Organists are a strange bunch
Here's a breakdown of the organ studio at school:
3 Lutherans (1 ELCA [the teacher], 1 LCMS, and me)
2 Methodist
1 Baptist
1 Catholic
1 Agnostic
And several more that I'm not sure about.
Now, the Baptist plays at a Catholic church. One of the Methodists plays at an Episcopal church. The agnostic is learning hymns and chorale preludes as part of the curriculum and has to listen to us discussing the theology of hymn playing in church.
Yep, organists are an odd bunch. The whole music department says so.
posted by Maria at 8:23 PM
3 Comments:
I definitely agree....
i live with two organists. my housemate Abbie is some kind of agnostic... loose episcopal background (went to St. Andrews boarding school) and not really sure about God or if/what she believes. She was playing at a Reformed Church, and now is playing at Christ Community Church, a very liberal (strange in my book) church-which is probably a 'good' fit for her, at least for what she believes or doesn't believe.
My other housemate Joe is a bitter, gay, ex-Catholic pianist who just decided last month "hey, i could get a church job and make money!". so he got a job at a local methodist church playing organ. He's a self proclaimed atheist.
We have another organist who's Episcopalian (went to the other St. Andrews, in Tenessee), but has read way more bagvhad-gita than the bible. He's more interested in mysticism, hinduism, hare-krshna, and Olivier Messiaen (for him, that is a religion) than anything related to Christianity. He took Abbie's old job. He's my ex roommate, and he's a vegetarian... and he's dating (basically just sleeping with) my housemate abbie....
Then there's mark, a blind organ student who's neither good nor nice. Who knows what he believes, save that he believes it strongly and would love to argue with you about it for hours.
And that leaves Chris, a somewhat devout Christian Reformed Church member, presently serving as an organ scholar at St. Mark's Episcopal in Grand Rapids. He and I shared a discussion of the dynamic of faith and being an organist recently, and he expressed extreme concerns about serving at a church with a woman pastor, who's a lesbian, who's having an affair with a member of the congregation.
Oh, our professor is an old, gay, drunk welshman... for what that's worth
And me of course, a Missouri-Synod Lutheran serving at a church that pays considerably less than those of my peers, and has an organ that's considerably more crappy than that of my peers (60's Allen Electronic... 4 "tone generators".). What's the difference? I'm a church musician. I'm a Lutheran Church musician. I play at the Lutheran Church, and I am a member there.
I gaurantee one thing: no one else gives a hoot about theology or liturgy. They just know they don't like I-IV-V-I music or drums. (not that I do :)
Re: Organists are a strange bunch... I, also, am a LCMS organist no training who would love to be able to participate in a class. When the former organist died, the elders gave me the honor of playing for service. The church does own an expensive organ designed for church service which is approximately ten years old. More than once the church council has offered to pay me, but I choose not to be paid. I would feel it necessary to increase my monetary donation to cover the expense; then I would have to pay taxes on the income, so it's easier to refuse payment. I was a member many years before being honored with the responsibility of church service music; I love the liturgy; I care that it is theologically correct and it is my way of praising the Lord.
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