Lenten Devotional by
Bruce Cichowlas
March 16, 2017
“Praise him with the sound of the trumpet: praise him with the psaltery and harp. Praise him with the timbrel and dance: praise him with stringed instruments and organs. Praise him upon the loud cymbals: praise him upon the high-sounding cymbals.” (Psalm 150:3-5)
As an adolescent, I studied organ with the organist of the large cathedral in town. This led to my being an occasional backup organist at a number of parishes spread across Cincinnati. (My dad was so patient, driving me around here and there as required.) Perhaps half of these churches had pipe organs, some quite grand. Unlike pianos, which more or less each have 88 keys and strive for similar sound, each pipe organ has different sounds, differing numbers of keyboard, and different sorts of installation often embedded specifically for the particular church, most often in the sanctuary area or choir loft.
As an organ student, one learns of the various sounds that might be available on a particular organ. The illustration shows some of the diversity. Though there are four broad families of organ stops: diapasons, flute, strings and reeds, the organist strives to bring together in harmony these widely differing types of sounds, some high and some low, some smooth and some raspy, some distinctive and others blending in easily. The exact sound resulting differs quite a bit between different organs in different churches with differing acoustical properties. Yet in the final performance, there is an important but different place for all. No organ pipe rank, as they are called, needs to stay forever silent, never having a positive place in the overall sound for worship. Even those less frequently used or those that don’t gently blend in need to feel their special role is less important than the others.
Prayer:
All God’s creatures got a place in the choir
Some sing low and some sing higher,
Some sing out loud on a telephone wire,
Some just clap their hands, or paws, or anything they’ve got now.
—Bill Staines