The following came from Kenneth H.
[We usually redact names for anonymity’s sake.]
EAR CCW TEAM: I have been a full-time professional music director and organist at various parishes for 40+ years. Thank you for your most recent email, including the simplified version of Handel’s Water Music. I would raise a couple of different points to consider in regard to simplified music. First, the issue of key. I still remember a theory professor in college asking the class what they considered to be a “warm” key for music. I said E flat, others suggested various other keys. The professor argued in favor of D major of being a warm key…and I’ve come to agree with that. D major is a warm key. I hear and feel the difference in hearing the Allegro Maestoso from the Water Music in D rather than C. It just feels brighter and warmer in D. It also plays into the original orchestration of the Water Music and D major probably being a better key for brass players. Second, playing this piece on manuals only just doesn’t have the depth and fullness as it does with pedals. Practically, the pedal part is really only a slight challenge in the first five measures. For the rest of the piece, the pedal serves mostly as punctuation. I agree with you that the piece (and all music) should never be played shoddily, be it a simplified or full version. I’ve served in the church long enough to have lived through various pendulum swings- the “Glory and Praise” phase, the “hymn sandwich” phase, and the “baroque tracker organ” phase. I’m hardly a “purist!” Like you, I want the best musical possible and using the organ (pipe or otherwise) to the best of its capabilities. Thanks again for your articles which always stimulate and challenge my thinking. All the best to you in 2025!
The following is Jeff Ostrowski’s response:
[This response was posted on 24 January 2025.]
ELLO, KENNETH. Thank you for these reflections. It would be difficult to argue with any of them “in principle” (as Monsignor Skeris would say). However, I would like permission to draw to your attention two items. First, with regard to “key”—I do realize certain people have sensitivities in this area. My colleague, Richard J. Clark, has absolute pitch. If memory serves, he associates certain keys with “colors.” On the other hand, standardized pitch [A=440] is a relatively recent phenomenon. A hundred years ago, the pianos in Europe were tuned higher than they were in America. Indeed, 100+ years ago they tuned pipe organs at a higher key because it saved money. That is to say, the pipes didn’t have to be as long, which reduced construction costs. Secondly, I would point out that it’s eminently possible to add (‘insert’) pedals to that simplified version.
