The Practical Organist
December 2015
Hardly Working?
My workload is about to double. How about yours? Yes, it’s that most wonderful time of the year when our congregations turn to us, expecting to be reminded that the holiday traditions they love are still there for them. Even my contemporary congregation wants to hear the carols that connect them with Christmas. They want a touchstone to the past—reminders of their childhoods and a chance to reconnect with their cultural roots. Most important, they want to pass it all on to the next generation. Really, Christmas is the church’s annual family reunion.
It’s our own fault that we church musicians are asked to work harder this time of year. Music holds the key to memory and tradition, and we are the custodians of Christmas joy. Here’s what I want to ask you: How hard are you going to have to work this year? Maybe I can help.
By now, you know almost everything you need to prepare. Make a list and start on the hard pieces now. Look at the calendar; establish some deadlines; stick to them. When you can, choose simpler music. No one is rating you on your virtuosity. And finally, practice smarter–not longer. You can learn more with slow, careful practice on a few pieces than by rushing through your entire stack of music in one sitting. Somehow, singing the melody as I practice helps me more that I thought it would. Why don’t you give it a try?
In the spirit of “keeping it simple,” here are some new Christmas titles to consider. First, a couple of two-stave, optional-pedals books from Lorenz: Carols for Organ, Volume 3, by Mark Hayes (70/1922L) and See Amid the Winter’s Snow, compiled by Douglas E. Wagner (70/1925L). Along with Marianne Kim’s new, easy-pedals The Heart and Soul of Christmas (70/1926L), these volumes offer good quality writing from well-known arrangers. Less well known are the settings of J. William Greene in Christmas Ayres and Dances (Concordia 977407). These vivacious, retro-Baroque dances would be equally at home on organ or harpsichord. Equally delightful is Raymond Weidner, who offers a set of four Variations on “In Dulci Jubilo” for manuals only (Zimbel 80101170). Here is a short prelude that sparkles!
You can find the same carol tucked into a remarkable new volume, A New Liturgical Year, Volume 2, compiled by John Ferguson (Augsburg Fortress 978-1-4514-9907-0). Just published this summer, this spiral bound anthology follows the Riemenschneider model: background information on the hymn, a short hymn introduction, a reharmonization, and then a chorale prelude. The volume holds twenty-one frequently used tunes, making it a great service playing resource for the entire liturgical year. The moderately easy chorale preludes are drawn from across the composer spectrum from Marcel Dupré to Richard Purvis. There are five Christmas carols and three Epiphany carols included. You might want to give this volume to yourself as an early Christmas present.
There are some very useful carol arrangements in Rebecca K. Owens’ Angels We Have Heard on High: 5 Organ Pieces for Advent and Christmas (MorningStar 10-175). I like the way she combines carols without becoming predictable. Rebecca also seems to have a knack for building exciting climaxes without getting difficult. Her Toccata on “Picardy” and “Divinum Mysterium” is a great example. I also like Sondra K. Tucker’s musical vision in Christmas Around the World: 7 Carol Settings (MorningStar 10-156). Creative, but not demanding, she offers wonderful settings of “Patapan,” “Basque Carol (Gabriel’s Message),” “Hispanic Carol (El Rorro”), “West Indies Carol,” and the more familiar carols, “Sussex,” “Wexford,” and “Polish (Infant Holy, Infant Lowly).” There are always treasures from the vault to share. John Carter’s Reflections on the Nativity (Hope 1517) contains very useful, middle-of-the-road arrangements that you might have overlooked. And, of course, German Carol Fantasy by Diane Bish is as delightful to play as it is to hear (Fred Bock 08739886)!
With all the focus upon Christmas, it is no wonder that we often give Epiphany less than our full attention. In my church, there is only one Sunday in Epiphany. If you have five or six Sundays to consider, count yourself lucky. There is so much good music to play. Let’s start with New Year Joy (Augsburg Fortress 9781451462555), J. William Greene’s delightful arrangements of nine Epiphany hymn tunes. What a nice variety there is here! Robert Hobby explores many of the same tunes in his Three Epiphany Preludes, Volumes 1 & 2 (MSM 10-208, 209), adding “Ebenezer” and “Hankey” to the standard “Dix,” “In Dir ist Freude,” “Morning Star,” “Salzburg,” and “Wie Shon Leuchtet. Another set for you to look at are Bright and Guiding Star, by Franklin Ashdown (Augsburg Fortress 1451462593). “Kings of Orient” and “Puer Nobis” appear in this volume.
More challenging Epiphany literature is also waiting for you. My all-time favorite is Michael Burkhardt’s Partita on “O Morning Star, How Fair and Bright (MorningStar 10-202). All the movements are delightful, but the final toccata alone is worth the price!
Also definitely worth the price is Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists: Epiphany. Editors Rebecca Groom te Velde and David Blackwell have chosen twenty original pieces by familiar American and English composers, including Craig Phillips, James Biery, Alan Bullard, Aaron David Miller, and Mary Beth Bennett. There is a wonderfully wide range of standard Epiphany tunes, plus surprises in the form of “Houston”(I Want to Walk as a Child of the Light), “Shine, Jesus, Shine;” and “Be Still, for the Spirit of the Lord.” As with all things Oxford, the layout and printing are superb.
Before you get into accomplishing all there is to do this year, let me share one more idea to help lighten your load. Don’t wait to get into the Christmas spirit. Get into the spirit now! The Spirit’s work is invisible, but audible. It abides at the heart of the music you are preparing. Center yourself upon it and allow its invisible impulse into your awareness and into your fingers. Listen for the difference. You might have your own epiphany. Practicing alone is hard work, but with Spirit as your partner, you are hardly working. Give it a try!