[HANASHIR:1387] Organs and HH music

[Rachel Gurevitz <rgurevit...>]

Dear all,

Oh, this is one dear to my heart!  Here in Ye Olde Englande there are few
communities who sing much other than stuff from the classical tradition,
with a particularly heavy dose of Lewandowski.  Organs feature in many,
many congregations. 

Although I have nothing against organs (what have they ever done to me?),
(now, doesn't that sound like a wonderful title for a Rick poem :-), my
experience is that they seem to come with particular kinds of choirs and
particular arrangements of music.  Although many community members like
this music just because they are used to it, very few actually join in with
choirs using these more formal settings.  This is because:

a) the music is pitched too high for many people to join in.
b) the classical style encourages ornamental solos and the repetition in
some melodies with an organ ill-equipped to change 'mood' means that many
choir-leaders keep changing tempo to provide a bit of variation, making it
even harder for others to join in.
c) there is a psychology that if you have a 'choir' of 'good' voices with
organ then no-one need join in, and I've even seen some congregants being
hushed for 'spoiling' the music if they try!
d) Likewise, some choir leaders and choir members get it into their heads
that they are the 'good' voices, and *prayers* become choral performances -
it might sound nice, but the kavannah (intention) is completely lost.

I've recently been visiting a congregation that only has a choir once a
month, and that is led by a guitar player (sometimes there is an organ
too), and they are slowly introducing Carlebach, Klepper, Freidman etc. to
change the mood, which is great.  The rest of the time there is just one
member of the congregation who starts off each tune and, most of the time,
the whole congregation join in, *because the whole congregation is the
choir*.  It also means that more appropriate pitches are chosen.  Yes,
there is more chance that it might 'go wrong' and not every piece of music
will be perfectly delivered, but the Ruach (spirit) of the community is so
much stronger.

Regards,
Rachel
____________________________

Rachel Gurevitz
Department of Geography
University College London
26 Bedford Way, London
W1CH 0AP.  UK
Tel: 0171 387 7050 x5526