titles for 10.18.09

I forgot to give titles for last Sunday. I played three preludes totalling eight minutes.

The first prelude was just called "Prayer" by Lemens. The second was an arrangement of the hymn tune we know as "Jesus Calls Us O'er the Tumult." Then bringing us up to the call to worship was "A Little More Faith," a spiritual.

The offertory was an arrangement of "My Shepherd Shall Supply My Need." The postlude was a fast, punchy allegro by Buxtehude, from way back in history, about 1700 in northern Germany.

Pass along your suggestions to me.

musical wound

Okay, kind of dumb and kind of funny. Working at the organ last week, working from a new piece of music, I slid my thumb down the crease of the booklet to keep it open. A staple was sticking out and it drew a little blood. A quick trip to the office and Julie finds the first aid kit and I'm soon good to go with this bandage. The funny part? Well, it was kind a joke in the office that an organ player entails occupational hazards such as this. Thanks to Julie for finding the bandage!

thanks for thanks

How would you like to get this when you arrive at church? I had that privilege yesterday. It was lying on the organ console. Inside, the text reads: Thank you for leading us in heartfelt worship of our amazing Lord. God bless you as you bring us the beautiful sounds from the organ that prepare us for worship. And then signed. Since this blog is public I won't mention names.

A big thanks for the thanks. I'm not talking about applause in worship. But here someone bought a card and wrote inside it. That means a lot.

titles for 10.11.09

A lot of the organ repertoire is relatively unknown to the average person. Last Sunday some of the pieces were easy to recognize. During the preludes I played a version of Twila Paris's "Lamb of God." Right before the service began, I played Malotte's version of "The Lord's Prayer." That's the melody most people would think of first. It was first published in 1935, during the Great Depression.

When singers sing it they usually belt out the final section, "...for thine is the kingdom...." I kept my registration the same, trying to set a time of quiet reflection as we prepare for worship.

The postlude was used by previous organists--"Highland Cathedral." The offertory was a hymn tune arranged by former Neffsville organist Daryl Hollinger. It was published by Augsburg Press (not Augsburger, just Augsburg) a few years ago. The unique sound was the high (4 foot) flute.