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Views from the Choir Loft

Unslumping Yourself with the King of Instruments

Keven Smith · July 7, 2020

There he sits in his place of pride: the organ. The King of Instruments.

He’s an imposing figure, but the organ doesn’t discriminate—not even when approached by a beginner such as myself. In fact, I played weekday Masses at my parish for five straight days in June because I have the key to the console and our best players were out of town.

The organ also doesn’t empathize. Weary from months of lockdown-induced limbo, I showed up to those five Masses in five different moods. But the organ cares only about the mathematics of consonance and dissonance, the binary of on and off. Because contact between the organ and the body is minimal and matter-of-fact, there’s no human content in any note. You’ve either pressed the key or not, pulled the stop or not. Spare us your backstory, your thwarted plans, your naive hopes; there is only Now.

It is for precisely these reasons that the somewhat nerve-wracking experience of playing the organ at Mass can be a great comfort at a time like this.

What to Do When You Don’t Feel Like Singing

It seems almost heretical to admit it, but some of us choir types don’t feel like singing sometimes. Have you had that feeling lately? 

It could be that your diocese has had you on lockdown for months and you’re struggling to find the motivation to stay in good vocal shape. It could be that you came off of lockdown only to go right back on due to more bad news about COVID-19. Or it could just be that you’re in a slump—and if there’s one thing I’ve learned from reading Dr. Seuss to my five children, “Unslumping yourself is not easily done.”

Singing well takes tremendous energy and focus. As my voice teacher was fond of reminding me, “The voice is the only instrument that keeps moving while you’re trying to play it.” We must exert ourselves just to get this fickle instrument to function correctly.

Then there’s the challenge of sustaining vowels through a phrase without forcing the sound on one extreme or cutting out on the other. When we notice abnormalities of timbre or color, we make constant little adjustments to correct them.

The upside is that with singing, you get what you give. I find that if I can force myself to do some singing on a day when I don’t feel like it, I always come away in a vastly enhanced mood—even if the singing didn’t go particularly well. By contrast, playing the organ may not necessarily leave me feeling rejuvenated head to toe, but it does allow me to live in the moment, and to concern myself only with the relative merits of each musical idea that pops into my head.

Salvation Is Closer Than You Think

None of this is to suggest that playing the organ doesn’t take energy. But whether I’m ebullient or lethargic, my middle C will sound exactly the same. There’s no manipulation of soft tissue to change the color of a note; it is what it is. If you can start a note, the organ will sustain it. From there, you can become a dispassionate listener if you wish, pondering the way a harmony enlivens a melody, waiting for the melody to return the favor.

Nor am I suggesting that playing the organ doesn’t require focus (I’m nowhere near accomplished enough to go on autopilot while playing). But it’s a different kind of focus. As my organ teacher once said: “The organ isn’t a musical instrument so much as a machine that you learn how to operate.” This was hyperbole from a sincere, first-rate musician. But his point stands: learn to work the machine, and you’ll be able to rely on that machine every day, as long as you’re willing to sit at the console and do the math.

This article is heavy on personal reflection and light on practical tips. So, allow me to offer this takeaway: if you’re ever having a slumpy day and don’t want to sing, consider sitting down at the organ with your propers for the upcoming Sunday. Embrace the delicious danger of improvisation. Find the revelations that are wrapped in layers of potential disaster. Keep crunching the numbers—and remember, with Gerre Hancock: “Salvation is never more than half a step away.”

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: organ Last Updated: July 7, 2020

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About Keven Smith

Keven Smith, music director at St. Stephen the First Martyr, lives in Sacramento with his wife and five musical children.—(Read full biography).

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Corpus Christi Watershed

President’s Corner

    Bugnini’s Statement (6 November 1966)
    With each passing day, more is revealed about how the enemies of the liturgy accomplished their goals. For instance, Hannibal Bugnini deeply resented the way Vatican II said Gregorian Chant “must be given first place in liturgical services.” On 6 November 1966, his cadre wrote a letter attempting to justify the elimination of Gregorian Chant with this brazen statement: “What really gives a Mass its tone is not so much the songs as it is the prayers and readings.” Bugnini’s cadre then attacked the very heart of Gregorian Chant (viz. the Proprium Missae), bemoaning how the Proprium Missae “is completely new each Sunday and feast day.” There is much more to be said about this topic. Stay tuned.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Luis Martínez Must Go!
    Sevilla Cathedral (entry dated 13 December 1564): The chapter orders Luis Martínez, a cathedral chaplain, to stay away from the choirbook-stand when the rest of the singers gather around it to sing polyphony—the reason being that “he throws the others out of tune.” [Excerpt from “The Life of Father Francisco Guerrero.”]
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Urgent! • We Desperately Need Funds!
    A few days ago, the president of Corpus Christi Watershed posted this urgent appeal for funds. Please help us make sure we’re never forced to place our content behind a paywall. We feel it’s crucial that 100% of our content remains free to everyone. We’re a tiny 501(c)3 public charity, entirely dependent upon the generosity of small donors. We have no endowment and no major donors. We run no advertisements and have no savings. We beg you to consider donating $4.00 per month. Thank you!
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Quick Thoughts

    Pope Pius XII Hymnal?
    Have you ever heard of the Pope Pius XII Hymnal? It’s a real book, published in the United States in 1959. Here’s a sample page so you can verify with your own eyes it existed.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    “Hybrid” Chant Notation?
    Over the years, many have tried to ‘simplify’ plainsong notation. The O’Fallon Propers attempted to simplify the notation—but ended up making matters worse. Dr. Karl Weinmann tried to do the same in the time of Pope Saint Pius X by replacing each porrectus. You can examine a specimen from his edition and see whether you agree he complicated matters. In particular, look at what he did with éxsules fílii Hévae.
    —Corpus Christi Watershed
    Antiphons Don’t Match?
    A reader wants to know why the Entrance and Communion antiphons in certain publications deviate from what’s prescribed by the GRADUALE ROMANUM published after Vatican II. Click here to read our answer. The short answer is: the Adalbert Propers were never intended to be sung. They were intended for private Masses only (or Masses without music). The “Graduale Parvum,” published by the John Henry Newman Institute of Liturgical Music in 2023, mostly uses the Adalbert Propers—but sometimes uses the GRADUALE text: e.g. Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul (29 June).
    —Corpus Christi Watershed

Random Quote

At High Mass the Celebrant is not allowed to proceed with the Offertory while the “Credo” is being sung. Likewise he should not proceed with the Consecration until the singing of the “Sanctus” is completed.

— Father Carlo Rossini (1939)

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