Pipe Organ cleaning

How much dirt accumulates in 30 years?

My answer is generally so much that it can be ignored.  You know, usually up on top of surfaces that are difficult to reach.  And for short people, there are a lot of high surfaces that can be easily ignored.  

At church, we have an area that no one wants to access except for one person, twice a year. That's the organ tuner, and for about five years he has told me how much dirt is accumulating around and on the pipes.  

 Now it's cleaned, and what a job. Each of the approximately 3,000 pipes have been removed, cleaned, and replaced.  Even the hidden white wall at the top got a face lift.  It took almost 200 man hours of work, but I can breathe easier now!  Literally...

Pipes are removed from the top center and right side.

Pipes are up to 16 feet long, and kept in order of placement.

Many MANY are the size of a pencil.

For anyone who cares, the tiny pencil sized pipes are grouped into fours because all four sound at the same time, played by one key.  That gives the buzzy sound of acoustical overtones... like when a dish or bell vibrates because it receives vibrations from an alternate source.  The four are meant to sound like several things vibrating.

Here are a whole set of one sound,
one for each key on the keyboard

Pipes are removed from the dirty/dusty board.

And pipes are replaced in the same order as before,
after being vacuumed (both the boards and pipes).

In August, all of the pipes of this organ were removed, and cleaned. It took exactly one week, and though it won't make a difference in sound, it will prevent problems. It hasn't been done in 35 years, so the amount of dirt, dust and insects removed was amazing. It's a wonder we could breathe!

Near Route 66

Yes, Gallup, New Mexico, Route 66, but everyone uses I-40 these days.

Mick and I used to attend the yearly (December) Balloon Rally at Red Rocks, and get snowed in...

This time, we had snow on the ground and in the air on May 16th!  And it was COLD, but people came, and I survived the digital organ software.  (Not a pipe organ.)

The buttons you see in the photo above are on a computer screen.  Those are the stops (touch screen) for the pedals and Swell manual.  There's another computer screen to my right with stops for Great and Choir.  

I believe that it wasn't any more confusing or difficult to use than if there had been physical stops to push or pull.  It just takes time to know what to push, and to check if you've pushed correctly before you begin to play.  

A pretty little church, and friendly people!  The organ was equipped with more than enough sound.  We did our best to fill the space with sound!

Fear and trepidation!.

a musical post

Ok. Most performers have some sort of fear and trepidation when they get close to performance dates, however, I am definitely calloused by years of performance.  I play every week for church, lately for two churches.  I'm used to recovering from hitches, and often under-prepared.  I accompany at house concerts, and orchestra concerts (just since the beginning of May) without a bat of the eye.

However, to stretch myself with an hour of music, to be performed before a totally new audience... Solos, and accompaniments with my hubby, the trumpet player...Well, it's time for a beta-blocker!  

I'm not ashamed to admit that a little pill is a comfort, whether it really keeps me from shaking or not. I know that the hour(s) just before I seat myself and begin to play are the hardest with which to cope. My mind runs wild, I'm full of insecurities, doubts, and my heart races, my lower digestive tract can act up unpleasantly, and... That little pill makes much of that go away.

What? Should I swig a few beers?  Witnessed that...not for me.

Before the pill, and before regular weekly performances, my legs would shake so I couldn't keep them on the pedals.  That's NEVER good... So, when special events of the challenging type arise, I take a pill within a half hour before, and it all seems to mellow out.

That's how it went down last Sunday.  Not a much publicized concert, and on Mother's Day afternoon, so not a large audience, but they were all happy, and very nice with their comments.

I felt pretty good about it. I had fun, and I was relaxed.  However, something happened that hasn't ever happened to me, and will probably happen again.  A key stuck. Yep, a high screaming A flat continued to sound until it decided to release itself.  It happened twice, and about the time I thought I should do something  about it, it stopped.  Both times the trumpets were playing, and it didn't seem too obvious.  Of course, it caused fear and trepidation for me... And then, it happened while I was playing a solo.  Hubby was sitting next to me, turning pages, and the thought occurred to me, "Why didn't he fix it?"  Later he said he didn't notice, even though I felt compelled to try to smack it back into an "up" position while furiously playing two manuals and pedals.  It didn't work, and just when I entertained the thought that I was going to have to stop playing, apologize, and...well, no plans made after that...it released, and somehow, I avoided that key for the rest of the concert.

My next concert is in two days, on another instrument, and hopefully that will not happen again.  With certainty, something else will arise! Performance=F&T=take a chill pill!

Performance Venue

Lucky me!  I have flute friends!  Two of them ganged up on me, and I had two performances with them last week.

ME and I played a Bach Sonata for flute and harpsichord, and with the luck of our Italian/Irish heritages, we were allowed to use this very pretty instrument which found its way from Cleveland to Durango.

I'll just let you admire it...

And when I was finished with "that" Bach, I played a "Little Prelude and Fugue" on this lovely instrument:

Aren't I lucky to have flute friends, AND venues like this one?

This was taken a few days before the concert, and before the harpsichord was moved to center stage.

Thanks, ME and Scott, for asking me to play.

Event:  Durango Bach Festival

Sunday

What to do on a Sunday? Every Sunday, in fact!
A well earned snack, of hot cider and biscuit handmade by a friend. It's yummy, nutty and super thin. And a great mug! Thanks!

And to knit socks using leftover yarns.  Five leftovers.  

Blogging

What's with this blogging after not a peep for so long?
I've been swamped.
Besides life and living, I

1. tried to pack for months of travel in various climates, and various situations, 
2. got distracted a lot
3. helped a friend through knee surgery
4. visited family
5. and currently I'm spending my first day off from babysitting.  The last three days were spent at home with a sick child... Keeping up appearances (dinner, laundry and gardening) for my daughter who has a challenging managerial position...

My day off, I headed into the city for an organ concert.  I deserved it!

And a few hours of blogging.  

Those Ivories. Non-knitting Post

Warning:  This post has no pretty pictures of yarn, and is totally self-involved b.s. reflections.

Though I rarely mention it, ivories (piano keys) and ebonies (organ keys) are as intertwined in my life as eating, sleeping, knitting, relationships, and bodily functions.
Does one retire from such activity?   I suppose one does if something physical happens to prevent the movement of fingers. But now I'm not sure.  In the past few years, I've noticed my little fingers, and they seem to be my main topic when I address playing issues.  I feel like they don't want to take part anymore.  But, I drag them along, and recruit their services.  Just like any repetitive activity, I don't think too much about the mechanics of it, just the surprise factor when something doesn't turn out as expected.
What have I learned in 60 years?  From sitting on a bench in front of 88 keys, I've learned to relate a diagram (printed music) to my movements on the keyboard.  And out comes sounds that are pleasant. Mostly!  That's where the little fingers literally fall short occasionally, and the sounds are not there or (cringe) unpleasant.   I've learned to expect more from my fingers, but nothing is going to bring them back to their former selves.  They are crooked, and one is too flexible, and the other isn't flexible. Even so, the change has been gradual, and my mind and hands have adapted.
For those of you in a similar situation, my only recommendation is focus... Dang, the "f" word again. Focus with help...in the form of the ultimate non-technical tool:  A pencil. Really!  I've found my best weapon against embarrassing goofs is a pencil.  If something goes wrong, and I can locate it, a little/big/dark circle around the problem is my best defense.  There is so much on each page, and my eye needs just that mark to bring focus to something that I need to focus on.
Sounds simple doesn't it?  It is, along with thousands of hours...
So here comes the computation...  Sixty years times 52 weeks = 3120 weeks. Say I have played an average of 2 hours a week over my lifetime... I recall weeks of twenty hours as an accompanist, and weeks of none, so I'm being conservative... And giving myself 6,240 lifetime hours.
There have been services this weekend, shared by ivories and ebonies, and the music goes on. Apprehension always precedes these events...I am my own worst enemy until I start playing!  If my fingers are actively participating, as happens in the days/hours before performance, I feel very insecure.
I wonder what I would be reflecting on if my mommy hadn't decided to take me to piano lessons in September 1954?

Nine fingers

I feel a little guilty that my blog is "Yarn" heavy, and "Ivories" doesn't get equal time, but that's life around here.  As I think about it, I've had ivories in my life since 1954, and yarn... hard to pinpoint, but it came a little later (still, it was in the late '50's).
Now I have news about "Ivories" since 5 weeks ago I started using nine fingers instead of ten.  It's been a long standing habit I've created for myself, of using and depending on ten fingers but I've amazed myself at making nine work.

Yesterday I played 4 hymns (and 15 verses), a prelude (Battle Hymn Tribute, pictured above), an offertory (Elegy), and a short postlude (short variations on hymn tunes).  This was all on organ where notes need to be connected one to the other by slipping from one note to the next, holding them down until the next is played, and since my left pinky is out of commission, the pedals cover nicely the lower notes.  It works!!  I particularly liked the Battle Hymn Tribute by Behnke because it starts and ends with Amazing Grace.  People like it because they have to like one of the two tunes, and if they like quiet music or loud, it has both.
Yesterday was also my debut playing piano (haven't played since early May and never with nine fingers).  I originally said-- NO WAY!  Then I tried the piece for women's ensemble, and it wasn't half bad.  A minimum of octaves (pictured below) and the last verse was "a capella", my favorite!!  I cheated skirted around most octaves to begin with, but by the third service (and third performance) I got braver and found I was reaching more notes.


I've come to grips with how old my hands look... so I'm leaving this untouched photo in.  Not all hand shots are this flattering... :)
One amusing glitch yesterday:  As I was turning a page with my left hand (and covering music with my other appendages) I made a loud cracking noise as my plastic splint hit the music desk.  It startled me, but I guess I was playing loudly and no one else noticed!

Tickling the Ivories

Special music last Sunday:
Early service, I accompanied a euphonium player.  His sound is wonderful, and he chooses music that people love.  He played I love you, Lord in an arrangement that, as he put it, "You'll be able to play it blind folded, and I'll keep one eye open."  We ran it just before the service, and added a repeat for length.
At the later service, the Chancel Choir sang a three verse setting of Hyfrdol. The first and third verses were for unison choir, and the second verse was in 4-part harmony.  The third verse accompaniment was... surprising.  Lots of harmonies that were edgy (i.e. kept me on my toes, er, finger tips).  Both of these pieces were for piano.
On organ, the hymns were standard, except for the closing which was Let There Be Peace on Earth which I don't remember playing before.  Didn't know it was in the hymnal...


This week I'm looking forward to having some maintenance done on the pipe organ.  The presets haven't been working since last... summer.  (Maybe it was late Spring.)  The tuner and technician is coming on Thursday, and the replacement magnets arrived last Saturday from the builder in Quebec. Fingers crossed that problems will be solved!

Monday Musical Musings 2

Where am I?  Somewhere in the Caribbean, and far from ivories/ebonies and the world of church music, and unlimited internet.
Therefore, here's a late report about last week's musical offerings:
My background information here.

This Sunday was preceded by a 24 hour retreat for the women's ensemble.  It really paid off.  All 6 of them were really on, and confident with their singing.  Lots of compliments.  And the Brass Ensemble played lots of wonderful pieces all arranged by the trombone player.  


The Music:
Hymns

#1  Leaning on the Everlasting Arms.  Three verses and refrains, accompanied by the brass.  A surprise V7 chord lead up a half step for the final verse.  I often do this because I can.  Instead of going into a completely new key, I take the music and imagine the two key signatures which would work.  Today's was Ab and A.  Holding the Ab in the melody, I step the bass line down (Ab Gb E) and the melody Ab becomes G# or the leading tone to the key of A.  The brass followed right along and came in on the final refrain.  They're GOOD!

#2  Now the Green Blade Riseth.  French Carol, and often heard at Christmas time. Nice and lively tune, even though it's minor.

#3  It is Well with My Soul.  I didn't have much to contribute to be creative with this one, except on the final refrain I held the long melody notes while the brass played the echoing chords by themselves.

Incidental Music

Pre-Service, Prelude, Offertory and Postlude were played by the brass.  They are 2 trumpets, trombone, euphonium and tuba, and they practice every week for at least an hour with a brass coach (my favorite hubs).  All of these pieces were new and arranged by Don Allen.  "The Blessed Son of God" by Vaughn Williams, "Jesus Christ the Apple Tree" by great great uncle Jeremiah Ingalls, "Hodie" by Sweelinck and Fugue #13 by Shostokovich.  I particularly liked the Sweelinck who was a Dutch composer and organist at the turn of the 17th century. There were lots of meter changes which were done beautifully.  (Thanks, guys!)

The vocal music was provided by Women of Worship Ensemble.  They were, indeed, WOW'sers and sounded great.  They sang "Be Thou My Vision" in a Jay Althouse arrangement which was lovely and dynamic.  A nice variety of unison and harmony with great crashing chords in the accompaniment from high octaves to low.  It was a bit of a challenge for me.  One of those pieces that I can sight-read and then realize the end bit will take a bit of memorization.  The "girls" didn't like to hold their notes for 12 beats while I took my time, so an accelerando was added.  They also sang "Joy Comes with the Dawn" as a "response".  
Thanks, Team!

Monday Musical Musings 1

New Year's Resolution!  A report on Mondays of musical happenings... to satisfy  the "Ivories".
Let it be known that I am a Methodist church organist, and therefore will have something to muse about if I play each week.
Yesterday I touched no Ivories... only Ebonies and some other... brown wood.  Maybe the trim on the "black" keys is ivory.  (Some Sundays I play piano, too.)

The music:
Hymns (Oldies but goodies)

#1 Great is Thy Faithfulness.  Three verses and refrains with varying stops (sounds). Followed by a reading and one last Refrain repeated. (We don't always do the extra refrain.  It has tripped me up in the past: Once I closed the hymnal at the end of the regular singing only to hastily search for it again half way through the reading! Read: Panic!!) My usual variation of the printed music is to use passing tones in the bass/pedals. 

#2 And Can It Be that I Should Gain.  Again, three verses.  The last 8 measures are written with 4 part harmony that isn't what I consider in organ style.  I feel like the men singing are exposed if I play as written with only treble melody with no accompaniment.  Therefore, I add extra octaves in the lower range and chords to fill in the sound.

#3  I Need Thee Every Hour  Three verses.  Straight out of the hymnal.  Minor variations of stops for the verses and refrain.

NOTE:  I do not choose hymns.  Only incidental music and who plays what. I have a colleague who plays piano or organ opposite me.
Incidental Music:

Prelude:  At the early service I played a Telemann Choral Prelude. One Manual only.  It consisted of two voices which imitate the chorale tune and a third voice above the others using the chorale tune melody in longer notes.

Prelude: At the later service I accompanied my husband (piccolo trumpet) playing "Adagio" by Marcello.  The piece is originally for oboe and orchestra.  A very beautiful ornamented melody, full of twists and turns, played at mm=36.  (That's very slow, folks.)  He played beautifully; his sound is wonderful, and accompanying him is effortless.  Maybe it's because we have played together for 43 years...

Postlude:  Two variations of How Firm a Foundation, first in Eb minor, and second in D major arranged by Lau.

A vocal solo was sung by a little slip of a girl in 5th grade, who sang up a storm (Amazing Grace/My chains are gone) to a recorded accompaniment.  She had people wiping tears from their eyes and her tuning is impressive with only a few months of vocal instruction.
For past blog posts on this subject, use the search feature to the right by typing in "pipe organs" or "performance".

In's and Out's of Music

My Ebonies and Ivories have a problem.  And it's not ALL me... something isn't working correctly which doesn't matter when it comes to playing, just the sound.  

Organ playing can be beautiful and brutal.  It's a wonderful instrument with vast changes of sounds and power--real power. (I'm talking shake the rafters power.!)  The problem with the instrument I'm playing right now is that every sound has to be set manually.  So?  What does that mean besides reaching up and flicking a switch?  First off, there are LOTS of switches.  Second, hitting the correct switch(es) in the split second that you need it, say, between eighth notes, and using those same fingers to keep playing is pretty tricky.  Third, I'm entirely spoiled.  Up until last summer, I was used to using my feet to make major changes in registration (that's the word we use for turning on a whole lot of pipes and making a particular sound).  Then, that ability was suddenly taken away by some force of "age of the instrument" and I'm left relying on my fingers.  It's scary.  I often find I can't be as creative, and more often, I don't get the sound I want.

Thanks for listening!  As if my hardships are hardly hardships... just a little frustrating.  Anyone knowing anyone with the ability to fix such things, leave a comment!  I'll get back to you!

Meanwhile, here's the lovely instrument, and some of it's inner workings. (I took these to send to people who might be able to help.)

The culprit

The rest of the Beast Instrument

Ivories, That too!

Keeping in shape.
My hub is very envious.  He works his tail off keeping his lip(s) from becoming mush. I go away and don't see a keyboard for 5 weeks.  I rehearse/practice/play two days later.  There's something about using your fingers, (maybe it's the computer keyboard - however, iPods don't help) and everyday knitting that makes it not that difficult.
So much for philosophizing on dexterity, but what about playing the pedals on the organ?  That's memory too.  And I really feel that that talent is subjective to... so many things.  One minute it's working, and the next I tell my heel from my toe.  When pedaling goes awry for someone else, I'm the last to smirk.  I don't even roll my eyes... It's a phenomenon that scares the B-G-B's out of me every time I play.
Unlike knitting, which I can throw in the corner, or stomp on, rip it out, and/or ignore, pedal notes played in a highly resonant chamber are out there never to be retrieved.
Such is life.  And we organists become calloused by it. Oddly enough, the public will withstand a great deal before dealing with it... When it goes well, "how sweet it is!"

Karmøy, Norway, M and his trumpet (August 2009)

Ivories and Ebonies

I play on more ebonies than ivories... That's what we organists do!  If you aren't an organist, you may want to skip the next paragraph, because it's going to be BOORRRing.


I am employed by the local Methodist church to accompany and perform on their organ and piano.  The piano is a mediocre Baldwin, but the organ is a wonderful Casavant built in 1984.  The Casavant builder is in Sainte Hiacynthe, Quebec, and I think they did a wonderful job of putting together a great sound.  Full organ is perfect for a church FULL of singers on Easter morning or Christmas Eve.  Otherwise, I get complaints about it being too loud (and without using Full Organ).  I know that I've interrupted some conversations, and caused some hearing aids to malfunction! What FUN!  


What is it like to be relied upon to lead and keep the service going?  I try not to think about it.  From June through September I was without leadership, relying on lay people to sing hymns, which was interesting every Sunday!  Now I have a fine leader who really leads... I have to watch! (Imagine that!)


December is probably the most stressful time of year: 
1.  Everyone wants to sing carols.  Well known carols that they only get to sing once or twice a year.  With organ, and everyone else singing away, and candles... You know the ones EVERYONE knows.  Unfortunately, there are a few minor places in these carols that written differently than many people "know" them, but you know, the organ is louder so it doesn't matter.  What DOES matter is the pipe organ when it's cranked up (and not necessarily loud) is an unforgiving beast.  How many times have I stopped playing but came a little too close to the keyboard below, where I've ever so slightly touched a key to hear a gigantic sound announced for all? Or a slip in the head when I've forgotten to push cancel and my foot has touched a pedal issuing forth a nasty blatt! It doesn't happen often but it certainly is memorable! (Last Sunday was one of those.)


2.  Organists usually don't play these popular carols more than once or twice a year.  So an untimely blatt is nothing compared to stumbling on a chord in a carol!  Dang... I hate that when it happens.


3.  Cantatas!  Yes, every church has the "special program" where who is the star of the show?  The director and choir, of course!  And who could bring the mood down to a grinding halt?  The accompanist, of course!  I try not to think about how much is riding on it.  In the past few years, I've been playing with other musicians who take on much of that burden, and can cover up a multitude of uncertain notes in my part.  But this year, it's just me!  


How do I do it?  How does one prepare?  I'll be writing about that in a few weeks, but I have to warn you... I'm not a pretty picture the day of the performance.