Sundry Voices from the Past about Quires and Places where they Sing, and Organs, and Such Stuff -

M. Jackson Osborn

On playing the organ -
a XIIth century voice from the Benedictine Abbey of Engelberg:
(Letters were placed over the syllables of the first seven lines to indicate which key to play, an apparent self-tutor.)

Hear now the organ chorus,
It is the musical instrument
Of present-day artists,
A honey-sweet witness.
You play it and it sings
In a praiseworthy manner,
And teaches you to play
Delightfully,
In little time,
With delicacy, sweetness, and ease.
I know, I tell you; understand me;
I order and advise you to take heed
And fix this in your memory.
Serve Music, so that you may know it well,
Practice assiduously, and apply yourself to the Art.
Show a receptive spirit
And an active body.
Take bellows
And fill them full of air.
Do not forget that.
And, thus equipped,
Make melody with cunning fingers,
The sound of music with pleasant tones.
Let it shout forth its brassy sound,
And let choir sing with choir
In diaphony
And in organum.
Then move to the trebles,
Returning to the bass
With a lyric fall.
Then to the middle notes,
With a swift run
And a noble spring,
With supple, seductive hand
Deserving praise.
In such joyous music,
Honey-sweet,
The crowd will delight,
And will wonder and rejoice
During the music
And their faithful worship of God,
Who reigns in eternity.
______________________________________

BUT! Hearken to what Aelred of Reivaulx saith in the same century -

Let us now turn to those who, under cover of religion, conceal the care they lavish on their pleasures.... I ask you why, when statues and images are being abandoned, why, I ask you, do we see in the the Church so great a number of organs and sets of bells? What use, pray, is this terrifying blast from the bellows that is better suited to imitate the noise of thunder than the sweetness of the human voice?... During all this distorted singing the people, standing trembling and speechless, are amazed by the throb of the bellows, the jingling of the little bells, the harmony of the flue pipes.... It is a though the crowd had assembled, not in a place of worship, but in a theatre, not to pray, but to witness a spectacle.

Abbot Jonathan Coel

Interesting!!! If only organist would learn that less is better; especially when accompanying voices in a choir or congregation.

CharlesW

The one thing I have learned after 50+ years as an organist is that you can't please everyone. It isn't even worth trying.

ghmus7

From The Etude ca. 1900:

Rooles for Playin Onto a Organ in Meeting.

When the preacher comes in and neals down in the poolpit, pool all the stoppers. That’s what the stoppers is for.

When a him is given out to be sung, play over the whole toon before singin, but be sure to play it so that they can’t tell whether it’s that toon or some other toon. It will so amoose people to guess at the toon.

When you play the interlood, sometimes pull all the stoppers out, and sometimes pull them all in. The stoppers is made to pull out and in.

Play the interloods twice as long as the toon. The interloods is the best part of the mewsic, and should be the longest.

Play from the interlood into the toon without them knowing when the toon begins. This will teach them to mind their own business.

Always play the interloods faster or slower then the toon. This will keep it from being the same time as the toon.

If the preacher gives out five virses, play four. Tew many virses is teejus.

During the sermon go out of the church, and cum back in time for the next toon. This will show you don’t mean to be hard on the preacher by having tew many listenin to him at wonst.

Welcome to the MusicaSacra Forum!

Categories