The pastor and I have had a couple of discussions on music. He is totally OK with Eagles Wings, Schutte, etc., and when I told him that I wanted to return reverence into the liturgy through music, and remove the overly-sentimental popular styled music, he responded by saying that "a little bit of schmaltz is good for the soul," and told me to get used to eagles wings becuase I was bound to play it. In an attempt to appease his desires and still attempt to promote tradition in the parish, I have played Gift of Finest Wheat twice, and I am the Bread of Life once. Eagles Wings, I refuse to do unless forced.
Today, I got an e-mail from the pastor asking me to play a little bit of piano at the second church. I feel that as it is, I am already going against my consicence enough.
Smaller congregations sing differently than larger ones. They sing better with piano accompaniment than with organ accompaniment.
Either can be effectively used, but in many situations, which exist in the real world, the piano is the superior instrument.
As Adam stated, all of this is an exception to a plain rule. So I don't get the level of defensiveness exhibited by some in this thread, as though massed forces are seeking to replace fine organs with pianos.
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