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Greetings from the West Region AGOYO! Our topic this month is Stress Relief, especially appropriate for those of us that hold church positions in this busy season! As the world speeds up around us during the holiday season, it is easy to get caught up in the stress and pressures of work and family life. Sometimes it’s hard to feel like there is time for everything! I have found that it is often helpful to take a step back from the things that are stressing me out, whether that means taking a long practice break or even taking a day off. Taking a day off and engaging in healthy self-care habits will help you to return to work the next day feeling refreshed and ready to take on the next challenge.

If you find yourself feeling burnt out as you confront the sheer volume of music you must learn this season, composer Eric Whitacre recommends returning to your original sources of joy in music: playing through your most favorite piece, listening to that symphony that you love, or making music with a small group of friends. The American Psychological Association offers five helpful tips for managing stress — you’ll find a link below. Perhaps most importantly, pay attention to what your body and mind are telling you.

If you’re feeling overwhelmed and tired, try one of these techniques! Managing stress in a healthy way can not only increase your overall quality of life, but can also improve your productivity as a result. Best wishes for a happy and meaningful holiday season.

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Greetings from the North Central region of AGOYO! In light of the 500th anniversary of Luther’s posting of the 95 theses, effectively beginning the Reformation, I would like to address reformer John Calvin’s important role in shaping Dutch organ culture through religious doctrine.

• John Calvin (1509-1564), French theologian and reformer based in Geneva, Switzerland
• Most well-known for his doctrine of predestination and the sovereignty of God in the role of salvation
• Influenced the development of the Reformed and Presbyterian traditions

Three Important Scripture Verses and Calvin’s Interpretation

• I Corinthians 14:16: surrounding the context of speaking in tongues during worshipand the need for an interpreter. According to Jan Luth, Calvin saw music as produced by instruments or in any language outside the vernacular as a foreign tongue that must be interpreted. Since the clergy’s position in worship was not to interpret music, but to reveal the Word of God, any music without direct reference to Scripture was unedifying.
• Psalm 33 and I Samuel 18:6-7: Old Testament references to God’s people (specifically in the context of victory) using musical instruments–harps and lyres–to praise God. Due to little context for this in the New Testament, Calvin believed musical instruments were only necessary in the Old Testament to better help God’s people in singing praises to Him. Christ, by his Spirit, had redeemed the need for such guidance in praise. “Let us believe that instrumental music…had been tolerated…because [God’s people] were as children, just as sacred Scripture says, who were in need of these childish instructions. [We should not] wish to obliterate evangelical perfection and..dim the full light which in Jesus Christ we have attained.”

Calvin’s Indirect Influence on Dutch Organ Culture

• Due to Calvin’s iconoclasm–the belief that religious images are idolatrous and distracting from true religious purpose, thus calling from their removal–many new Protestants would take the time to destroy religious images, stained glass, even organs–anything that reminded them of the excesses of the Catholic church–during the 1560s.
• Though the State Church originally had no issues with organ playing in services, Dutch pastors returning from religious training under Calvin’s tutelage in Geneva demanded the removal of the organ from services.
• An odd juxtaposition of church and state occurred: as the State Church expressed a desire to get rid of organs from churches, the care of the organs and organists’ salaries was left to the town magistrates.
• In the late-16th century to early-17th century, an organist’s duties included required half-hour to hour-long recitals after church services, but certainly not during them , placing organists in an uncomfortable position with the church.
• While many instruments were destroyed in France and Geneva, the northern Dutch people refused to destroy their organs , remembering the state taxes they had paid for them.
• The greatest concern for using organ during worship:
  • Detraction from the Gospel.
  • Improvising and playing tunes that were not based on Scripture (i.e,
    the Psalms).
  • Playing music that did not reflect the humility and seriousness
    demanded by the Gospel.
  • Consistently having organ recitals after services, thus inadvertently
    associating them with worship.

The Return of the Organ to Dutch Worship

• After 1581, the State Church provides no more statements explicitly banning organ usage from worship. The church began to weaken its stance. The 1586 Synod of Edam called no longer to ban organs from worship, but rather to remove any flashy practices and Catholic organists from the bench.
• In 1610, Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck was compensated cooperatively by both the city of Rotterdam and the Oude Kerk to serve as organ consultant, suggesting a renewed recognized importance for the organ within such a space.
• Though many cities and churches throughout the Netherlands began to change their approach to the organ, the issue took decades to solve in many areas. In 1638, the Synod of Delft left the decision of using the organ in worship up to each
  church.
• Respected military secretary to Prince Frederick Henry, Constantin Huygens (1596-1687) , brought up important ideas for reform of organ use in worship. He disliked how short airs and madrigals during the service detracted from the sermon, yet understood the need for the organ to introduce Psalms, as the people “howled and screamed” rather than sung without the help of the organ.
• Due to Huygens’ respected position in society, much opposition to the organ in worship fell away after his proposal. The Resolutions of the Church Council
  of the Hague, 1641, officially gave up their struggle against use of the organ in worship.
• While some rural areas refused to add the organ back to worship until the nineteenth century, the Dutch Reformation managed to ban organ completely from worship and bring it back into a reformed use within the span of a century.

If you would like to know more about this history and current Dutch organ culture, check out these resources:

“The Organ Controversy in the Netherlands Reformation to 1640”, by Henry Bruinsma. JSTOR.

Het Orgel magazine.
Information for the next Haarlem Organ Festival, summer 2018.
Information about organ builder Arp Schnitger’s instruments remaining in the Netherlands.
Information about the Grote Kerk in Haarlem (St. Bavo), its organs, and its music program.

Greetings from the Southwest AGOYO! Our topic is The Four C’s- dealing with Coworkers, A Committee, A Congregation, and Clergy. In our field especially, interpersonal skills are extremely important. However, there may be times where we face a coworker or someone in a neighboring department that we may not work as well with. Dealing with conflict in a workplace setting can be quite difficult and knowing how to resolve issues and reach out to others, if needed, is vital.

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-Solena Rizzato

Greetings from the Mid Atlantic AGOYO! Continuing in our series on transitioning from piano to organ, here is an article written by one of our board members, Peter Bayer, about pedal technique.

The Pedal of the Organ is another keyboard like a manual, but instead of having two hands wherewith to play it, one has two feet. The two feet generally work best if they are treated as a unit, as if they were one hand with two fingers. The primary motion of the feet should be a pivoting motion from the heels, while the legs above the heels remain relaxed, only coming into motion in order to facilitate large movements.

Therefore, good posture is of utmost importance for good pedal technique. The back must be straight, and one must sit sufficiently forward on the bench so that, when the legs are relaxed and hanging naturally, the toes can easily, with a motion from the heel alone, play a nearby key, either white or black.

It is best to begin with heels and knees held together. The toes should be able to reach out to approximately a fifth in this position (depending on the individual), and to an octave with the knees together but the heels separate.

The first type of motion to practice is playing alternate keys with the two toes. This can be done easily by playing two-note sequences. The larger the interval of the sequence, the greater the distance between the feet, and the more difficult the exercise will become. Thus, one could practice with increasing intervals, thus improving coordination.

After one is confident in the use of the toes, it is possible to introduce the heels. The heels can be introduced by playing brief scalar passages with one foot or both feet together simultaneously.

The use of the heels is of advantage in attaining total legato technique. I am of the opinion that most pedal parts can be played more cleanly and more easily by relying on the toes. Of course, there is no universal rule, and if the heels in fact do make a part easier to play, they should be used without hesitation. However, I am of the opinion that a simple solution using just the toes should be attempted before introducing the heels.

Many books containing technical exercises for pedal exist. Roger Davis’s The Organist’s Manual has several useful exercises. Flor Peeters and Marcel Dupré both published books of technique; they of course convey a very old style directed towards an ideal of total legato, but nonetheless, systematically followed, they impart a real mastery. An excellent survey of classical technique is Barbara Soderlund’s Organ Technique: An Historical Approach. It contains overviews of pedal technique and a few historical exercises, demonstrating early techniques, and the Lemmens school.

Whether you would like to pursue a degree in performance or church music, there are several reasons why an organ degree will benefit your career as an organist:
Formal organ study. Taking consistent lessons, enrolling in music classes, and studying alongside other peer musicians is a phenomenal growing experience. (Studying music in college is awesome!)

Experience. A degree will provide you with valuable performing and teaching experience. This is your opportunity to hone your skills and learn from your mistakes! Take advantage of this time to be a student!

Efficient practice. As organists, we have to learn music rather quickly. Whether learning an anthem for Sunday morning or getting ready for a recital, organists need experience in learning effective ways to practice. A degree program with a terrific teacher will help one learn how to practice efficiently and adequately manage his/her time.

Collaboration. One of the perks of going to school with other musicians is the chance to collaborate with fellow students. Orchestras also require organists on occasion — how exciting!

Collegial connections and outreach. In school, we meet our future colleagues. You and your organist peers are the future of organ pedagogy, church music, and performance!

Internships. Although not all, many degree programs have connections with organ scholar positions at nearby churches to give one “real-life” experiences in addition to one’s studies at a university, conservatory, or college.

J-O-B. Organists are in demand in the job market. However, many organ positions can be competitive. Holding a degree in organ study gives one a “leg-up” when applying for a job.

For a list of organ degree-granting programs, please visit: https://wp.agohq.org/academic-degree-programs/

AGO certification tests exam one on a variety of practical and essential skills. The tests include playing literature, hymns, and accompaniments. Depending on the certification, one may also be tested on transposition, sight reading, harmonization, and improvisation. An AGO certification reflects a level or standard of playing that many other organists recognize. More importantly, ALL of these skills are essential for being a well-rounded organist and having a successful career.

Transposition. Whether transposing the last stanza of a hymn or taking a Psalm up or down a step, transposition is extremely useful. Plus, it helps your improvising. When preparing for this section of the test, I recommend spending a bit of time each day practicing your transposition skills on the four-part chorales from the 371 Chorales of J.S. Bach (edited by Albert Riemenschneider).
Sight-reading. Oftentimes, organists don’t have the luxury of time to prepare a piece. Upon the first play-through, sight-reading allows one to get a broader sense of a piece or work in rehearsal.

Improvisation. Be creative! Improvisation is a chance to let your musical ideas be heard. There are many times in church services or masses that improvisation is necessary to maintain the flow of the service with silence. Also, why not end a recital with an improvisation on a submitted theme?
Anthem accompanying. Being able to accompany a choir on the organ is a very valuable skill. Additionally, adapting piano scores for the organ is an art form.

Harmonizations. When playing hymns, remember that the written harmonizations in the hymnal are merely a sketch or starting point. Oftentimes, one may decide not to deviate from the harmonizations of a hymnal. However, with good taste and discretion, creating your own harmonizations may help to enhance the text and congregation singing of a hymn.

Repertoire. Many of the AGO exams have repertoire requirements. This is another opportunity to learn new pieces and explore new works.

AGO certification exams