Program
Christopher Prelude and Fugue in Bb...................J.S. Bach
Ray, Jr. (from Eight Little Preludes and Fugues, BWV 560)
Senior at Sumrall High School, MS
Student of Kathy Vail
Patrick Praeludium in D Major............Dietrich Buxtehude
Scott Birmingham-Southern University (AL)
Student of James Cook
Derrick Sonata III, in A Major............Felix Mendelssohn
Meador Movement I, Con moto maestoso
Senior in Organ Performance,
William Carey College, Hattiesburg, MS
Student of Kathy Vail
Comments will be grouped under the pieces during which they were
made. In general, because the playing was quite good, getting the
notes right was not an issue and Jacobs' main attention was at a
higher level, on expression and interpretation.Tempo: As Bach (or Krebs, Bach's pupil who is thought by some to have
composed the Eight Little Preludes & Fugues) did not mark a tempo,
we must look to the time signature for help. The 4/4 meter indicates
four pulses per measure, and the abundant groups of 16th notes should
not be felt as 8 pairs of eighth notes per measure but 4 groups of 16th notes.
Hence the tempo should be brisk enough to bring this about. Another
factor affecting tempo is the acoustic setting and room size (the
two are related). In general, in very large and reverberant spaces,
the tempo may need to be slower. In any case, the tempo should be
adjusted to the actual instrument and space at hand, and the organist's
ears should inform the organist's hands and feet (in other matters as
well, registration, for example).
Structure: The organist should be aware of structure; beginning,
major internal shifts, and ending. These should be indicated to the
audience by "punctuation", such as appropriate ritards, changes in
registration, subtle "delays", staccato, and the like. In Bach's
music series of suspensions are fairly common; these can be exploited,
remembering that dissonance (and how it is resolved) is always more
interesting than consonance.
Body Language: The organist's body movements should radiate
confidence. In many cases the organist is in more or less full view,
and gestures of various kinds can communicate feelings to the audience.
In particular, the final chord should be released with the same flair
and energy and confidence with which it was attacked! Although this
can be overdone, one can learn from watching pianists and other
instrumentalists to get a feeling of what may be appropriate.
Praeludium in D, Dietrich Buxtehude
Registration: Think outside the box. While a celeste may ultimately not be appropriate for a Buxtehude adagio, trying it does show commendable imagination. The point is not so much to follow traditional registrational rules for the rules' sake, as to try to move the listener with drama and beauty. On another matter, one should try to keep balance between pedal and manuals. With long pedal notes, it may be better to avoid very loud stops, especially if they cannot be matched with manual stops of similar intensity.
Drama: Sometimes it is good to "throw caution to the winds" and be impetuous. Mental imagery can help: when "grabbing" a large chord, it may be helpful to think of sinking the fingers into the coat of a large, long-haired dog! Abrupt dramatic change in the music should be accompanied by similar body language, to help engage the audience.
More tempo questions: In this period, one does not have to
observe note durations exactly. In fugal sections, some subtle delays,
and occasional ritards may be used so that the audience doesn't get
the sense that the organist is just "plowing" through it. Additional
interest may be provided by ornamentation, particularly in the adagio
(which, by the way, is not necessarily slow, but may be flexible).
Sonata III, Con moto maestoso, Felix Mendelssohn
Dynamics: In loud passages (abundant in this piece), one should
try to find moments of silence here and there. Unrelenting legato in loud
passages can be tiring for the audience. Articulation can be used to
good effect here, especially in closing chords.
Timing: When there is a release of a large chord, followed by a single voice, the organist should try to have both the release and the next note in mind at the same time; a mental window containing both. Further, in polyphonic music, the organist should be aware of all inner voices, how each one interacts with each other one. For a composer as good as Mendelssohn, all details are worthy of attention.
Cantus firmus: Jacobs "said it all" here, when he described
how exciting it must have been for Mendelssohn's audience, when
hearing this large and complicated work, to recognize - shining
through all that was going on - the melody of the beloved chorale
"Aus tiefer Not" ("Out of the depths"). For the church organist,
this is what it is all about!
Summary
Over and over and over, Jacobs emphasized the importance of
communicating effectively with the audience. And what is being
communicated is not "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star", but some of
the most sublime music ever written. More power to him!
- Glenn A. Gentry
Note: While some of the above material quotes Paul Jacobs
verbatim, there is also a considerable expansion of his remarks, but
in all that I have tried to be faithful to his intentions.
For more about Paul Jacobs CLICK HERE