I am a volunteer organist up in Quebec, Canada and play preludes before each mass. I usually play hymns that fit the theme of the Sunday. I also play the responsorial psalm a few times. It helps the people to get familiar with the refrain. Feedback from the people is always positive. I believe preludes are very helpful in setting a prayerful mood and preparing the assembly to fully participate in the mass.

There is also the Divine Office - again, preludes and postludes, hymnody with all the trappings, reharmonizations, descants, etc., and hymn or magnificat versets. A fertile ground for the organ repertoire. What if we we went all out for hymnody where it belongs and revitalized the Office as an important part of Catholic life?

Yes! And every organist who accompanies the Magnificat should relish the opportunity created when the censing of the altar, officiant, servers, and people takes longer than the Magnificat, and the organist can do a soaring improvisation leading up to the Gloria Patri...hair-raising! I'm often disappointed when this doesn't work out. :)

I tend to play as preludes and postludes, music by French composers written specifically for the mass. You're not of French descent, you say? Your loss, I'm afraid. ;-) During Lent, I don't play anything except accompaniment for singing. By the time Lent is over, I am usually rejoicing at hearing something besides voices.

Ben,

Actually, Bach wrote a many fugues intended for harpsichord/piano... but I know what you mean.

I seem to remember hearing that Bach might have encountered an early piano on one of his few journeys - I don't remember the details, but in any case it was just speculation. But yes, he likely had harpsichord in mind, but I believe these are perfectly portable to the piano.

Re SkirpR's comment, James Gaines's Evening in the Palace of Reason does speak of Bach having encountered a Silbermann-made piano in Frederick the Great's collection.

That story about Bach and Frederick the Great is also recounted in Godel, Escher, Bach: An Eternal Golden Braid.

With regards to playing preludes/postludes: is anyone else rattled when some well meaning but oblivious congregant attempts to carry on a conversation with the organist while playing? Or perhaps worst yet, the person who insists on patting me on the back to say good job or goodbye or whatever? I don't want to be ungracious, but I'm tempted to wear a sign on my back that says, "organist at work, please do not touch!"

As for recessional hymns, I tend to agree that an instrumental recessional makes more sense when few stay to sing the hymn in it's entirety. If people actually wanted to stay and sing a hymn together that would be another story. I experimented with incorporating the optional post-communion hymn, which I thought worked well, but the pastor didn't agree (to either singing the hymn after communion or not having a hymn at the end of Mass) and the practice was effectively banned. Now I play a recessional hymn and sing all the verses, and typically also play a postlude even though it is for an audience of one. I would be ok with people walking out reverently, but the impious chatter that takes place in the sanctuary as if Mass never happened or as if no one was still praying or as if there was no Blessed Sacrament, continues to grate on my nerves.

In the Protestant church where I was DM for years, the choir was on the other side of the chancel. When I took the Catholic DM/organist job 12 years ago, I suddenly found myself face to face with the choir, with only the organ console separating us. It drove me nuts for some time, and every move they made was a distraction. I finally did get used to them, so I now pay little attention to their distractions, and just keep playing.

I have to ask--does anyone really follow to the letter the "requirement" that there is no solo organ music in advent or lent? For example, would it be so inappropriate to play Bachs "Wachet Auf" as a prelude or communion piece on the organ at advent? Or a beautiful Lenten solo organ piece, such as "O Mensch bewein" from Bachs Orgelbuchlein during communion at lent?

I think these rules in the Catholic Church are, in practice, not observed strictly.

I do follow it. No instrumental solos really sets apart those somber times of the year. Perhaps a seasonally appropriate postlude would be fine since that's actually not part of the liturgy at all.

I should clarify that the only time of year when I think that recessional hymns are a good idea is during Lent, as organ solos are not permitted during the liturgy. Although, there is an argument that since it is after the dismissal, then it isn't during the liturgy and this rule doesn't technically apply.

I would also certainly encourage a Marian Antiphon after weekday masses, whether it be the seasonal antiphon or an ad libitum such as "Sub Tuum Praesidium"

These rules of organ solos during Mass were published earlier in this discussion:


81. Accordingly, the playing of the organ, and all other instruments is forbidden for liturgical functions, except Benediction, during the following times:
a) Advent, from first Vespers of the first Sunday of Advent until None of the Vigil of Christmas;
b) Lent and Passiontide, from Matins of Ash Wednesday until the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo in the Solemn Mass of the Easter Vigil;
c) the September Ember days if the ferial Mass and Office are celebrated;
d) in all Offices and Masses of the Dead.

82. Only the organ may be used on the Sundays of Septuagesima, Sexagesima, and Quinquagesima, and on the ferial days following these Sundays.

83. However, during the seasons, and days just mentioned, the following exceptions to the rule may be made:
a) the organ may be played, and other instruments used on holy days of obligation, and holidays (except Sundays), on the feasts of the principal local patron saint, the titular day, and the dedication anniversary of the local church, the titular or founder's day of a religious congregation, and on the occasion of some extraordinary solemnity;
b) the organ only (including the harmonium or reed organ) may be used on the third Sunday of Advent, and the fourth Sunday of Lent, on Thursday of Holy Week during the Mass of Chrism, and during the solemn evening Mass of the Last Supper from the beginning to the end of the hymn Gloria in excelsis Deo;
c) the organ only may be used at Mass, and Vespers for the sole purpose of supporting the singing. Local Ordinaries may determine more precisely the application of these prohibitions, and permissions according to the approved local or regional customs.


Musicam Sacram 1967
Instruction On Music In The Liturgy


65. In sung or said Masses, the organ, or other instrument legitimately admitted, can be used to accompany the singing of the choir and the people; it can also be played solo at the beginning before the priest reaches the altar, at the Offertory, at the Communion, and at the end of Mass.
The same rule, with the necessary adaptations, can be applied to other sacred celebrations.

66. The playing of these same instruments as solos is not permitted in Advent, Lent, during the Sacred Triduum and in the Offices and Masses of the Dead.
General Instruction of the Roman Missal 2011

313. ...
In Advent the use of the organ and other musical instruments should be marked by a moderation suited to the character of this time of year, without expressing in anticipation the full joy of the Nativity of the Lord.
In Lent the playing of the organ and musical instruments is allowed only in order to support the singing. Exceptions, however, are Laetare Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Lent), Solemnities, and Feasts.



In response to my post, there seem to be ready disagreements over whether the organ should be played as a solo instrument DURING Mass even if played appropriately soft, (with a piece, as I suggested, like Bach's Wachet Auf during Advent or O Mensch bewein... during Lent).

As I read these rules literally, they appear to outright forbid the playing of the organ as a solo instrument during Advent and Lent (except one certain Sunday in each) and funerals. Yet, Charles W. indicates that playing the solo organ during Advent "is not forbidden" and that he plays soft music during Mass in Advent. Like him, I suspect most organists in America play soft music during Advent and Lent during offertory and communion, and even before/after Mass and do not think twice about it.

I just wonder how strictly Catholic organists observe these rules and whether they are ignoring Church teaching if they do otherwise. I was not suggesting that organists play flashy music during these seasons either before, after or during Mass. These kinds of pieces would obviously be out of character for the season. If the literal meaning of these rules is to be accepted, however, such organ solos are prohibited, period, during Advent and Lent. No music during funeral Masses, either. Doesn't this seem unreasonable and out of step with practice in what most churches expect and practice?

I think that Bach's Wachet Auf would be appropriate during offertory of communion in Advent, for example. What about Bach's rousing Valet will ich dir geben, BWV 736 (the pedal line is "All Glory, Laud and Honor--a classic Palm Sunday hymn widely played on that day) as a prelude on Palm Sunday (during Lent)? Is this forbidden too? And, I cannot imagine a funeral without music, both before and during the service.

Please clarify.

I think Jacksons' comments are totally right on. We offer what we do to God first and always primarily. I think this is why so many of us have problems when we have to offer to God things which we know are not as good.

They're OK with what I do. :-)
Could I ask, CharlesW, you referenced a collection of French preludes/postludes in an earlier post of yours. Any possibility of pointing me in the right direction for some?

My Preludes are improvisations on the entrance antiphon. Most postludes are improvisation on the communion chant. Our propers and ordinaries are mostly acapella, yet I think the organ style of intonations for these antiphons and ordinaries can be handled prayfully and artistically. All the organ music has a prayerful purpose.

@CharlesW Thanks for the link to the Montreal Organ Book. It looks like there is a lot of useful stuff in there!

Please forgive me if this is a "newbie" type question, but how do you tell where to use the pedal?

In much early organ music, pedal was not used, and if it was, usually only on long bass notes or to act as a drone. You can usually just play the very bottom note in the score with the pedals (as is often done with playing hymns), but there are no hard-and-fast rules.

I recently played for a confirmation mass where the organ was a single-manual positive of 5 stops and 53 notes. No pedals. I improvised on Picardy for an interlude. I inserted a pencil to hold down the low D note to provide the drone.

You will find that in days gone by many manuals had narrower keys than they do today and an octave was not quite the reach that it is today. Quite a few also had a "short-octave" bass, which made it quite easy to reach from CC to E or F, which is nigh impossible on a full chromatic keyboard.

It's a marker of the sacred space.

Not to mention sacred time.

The postludes I can do every week. Preludes, almost never. The choir room is located two floors below the organ loft, so we meet in the loft before mass. Getting my older folks up those stairs caused all of them to be winded by the time for mass to begin. Our masses are really too close together, also. I have just given up on preludes because of simple logistics. Interesting thing at our parish. At the scheduled mass time, few are in the congregation. Ten minutes after the mass starts, the place is nearly full. Go figure! LOL.

When we got a new organ 23 years ago, members of the congregation, who had made contributions for it, began to remain in their pews for the "postlude." They also began to applaud at its conclusion. This disturbed me at first; but then I realized that the "postlude" is not part of the liturgy. It is, essentially, a short organ recital for which people choose to stay. Since virtually everyone stays for it, announcements (formerly made during the Mass) are now deferred until its conclusion. This is an improvement. (I am in an Episcopal Church of the Anglo-Catholic stripe.)

Consider Tournemire's thoughts with regards to Postludes: The Piece terminale is a summary of the liturgical day. Tournemire envisioned people to stay after Mass and pray and listen. The pieces are based on chants used at Mass, hymns at the office and Alleluias and other assorted chants. However, they are not always loud and often end on a quiet note.

As one of my Parisian friends said," And what planet was he on?"

While I would agree with both of you on what postludes should be, they are often not that at all. The pastor has thanked me a few times for playing Widor loudly to stop people from talking while leaving the church.

Yes, it is difficult, and I don't do them every Sunday, just for special masses. I am not a good enough organist to play Widor every week. I would be perfectly happy to play softly as some quietly left and some stayed to pray. What actually happens is that after a sermon on love for one's fellow man, the horde tries to trample each other on the way to the exits.