Saturday, January 08, 2005

Music Major Rant

This is a topic that sadly enough only I would care about or even notice. I don't even think music majors would catch this as well as I would. My organist at church has the habit of adding notes during the hymns that aren't part of the hymns. Now this in and of itself isn't bothering to me. I do the same thing. What bugs the crap out of me is he adds thirds, too many of them. Any time there is a cadence he adds in an extra third. Do you realize how bad that sounds. Oh... the worst is when he's ending a piece, and like most things should end, they end in a perfect authentic cadence, but nnnnoooo... he has to add a third above it, do you realize how grating that is to the ears. Well, my ears anyway. This is the downside to being a music major with good ears, I catch way too much that should be ignored. It's so petty yet drives me up the wall. At least I can find the humor of how stupid I'm being when I think thoughts like this.

He did redeem himself though. We sang Ring Out Wild Bells, and I messed up in interpreting the timing on it, and in talking to him about it, he mentioned that if you take it at a much more accelerated pace it becomes a pirate song. It works really well to, listen it like that. I got a lot of amusement out of singing it to myself throughout church the rest of the day. Thankyou for sharing organist, you have redeemed yourself from your ungodly habit of adding thirds.

3 Comments:

At 1:04 AM, Blogger tiblittle said...

I dig you on the added thirds. It just sounds weird. You're lucky you get to hear an organ in church. We use a piano in my ward (there aren't any organs that I know of in the RB). MY biggest pet peeve about Sacrament music(or any other church music) is when the pianist plays way too fast. Especially if werf decides that eigth notes are meant to go fast instead of just dividing the beat. Argh! Try singing all of the passing tones in the alto part when the piano is going at warp speed. While I was at home for Christmas, I got to hear some old-school church organ with the funky vibrato and everything. Sister Tolva really knows how to rock that thing.

 
At 1:34 PM, Blogger Etelmik said...

I usually have to deal with too slow, myself.

They really don't play "Ring Out Wild Bells" enough ever. Though the organist DID start playing it after the closing prayer on the 26th....I still wanted to sing it though.

 
At 4:53 PM, Blogger tiblittle said...

TO,
I'm glad you like that hymn. Someone has to. I think it's my least favorite in the current hymnal. That said, I would like to remind everyone who has a special spiritual, emotional, or physical connection to # 215 that I am just one person and not an authority on "good" or "bad" hymns. It's just my opinion. I'll bet y'all hate my favorite hymn, too. (#166)

 

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