What to do when the organ dies
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 805
    One time, at the funeral of one of our dear priests, I sang with the Cathedral for our diocese and during the prelude, the organ died. We scrambled for ideas and solutions. Our solution was to just use the choir organ at the front, but that won't work in most churches. Any ideas for unreliable organs?
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    Select only music that can be artfully executed unaccompanied.
    Thanked by 5Liam Adam Wood francis Ben Casavant Organist
  • FidemInFidebusFidemInFidebus
    Posts: 611
    ^^this. The sound system failed during the choir anthem one morning, of course on a morning when I was filling in for the director who was on vacation, and (yes we were using a CD) my choices were a. Run to the piano which was a million miles away from them, or B. Continue conducting as if nothing was happening at all. We finished the piece unaccompanied and the choir sounded beautiful. But that particular anthem was well suited to be done unaccompanied, many others we do would not be...Either way I think it's far less distracting and time consuming just to sing and not scramble around for another instrument!
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    I have a Roland digital piano in my loft that a previous director bought for use at weddings. I don't use it at all on Sundays, but a time or two, it has been nice to have an instrument available while the organ was out of service.
  • Casavant Organist
    Posts: 805
    I really hate electronic or digital instruments with really phony organ sounds. They do work for backup but it is too hard to have one in our space setup ready for use at any given time.
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,023
    During a funeral, one of the three transformers in the power supply of my organ overheated and began smoking---of course, for all we could tell the organ had caught on fire. It progressed seamlessly and quickly during the course of the opening hymn from a sudden, overpowering putrid smell to my watching in horror as my cantor was engulfed by a cloud of smoke.

    My pastor, who was concelebrating, and an acolyte ran upstairs with a fire extinguisher.

    We were fortunate enough to have reliable technicians nearby who had it ready for Sunday, but I finished the service on the piano. It later came out that the deceased was not particularly a fan of the organ.

    At the Basilica in Covington the organ blower tore itself apart right before a major concert. The program was reduced to the a capella pieces and some hymns played on the smaller organ in the West gallery.

    For Masses on Sunday, a small 1-manual electronic positive organ was run through some very, very oversized amplifiers.

    Neither event proved fatal to organ music in those places.

    So, in short, just do whatcha gotta...the people will understand. :-)
    Thanked by 1Spriggo
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    There's a great story of a feisty (older female) assistant organist at a Cathedral whom, after a power surge disabled the old Wicks organ that used to be in their loft, at point of the Gloria shouted "Organ's dead! No Gloria!" from the loft, put her jacket on, and went home.
    Thanked by 2BruceL StimsonInRehab
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    When I was new at the Lutheran church I served for many years, and right in the middle of the special 90th anniversary service I ended one stanza of a hymn and when I began the next stanza the organ did not sound (at least the timing was nice - it could have been in the middle of something). I was quite in a panic, but the congregation began the next stanza with full voices without missing a beat. As it turned out, someone had flipped the wrong electrical switch downstairs. A choir member went down and turned it back on and all proceeded without further ado. Of course, I was embarrassed to death, but the choir told me later that they had assumed I did it on purpose because they often sang stanzas a capella. Now those people know how to sing - and they don't need anybody standing up in front of them to 'invite' them and wave (as in 'flail') his or her arms around. The moral of the story: when the organ 'dies', keep singing, and do it with relish.

    (The organ, by the way, was a 40 rank Holtkamp. They have recently had it enlarged to fifty ranks - including an en chamade and an antiphonal division - by, of all people, [hold your breath] Moller. I'm very sad about this. They had asked Holtkamp to do it, but Holtkamp had a three-year waiting list. Moller, wouldn't you know?, did it in less than a year.)
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen ZacPB189
  • ghmus7
    Posts: 1,483
    Y'all remind me of the time i was playing on an electronic organ at a wedding. During a quiet moment at the offertory, the organ began to act as an antenna and began loudly broadcasting bawdy country music from a local station. I tried to tell them that it was not my fault.
    Thanked by 3Ben CHGiffen Casavant Organist
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,933
    An old Episcopal priest friend of mine told me a story from his seminary days: the chapel organ had one day gone kaput, so a classmate of his organized a "pontifical funeral" for morning services the next day. The mastermind, all decked out with mitre, crook, and episcopal train, walked up in solemn procession while my pastor and his friends followed as part of the deacon, subdeacon, and MC. The faux-bishop went up to the defunct instrument, laid his hand upon the console, and intoned, "VOUCHSAFE AND KEEP THEE, FAITHFUL SERVANT OF THE LORD . . ." The professors were aghast. I don't think this fellow got past the opening collect before action was taken.
    Thanked by 7Jeffrey Quick CHGiffen CharlesW Casavant Organist M. Jackson Osborn BruceL Salieri
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Sounds like the sort of 'fun' Episcopalian seminarians might have.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    The "High Church" has much that I wish we had learned after the council.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    It is so rare for anyone on this list to say much positive about any organ they play.

    Of course, those who are anti-organ & chant add to this.

    Organists and Timpanists are among the few musicians who do not have to buy their instruments. Owning an instrument brings a completely different state of mind, a different reality than what we see here.
    Thanked by 2Jeffrey Quick PaxMelodious
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    I play a 10-rank Schantz that thru some judicious re-voicing and re-racking of pipes, does all that I ask of it. Small, but a perfectly good service instrument. It can show a few weaknesses with Widor, but that is true of many instruments twice the size. No complaints.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,191
    I will be managing a 74 rank 4 manual instrument soon and having lots of pipes is not always a good thing. As a general rule many of us have been taught that more is better. Now I am not so sure. And I really prefer the human voice at the liturgy.

    My experience is that well voiced and good ensemble is more important than how many ranks one has. I think Cavaille-Coll and his thoughts on ensemble teach us well.

    Thanked by 3CHGiffen noel jones, aago MBW
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Who is the builder of this instrument? I rejoice at your good fortune. If it is well designed you should be able to play anything you wish with appropriate timbres. As you say, 'more' is not better, at least not inherently so. But an intelligently crafted 'more' can be the means of a great variety of expression on a great variety of choral and organ music, and a great variety of liturgically complementary colour. But of course you know that. Congratulations on your good fortune. Can you share the specifications with us? The builder? Anything else?
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,191
    MJO et al,

    Where I am going cannot be announced yet as it is not public at the parish. When it is I will happily name it. The organ, originally built in 1921 by Schantz, was 56 ranks. It has been enlarged in 1954, 1989 and 2011 to its current state of 74 ranks and the console was digitized. The chests were restored in 2011 also. It is 4 manuals and pedal with a fake 64 in the pedal. It leans toward the French romantic in its orientation but I think Bach could be pulled off okay. A full compliment of reeds and a 16 manual on each manual. Plenty to manage the romantic literature and other things.

    When I get there I will happily post the specifications.
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn CHGiffen CharlesW
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,980
    When I get there I will happily post the specifications.


    Will be waiting for that. It sounds like a dream instrument - who cares about Bach? Some do, I realize. LOL.
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,325
    I'll be very interested to hear, too. I play a 74-rank 2-manual instrument that is just glorious. I wish it had better strings and an extra manual, but I can't complain!
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    Pretty sure I know where that organ is, and I'm hopeful that this will turn out to be a very good position.
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