Small instruments

Most organists here in the UK preside over rather modest instruments although we probably all aspire to play large (new) organs.

A lot of new music is being composed for the organ around the world but much of it has been conceived on digital organs in homes and sounds very good. It will not, however, sound so splendid on a small two-manual English parish church organ.

Here is an example of what the composer hears at home.

It will be missed

There have been a great many comments in a Facebook group about the church which is closing.

Although the congregation is very small it seems that a number of people larger than the number in the current congregation do not wish the church to close and will miss it when it has gone. Cries of "Shame" and "Why is the C of E allowing this to happen?" abound. Here are a few which I hope are sufficiently anonymous.

• My grandad and my dad both sang in the choir at St Augustine’s both as boys and men and my mum and dad were married there 79 years ago.
• It was the church my mum went to. Generations of her family were married there, christened there, including me and {Name]. My grandmother spent a Lot of time there. She’d have been so upset to see this. My mum is upset.
• I went to the Sunday school there.
• So sad to see a historic building which is such an integral part of the community close for worship. Shame on the Diocese for letting it get in this state over the years. Hope it gets a secure future.

 I feel moved to say it is a case of 'use it or lose it'.

The organ will not be greatly missed although I worked for my ARCO on it. The bells were a superb Gillett & Johnson light 6.

Dementia

I went ringing today with a group which meets on a monthly basis. We visited a tower where I used to ring some 30 years ago. The then tower captain - I was told - is still alive but in a care home: he has dementia. His name appears on peal and quarter peal board in that and other towers.

I wonder about religion when I think about dementia. If a person is 'lost' where have they gone? If we are sinful beings and are ultimately to be brought to account for our wrong-doings by God, who will a person with dementia be when they die? Are they responsible for anything they do whilst afflicted?

Likewise, if everyone has a soul, how are children who die in infancy judged? What about people of other religions: do they get a 'free pass'?

Religion does not have answers to these and similar questions: I have asked. It is, apprently, all down to the grace of God.

It is often said that God has a plan for each of our lives. It can be very hard to work out what the plan was for someone murdered in an attrocity such as have been in the news recently.

Yet we carry on going to church, singing our hymns and behaving as if everything will turn out OK. Perhaps we are all like Julian of Norwich.

All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well.

A church is closing

A church with which I used to be associated is having to close. Internet research tells me it is because of falling congregation numbers, which will be a big part of it. The roof needs to be repaired and they cannot afford to do that.

However, word has reached me - as I have friends in the area - that the main reason is that the building has been declared unsafe as a result of subsidence. Whether or not that subsidence is a result of nearby building work has not been established.

Hymns as punctuation

As an organist I play a lot of hymns. It sometimes seems to me that hymns are just punctuation points in the service and are only there because they are expected.

In fact, services start and end with a hymn so I feel these are important. One of my current gripes is that, after the Introit hymn, when our appetites have been whetted for worship, the service grinds to a halt and there are notices and other verbiage neither of which appear in the printed order of service.

Sometimes only the choir sing the communion hymn and people are obviously distracted in the Offertory hymn putting their collection in the bag (if that still happens post-COVID). Given that the Gradual hymn vanished temporarily one wonders what the point of hymns is.

Can a church service ever be perfect?

I doubt that one can go to church and not find a small issue with a service: perhaps just occasionally.

This morning was very close to perfect. I arrived in good time and found all the hymns (I had also looked in advance). The church was warm. I was able to set up some pistons and generals then I started to play 10 minutes before the service.

At 10am the church clock chimed: I had already stopped and we went into the first hymn. From that point onwards we followed the service book. There was no 'Show and Tell' and the sermon was very good (if a shade too long, perhaps).

I was struck by the confidence with which the choir and congregation joined in with the spoken parts of the service. At the end I played short voluntary and stayed for a coffee and a chat. These were nice people. There was no treading on egg-shells.

So often people go to church to act out a role. Some are persistently happy and expect others to be happy and jovial too.

It helped that it was a lovely day and that the church was light and spacious.

It mattered not that the organ was digital. In fact it did everything I wanted it to and I was not having to bother to avoid problem notes.

As much as I ever can I enjoyed church today.

Viscount Organ

Tomorrow I am playing at church which has a Viscount Envoy installed. It is a step up from the Cadet that I own although I prefer the sound of mine. I think I shall need to spend some time in the church another day setting up a 'User'- defined organ. Currently the settings are on Hill which I find quite rough.

I do not anticipate any of the hassle I have recently had, elsewhere.