Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 396 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Dianne. And she is our Total Organist student, and she answered my question of what she is struggling with this week. So, she writes: This week I’m making stupid mistakes (and different ones every time). The difficult passages I practice go well, and I mess up on the simple parts. Focus, maybe? I am also getting over some virus thing, and I feel a bit foggy - brained. (More so than usual, anyway. Haha!) V: Ausra, do you sometimes feel that you are making stupid mistakes in simple places? A: Sure, and it means that I cannot focus, or that I focused too much on difficult passages and then I could not play any easy ones. V: Do you think that Dianne might be doing this because of her virus? A: Definitely. If she feels foggy, I think this is an indication that she should not be practicing. V: She should wait it out. A: Sure. It surprises me, actually, how little consideration people give to their health. V: I played a recital once while sick. A: I remember that. It wasn’t a smart thing to do. V: It was draining my energy, and I just couldn’t cancel. You know? A: Well, you could cancel. You always can cancel. It’s better than to play when you are sick and have a fever and then damage your health permanently, because you can injure your heart by doing that. V: What do you mean? A: Well, even kindergarten kids know that! V: So I am stupider than kindergarten kids! A: Sure! Nowadays the Internet is full of all kind of information about that. V: What do you mean “sure!” A: There is all kind of information out about what a virus can do to you if you will not treat yourself and take consideration. V: So you don’t suggest Dianne practicing now. A: Definitely not. V: You know, by the time she hears this conversation, she might be already healed. A: Sure! I hope! V: Because we have a backlog of podcast conversations, and some files are waiting to be transcribed. A: Well, sometimes I’m thinking that people in general think that they are heroes. That they are feeling bad, but they still do what they do on a regular basis. That’s like my students come to school while sick, and they feel almost like heroes, “Oh, I came to school although I have a fever.” Or sometimes I get things like, “I feel so bad, I have a fever, but I came just because of the Harmony...” or “...of the Solfège,” and I’m just thinking, “just go back home. Don’t spread your viruses and your bacteria here.” V: Well, Ausra, to be fair, have you ever gone to school or to your work while sick? A: Yes, but that was earlier, when I still had a good health. And now, after I ruined it, I know what it is! V: You have life experience. A: Sure. V: And nobody can take that away from you. A: That’s right. But nobody listens to me. V: I do! A: I doubt it! V: So… yeah... A: But everybody has to decide for themselves. Like, last Friday for my senior students, I was sort of preaching that, “Oh, you need to watch for your hygiene, especially in Winter time when everybody sneezes or are sick all around. You need to wash your hands, or to cover your nose when you are sneezing,” and things like this. And then, I got a stomach flu during the weekend. So, I did everything in my power to go back to school on Monday, because if I would not, and my students would find out that I had the stomach flu, then they could tease me! “What about…” You know…. “Don’t you wash your hands?” So, I didn’t want to advertise something or preach, but I’m talking from my own experience. V: I think it’s wise to always share your own experiences, because you never know what other people go through, and what is their experience. Even though Dianne wrote something, it’s just an excerpt of her life, right? We don’t know everything. But you know about yourself, and how you would behave and how you have behaved in the past. Right? A: Well, because in general, I think if you want to do well on the organ that your practice would be productive, you need to have good health condition, because it takes a brain, and it takes a body, too. V: So, we need to stay in shape, we need to be active, moving, and then eat healthy, probably, what else…. Sleep well… A: Sleep well, yes. V: Eight hours, probably… A: Well, seven hours, at least. V: Seven? I would prefer eight, but… but not everybody can sleep that long. And then, of course, heal their short term illnesses, like viruses. A: Because if you’re feeling foggy and you’re still practicing, what good would such a practice do? You will not improve your organ performance quality with such a practice, and you might damage your health—ruin your health. V: So, when you’re sick, Ausra, for example you, with your stomach flu, or bacteria infection that you had at the beginning of the year, is there anything that you can do besides lying in bed? A: Listen to the radio. I don’t know, it depends on the person, but really, if you have a fever, you cannot practice, you cannot read, you cannot watch TV. Maybe you can listen to radio. V: Listen to audio A: Yes, listen to audio. Not with your headphones. I don’t think that would be good. V: Listening to audio books is fine. A: Yes. You could listen to organ recordings. That way, you would still be in touch with organ. V: Organ world, yeah. Okay, lots of things to think about when you are sick, but I guess organ playing shouldn’t be the first on your mind when you are sick. A: Sure, because next time when you will feel good, you will do double as much, and I think it will compensate for what you missed. V: And, sometimes, when I say that, for example, I have to practice, practice, practice because my recital is coming up in a week or two, and now I’m sick and I don’t have time to be sick, I think it’s just poor planning. A: Yes, and that’s why I’m always telling people that you need to be prepared ahead of time, that if something will happen, you would still feel fine. You would still feel calm, that you still have some time, and you will be okay. And you wouldn’t need to practice with a fever. V: Yeah, be ready two months before, at least, to play your run-through of the recital or public performance. Then, you will have plenty of time to improve, and even if you get sick, you will be okay, I think. Right. And then, of course, improvisation helps. Imagine if your recital is coming up and you don’t have time to practice, but you constantly practice improvisation, you feel calmer, because you know that if you feel okay on the day of the performance, you can just sit down and play from your fancy. Right, Ausra? A: But that’s if you are an improviser. V: I mean, that could be the goal: to become an improviser. One of the benefits to become an improviser is that you have this freedom. Okay, thank you guys for sending those wonderful questions; we love helping you grow. We don’t always have the answers that might be suited for you personally, but we certainly can share our experience, and we hope this is helpful in some way. Okay, this was Vidas, A: And Ausra, V: And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
Comments
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 393 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Ariane. And she writes: I would like to finish my pedal course and move on to a hymn improvisation class, perhaps the one on the lowest level - which one would that be? V: So, Ausra, Ariane is our Total Organist student, and obviously, she wants to take those courses which are the most beneficial to her. And now, she is on the course to finish the pedal work, and moving to the hymn improvisation class, and I have created, in the early days, this level one course of Organ Hymn Improvisation Master Course. Would you like me to tell our listeners about it? A: Sure! Go head. V: So, this course is a video based course, and I recorded those videos in my church, Vilnius University St. John’s Church, with the hope that people can develop the skill of playing two part chorale improvisations. Just two part, for this level. Does it sound doable? A: Sure, I think it’s much easier to control two voices, comparing with four, for example. V: In our Organ Playing Master Course, it’s of course just one voice at level one. You start with solo voices, but with hymn improvisation, one voice would mean, probably, just a theme, and the theme itself is not improvised. A: Sure, you really need to have some support melody. V: So, I’m treating this course like a counterpoint in practice course. You know, in counterpoint, we have 5 species of counterpoint, and this system is devised to be very systematic for learning later types of polyphonic writing such as fugue. A: Sure. V: Do you like counterpoint, Ausra? A: Yes. I like it. It has strict rules. V: Which pieces are your favorite? A: Do you mean written counterpoint? V: Mhm. A: I never thought about it in such a way. And what are yours? V: Maybe we should first talk about what those pieces are, right? A: Sure, tell us! V: The first species of counterpoint, and the beginning of my course, is when the chorale notes move at the same time as the counterpoint melody moves. In other words, note against note counterpoint. One on one. So, then we have some rules, like to move in opposite direction than the melody to avoid parallel fifths and octaves. What else…. To play in sweet sounding intervals, such as thirds and sixths. And that basically creates a very basic simple disposition of voices, and the melody could be in the soprano or in the bass as well. Do you think, Ausra, that Ariane could benefit from this beginning? A: Well, I think any musician could benefit from this beginning, because most of the musicians at some point of their life actually have done exercises in this species of counterpoint. V: But, usually, they do in written form, only. A: Well, it’s just a matter of how advanced you are, because to write it down is easier, because you have time to think. When you’re playing it, performing it on the instrument, then it’s harder. It’s sort of a hard level, but I think it’s beneficial. V: And even later in life, if your skills are more developed, it’s very good to go back to your basics. For example, I find it very fascinating to put a hymnal or chorale book in front of myself and just improvise those species of counterpoint. A: Because, although the rules seem so simple, it’s not as simple to do things when you actually start doing it, because the simpler rules are the hardest to achieve a really nice result. V: And in second species, we have two notes against one. So, against one chorale note, you have two counterpoint notes. There we have not neighbor notes, passing notes allowed. A: And that gives more possibilities already. V: Mhm. And in species number three, we have four notes against one, like imagine a whole note in the soprano, and quarter notes in the bass, or vice versa. So we deal a few weeks with that. And then, the fourth species deals with syncopations, where you create dissonances, like intervals of seventh or second or ninth or a fourth, in this case it could be dissonant, too. A: So basically, it teaches you to do suspensions. V: Yes, syncopations are about suspensions. And we finish this course with mixed species in number five, and there you can combine all those previous movements in quarter notes, in half notes, and in syncopations as well. A: It seems like when you’re learning these five species of counterpoint, you could actually improvise a nice set of variations. V: Even in the first level, when you have… A: ...only two voices… V: Only two voice, you already have two variation possibilities. And on the organ, you can actually expand with different registrations—it’s very beautiful, too. Imagine playing the chorale melody with the Reed and the counterpoint with a Principal, for example. And then you switch with another Reed in the bass, and with a Flute combination in the soprano, for example, and it sounds really convincing, even at this level, note against note. I’ve tried it before, and even did live streams on Facebook, and people reacted nicely to that, and not only people, but myself, I’m listening from a distance, sort of, as a listener, and I would think that in a service environment, this could be done, even at the liturgy, too. A: Sure! V: But of course, after a few weeks, you move to the second level, and you can do two notes against one. That’s like a jump to the next level, and very exciting. So guys, we hope that everyone who is interested in chorale based improvisation, can take advantage of this course, because it’s just a foundation—level one. From there, you can add a third voice, obviously, or you can do ornamented chorales, where the chorale melody is no longer stationary, but in itself it can have species, like two notes, like chorale melody can move in half notes, or in quarter notes as well. That’s another creative path to take. And in species number five, in that level, both voices could move in imitation and in unpredictable ways, creating polyphonic duets, not unlike Palestrina and Olando di Lasso would write. And for organ composers, it would mean Samuel Scheidt, easily, and, of course Sweelinck. A: Yes, they all were masters of counterpoint. V: Right. Thank you guys, this was Vidas, A: And Ausra, V: Please send us your wonderful questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Before we go to the podcast of today, I'd like to thank people who gave feedback about my 6 compositions which were last weekend performed by an orchestra.
Anne wrote: Thanks for sharing these. I love the lush harmonies in these compositions. I listened to all of them. Congratulations – your organ pieces translated well to the orchestral format. Leon wrote: Saw and heard your FB post. Very nice piece of music, and use of the flute. Thanks for these additional details! Irineo wrote: Hello back there, maestro. Thank you so,much for these videos. No. 1 = sweet/tender/interesting (splendid arrangement as well). No. 2 = soft/discrete. No. 3 = serene/laid back. No. 4 = odd/uncommon/for the mind (instead of the heart). No. 5 = ethereal. Noe. 6 = dynamic/fleeting/playful/interesting contrasts (very nice as well). Keep at it, maestro If you missed this post or want to watch the videos again, here it is. And now let's go to the podcast for today. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 404, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Sally. And she writes an answer to the question, ‘What did you work on today?’ At the end of each day, students from the Total Organist program, they all get this question, and some of them choose to reply on BaseCamp. So Sally wrote: Unfortunately, nothing. I work during the day as a Software Engineer, and when I got home I was cold and tired. Instead of practicing I ate and slept on the couch all evening. Let's hope I feel more motivated tonight. I need to work on my prelude for this week, and continued work on the pedal studies I started. V: You know what I wrote to her? I wrote... A: No, I don’t know. V: I wrote, I will quote, “rest is good”. Three words only! Would you agree, Ausra? A: Yes. V: Shorter answer, right? A: I think this winter I also rest more than I practice. V: Yeah. If you return home from work really exhausted and tired, I think it’s best to take a rest or take a walk or do something, not too strenuous, physically and mentally too. And plus, since working as a Software Engineer is presumably mental work a lot, in most cases, right? Then organ playing is also mental work. It’s also similar so maybe physical, doing some physical activity is better than continuing mental activity without interruption. Ausra? A: Yes, I think you need to find balance in things because if you do only mental work, only physical work, it won’t be good. V: What would happen if you only did mental work, without any physical activity? A: Well, you muscles would… V: Atrophy? A: Yes. Plus I think you might develop some serious mental problems, too. V: Mental or physical? A: Mental because if you’re doing to much mental work, it might damage your mental health. V: Oh, I thought maybe if I only did mental work then my brain would expand and I would very wise. A: Because I think that physical activity helps to clear your mind. V: Mmmm. I see. A: And to pump blood into your brain too, which is crucial if you do mental work. V: What if I did only physical activity during the day, and no mental work? What would happen then? A: Well, I think it’s healthier than otherwise. V: Yes. A: But, well, if you would do only physical work I think you would forget how to count, how to read, and then you would be in trouble too. V: Right. I would be like hunter-gatherer. Ausra and I, we are listening to audio book called ‘Sapiens’. And it’s like a commentary on the history of civilizations. And yesterday evening we listened to the chapter about the life of, in the day of Adam and Eve, basically, prehistoric times. And those people moved a lot. But they say that they didn’t work too hard, like sometimes people work today—ten or twelve hours a day, in some countries, in the factory for example. In those days, like maybe thirty thousand years ago, they would just work for several hours until they gathered mushrooms and berries and edible roots. A: Snails and frogs... V: Uh-huh. Maybe hunting would require more time, I guess. So, of course, it’s safe to say that I will never become a true hunter or a gatherer in the 21st Century. A: Well, you never know. V: Why? Why? A: Things might change. V: Like internet would disappear? A: Sure, and then you will have to go to the forest to pick up berries and mushrooms. V: And how will we record our podcast conversations then? A: Well, then there will be no podcast conversations. V: The end of SecretsOfOrganPlaying. A: True. V: So, I hope this time will never come, when electricity and internet will disappear, Ausra. A: Well you never know. We might get some strong magnetic storms and internet will be down. V: Mmm-hmm. A: And everything will be down. But anyway, we are just making fun. I think that it’s very important for everybody to find the right balance in their lives, because I think it’s time to work and it’s time to relax. It’s time to practice and it’s time to lay down on sofa. V: You[’re] like citing the bible now. A: Yes. It’s very good actually, story, from Ecclesiastes, yes? V: Mmm-hmm. Cohélet, I think. It’s the same thing but… A: Well, anyway I think, everybody who go to church, knows this story and knows what I’m talking about. V: So, I hope Sally can practice whenever she feels rested and after sleeping and eating, maybe she will get more energy and feel more motivated to practice, right? And maybe tomorrow will be easier day, even at work. You never know how you will feel. Maybe she will have a better rest at night. A: True. V: And then next day will be easier to practice organ as well. Thank you guys for listening and sending your wonderful questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Before we go to the podcast episode for today, I'd like to remind our listeners that less than 24 hours are left to participate in our Secrets of Organ Playing Contest Week 7. The details are here. Don't have a Steem account? No problem, just let me know your desired username and I will create one for you very quickly.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 401, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Jack. And he writes: Dear Vidas, Today I received "Week 3 of Menuet, Polonaise and March Training". And last week I received "Week 2" But I never received "week 1", so would you send me that? (Frankly, I can't remember ordering this particular course but I welcome it: I am so much enjoying organ playing again thanks to your instructions that I play for hours a day now, really making some progress!) Thank you very much, Jack V: Of course, I send the missing week one, to Jack from Menuet, Polonaise and March Training. I guess this week one is not sent separately. But it’s a part of the registration process. As soon as a person confirms his or her email, a new welcome email is being sent to them, and week one material is presented right away, so maybe it got lost somewhere. And because Jack writes that he can’t remember ordering particular course, I checked and he is our Total Organist student so maybe this is part of his Total Organist training too. A: I guess so, yes, because he’s a Total Organist student. V: I want to focus now our discussion on his final words: “I am enjoying so much organ playing again thanks to your instructions that I play for hours a day now, really making some progress!” Do you think that our instruction and advice is helpful and motivating for some people that much that they can sit down on the organ bench and play for hours a day? A: It seems like it is. It’s sort of when organ really catches you, there is no way to get out. V: It’s like a bug. A: Yes, like that. The deeper you go in, the more you enjoy it and you miss it. V: It becomes part of your life. A: That’s true. V: The way of life you tend to think about the organ during the day, not only when you play it. So then you try to arrange your daily activities around your organ practice too, so that sometimes it might become more integral part of the day, and you try not to miss the days that you practice too. A: True. Because it’s real privilege to be able to play such a marvelous instrument as organ, and to such [a] great compositions, of let say, J.S. Bach, and others. V: And I guess our conversations here as a podcast, also serves this purpose, right? Because we answer questions from people from around the world, and people who listen or read the transcriptions of our conversations can feel connected to the people who ask those questions, sometimes, right? It’s also part of the community. Not only Total Organist community which is smaller, but in larger sense, we have thousands of people who are in our Secrets of Organ playing community. It’s just too bad that they don’t have a reliable way to communicate with each other, as Total Organist people have. Because they sometimes want to discuss or get a score that somebody from the community played, but they then send an email to me, and ask me to ask another person—I’m like a middle man, and I don’t want to be that middle man, right? Because it’s not efficient sometimes because it takes time for me to ask this question and then a person to respond to me and I respond to the original question. It might get even a few days after, before the answer is being sent, right? So, what I created is this Telegram Group for Secrets of Organ playing community. And people who are interested in, can join into the discussions, and chat and connecting to each other. That’s part of the community service too. A: Yes, technology can really make life easier... V: Mmm-hmm. A: To some degree. V: Right. It will not replace email I think and still people will get our podcast conversations through email but it’s just as, it’s another channel to contact each other, people from the community. Right? A: True. V: Right. So, we wish Jack and others who are thinking about sitting on the organ bench for several hours a day, success, but also some patience, because sometimes you get immersed in organ music so much that you forget to breathe, forget to walk, forget to take, to have a drink, or take a pause, right?, to forget to eat. Did I say that before, already? A: Somehow I cannot imagine that you would forget to eat. V: Right. You cannot play with an empty stomach. A: True. V: Not you, I mean, I. A: I know. I know that. V: Can you play with empty stomach? A: Yes, I can. V: You’re different. I’m not saying you are better, you [are] just different. A: I’m not saying I’m better, either. V: Good. Let’s be different then, because our listeners are different too. I appeal to one group of people who like to eat and play, and you appeal to other group of people who like to play without eating. A: Well, I eat but I rather do my work first and then eat. V: But sometimes I also forget to eat, especially when I’m immersed in online activities. When I for example, write a blog post, I sometimes skip lunch too. So maybe I’m changing too. Okay guys, we hope this was useful to you. We really enjoy your wonderful questions and developing this community further. And I guess our newer initiative that started in January, Secrets of Organ Playing Contest, is also part of that, right? Because, Ausra, let’s face it—when you play the organ without any external pat on your back, is one thing, but when you get mentioned and honored in front of everybody for winning the contest, that’s another thing, I guess. We already have two entries for our next weeks contest, and I will see those girls in our Unda Maris Studio on Monday, and I’ll ask them, what was their experience. I’m really curious to know because they seem to be progressing in organ playing much faster now. A: True. Because they have new goals every week. V: Mmm-hmm. So guys, if you want to join Secrets of Organ Playing Contest too, but don’t have account on the Steem Blockchain, just send my your desired username. It could be a combination of letters and numbers. And I will create it for you very easily and send the generated password to you, which you have to keep safe because it is the only way to recover your account. So, and then, we, Ausra and I, will be very curious to know what you come up with in your organ playing entries. We really want to see you succeed in organ playing. And contest like this is part of the plan. Thanks guys. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen! SOPP397: I have purchased several of your fingerings of old music and find them extremely useful2/16/2019
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 397 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Rob and he writes: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I have purchased several of your fingerings of old music and find them extremely useful. When I learned to play the organ in the 60s, I was taught a legato style that, for example, discouraged using the same finger consecutively for different notes. It’s liberating to see you doing this all the time, and your method makes my playing feel more natural and more musical. I have two questions. First, is your fingering method standard for 16th-18th c. organ music or is it to some extent personal? Would you and Ausra, for example, come up with essentially the same fingering for any given early piece? Second, following on from that, how important do you think it is for a student to stick closely to your fingerings? Right now I’m learning Bach’s Passacaglia with your fingerings and I like them a lot. But occasionally they lead to my making mistakes that I wouldn't ordinarily make using a more modern style. For example, in mm. 204-7 during the fugue, the left hand has a pattern of arpeggiated 16th notes at intervals of a third, with three descending groups per measure. You finger all three groups 4-2, 4-2, 4-2, which I find hard to play without hitting wrong notes and becoming choppy. It’s much easier for me to use 2-1, 4-2, 5-3. In a case like this, would you recommend that someone try to master your fingerings, as being more authentic and conducive to a better interpretation in the long run, or is it legitimate to adapt them to one’s personal comfort? With thanks and best wishes to you both, Rob V: That’s a very thoughtful response Rob gave us right Ausra? A: Yes, it’s a very nice letter. Answering Rob’s question this fingering that we create, Rob asked if Vidas fingering and my fingering would be exactly the same for the same piece. V: You say it would be exactly the same. A: Well, it would be very similar. That’s what I want to say, that it would be very similar. Maybe they could be different in some particular spots. There might be slight differences but in general I think it would be almost the same or very similar. V: Even though our personalities are different our fingerings are similar. A: Yes, because that’s what baroque music requires and yes, this type of fingering is suited for pieces written between the sixteenth through eighteenth century. Of course you know the more complex music is, Bach for example, the more new ways you have to introduce into your fingering. V: Modern fingering. A: Yes. V: But still avoid finger substitution I think. A: Yes and sometimes if you find a spot which is completely difficult for you to play you might do slight adjustments. About that particular spot in the Passacaglia I think what Vidas meant by making those groups 4-2, 4-2, 4-2 it is that the same intervals are played with the same fingers. In that time it was sort of like a general knowledge because it helps you to articulate because why we need this fingering in order to make Baroque music sound like Baroque music it’s just all based on articulating each note and you could get exactly the same effect with playing and using modern fingering but then you would really have to control yourself very hardly in each measure, in each note. V: Umm-hmm. A: When you are using early fingering then it helps you to do articulation without so much thinking about it. It becomes more natural. V: Yes. A: I don’t know if it makes sense. You can continue my talk. Do you agree? V: I’m looking at this passage in Passacaglia where there are sixteenth note triplets and I write 2-3-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-4. I think this is the spot that Rob refers to because we don’t have measure numbers. A: But it seems like that spot, yes. V: Umm-hmm. The reason I do 2-3-4 is to avoid using the thumb on the sharp keys of the flat keys but in fast tempo you need to be very precise and it’s not very easy. A: And also because you start each triplet with the same finger you have of course to articulate there too. V: Maybe Rob could try the trick that I think is applicable to all organ music in general. Not to lift the fingers off the keyboard. Basically keep them in contact with the keys at all times and therefore the movements will be more economical and maybe more precise, right? What do you think Ausra here? A: Yes, I couldn’t agree more but actually in this spot, yes I would exactly the same fingering that you wrote in. V: Umm-hmm. 2-3-4, 2-3-4, 2-3-4 for the right hand ascending or for the left-hand descending and vice versa. 4-3-2, 4-3-2, 4-3-2 for the right hand descending and left hand ascending. That’s kind of natural to me but if Rob has trouble I think it’s appropriate to change some things to their own hand position but try to avoid finger substitutions, that’s my point. As you said with Bach you can add more modern fingering because he using modern keys and modern figures but still… A: And textures, you need to use almost all fingers at the same time. V: But most of the time you could get away without finger substitutions, most of the time. A: That’s right. Finger substitution in general is not a good thing in Baroque music. V: I have encountered a few places even in Bach where you had to use finger substitution because the texture as you say was like maybe five voices in the hands at the end of the piece you know, not in the middle… A: In cadences where he adds extra voices. V: Then yes but that’s an exception I would think. A: Sure, that’s not a rule. V: Excellent, so that’s the second part of Rob’s question. The first part of his question asks us about if we would use the same fingering for any early piece. I would just add that it depends on the school of composition. The geographical area basically. If it’s Spanish it’s one way, German it’s a little bit different, Italian different, French also should be different because ornaments are different and strong fingers are different. In one area they used 2 and 3 as the stronger fingers and in the left hand they also used 2 and 3. A: But sometimes 2 and 1. V: 2 and 1. A: And actually if you are interested you could study some of iconography related to portative organ. It was very common to paint either Saint Cecelia or angels playing portative organs and sometimes you can see hands very closely and you can even figure out what fingers angel or Saint Cecelia used and it’s a bizarre looking thing. V: I wonder how come there is no iconography of piglets and hedgehogs playing portative organs? A: Probably we never did. V: Maybe they don’t have enough fingers. A: Yes, if you are a pig you only have two fingers so not much of a choice. So natural pair fingering. V: Right. 2 and 3 or 2 and 4. Wonderful guys, please send us your wonderful questions in the future. We love helping you grow. And remember when you practice… A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 390 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Erika. She writes: Pedalboard on the church organ hasn’t been working for a few weeks. I accompany the piano - the piano is the main instrument. But the organ fills in the bass line and adds depth to the sound. So I have had to find another way to bring out the bass to the best of my ability. What I have done during this time is play soprano, alto, and tenor with the right hand and do the bass in octaves with my left hand, keeping it as legato as I can. It’s been a challenge - kinda figuring things out as I go. Thankful that the organ is not the main instrument - it gives me a bit of space to learn this new way of playing and hide my uncertainties. Thankful also that the organ should be fixed soon. But it has been interesting to have to figure out in a different way what the purpose of the organ is at my church and to find another way to accomplish that purpose. V: Have you ever played, Ausra, like that, in octaves with the left hand, and three voices in the right hand? A: Well, hymns on the piano, no. Because, usually, there are possibilities to play piano and to play organ you just pick up the different hymns with different accompaniment—the ones that are suited for piano, because I don’t think it’s such a nice solution to double things in octaves, playing on the piano. V: You mean like a regular hymn chorale tune wouldn’t sound nice? A: Yes, I don’t think so. V: With three voices in the right hand, right? It has to be choral SATB texture. A: If you want to have a prominent bass, maybe you need not to play bass in octaves, but just to play it an octave lower. V: An octave lower, exactly. A: I think it would be better, at least for my understanding of how it goes. V: But then, obviously, the tenor line would not be able to be played with the left hand, because the distance between the bass and… A: But anyway, Erika doesn’t play tenor in the left hand in this case, so… V: Ah, I see. Ok, so, playing it one octave lower, maybe she does that, I don’t know. She doesn’t specify. A: Well, she says that she plays three voices with the right hand, and she plays octaves with the left hand, so it’s very specific. V: But where is this octave? Lower or in the normal range? We don’t know. If it’s in the normal range, then obviously, it would be better to drop one octave lower. A: But I just wonder how she plays those octaves legato, as she says. How is it possible? Unless she uses a lot of the pedal, and then I don’t think it’s very nice, because I think then everything goes very muddy because of her 5 voice texture. V: Yes, it’s hard to know. So in every situation, probably, you need to trust your ears, and even record yourself from a distance, how you sound…. A: But anyway, when you are playing on the piano, don’t try to pretend that you are playing on the organ, because it’s a completely different instrument, and the tricks that you use on the organ don’t work on the piano. So, I don’t think you would have to imitate organ while playing the piano. A piano is a piano, so when you are playing on the piano, just know that you are playing on the piano. V: On the piano you could add piano texture with more arpeggios. A: Sure, that, I think, would be more suitable. V: Make it more lively and moving. Not as stationary, because remember, piano sound fades quickly, and you need some tricks to make it sustainable. A: Sure. V: So, we hope this was useful to you, please keep sending us your wonderful questions, and remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. PS David who transcribed this conversation later clarified the situation: Dear Vidas and Ausra, I don't think that Erika is playing the piano at all. I get the idea that Erika meant that both the piano and the organ are being played on the hymns in the service at the same time by two different people. She is playing the ORGAN, not the piano, and is doubling the base in her left hand while playing three voices in the right hand until her organ pedal board gets fixed (so it would maybe imitate a 16' and 8' in the bass since she probably doesn't have a 16' stop available on the manual). At the same time, someone else is playing the piano (I have been in several churches where the hymns are played on both piano and organ at the same time). In her church, I think she is saying that the piano player leads the hymns, and the organist is more in the background accompanying the pianist. David
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 398, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Hanna, who is our Total Organist student. And, she wanted me to send missing emails for some of the courses—Organ Playing Master Course Level 1, and Pedal Virtuoso Master Course, several weeks. And I’m wondering how that could have been. Sometimes, our MailChimp service that provides emails service to us and sends those messages to the subscribers but they end up in the spam folder. But, in Hanna’s case, she writes that she has checked her spam folder, and then she asks me to send them manually. And sometimes it happens. I’m not sure why, but it’s good that people write to us, right, Ausra? A: Sure. You always can contact us and this will help you. V: Mmm-mmm. Those emails are always setup in advance and the system sends us, for us, automatically, and I just have to go in and fetch some weeks, some contents from these emails, and send it to you manually. Then if you miss a week or two, it doesn’t, it’s not a big deal. And don’t wait for one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight weeks, Hanna misses mainly… A: Yes, you need to contact us sooner. V: Sooner, yeah. If you have a, if an email is supposed to come on Tuesday, and you don’t get that email on Tuesday next week, then maybe on Wednesday you could write us. A: Sure. Because even technology is so advanced nowadays, we still mess up things... V: Yes. A: Time after time, so, sometime. V: Mmm-mm. But it’s easy to fix because we can manually send them to you. A: Sure. V: So I will do that after we record this conversation to Hanna, but Hanna also wants to know something else. She writes: When you send a music score by email, it says it is free to Total Organist students, but doesn't let me download it. Do I have to go into Total Organist after signing in, and find the music score on the list of available music, then download it there? V: And that’s a good question, right, because when, for example, we publish a new organ composition with fingering and pedaling and people get this message in their email inbox, they click on the link, and they are directed to the page that asks them to buy, right? A: Yes. V: It’s our Shopify store. But it’s free for Total Organist students, which means that people who belong to Total Organist students, have to just simply sign in either to their Total Organist profile, or Basecamp profile, and then fetch the scores from there. A: Sure. Seems very simple. V: If it’s total organist profile where they should sign in, then it’s very easy because those scores are listed in the dashboard right away. But if it’s Basecamp they prefer, because for some people Total Organist is problematic to login because of browser issues—I don’t know, sometimes why. So they should go to Basecamp as a backup source, and go to place called ‘Message Board’, I think. Let’s see…yes, when they sign in, you will see their dashboard, and the first thing they see is ‘Message Board’. But in Messages, there are several folders, and on the list downward is ‘Total Organist Training Materials’. If they click there, it’s a backup file for all those training programs and practice materials that we have in Total Organist. So they could click and subscribe and download easily from Basecamp too. A: So I guess it would be smart thing to have both those accounts, on the Basecamp and… V: Yeah. That’s what I’m doing... V: On the Total Organist. V: For Total Organist, for people who prefer to do it on our website, and for people who like Basecamp and communication channels like answering questions and checking with other members, supporting each other, motivating each other—and then it works on Basecamp too. Wonderful! Very specific question and I guess very specific answer is needed here too. A: True. V: So if you have any other questions like that, don’t hesitate to ask us. We will be glad to help you out. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 384 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Pauline. She writes: Good morning! I’m more or less a self learned pianist & organist. I play in church & function. Congregation says my playing is inspiring because my style is different from the standard pianist which is conventional type. Is it important to use correct figuring to play piano or organ when already get used to our own figuring? Is it compulsory to follow every notes or beats from the music sheet? Can we just be more creative? V: I think, Ausra, this question is about how you play your accompaniment from the hymnal, right? Or not? A: I guess this question is broader. V: Broader? A: Yes, you know, the similar problem I encountered last semester when I was teaching at that organists school, and I had two organ students, and one of them, she graduated from the music school, her studies were seven years long when she was in a high school. She was a violinist, so she could play piano, too, since it’s a required instrument in Lithuania for everybody who enters a music school, or almost everybody. But, she didn’t like to sight read music and to play it from the musical score. She would rather do everything by pitch, and we had quite an argument with her, because I tried to convince her that this is not the best way to learn music. Of course, you could do that, but I think that if you don’t want to study music professionally, I would say then you are sort of going to reach a dead end—that’s my opinion—at some point or another. You know, to be an amateur is very good for home musicians, because their music is created in a completely different setting and it serves a different purpose. But if you are a church organist or pianist, or in any way a church musician or choir conductor, it means that you are working with people, with a congregation, and as I told my students that maybe some day you want to have an ensemble or a choir or group of people who would love to help you, to create music together for church, and then, if you are an amateur yourself, and you don’t want to follow the score, and do things in a professional way, how will you teach others to do it? So, I think it’s probably good that some people are more creative than others and they want to add their own stuff, and create their own stuff… that’s ok. And if you’re accompanying hymns, then it’s not bad if you know you will add something to your accompaniment. It’s fine, unless you won’t keep your tempo steady, and the congregation will not be able to sing, leading your accompaniment. But, otherwise, of course you can be creative and add things, but if you are playing living or dead composers’ compositions, then I think you pretty much need to follow a score, because if you would do otherwise, it would be highly unprofessional. V: You cannot improve on Bach, for example. A: Well, what could you do when playing Bach? What I would allow myself to do, sometimes, if the chorale has a repetition, repeated section, which is often the case with German chorales, because it’s written in Bach form, which has A, A, and B sections, so A repeats A, on that repetition, you might add different ornaments. That’s the most of what I can do with Bach. V: What about adding figuration on the repeats? A little more than ornaments. Stylistically appropriate. A: Well, that would still be just an ornament. V: Embellishment. A: Yes, that’s perfectly normal. But, other than that, let’s say you are playing music by Franck… V: Right… A: Would you try to alter something? V: No! A: So, I guess that is my answer to Pauline. V: I guess the melody could be altered, right? But the accompaniment has to stay the same. If you are embellishing a baroque melody, there might be some other options, but they are more technically advanced, which is beyond the scope of this conversation. So, what you are saying is that to add stuff is ok as long as you are still adding value and not playing musically without meaning. It should be meaningful. A: That’s right, because look, if you want to do something different than what is written in a hymnal, you really need to be knowledgeable as to why you are doing this. Is it appropriate to that style? To that hymn? Because otherwise, it would be like, I know in America these beauty competitions used to be popular, which is in itself, I think, a very silly thing. For a grown up woman, yes, it’s ok. But when they do it for little girls, I think it’s ridiculous! I think they look just horrible. That’s my feeling and my opinion about it. V: Like dolls! A: I know! What kind of mother would you need to be to do to your daughter like that? I don’t know what’s the problem with those mothers, but I think they really need to see a shrink! V: Maybe there is a problem with their fathers, too! A: Well, definitely! So, I think it’s in some sort, those little girls that are dressed up like grown-up women with all that makeup and all that stuff, I think they look ridiculous, and it makes me feel so sad! And it’s the same when I listen to music performed with whatever added. V: Without meaning. A: Yes, without meaning. V: So, advice for Pauline and others who may want to add their own creativity to the accompaniment is to do this from the sense of understand what you are doing. Right? Mentally understanding. That would be more appropriate than just rather playing from your ear, whatever sounds good to you at the moment, right? A: Yes, that’s what I would suggest. And you know, you always need to study things, so… V: And you always try to improve yourself. A: Sure, because there are so many opportunities in America to get hymnal accompaniment. V: We don’t know if Pauline is in America. A: Yes, true. But for example, if you could get at least one example of how things are made up, maybe it would give you an idea of how it should be done or could be done. V: But I guess there are many hymnals in other countries, too, and accompaniments. Yes, so, study, improve yourself, and don’t just trust your taste and musical ear. It just is not necessarily developed enough. Right? You have to compare your own work with other written down compositions, and take what’s best from their style, and make it your own. Adapt it. That’s advanced art, I think, we are teaching. But in the end, it’s worth the effort to improve. A: Sure, maybe this road, this way that we suggest is a longer way, and it seems harder at the beginning, but it pays off at the end of it. V: Thank you guys, we hope this was useful to you. Please keep sending us your wonderful questions, we love helping you grown. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 387 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. And this question was sent by Lukasz. He writes: Hi, I suggest You a new subject, with a pinch of salt. Organ playing as a fitness. Yesterday evening I spent more than 1 hour the with Bach trio sonatas. When I've finished, I was completely wet. Maybe You could make a list of pieces that not only builds the skills, but also takes care of the physical form of the organist? ;-) At the beginning of the list of pieces that make me wet I'll put of course Bach trio sonatas. What You will add to this list? What Yours friends from all over the world will add to it? I am very curious to know what Yours experiences are in this matter? V: So, do you think, Ausra, that playing Trio Sonatas by Bach is a good fitness? A: Well, I misunderstood this question, actually. Because if, after playing Trio Sonatas for one hour, you are all wet, it means that you are doing something really, really wrong in your practice. It shouldn’t be like that, because Trio Sonatas are such elegant pieces. I agree that they are hard to play because of the coordination between the hands and the legs, but it’s very graceful music in itself, so you shouldn’t be wet after playing them. V: Maybe the level of Lukasz, for example, isn’t yet suitable for Trio Sonatas, and therefore, it’s very demanding. A: Well, I cannot judge or decide about that, because I haven’t heard him playing, but in general, I don’t think that any organ composition will make you sweat like that. It’s not a normal thing. I think you need to check up on your health state, because it means that something is really wrong with your body. V: What about, well, let’s say Duruflé Toccata? A: Well, I haven’t played Duruflé Toccatas, but I’ve played some difficult pieces by Max Reger, for example. V: Max Reger, yeah, a good example. A: Or other pieces by Maurice Duruflé, but I have never been wet after playing even an entire recital, unless it’s very hot and humid in the room. But, it’s not related with playing. V: What if the instrument itself makes it hard to play, like depressing the keys. A: Still! Have you ever been wet in St. Johns’s Church? V: No, but I’m used to it. Maybe other people could! A: Well, do you think it’s normal to be wet after playing Trio Sonatas? V: Maybe... I’m just trying to guess… maybe there is something in the music itself that makes people sweat. A: Well, but then it’s related not with physical, not with the body, physical things, but more with the mental issues. V: Yeah, for example, your body is very efficiently moving, at least should be moving… remember how contemporaries of Bach describe his movements, that the instrument would play itself and he just barely moves his hands and feet. A: That’s how it should be, because all the movements at the organ needs to be as little as possible, and another thing, you know, I got the impression that Lukasz thinks that after practicing organ, you don’t need to exercise, because the organ does it for you—practicing organ will replace the gym, and that’s a very wrong assumption. That’s… V: Otherwise, you know, we would all be athletes! A: Sure! Yes! Sure, but it doesn’t matter how many hours you practice on the organ, it will not replace the real exercise. V: Movement of the body. A: Yes! So, besides that, you really need to find some physical activities to do, because yes, it would be wonderful if you would just practice organ and that’s it, and you wouldn’t need to do any other exercises or what ever you do… V: Pull-ups, push-ups, or whatever you do, yes, whatever works. A: But you know, I don’t think it’s a good feeling that you feel on the organ as being at the gym. V: But some energy is required when you play. A: Of course, it requires a lot of energy. But I would say that it requires more mental energy than physical energy. V: And this is evident from the fact that when you, for example, or I return to the organ bench after illness, after being sick for a couple of weeks, then it kind of requires a few days to get used to this activity. It’s difficult. It’s probably also physically difficult. A: Sure, but when you are sick and not feeling well, then any kind of activities will give you a lot of pain and struggle. Like now, I had this sinus infection really bad, and had to treat myself with antibiotics, so even eating lunch was a challenge for me, because sometimes I would be so wet that I would have to change my clothes twice during my lunch. V: You know, I would love to do a list of top 10 organ pieces to improve your biceps. A: I don’t think you can find it! V: Or top 10 organ pieces to improve your abs, to have six-pack abs, but it wouldn’t be fair. A: But what I could tell you, and I think it’s true, if you have good muscles in your body, especially the abdominal area, it will really ease your playing pieces like Trio Sonatas. V: Top 10 pieces that will make your yoga practice seem like a kindergarten! That would be fun. A: But you know, I think that for different people, different pieces present different challenges. For example, for me, it was really never hard to play Trio Sonatas, and I’m saying this, not because I want to show off, but because it’s really easy for me to control three single voices. It can be hard but still be only three of them, and it’s pretty easy for me to control them. But, in the thick textures where I need to stretch my arm a lot, I struggle very hard. And, for example, for me, it’s much easier to play, let’s say Duruflé, than to play Max Reger, because some of his textures are just almost impossible for my hands to play and to reach. V: What about Petr Eben’s Laudes? A: Well, still it was much easier than I expected when I played it. V: What about…. A: Of course that written gives trouble, you really need to learn how to count, but as soon as you really force yourself to count, then everything is just fine, because still, Eben played organ himself, and he knew what to write and what fits the organ, so he didn’t write something impossible to play. V: It fits the hand. A: Yes! It fits the hand pretty nicely, actually. V: I see. You know what we could do, is to give the top 10 organ music for listeners fitness! Organ plays, and listeners jump around and run around the church in the meter of 3/4 or 4/4. A: Well, and you know, for example, if I would like to torture myself, I would probably have to pick up and play a big cycle of Olivier Messiaen, especially of his late cycles, and then I would think I would not even be wet, but I would probably even cry, because, well…. V: You would sleep like a baby. A: Yes, and you know, people often say that if you don’t like somebody, some compositions or some composer, you probably don’t know anything in depth about his style or his ideas, and with Messiaen, it’s that I really know his style very well, because I analyzed it so many times in great detail about all his compositional techniques and his philosophy. And sometimes, I like to listen to his music, but it’s such a challenge to play, because of his very very slow tempi, you need to be very patient, and of those rhythmic values added…. V: Added rhythmic values, yes…. A: It’s just so horrible. Try to count yourself…. V: It’s called additive rhythms, yes? A: Yes. V: Thanks, guys! We hope this was useful to you. Please remember to exercise not only your mind, but your body, besides playing the organ, because in general, it’s a sitting activity, and sitting activity is not very healthy for your body. A: Sure. V: And please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen!
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 395, of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Leon. And, he writes: Dear Vidas: Until today I thought I had made a lot of progress in this. But found out there is still a significant way to go. My organ is in the garage. This winter is not as bad as last, but tonight the low will be -7/8 C. The garage usually gets 5-8 C above that. I have a space heater aimed at the pedal area so it heats fairly well. I have used fingerless wool gloves until now. Today I got some stretch nylon gloves, actually made for women. Perfect: warm, and in order to not slip off the black keys, and even the white keys from moving larger intervals, I have to play even more lightly. As Speedy Gonzales says, Andale, Andale Hariba! V: So, this was Leon’s probably, recommendation for people to experiment with stretch nylon gloves. Have you ever had those women’s gloves, Ausra? A: Yes, I have them. V: I think that you had a least once. I remember this occasion, during your wedding, or our wedding. A: During our wedding. Or you think I got married to myself only, without you? V: Yes. No. I don’t know. A: I had beautiful gloves. V: Those were nylon right? A: Yes, and they were very long. V: Did you play organ during your wedding. A: No! I did not. V: Who played organ during your wedding? A: Oh, classmate. Your classmate—Giernas. V: Giernas. A: And he screwed up right at the beginning. V: Girenas name is spelled G-i-r-e-n-a-s. A: And we have recording of it, because he had to perform a hymn to Holy Ghost… V: Uh-huh. A: And he screwed up right in the first measure. V: Veni, Creator Spiritus. A: That’s right. V: Mmm-hmm. So it was a time to wear nylon gloves. Do you think that such kind of gloves would work for organ playing in the winter? A: Well, they might, but I guess you would still have to remove the tips of the finger. V: Mmm-hmm. You know what I’m using now when it’s cold? In our church is warm because it’s heated but whenever I’m travel someplace to play in the winter, I take with me also women’s gloves. But they’re not nylon, I guess. But they stretch and they fit very well on my fingers or my hands, and I cut off the fingertips, and now I can play just about at any speed, even in the winter. They work very well too. A: Yes, but what a courage to practice in the garage during winter time. Don’t you think it requires some admiration from our side, on our side? V: Uh, you mean, admiration that the organ is placed in such a cold place, or that Leon is practicing in cold place? A: That Leon is practicing in such a place. V: Mmm. A: During wintertime. V: Poor instrument then. A: Well, if it’s electronic then I don’t think it matters so much. V: Mmm-mmm. A: If it’s pipe organ, then yes. It’s not so good. V: Maybe Leon will write about his instrument next time too. A: Although I don’t think it’s much warmer, let’s say in the village churches in Lithuania where the pipe organ stands, so… V: Certainly not! Mmm-hmm. A lot of churches in Lithuania is extremely cold during the winter and actually below freezing temperatures. A: I guess that the heat and humidity damages organ more than the cold weather. V: True. And nowadays of course, most people have electrical heaters positioned next to the organ bench, but depending on the power of the heater and the position of the instrument itself, if it’s a large room or not, then it might be enough of heat. A: Well, it’s funny because I just now thought about that Leon keeps his organ in the garage, and actually our organ is built in a room, where used to be a garage. V: Uh-huh. A: Interesting. V: Yes. Should I go find your nylon gloves? A: Yes! Why not. V: And, do you still keep them? A: No, actually. I borrowed them. They were not mine… V: Mmm-hmm. A: Gloves. V: So you don’t have any nylon gloves now… A: No. V: With you. I would be really interested to try out, without the need to cut the fingertips, because I presume it works for Leon. He didn’t cut the fingertips. A: Well, it might work for some types of compositions, for example, for hymn playing. V: Mmm-hmm. A: But if you would want to play something more sophisticated then I think it wouldn’t work. V: But if it fits really nicely on the hands, maybe it’s not a problem then. A: But it might be too slippery. V: Too slippery, you say. A: Yes. V: Yes. He writes that, ‘in order to not slip off the black keys, and even white keys’ he has to play ‘even more lightly’. A: So, but if you have, for example thick texture, then the light touch might not help. V: Right. It’s amazing how people come up with various solutions for combating cold weather. A: Yes, and it shows a real courage. I admire Leon so much for that. V: Approximately, a few days ago. before we recorded this conversation, in America, in the Midwest, they had very cold weather. A: I’m glad we are not in America any more. I wouldn’t survive such a low temperature. V: I wonder if any organists suffered from that cold. Guys, if you live in the Midwest, please write to us how did you survive the extremely cold Arctic weather. It’s really interesting. Did you, how did you keep yourself warm? Did you burn books, hymnals, or tax books? A: How funny! Ha, ha! V: (Laughs). A: It’s like from that movie, ‘The Day After Tomorrow’. V: Yeah. A: And some photos that we saw from America actually looked a little bit similar to that movie. V: Yes. Only Statue of Liberty was not frozen. A: I don’t think it was, wasn’t probably so cold in New York City. V: Mmm-hmm. A: It just had more like Michigan, and I think Ohio, then Minnesota, Illinois. V: Are you ready for Spring, Ausra? A: Oh yes, but we still have to wait for it. V: Mmm-hmm. Okay guys. Please keep warm during those final weeks of winter wherever you are. Of course if you’re in the summer hemisphere, you have, summer. A: That's right. in Australia, for example. V: Right. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen! |
DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.Thank you!You have successfully joined our subscriber list. Authors
Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
Categories
All
Archives
July 2024
|