PM

    I was reading the thread on Hymns?Praise muisc, and the subject of over-powering organs was mentioned. I have two good stories. One of my sons is a church organist, a little bitty guy, very meek and nerdy. He's a real "Steve Irkel". When he was about fiftenn, he was aked to play this super organ, with about ten ranks, sixty foot pipes, etc. It was the musical equivalent of an F-16 jet. It was a well-endowed huge Baptist church, full of blue-haired old ladies, on a Sunday evening. Like most young men, he couldn't resist the temptation of all of that power. He stomped on it, and it looked like a casrtoon, where the crowd, leaning backwards in their pews, in full shock, with a force of five Gs on them. Then he really cranked it up, and you could actually see the water in the baptismal bouncing with the base notes. The whole place was vibrating!!!!
    The other story is about this huge organ at the nearby Seventh Day Adventist University. A friend of mine told me that when he really cranks it up, the metal chairs would start skittering around on the wooden stage. Man. Why do they have so much power?

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: MMario
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 12:16 PM

because they weren't matched to the buildings they were placed in - or when they were purchased the people thought "bigger is better" - so they got the biggest they could afford.

On the other hand - a skilled organist can do miracles.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 12:31 PM

At least with the old "tracker" style mechanical consoles it becomes hard work if you're trying to couple in too many stops - trouble is with electrical/electronic keyboards it's too easy.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Don Firth
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 12:31 PM

I had a music prof who, among other things, was a church organist. He took the class to the Episcopal cathedral where he played on Sundays to demonstrate the organ for us. He showed us some of the capabilities of the thing--HUGE sound at the touch of a finger--and played us a batch of Bach, Buxtehude, Cesar Franck, other stuff. Nuthin' quite like Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor when you're standing right next to a bank of pipes!!

The prof commented that "The church organist's vocation is to play the music of God. But with all that power at the organist's fingertips, sometimes he tends to forget who's who."

He also mentioned that most organists have rather impressive sounding names, quite appropriate to their occupation. "For example," he said, "E. Power Biggs."

One of the students ask, "What does the 'E' stand for?"

Without a pause, the prof answered, "Enormous!"

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: catspaw49
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 12:45 PM

I understand a lot Catholic priests are also church organists.......

Spaw

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: wilco
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 01:01 PM

catspaw49. The subject was LOUD church organs.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: mack/misophist
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 02:12 PM

Speaking of loud... As WW2 approached Bela Bartok's friends hustled him out of town and on to a boat for the US since he was well known to be on the Nazi shit list. It seems that Bela was one of those people who suffer massively from sea sickness. He almost died. In New York, he was so greatful to be ashore that he sat on the dock and roughed (on brown paper) out a piece that sonically describes what it's like to be sea sick. "Un Bateau" is massive. It's an organ solo where the organist is, at times instructed to STAND AND STOMP on the pedal rank. Imagine. Hearing it live was WONDERFUL! I laughed my head off and no one noticed.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: GUEST,tndarln
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 03:23 PM

I used to play piano for worship services. The organist was awful. Because of the combination of his insecure personality and his organ skills [or, more specifically, the lack thereof], I figured he played loud to compensate. In other words- he used the big organ as a...well, [ahem] you get the point. And it was lewd, too.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: catspaw49
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 03:55 PM

I'm pretty proficient with my organ Tennessee Darlin'.....Any way I could be of service?

Spaw

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: GUEST,Taliesn
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 05:17 PM

(quote)
"On the other hand - a skilled organist can do miracles. "

Speaking of skilled organists , apparaently *the* show to have caught during the Summer tour of the group "Yes" was at Radio city music Hall where keyboard virtuoso Rick Wakeman chose to do his keyboard solo portion of the concert on the world famous Wurletzer Organ which "was" built for Radio City Music Hall's signature space and the concentric shells do have a bass note that they ressonate to and you know it when when you *feel" it in your solar plexus while your tooth fillings have their harmonics adjusted.

Just another keyboard moment ;-)

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: TNDARLN
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 07:12 PM

By the way, in spite of my Mudcat name, I blush Crimson--not any shade of Orange.......

Is it gettin' warm in here, or is it jus' me?

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Oct 02 - 11:41 PM

A friend of mine belongs to an Episcopal church, and I've vowed I'm never going back to it because its egoistic little organist hurts me every time with some unexpected blast from the organ. He's especially taken with the trumpet stops.

It's strange that if a person hurts another by stepping on her foot, he apologizes, but if he hurts her by sending an unnatural amount of sound into her ears, it's funny.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Amos
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 09:35 AM

TN,

Spaw is compensating for the fact that his electronic MIDI keyboard only has 16 voices and 4 drums. Don't pay him any mind. He's much less talented on the organ than he thinks.

A

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 09:44 AM

I once went to a concert at the Royal Albert Hall - entitle "The Organ in Might and Madness". The ticket price included a tin whistle.
The RAH was packed because the concert had been well advertised during the Prom season which had only just ended. We had a rehearsal with our whistles at the beginning of the concert and later on had to all play against the organ - in spite of our numbers, the organ still won hands down. The concert was described as "The greatest structural test that the hall has ever been subjected to". The hall survived, but I think everyone was deaf for the next day or so !

For sheer volume of sound in classical music though, I can't think of anything to beat the "Tuba Mirum" from the Berlioz Requiem. Not only do you have an organ you have a huge orchestra, four extra brass ensembles, and (if you do it according to the score) TWELVE sets of kettle-drums. The chorus basses (and usually tenors too) are expected to sing over this wall of sound. Belioz definitely wished to prove that nothing would prevail over "The Last Trumpet". Once during a dress rehearsal for a performance at Guildford Cathedral, I can remember three (rather elderly) lady chorus members fainting, the first time they heard the full accompaniment !

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Abuwood
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 02:48 PM

Victorians invented church organs cos the Gallery Choirs were having too much fun.
Trouble is now they are the tradition, people don't want a church service without the organ.
Don't get me wrong I like a good Wesley hymn or Cym Rhonda played loud and sung lound.
But horses for courses, Kendrick is a guitarist and so most modern stuff is for guitars/ piano the instruments should fit the tune.
The organ often slows down the thing to make it unsingable.
I don't have an answer though as the elders ( and they are) tried to sack our minister when he asked us to play guitar in church!

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: MMario
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 02:56 PM

pipe organs go back to the 1oth century - and were common under james I & VI; then again in the mid 1700's to present - so I don't think you can quite blame them on the Victorians

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Burke
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 03:15 PM

Organs have been around a long time, but more in cathedrals than parish churches. We didn't get them in the US until the late 18th cent. Mostly, I suspect, because before that no one wanted to pay the expense of shipping one over. I believe Billings wrote a composition for the dedication of one in Boston.

We got them here about the same time they took over the parishes in England. They were not uniformly approved & there were some churches that banned instruments altogether about that same time.

Read Thomas Hardy's "Under the greenwood tree: or, The Mellstock quire: a rural painting of the Dutch school" for a description of what Abuwood is talking about. But really, playing cards in the quire loft during the sermon, could lend some justification to cleaning the crowd up.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Don Firth
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 05:16 PM

Don't blame Vickie. The organ, in one form or another, has been kicking around since the 3rd century B.C. Big honkers have been solidly established in cathedrals since the Renaissance or before.

Voila!

Don Firth

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: TNDARLN
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 08:07 PM

Don, I checked out the voila link. Turns out to be the work of a former professor of mine, now at B'ham Southern. Cool. Thanks.

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: catspaw49
Date: 09 Oct 02 - 08:34 PM

Don, I think for big honkers, Hooter's would be more likely a place to go.

Spaqw....Who just can't resist screwing with this thread

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 03:08 AM

The organ in Milton Abbey, Dorset.... you can hear it down the far end of the playing fields (about a mile) when it's got the manic headmaster playing. Don't ask how I know, it's an all boys boarding school!

LTS

Subject: RE: Loud Church Organs - HELLLLLPPPPPP!!!
From: Dave Bryant
Date: 10 Oct 02 - 11:42 AM

I can guess what attraction organs in a boy's school might have for you Liz, you shameless hussy !