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Why do we bother having national conventions and why would I want to go?

As a Young Organist myself, I know how hard it is to find the time and the money to attend a convention. But this one has my attention. Here are five reasons to attend the 2018 AGO National Convention and four ways to make it happen.

1) Content. You will have the opportunity to attend concerts, workshops, and presentations by world class musicians and scholars. Don’t believe me? Check them out on our website agokc2018.com.

2)  Learning about a new city. Explore Kansas City in the Heartland of the U.S. and occupying space in two different states. You never know where that next job opportunity might come from and wouldn’t it be nice to know a little something about Kansas City beforehand? For instance, did you know that the Huffington Post lists Kansas City as one of the “20 awesome U.S. cities you need to visit in your 20s”?

3) Networking. You will be spending a week surrounded by colleagues, potential employers, and even potential employees.

4) Timing. The convention falling over the Fourth of July means you don’t have to take as much time off and you get the added bonus of seeing some great fireworks shows.

5) Camaraderie. You will spend a week surrounded by people who do not expect you to justify your choice of career, the hours you spend practicing, or your budget request. However, they may expect you to justify your musical taste!

Well, this is great, but how do I make it happen?

1) Ease of access. Kansas City is one of the easiest places to get to in the U.S. In addition to the very user-friendly airport and the train station right next to the hotel, a vast swath of the U.S. is within driving distance. Attendees from Colorado to Tennessee and Texas to North Dakota can reasonably drive to Kansas City in one day.

2) Cost. As conventions go, this convention is not very expensive. Not only is there a discounted registration rate for Young Organists ($250), there is also a discounted bus package available ($100). Don’t wait too long though – the Young Organists’ registration rate does increase after May 31st.

3) Scholarships. We have fabulous scholarships available for both Young Organists and Young Professionals. The Young Organist scholarship (multiple available) covers the full cost of registration, the full cost of transportation during the convention, and half of the hotel room cost. If you share a room with a roommate your cost is effectively $0. The Young Professional scholarship (one available) covers the entire hotel cost. We highly encourage any and all Young Organists and Young Professionals to apply for these scholarships. The application deadline is April 1, 2018.

4) Room sharing. Anyone needing assistance in finding a roommate during the convention can send us an email at room.share.ago.2018@gmail.com. Please include your name, gender, dates you plan to be in Kansas City, and contact information. This is also another great way to help with networking.

Take advantage of our great rates with early registration, good until March 31, 2018.

• AGO Regular member – $435
• AGO Senior (65+) member – $395
• Spouse/Partner – $350
• Young Organist (under 30) – $250

The full bus transportation package ($175 – for those age 30 and over) is recommended. For Young Organists under 30, the bus is only $100 for the entire convention. Daily and single-event bus passes are also being offered.

Can’t wait to learn more about the convention? Check out our website, like us on Facebook, and stay tuned for the next newsletter.

Cheers!

John Deahl

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Hello all from the Mid-Atlantic! Our post this month in our continuing series on the transition from piano to organ comes from Tom Robak.

There’s a lot that pianists can play on the organ even before they acquire lots of pedal technique. Here are some categories of pieces that will be useful to a pianist:

• General “keyboard music” that is written for any or multiple keyboard instruments
• Organ music for manuals only
• Harpsichord/clavichord repertoire
• Organ music with minimal pedal
• Music for harmonium/reed organ

You can do a lot of your own research by scoping out IMSLP and other repositories of free sheet music, as well as your local music libraries. To get you started though, here are some of my suggestions that might suit varied levels of expertise:

Germany/Netherlands

Johann Pachelbel
Magnificat Fugues
Collected Organ Works (Peters): includes chorale preludes for all seasons, toccatas, other short pieces.
J.G. Fischer’s Musical Flowers– useful short fugues, manuals only
J. P. Sweelinck
Toccatas, Puer Nobis
J.S. Bach
Most Bach keyboard works will work on piano, harpsichord and/or organ. Some textures are more organ-like than others – use your judgement – but maybe avoid jaunty dance suite movements

(Excerpt from Delbert Disselhorst’s Order of Difficulty for Bach works (Google for more)):

Neumeister chorales (selected); Chorale fughettas from the Miscellaneous collection, Eight Preludes and Fugues (F,B-flat, d,g,G,a,C,e), “In dulci jubilo,” BWV 751, “Nun freut euch,” BWV 755, “Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern,” BWV 739, Fugue in D Major, BWV 580, “Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr,” BWV 711, Pastorale, BWV 590, Alla breve, BWV 589, Canzona, BWV 588, “Herzlich thut mich verlangen,” BWV 727, Selections from Orgelbüchlein. Partita on “O Gott, du frommer Gott” BWV 767, Sonata II, BWV 526 (2nd mvt.), Sonata V, BWV 529 (2nd mvt.)

Karg-Elert – Small Preludes; op. 65 (Chorale Preludes)
Flor Peeters – 60 Short Pieces; 35 Miniatures

French Baroque

• A must for the beginning organist. While the style is quite tricky to master, the actual notes of most pieces are not terribly complicated.
• Many available for free online – again IMSLP is a great resource.
• Dandrieu, Clerembault, F. Couperin, Michel Corrette, Daquin (esp. Noels)
• In print: “Noels by Daquin, Balbastre, and Dandrieu” (Warner Bros—a total of four vols)
• French Canadian Baroque! Livre d’orgue de Montréal, available in full on IMSLP. Magnificats, and short parts of the French organ mass
• To learn more about the style and registration, read “The Language of the Classical French Organ: A Musical Tradition Before 1800”

French Romantic/Early 20th

• Alexandre Guilmant, op. 65 – L’Organiste liturgiste
• Cesar Franck – L’Organiste
• L’Orgue mystique, Opp.55-57 Charles Tournemire
• Messiaen – Apparition de l’eglise eternelle (not as hard as you might think)
• 16 chorales: Le Tombeau de Titelouze—Marcel Dupre
• 12 Choral Preludes on Gregorian Chants for Organ—Jeanne Demessieux (Warner Bros)

England/America

• Voluntaries by John Stanley (op. 5, 6, 7) or William Boyce – free free free on IMSLP!
• Fitzwilliam Virginal Book – great for learning about early keyboard music, summary of Renaissance and early Baroque style, hugely influential
• Selected easier pieces by John Stainer, Ralph Vaughn Williams (hymn preludes), Alec Rowley
• 36 Short hymn preludes and postludes (3 vols) Healey Willan
• 30 Hymn Preludes (in 3 vols) Healey Willan
• Hymn Improvisations (about 12 vols)—Paul Manz
• 10 Voluntaries—William Boyce (Oxford)
• 39 Voluntaries—John Stanley (Oxford)
• Voluntaries—Peter Prelleur (Oxford)
• Organ Music—S.S, Wesley (Oxford)
• Organ Music—William Croft (Oxford)

Other Useful Resources and Collections

• Oxford University Press – Organ for Manuals I & II
• OCP Organ Book, 2 Vols.: Kreutz, Alstott, Fonder, Lindusky
• The Liturgical Organist: Carlo Rossini
• (7 vols. J. Fischer) very, very easy, but not bad! Early books especially tasteful for short filler interludes.
• The Parish Organist: 12 Vols (Concordia)
• Organ music/Chorale Preludes of J.G. Walther (4 vols)
• Concordia Hymn Prelude Series (around 24 vols)
• A Gregorian Liturgical Year (2 vols so far): Gerald Near (Aureole)
• Chantworks (3 vols) Gerald Near (Aureole)
• Choraleworks (3 vols) Gerald Near (Aureole)
• St Augustine Organbook: Gerald Near (Aureole)
• Hymn Preludes for the Liturgical Year—F. Peeters (24 vols, pub by Peters)
• Organ Music—Gordon Young (Sacred Music Press)
• Augsburg Organ Library (about 12 vols) (Augsburg Fortress)
• 36 Miniatures for Organ— Noel Rawsthorne (Kevin Mayhew)
• Blue Cloud Abbey Organ Book—Christopher Uehlein
• A Collection of Hymns—A. Fedak (Warner Bros)
• Music for Manuals—Peter Hurford, Ed, 4 vols (Oxford)
• 80 Chorale Preludes (Pub by Peters) mostly simpler than Bach’s Orgelbuchlein
• 60 Devotional Pieces (Elevations)—Dom Paul Benoit
• Rejoice in God’s Saints—D. Cherwien (Augsburg)
• Short and Easy Organ Collection: 100 pieces (Mayhew)
• Contemplation: Gentle Music for Organ (Mayhew)
• The Grand Masters—2 vols, compiled by Charly Martin (editions Foetisch)
• Orgelmusik im Gottesdienst—2 vols (Peters) some very different items here from the classical repertoire.
• The Practical Organist—Guilmant (Dover)
• Organ Works—Pachelbel (Dover) includes chorale preludes
• Hymn Preludes for the Church Year, 2 vols (Mayhew)
• Organ Works—Boehm (Warner Bros)
• The Organist’s Luturgical Year (Mayhew)
• First Organ Book—Clerambault (Warner Bros)
• The Organ Works—Russell Schulz-Widmar (Warner Bros)
• The Oxford Book of Christmas Music
• Cantantibus Organis – Old Masters from Various European Schools (All Free on IMSLP)

This month from the Southeast, managing different jobs under one title by Christopher Henley! Be sure to check out the other resources on our region’s site as well; we’re not just a blog!

Southeast AGOYO Blog

Greetings from the North Central AGOYO! I hope everyone’s new year is off to a great start.

Here are some thoughts on organ music from France. The implications of the French Revolution and organ innovation by Cavaille-Coll are mentioned as two distinguishing forces that separate the earlier repertoire and instruments of the French Classic from their Romantic successors. A list of prominent composers from each period is also given.

The French Classic instrument pictured is the 1714 Boizard organ at Abbaye Michel-en-Thierache, and the French Romantic instrument is the famous 1862 Cavaille-Coll organ at Saint-Sulpice, Paris.

Of all the national schools which comprise the organ’s literature, the contributions of France are among the most known and studied today. French organ literature is typically understood in two broad categories, Classic and Romantic, with the French Revolution separating the two periods. The French Revolution of the late 1700s marked significant changes in the arts, both visual and musical. Traditional societal institutions (i.e. state authority, the Church) experienced a significant reevaluation of their power and influence in French society.

The Revolution, alongside the innovation of French organ builders like Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, resulted in a trend of more “symphonic” pipe organs being built across France. Unlike the organs of the French Classic era, these organs possessed  more comprehensive abilities to mimic the sounds of a symphony orchestra. Romantic-era composers such as Vierne and Widor jumped at the possibilities of writing lengthy, multi-movement symphonies for the organ to emulate these orchestral sounds. Of course, these organ symphonies form a core component of the French repertoire.

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.

Hello from the West to all! I know we are all looking forward to the warm temperatures which summer brings. Have you stopped to consider, “What shall I do in the summer to keep up with my organ skills?”

Well, here are a few options that may help you in your skill-keeping:

There are summer conferences occurring which can help us in our upkeep. Of course, there is the AGO National Convention, being held in Kansas City, MO, from July 2 to July 6. Currently, until March 31, the price is $250.00. Visit http://www.agokc2018.com/ to find out more information.

You could also compete in competitions, which should give you ample reason to practice. You can visit https://wp.agohq.org/competitions-active/ to check out a listing of active competitions, updated regularly.

There are also summer study programs which one can attend. I remember back to my youth when I attended organ camp at Westminster Choir College. That had a great influence in my career. A quick Google search revealed quite a few universities and colleges which offer summer camps and workshops. These include: BYU, WCC, Curits, Interlochen, Eastman, Baylor and Longwood Gardens.

With these thoughts of warmth, we hope you stay toasty!

AGOYO West.