December 2001
Are your voluntaries listened to and appreciated?	Show Menu

Following the publication of Soundboard 1, a letter from Mervyn Cooper raises the very interesting matter of organ voluntaries and congregations. Do the latter listen to the former, appreciate them, react to them at all, or do voluntaries send congregations smartly home to lunch! What sort of voluntaries go down well? There could be much of interest and use if we had organists’ views on the matter.

Coincidentally enough, in a recent issue of “The Organ”, Gordon Baker raises the very subject. He asks “how can I persuade my vicar and congregation to take my organ contribution really seriously?” He writes: ”Experience has led me to believe that an appreciated organ contribution can be achieved over time”, and he gives the following promotional suggestions, based on his lengthy personal experience.

1. Display the title/composer of the voluntaries each Sunday, even if the pieces are very straightforward. If the church produces a service sheet or a hymn slot in the monthly magazine, make sure the organ music is listed. At Mr Baker’s last church, he persuaded the Rector to announce the title and composer of the concluding voluntary before the Blessing. His reward over the years, was the increasing number of people who stayed seated until the end of the piece. “Do not underestimate” he writes, “the capacity of the congregation members to appreciate and look forward to the contribution”.
2. Ask to provide suitable organ music within the context of special services, such as those of Advent or Passiontide. The Holy Communion service also provides opportunities for discreet organ music within the service. Aim to create opportunities to use the organ and its music in a liturgical context through discussion with the incumbent. If there is no regular choir, the value of sensitive organ playing can greatly enhance the atmosphere and beauty of the service. A season service of hymns and readings can include several short hymn or choral preludes to assist meditation while a well-chosen funeral piece can counteract an over-amplified CD extract.
3. Use casual opportunities to increase parish and local interest in the organ. Be prepared to demonstrate the instrument to youngsters or visitors after a service, to to a group of Rainbows, Brownies or Cubs during the week. The organ can raise money for your church as well as consuming it! Organ marathons attract sponsorship beyond congregations, and heighten interest locally. Over time, enthusiasm will rub off and because of that enthusiasm, the organ can hold a crucial place in the music of our communities; It really is u p to us to nurture and uphold it.

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