Way Too Much Pipe Organ at Christmas

[MineralMan]

Our local CBS AM station, WCCO, like many radio stations, plays non-stop Christmas music starting on Christmas Eve and continuing through midnight on Christmas Day. I don't mind too much, and there are several radios in our house tuned to that station always, since it runs the CBS news every hour.

Now, I love pipe organs. I have since the early 1960s. So much that I worked for free as a 16-year-old with an organ builder, Richard Villemin, who was installing a pipe organ in the church I attended. For an entire summer, I spent most of my days learning about piper organs from that very patient man, and worked my butt off, all for the love of such a massive, amazing instrument. Later, I took lessons from our church organist, and even played for a few services.

Returning to the topic, one of the staples of WCCO's Christmas marathon is always pre-recorded presentations from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, offering "Music and the spoken word" writ very large. At one point yesterday, they rebroadcast an hour of the Tabernacle's organist, Richard Elliot, playing Christmas music for a concert. I hate to say it, but his performance may have put me off pipe organs forever.

The organ in the Salt Lake City temple is one of the largest, best equipped organs in the world. It's superbly maintained, always perfectly in tune, and capable of everything from subtle whisperings of music to thundering walls of sound. Well, Richard Elliot appears to forgotten all but the latter capability, since it seemed as though he had "pulled out all the stops" and used the Full Organ piston throughout his performance. Not only that, he appeared to have been set on demonstrating that he can play more notes than anyone in the world, all at the same time.

The result was pure mud coming from that majestic organ. At one point, he was playing three traditional Christmas carols, all at the same time. Since their harmonies were compatible, after all, why not? And all at the maximum volume available, and all with as many fingers on the keyboards and both feet on the pedal manual as possible, playing more notes notes than are humanly possible as fast as possible. It was a horror. Yes, he is a virtuoso organist. Yes he can amaze and astound with his playing. But, he chose to horrify, by playing everything at FFFF instead, including "Silent Night."

I was shocked and appalled. I turned to my wife, after that grotesque exercise was finally finished, and said, "The only thing he left out was playing "Shave and a haircut...two bits" to close out the number. No more, Mr. Elliot. Please, no more. If you do that again, I swear I will come to Salt Lake City and disconnect 90% of that organ's ranks before you play again. I will force you to treat the organ as less of a bludgeon with which to damage the hearing of your audience and more of a subtle and versatile musical instrument that can inspire wonder and create beauty.

And that is my Christmas music review for 2016. It is my opinion, of course. Thanks for reading.

[PJMcK]

1. Contrast is everything

Your analysis of Mr. Elliot's performance is descriptive and intelligently articulated. As a musician, I find it interesting that you learned to build and play the organ. It's not only the "king of instruments" but it is fiendishly difficult to play effectively. Like you, MineralMan, I've played the organ in church services (and also in concert) and I've never been more on edge for a performance than when playing organ.

More specifically, your view of Mr. Elliot's arrangement of Christmas music sounds like I'm glad I missed that broadcast! Music, like all of art, is only effective when there are contrasts in the five principle elements of music: pitch, timbre, texture, volume, duration and form. Without differing these elements, music loses it's emotional and expressive effectiveness as demonstrated by your reaction to the broadcast.

It often puzzles me when a musician puts their own ego before the music they are performing. Too often, it seems to me, musicians choose to show off their "chops" rather than their musicianship.

These are my opinions, of course. Thanks, as always, for writing your comments.

[MineralMan]

6. Thanks.

I was never an accomplished organist. I could play a little. On a trip to Germany in the 1980s, as an oboist in an orchestra that traveled with a choir, we had a stop in Bavaria. During some free time, I took a walk through a historic area in some city, the name of which I have forgotten.

Passing an old church, I hear organ music, so I ventured quietly in. The organist was practicing and nobody else was in the building. So, I took a seat and listened as the organist rehearsed. At one point, he noticed me there, and beckoned me up to the console. I explained that I was an amateur organist and was enjoying listening to him play. Most of the music was Bach. He told me something of the history of that organ, which was very old. He said that it had been played by Bach, himself, at one time in its history.

Then he asked if I would care to play. I had one Bach piece that I had learned and played many times. A Little Prelude and Fugue in C major that was really a teaching piece. So, I sat at that historical old organ and played the Prelude, after selecting a few classic stops on the organ. I played not well, but passably. I thanked the organist and left. It was a strangely moving experience, to sit at an organ where Bach had played and to play a piece of his music on it.

[End Of The Road]

2. My undergrad degree was in applied organ

I played up to three Christmas Eve services every year for 25 years until I retired. I avoid listening to organ at Christmas altogether now. Gimme Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, the Roches.

But don't be put off organ altogether! To love it again do the Google for this:

you tube Lisa Hummel Maurice Durufle Prelude and Fugue sur le Nom Alain

it may turn up several videos -- you gotta hear her on the Joerg Glebe organ.

She has incredible technique AND musical interpretation, a combo hard to find in many organists.

If you'd prefer Bach, there is also a video of her playing the St Anne P&F.

[MineralMan]

4. No problem. I still listen to organ music.

However, I grow weary of monster organs played by people who think the Sforzando piston is the way to select stops.

[pangaia]

3. Stick with tracker organs, or as Lou Harrison once called them, 'poopers.'

These are REAL organs.

[MineralMan]

5. Poopers. I like that.

Smaller tracker organs are among the most interesting to listen to and play, for sure.

[MyOwnPeace]

7. Take comfort........

at least he didn't play "Grandma got run over by a raindeer" (did he?).

PS: Always wanted to do a German/Austrian tour and visit the churches where Bach had played (and toast him with a few brews after the tour!).

[3catwoman3]

8. It sounds like the organist would be...

...perfect for Trump - no idea of the "less is more" approach.

I love it when a massive organ thunders and makes my solar plexus quiver, but only when there is also the very necessary quieter elements to make the contrast spectacular.

[MFM008]

9. Perhaps

There were " to many notes"....