The pipe organ has been the musical instrument most closely associated with Christian worship since the early Middle Ages. It was occasionally found in the basilicas as early as the seventh century, where its rather strident voice lent support to the singing of the chant.
The many years of development and refinement of the pipe organ rendered it an almost ideal instrument for the sup port of a large group of voices in the praise of God. This affinity with the human voice makes it possible for the organ to give support and encouragement to congregational singing without drawing undue attention to itself.
There have been times since the introduction of the organ as an instrument of worship, however, when its use has been criticized. In some cases, it was excluded from use in Christian worship.
The period of the Reformation in the sixteenth century, for instance, was a time when the instrument was criticized bitterly. One would be mistaken to assume that opposition to the organ was confined to the Calvinists and the Zwinglians, whose puritan zeal had caused them to exclude the organ from their worship services.
Many Roman Catholic bishops of that period were opposed to the organ. As a result of the opposition, its use was severely limited in the Catholic services by the actions of the Council of Trent in the middle of the sixteenth century.
Even the art-loving Martin Luther was less than enthusiastic about the use of the organ in the Lutheran services. He did not allow it to accompany the hymn singing, but confined its use to short introductions to the chorales and, occasionally, brief interludes between the stanzas. Yet it was the Lutherans who, in the period between the lifetimes of Luther and J. S. Bach, brought the organ and its literature for worship to its greatest heights.
Most evangelical Christians today have come to consider the organ as a positive aid to worship. Let us consider ways in which the organ and organist may make a vital contribution to corporate worship.
When we speak of music in Christian worship, the key words must be "Christian worship." By this I mean to say that all the music of the church must be subservient to greater goals of corporate worship: the praise and adoration of God and the celebration of our new life in Him.
The goals of the organist in Christian worship, then, are not essentially musical goals, but religious ones. This does not mean that the organist should not exhibit the best possible musicianship in his playing. He should, indeed. His contribution goes beyond musicianship, however. It was on this very point that the criticism was based in the sixteenth century. The claim was that organ playing was a distraction in worship, rather than an aid to reaching the spiritual goals of worship.
Today, the organ has at least three basic functions in corporate worship: (1) It accompanies the vocal song of the soloist, choir, and congregation. Effective organ accompaniment can enhance the "sung" message. (2) It assists in our individual and corporate devotion by the solo-playing at certain points in the worship order. This is brought about both by the intrinsic beauty of the music and by certain associations of an order that we might classify as direct and indirect. (3) Finally, a far less important function may be described as "mechanical." While we tend to disparage this role of music in worship today, there have been times when it was rather prominent. It should be remembered that, in the Temple services of the Old Testament time, music was used to signal the movements of the priests. On one occasion, even the walls of the city of Jericho were leveled by the playing of musical instruments!
It would be well to elaborate on and perhaps clarify one of these functions. In (2) above, we referred to two kinds of associations, direct and indirect. Direct associations are formed, for instance, when the organ music is based upon a hymn whose text is generally familiar to the congregation. Our thoughts, it may be hoped, are turned toward the message of the hymn. Much of the great organ literature for the church is of this type, ranging from the organ chorales of Pachelbel, Buxtehude, and Bach to the hymn settings by some of the fine com posers of our own day.
A second use of direct association—though less frequent—is that of programmatic music for the organ. An excellent and moving example is Herman Berlinski's "The Burning Bush," a musical depiction of this Biblical event.
When the playing of the organ leads us to a deeper worship experience purely on the basis of its beauty and orderliness, or by certain stylistic features of the music, we are making indirect associations. This may be likened to the effect that beautiful architecture has upon the worshiper. It is in this kind of music that the organist takes some chances, for a certain selection may have the desired effect upon some of us, but not on others. This is the point at which the organist must be most sensitive to the needs of the congregation.
Among the most rewarding tasks of the organist should be that of unifying the worship service. Worship at its best must speak to us, not only through its individual elements, but as a unified whole. To say it another way, the individual parts of the service speak most clearly when they are related to the whole. This means much more than the superficial use of a "theme" for the service. Who of us have not been bored by the worship service on the theme of Christian love in which every hymn and anthem had the word "love" in the title? The most creative planning of worship calls for a more profound relatedness in which the organist may play an essential role.
In introducing and accompanying congregational hymns, the organist should be careful that (1) the introduction and the singing of the stanzas agree in tempo, volume, and style, (2) that the text is brought to life in his playing rather than obscured, and (3) that a variety of registration and textures are employed in the various stanzas. The accompaniment can be lightened in one stanza by the omission of the pedals. Interest can occasionally be added by the use of freely harmonized accompaniment. While this device should be used with modesty, it has the added benefit of encouraging unisonal singing by the congregation.
The psychological progression of the service must be considered. When short interludes are called for at certain points of the service, they should be in keeping with the emphasis of the moment. It can be especially effective to draw a short interlude from a vocal piece previously used in the service, especially when the vocal piece itself has been particularly fitting. This tends to give a cyclic effect to the worship procedure.
The cyclic principle can be particularly striking by using a postlude based upon the tune of the first hymn of the morning.
When hymn or chorale settings are used, they should be generally related to the emphasis of the service, when possible.
Even the printed titles of the organ music can influence the worshiper. It has always seemed to me that "Largo in D" and "Organ Symphony in Bb" were titles more suited to the concert hall than to worship.
Let's use the instruments of worship to enhance the spiritual goals of worship. This calls for study, practice, a search for a deeper understanding of the worship of God, and for the most profound kind of commitment to our task as leaders of worship.
Notes:
From Church Musician, November, 1973. Copyright 1973 The Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
