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Views from the Choir Loft

Inspiration for Organ Improvisation

Lucas Tappan · November 23, 2020

RGAN IMPROVISATION is on the mind of many organists these days as they cope in the absence of choirs and other musicians. To that end I would like to offer the work of German born organist Ronny Krippner, now of Croydon Minster (London). His doctoral studies focused on the improvisation methods of English organists (historical and modern) and he has produced a number of fine videos entitled Ex tempore: The Art of Organ Improvisation in England. In addition to these wonderful short videos he has a helpful series of articles on his website meant to aid organists as they navigate each style.

Let me be clear, I don’t hold the English Voluntary as the ultimate exemplar or pinnacle of organ improvisation, nevertheless, it and many other styles are extremely beautiful and serviceable and they lend themselves well to the novice (and not so novice), more so than contrupuntal improvisation.

Helpful Links:

Krippner’s YouTube Channel

Krippner’s Improvisation Aids
(from his personal website)

Encouraging Organists

When a young child comes up and shyly watches you playing your postlude, do you invite him to try push down a few keys when you are finished or do you just close up shop? Do you pull out the trumpet stop and tell him to press down the lowest pedal note and hold it? Do you tell him to try out the swell pedal and watch as the shades open and close? When you ask him if he wants to run his fingers over the keys and instead he plays the first few notes of Für Elise to hear what it sounds like, do you immediately chide him for playing secular music in church or do you ask God to understand that it is one of His little ones excitedly trying out the big “piano” in church? Do you offer to teach organ playing to children in your parish who possess a decent piano proficiency? (By the way, there is nothing wrong with requiring remuneration for this.)

If mothers and fathers stopped having children, family life would die in one generation. What will you do to keep the art of organ playing alive?

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

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Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Improvisation Last Updated: November 24, 2020

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Lucas Tappan

About Lucas Tappan

Dr. Lucas Tappan is a conductor and organist whose specialty is working with children. He lives in Kansas with his wife and four children.—(Read full biography).

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20 January 2021 • REMINDER

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—Jeff Ostrowski
19 January 2021 • Confusion over feasts

For several months, we have discussed the complicated history of the various Christmas feasts: the Baptism of the Lord, the feast of the Holy Family, the Epiphany, and so forth. During a discussion, someone questioned my assertion that in some places Christmas had been part of the Epiphany. As time went on, of course, the Epiphany came to represent only three “manifestations” (Magi, Cana, Baptism), but this is not something rigid. For example, if you look at this “Capital E” from the feast of the Epiphany circa 1350AD, you can see it portrays not three mysteries but four—including PHAGIPHANIA when Our Lord fed the 5,000. In any event, anyone who wants proof the Epiphany used to include Christmas can read this passage from Dom Prosper Guéranger.

—Jeff Ostrowski
6 January 2021 • Anglicans on Plainsong

A book published by Anglicans in 1965 has this to say about Abbat Pothier’s Editio Vaticana, the musical edition reproduced by books such as the LIBER USUALIS (Solesmes Abbey): “No performing edition of the music of the Eucharistic Psalmody can afford to ignore the evidence of the current official edition of the Latin Graduale, which is no mere reproduction of a local or partial tradition, but a CENTO resulting from an extended study and comparison of a host of manuscripts gathered from many places. Thus the musical text of the Graduale possesses a measure of authority which cannot lightly be disregarded.” They are absolutely correct.

—Jeff Ostrowski

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