I have long thought that much of what I am playing has more meaning to me than to the congregation. For them, it is mostly mood. They have little idea what even the titles are. There are exceptions, of course, but maybe half the folks don't even notice.

LOL. Fortunately, the pastors I worked for would not allow it.

Never sell people short, not even at communions.
I never play 'background music', and have received many compliments on my communion music over the years.
I have often said that what we say of others may or may not be objectively true - but more important is what what we say of others says about us.

Mmeladirectress

I believe that is an escalator installed by Jacob & Co.

Jacob saw a ladder,
the top of which reached to heaven,
and angels descending on it.
And he said: Surely this place is holy. Alleluia.

My score for the Crecquillon is attached.

It’s very “uplifting”!

I don't understand why everyones talking about elevators all of a sudden while I'm sitting here, pulling my hair out. I've seen Handels "Water Music" mentioned in some other thread. How do you justify playing it in the church if the original was composed to entertain the protestant king?

Much time has passed since this music was written. Many of these "secular" pieces have lost their original associations. Now they are just well-written pieces with many possible uses.

One could say the same about later English voluntaries by Stanley, Walond, Boyce, and others. They typically have two to four short 'movements', the highlight being the trumpet or cornet tune with echos. At a glance, as musical compositions they are child's play, and although they were written for church, they are quite obviously congregational entertainment music for an unfortunate period of decadence in the C of E. There really is nothing 'sacred' about them. They do, though, make fitting celebratory voluntaries and processionals for great feasts and events such as weddings. These voluntaries have come a long way from their serious early XVIth century progenitors, which were basically one movement imitative pieces crafted skillfully on several successive 'points' (subjects), often with a virtuosic flourish at the end.

And sorry, Charles, but I seriously question the fashionable use of the 'Water Music' and other such works for weddings and other festal occasions. Their utter lack of any sacral air is as apparent as is that of other, very chic nowadays, organ arrangements of romantic orchestral pieces which have no connection at all with Christian worship. They are, in fact, antithetical to it. This holds true for Mendelssohn and Wagner at weddings. Contributing nothing but a minus to worship, such 'arrangements' are obviously entertainment music for congregations who are presumed not to be particularlyt pious or devout, and tasteless organists who haven't a clue as to the sanctity of where they are at and what they are playing for.

There is no end at all of real liturgical organ music that was written for and is appropriate for any mood and occasion that arises in Christian worship. There isn't the slightest need or justification for dipping into patently secular genres.

"If played as originally written for young orphan girls to play unseen behind a screen "Yes" but if the organist is seated in full view of a congregation, a definite "NO!"""

Music of such drama may be very effective in liturgical celebrations. But if the organist is in the view of the people - and even worse if there is a choir and strings - it becomes a performance and the physical movements and all this distract from the liturgy.

Masses have always been heard, not seen - if that is not true, then why the common phrase, "I am going to hear Mass." Often heard in other lands but also here in the USA.

I have played Dupre, Tournemire, and others at communion. The music might have been a bit difficult but there was no thrashing around or showing off at the console. I thought we learned better than that when we were organ students.

What has to be "heard" at Mass is the celebrant. Visual distraction is only a problem when the congregation faces ad orientum.

Certainly that "full conscious and active participation" as an ideal is older than Vatican II (or why would it have been articulated?). The 'paradigm shift' is over what that might actually mean. A new familiar quotation that seems to have been popularized by Walter Benjamin (and is missing from Bartlet's) is attributed by him to Malebranche: "Attentiveness is the natural prayer of the Soul." Let the audience say: Amen.

I was browsing an old French hymnal, found this Tantum Ergo hymn set to Mozarts piano sonata No.11(on the page it says No.6 for some reason). Not sure if I would be comfortable singing, or especially playing this as a solo in the church. What do you comrades think?

Purp on/ As long as you dance the minuet while you sing it, then It would be appropriate I suppose. /Purp off

I be even less happy singing the beginning of sonata no.6 K.284.

Getting back to the original question, Louis Raffy many years ago put together a huge collection in 5 volumes of Classical/Romantic style organ music suitable for the liturgy called "Organistes Célèbres et Grands Maîtres Classiques." There are certainly many pieces there suitable for Communion. The volumes are graded in terms of playing difficulty. Volumes 1 -> 4 can be downloaded for free at IMSLP, while vol 5 (highest difficulty) and apparently a sixth volume can be bought at free-scores.com

Lovely piece for communion, but how do you play it properly? Melody on the pedals?

Our organist frequently would play Bach’s Arioso from Cantata No. 156. It’s one of my favourites to meditate upon during communion.

He’s also do the Largo from the New World Symphony, another one of my preferred communion mediation pieces.

Those are the only two I recognized.

He’d also just take the Liber Brevior and improvise on the communion proper chant.

I'm really fond of Pachelbel's "Ricercare in C-minor". Would it be appropriate for communion?

That is a nice piece! I can't believe in all my years I have never played it. I just listened to Wolfgang Rubsam play it on a YouTube recording. Seems like a perfect communion piece.

Found another treasure, Bach's "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" BWV 656. very reverent piece, it's long enough for communion, its repeatable and its in sections. its perfect.
it gets a little intense at the end..

Bach's "O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig" BWV 656

Truly gorgeous, but the third 'verse' seems to require a full plenum, so might not work for Communion in some contexts. Bach here illustrates the chorale text, which is an elaborate sort of paraphrase on the Agnus Dei—the music intensifies before the final 'grant us peace' refrain which is symbolized by the beautiful running scale passages which close the setting.

Bach died, the Baroque period ended, the music changed, the audience's preferences changed and time marched on. That's the way it works.

That's the way it works'

Not quite! 'There's nothing new under the sum'. What ancient sage said that? The past is present and the present is the past in the twinkling of an eye. The world and its arts are always becoming - they never are. The 'past' is the present and the present is past. Anything of the 'past' which I haven't heard or seen is new and modern to me. Bach is as new as Stravinsky - who, but for Bach, would not exist, and, without Perotin Bach would not exist. Old stuff is the root of all that follows. Roots should be admired, nurtured, and treasured for their own particular beauty - and their relationship with our own efforts at timelessness. 'That's the way it works'.