The Church Pipe Organ

Days gone by and they may not return. Book collecting, drive-in movies, horse and buggy, typewriters, but what about the pipe organ? Are we experiencing the ultimate demise of one of the greatest musical instruments of all time? Or perhaps just a temporary downturn in interest at least to a point. Not sure.

I drove to a small town outside of Abilene and played the piano for a church service. It was a nice service with great people and the grand piano was old but in tune. We mostly sang hymns and older choruses. Everyone was appreciative. Joel played a hymn for the Benediction on the pipe organ and people suddenly got excited. A church member asked if I were interested in the history of the organ and I said yes. She promptly returned with a 3 page history of the marvelous instrument. I felt her emotion of the love of the instrument and the sincere appreciation she demonstrated regarding my interest.

Truly it is a marvelous instrument in the small church. Warm tone, well-made, visually appealing, wonderful sounds, and rich quality, the organ deserves to be played and experienced by all. Quite an instrument and deserving of our admiration, our attention, and our love.

But it stays silent week after week, used no more, weeping silent tears of rejection. There is nobody to play it, few to hear it, and fewer still that know anything about it. The beauty of the instrument is found in the sound, yet I suspect most people consider it a museum piece or a work of visual art not to be heard.  Such is true of organs all over the country, particularly in small towns and small churches. Trained musicians, however, have a respect for the instrument, and they tend to love the strength and majesty of a great pipe organ. What about non-musicians? Maybe to an extent but often not in any kind of substantial way unless a strong tradition has been established. Of course there are pockets of people who love the king of all instruments and will rush to hear a great organist on a great organ at every opportunity. These people keep the instrument alive and hold on to a tradition of organ playing that dates back hundreds of years.

Ironically, organ makers are doing well overall. There are still instruments sold and new pipe organs are sought after from many churches. Quality organists are coming out of our universities and conservatories and finding positions in large churches. There are several successful concert artists and the high quality of the American Guild of Organists journal is a testament to the love and admiration society still maintains for the organ and organists.

Nevertheless, in spite of the segments of success and the sincere love people claim to have for the organ, there remains a problem. It is in decline. Small towns and small churches have quality organs not being used, gathering dust, dying a long slow death associated with atrophy. People are painfully aware of the profound loss of the organ but are poignantly aware of their own helplessness to change it. To be sure, playing the organ requires a specialized skill. Players need to know how to combine sounds, use pedals, move from note to note, and alter sounds depending on the needs of the music. In addition to the normal musical requirements of reading music, playing rhythms accurately, and understanding how phrases, dynamics, and articulation serve the musical needs, an organist must know so much more and be able to impart that knowledge through sound.

Maybe some of the decline is due to the demands of playing an organ. Society is notorious for not paying musicians enough and the lack of adequate compensation could be contributing to a lack of players. Organs themselves are cantankerous and develop problems over time. Pipe organs require regular maintenance and tuning and electronic organs frequently need attention to ensure mechanical success. Then there is the sheer cost itself of a quality organ. Large pipe organs can easily be in the millions and cost thousands each year to maintain.

But I must ask, is there anything more aesthetically satisfying than hearing a great hymn played by a skilled organist on a terrific instrument? Or a Bach Toccata or any number of French turn of the century organ works? The variety of sounds found in a pipe organ is astounding and in the hands of a master, a pipe organ can provide a musical experience unlike any other. If this is true, and I believe it is, why do we have a problem at all?

Like most declines and expansions, it is hard to determine. The invisible hand of the marketplace ultimately wins the race every time as the passing of time demonstrates the worth of the product. If the commodity has no customer, it will no longer be useful. If the organ has no audience and no participants, it serves no function. It is people who will kill the organ or who will raise it to its rightful place as the king of instruments. Right now the signs point toward death...only time will tell.