"Open organ day" - a special recital format

[andijah]

In Germany, the second Sunday in September is traditionally dedicated to monuments and memorials, "heritage day" could be a (clumsy) translation for this. Ten years ago, the association of organ builders had the idea to combine this with a new format, the "organ day", since many organs are either listed or part of listed buildings.

For this year, I had the idea of an "open day", starting with a recital for kids (including showing them how the organ works) and then having organ music all afternoon and coffee and cake in between. Well, the new situation with contact tracing, restricted access etc. meant that we couldn't do the coffee and cake thing, but we managed to have our "open organ day" nonetheless.

The programme was as follows:
3pm "cuddly pillow concert" for children (and adults)
4pm modern organ music (and a bit of blues)
4:30pm organ sonata g minor by C.P.E. Bach
5pm birthdays: Rinck and Beethoven
5:30pm Bella Italia: music by Bon and Puccini
6pm: Evening music

In detail:
Pietro Cattaneo (* 1998): Little Partita „Frère Jacques“
Carlotta Ferrari (* 1975): Animal Farm
Rosalie Bonighton (1946-2011): Fanfare with Promenade

Rosalie Bonighton: „Swing in!“ and „A little Blues Interlude“
Sarah Watts: 4 pieces from „Cool Meditations“
Heather Hammond: „Never too late“ and „La Habana“

C.P.E. Bach (1714-1788): organ sonata in g minor
Wq 70/6, H 87
Allegro moderato - Adagio - Allegro

Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck (1770 - 1846): „Freue dich sehr o meine Seele“, chorale and two variations
Joh. Chr. H. Rinck: Adagio op. 57/9
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770 - 1827): Prelude f minor, WoO 55
Joh. Chr. H. Rinck: Chorale and variations „Wer nur den lieben Gott lässt walten“ from op. 55

Anna Bon di Venezia (c. 1740 - ?): sonata in C major
Allegro - Andante - Minuetto con variazioni
Giacomo Puccini (1858 - 1924): Sei Versetti in Fa maggiore
Maestoso - Andante - Moderato - Allegro brillante - Andante mosso - Allegro con moto

Kate Boundy (c.1866 - 1913)
Even Song
Alice Sauvrezis (1866 - 1946)
Chorale
Carlotta Ferrari (*1975)
Preghiera della sera
Hedwige Chrétien (1859 - 1944)
Andante espressivo
Charles W. Pearce (1856 - 1928)
Meditation in a village churchyard
Pasi Lyytikäinen (* 1975)
Lonely Humming (from the "composition diary" written in spring 2020)
Will Macfarlane (1870 - 1945)
Lullaby
Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839 - 1901)
Abendfriede (from op. 156)


It was great, people came and went as they liked, we had some small breaks in between, the doors were open all the time, and it was so much fun that we will do something similar again.

(Should there be a more suitable forum for this topic, please move it accordingly).

[Admin]

This is a great idea and a great program. In the theatre organ world it is common to have an "open console" at meetings giving every one, amateur and professional alike a chance to sit at the console and play.

In the past, our local group, the Valley of the Sun Chapter of the American Theatre Organ Society, has held events aimed at introducing youths to the theatre organ. We've call these programs the "Orpheum Experience." We contact local music teachers and invite them and their students to come play the 3 manual, 30 rank, Wurlitzer Pipe Organ, owned by the chapter, in the Phoenix Orpheum Theatre.

The program is similar. There is a brief concert followed by a talk about organs, how they work, and what all the controls are for. Then we invite the students up on stage to play and/or have a photo op at the console, with a chapter member standing by to help with registration and answer questions.

It's really surprising to how talented some of these kids are and how gratifying it is to see their joy in making music.

[andijah]

Thanks for moving the discussion :-)

I would've loved to do an "anyone is allowed to play" session, but at the moment, this isn't possible. But I'm optimistic that one day we can invite people to play!

I had a selection of recorders (from tenor to "garklein") to show how the length of the instrument influences the pitch, and I also had a few "melopipes" to show how an organ pipe works. (If you want to have a look, the website is melopipe.de but it's only available in German). My plan is to offer a workshop for children one day where they can actually build their own pipes and we make music together.

[voet]

Two great events. It is so important to reach out to people in these ways to cultivate appreciation for the organ.

My local AGO chapter has had Pipe Organ Encounters for a number of years. Students from local schools are invited and there are hundreds every year who come. A member from the Grand Rapids Symphony brings his Alpen horn, which is always a big hit with the children. It is also a great way to help them visualize how the length of a pipe relates to its pitch. Unfortunately, it probably will not occur this year.

[jbird604]

Sounds wonderful! I wish this idea would get copied all over the world. One thing the organ needs right now is exposure, and this is a great way to let people experience the sound and just have fun with it. Thanks for sharing.

[andijah]

Speaking of the sound, I took a small group of people (three teenagers, three mums) upstairs to show the organ and when I introduced the Salicional stop, one of the ladies said "Oh no, not that one, I don't like it, it sounds like church!"
And everybody else "we are in church"?!?!