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RE: [Worship] organ music
Diane inquired:
> Recently I purchased an 8CD collection of songs for worship (half
> hymns/half
> P&W music from a man I know of in our denomination who is very
> talented...
>
> Most of the
> hymns are organ music which are congregation has never used before.
> We are a
> smaller intimate church with less than fifty people and my first
> reaction was
> "absolutly not "...
> we were going for a more contemporary sound....
> the organ is just something you need to get used to because most
> churches find this instrument to be easier too use in order to get the
> congregation to learn new songs.
>
> I don't know what too think? Does everyone use organ music for hymns?
> I
> don't want too send the collection back if our congregation seems to
> enjoy it
> yet somehow I find that hard to believe. My pastor is going listen to
> it to
> descide if he thinks this music represents where are church is heading
> musically but we have always been a "piano church". It just seems to
> me that
> organ music should be in a cathedral. What should I think?
>
Diane,
If you're actually going to play the CD's as "tracks", then your choice
is simple - either use them or not. If you have "live" music, then you
have more options. In that case, listen to the songs themselves rather
than the instrumentation. Hear the words, the melody, the
harmonization. If the songs are good songs, you may very well be able
to adapt them to the piano or even other instruments (I play a lot of
traditional hymns on the guitar.) Now on to the long-winded
philosophical stuff... ;-)
I think it's easy to see how someone with a more traditional background
would think "most churches" find it easy to teach new songs on an organ.
But I think it's just about as easy with a piano. The organ would have
a very slight edge, in that it can sustain better and generally come
closer to approximating the human voice than a regular piano, but it's
not that big a deal.
On the other hand, I'd like to suggest that the organ is not only for a
cathedral, and it can be used effectively in an "intimate" setting.
Sometimes it can give feeling to a piece that a piano can not (not
better or worse, just different.) A good organ has a wide range of
dynamic and voicing possibilities that are not available with a piano
(even with a typical synth attached.) [Note: if you're using these CD's
as "tracks" this doesn't matter, because you're "stuck" with whatever
style the performer used, with whatever stops he liked.]
On the OTHER other hand, it can sometimes seem awkward to use the organ
for "contemporary Praise & Worship" songs, especially if they're songs
the congregation already knows as piano and/or praise band songs. It
just doesn't have that "contemporary" sound to it. But I have heard it
done well on occasion. "Shout To The Lord" probably would NOT work on
an organ (OK, definitely not!), but "Give Thanks" would do nicely. On
the OTHER OTHER other hand, you and the pastor need to consider
fundamental questions, such as "is a contemporary sound inherently more
desirable?" and "do we need to settle on a single style of music?"
You've already bought the music, so you might as well give it a try. IF
you go with an organ arrangement, have the pastor prepare people for it
by calling their attention away from the instrument, and toward the
message; and be honest that it's an "experiment". The congregation
might surprise you; and if they don't, then you can return the music.
Grace & Peace...
- Paul
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