I hope that everyone had a good Chrismtas and Santa brought them what they wanted. Spill away...

Christmas day was relaxing for me after working much of Christmas Eve. I played flute at three services, so between the driving, practices and performances, I was pretty well shot at around midnight. It was fun, but I am happy to have it over with after having to deal with one of the many crabby organists. lol! just one of the perks to the job.

Yeah, Kara, the organists... I had to deal a lot with them in a not so far past, when I played in many, many marriages...

Christmas was very calm around here, no flute playing. I just wanted to drink some wine, meet relatives (mostly Rosangela's, because I don't have mine living in town).
And of course some gifts received, and another given...:-)

Zevang

I also played three Masses on Christmas Eve; actually one was technically the fourth Sunday of Advent which was 8:30 Sunday morning Mass, then the 4:00 Children's Mass where my youngest daughter sang in the children's choir, and my husband and I were involved with (and played in) the youth orchestra (go figure!). We then played Midnight Mass, we actually started playing the pre-Mass at 10:30pm started Mass at midnight, and ended about 2:00am. By the time we put away all of the chairs, stands etc. we arrived home at 3:00 a.m.! Very long but beautiful day, and so energizing!

I didn't play any of the Christmas Day Masses, after the kids opened presents, I spent the day baking because my family is getting together today (26th)! My brother & family flew in late last night from Chicago, so today will be our Christmas family celebration. We'll all be together except one brother/family who couldn't make it down from Denver. I'm still holdig out hope that he'll fly in and surprise us (very doubtful).

It's supposed to be 72 degrees F. and sunny (of course) so I'm sure some part of the day will be in the jacuzzi and pool.

Gotta go, I still have to bake the rolls!

On the Christmas Day service, the replacement organist/Cantor started the service with the transpose switch up 1/2 step. made for an eye-opening "O Come all ye faithful" but aside from that he did OK. He just couldn't sing very well.

Thing about Organists are that they are often the ones responsible for the gigs so you have to treat them with respect no matter what they do.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

I played flute at 2 services and play piano and conducted at the other. I played organ last week, not this week

Being a church organist is a crappy job and they get treated like crap by the ministers so leave them alone

(I don't have a organist job yet but I fill and play as much as possible)

Being a church organist is a crappy job and they get treated like crap by the ministers so leave them alone

Yes, a lot do unfortunately. Even so, they should still use proper etiquette with other musicians. You should have seen the one I worked for the other night! I am sure it is stressful, but people actually walked out on the guy! He treated me horribly, but later apologized. I didn't hold it against him and never do. It is just very stressful for everyone else when they are being treated as such and they don't deserve that at all especially when the lot of them were volunteeres.

I work for two other organists that are completely wonderful and do a wonderful job. They are always nice to work for. It is all about proper etiquette me thinks.

Like Bilbo said, " Organists are that they are often the ones responsible for the gigs so you have to treat them with respect no matter what they do." Very true! I can put up with all the crap and then go home and bitch to my husband who I know would never tell a soul. lol!

Kip, I am glad you enjoyed playing for the masses. I must admit that I miss playing at the Catholic church back in NY. I like more of the traditional Christmas music they used to play. Everything just seem more like a show at the churches I play at now which is rather disappointing, it looses the whole meaning to me.

Swimming? I am jealous! It is chilly here. Only a few more months though and we can open the pool again.

Well on to the new year!

"Being a church organist is a crappy job and they get treated like crap by the ministers so leave them alone"

I agree in some respects but it is a very important job as well. The kicker is that many organists are very well trained and can't get a job equal to the amount of education that they've had. No sense going to college for 4 years to graduate with a performance degree and get something equivalent to part-time pay.

Some organists come from being fairly well trained vocalists or as school choral directors and they try to do their best as organists. Some do fairly well.

As soloists, we don't very often get a choice in these situations. Makes live interesting.

~Bilbo
N.E. Ohio

Many musicians tend to forget that music in worship is less important than most other components of the service eg the word (reading from scripture), prayer, address/sermon. Even when hymns are being sung, those participating in the service are as important in worship as musicians playing keyboard/organ, flute, guitars, drums etc. It may be helpful to think of church music on the same level as church architecture: inspiring and ever present but not the reason to be in church. Battles between church organists, choir masters etc and those leading the worship are well documented in the higher churches of the Church of England. Inevitably, worship suffers as a result and in smaller churches when such conflicts arise the best solution is often to throw out the organ and move to more contemporary music styles and performance in order to facilitate better worship. (Although there are cases when this was the cause of the friction in the first place )

Incidentally, in addition to running our church band, I lead services and although qualified to do both my "paid work" is in a different field.

This is all true EK Davies but the primary concern of a soloist is to present as good a performance as possible to enhance the service. This fact is documented in books dating back several hundred years at least. Earlier churches believed that anything presented in a church was/is as a acrifice to God and the belief was that this sacrifice should be perfect in it's nature. Not that musicians "should" believe this but in a sense some still do. As a side comment, I recall a church gathering or meeting where one of the choir members in his speech mistakenly referred to the congregation as the audience. It's just the way that they end up thinking.

"Battles between church organists, choir masters etc and those leading the worship are well documented in..."

not only in the Church of England but in most denominations. J.S. Bach was legendary for making waves and having issues with his music and his musicians.

sorry if I sounded snarky LOL. I didn't want people to think I was crabby because I am an organist (or hope to be one...I am taking classical organ lessons and they are going well).

I only know one crabby organist (well, not very many people who play organ around here can be called organists ugh it is a dying art!), though I know many a soprano soloist who I want to slap There are plenty of nice sopranos, but there has to be one in every choir! Actually, the worst ones are in church choirs and they can't particularily sing well. I sing in a high level auditioned choral group and those sopranos are super nice.

Anyways, I play flute quite frequently in church- usually for offertory and prelude and sometimes with the choir. I make my own arrangements of hymn. The organist plays the normal hymn accompaniment and play melody, harmony and fancy melody overtop.

On christmas eve late service I did a solo in the service. The late service is mostly music and is run by the choir and orchestra.

I am in a protestant church. United Church of Canada