Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start Episode 237 of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Jeremy, and he writes: I’m trying to speed up the Toccata from the Suite Gothique by Leon Boellmann. I am planning on playing the entire work for church in two or three weeks: Chorale and Minuet for Prelude, Prayer for Offertory, and Toccata as Postlude. I've played the Prayer a couple times as preludes or offertories over the past year. I've got the Toccata up to 100 to the quarter note. Any tips on speeding it up? V: So, this is one of the most popular toccatas for organ, right Ausra? A: It is! And probably one of the least complicated. V: People who want to start paying French toccatas probably would need to practice this, first. A: Yes, this is a good good piece for starters. So, how would you speed it up? V: My classical method of learning the piece, or any type of organ composition, up to speed is this: At first, I learn the music, if I cannot do this all parts together, then I do parts separately and then do combinations of 2 lines, and then three parts all together. How does it sound so far? A: Yes, it sounds good! The other thing that I’m thinking, is that because as was mentioned in the question, that there is not so much time left, actually. I don’t know if he will be able to push up the tempo a lot. But I’m thinking about the theme of this toccata, and for me, it seems that if he would compare various toccatas, this one is not as fast as some others, I would say. Definitely not as fast as, for example, Duruflé’s toccata from the suite. V: Right. I remember playing this piece when I was a student in the early stages at the academy of music in Vilnius. So, I presume that Jeremy, by now, can play the piece with all parts together. And he writes that he can do that about 100 beats per minute. So that’s good. So, if you can do, let’s say slowly, but all parts together, then the next stage that I suggest is to start playing at the concert tempo, whatever it is in your opinion, maybe 120, maybe not too fast, I think 120 is probably maximum, I would suggest, for people who have not played for decades, and many many instruments before—with not too much experience. A: True. V: So, play this piece in a concert tempo, but only a shortest fragment imaginable. Maybe one quarter note, one beat, at the concert tempo, and then stop. And then, you have to look and imagine what’s ahead one beat further. And then you prepare for that beat, and then play it also, very very fast. And then stop again at the next beat. And so you do, several times, the entire piece, but while stopping every beat. What do you think, Ausra? A: Yes! This is exactly your method, how you work. Not exactly my method, but it could work, I think, very well. V: What would you have suggested, Ausra? A: As I always have taught, a hundred times, I would work in combinations, I would find the places where I would place accents, correctly, and definitely I would sing the melody in the bass. This would help me. V: My method is for very patient people, right? A: True. And I don’t have such patience. V: Then, I would play a longer fragment—maybe two beats, and then stop. And then four beats, so basically one measure. Then two measures at a time. Then maybe an entire line, then two lines. Then one page, then two pages, then four pages, and then the entire piece, I believe. A: True. I think that’s also nice if you don’t have access to the organ all the time. If you have access to the piano. For this particular Toccata, it’s nice to play the hand parts, manual part on the piano, and then really to sing that bass. V: Hmm. Right. A: It would work, I think, Nicely. V: What’s the reason people cannot play fast. A: Well, lack of, probably, muscle strength in the fingers. V: Finger independence? A: Finger independence, coordination problem between hand and feet. It could also be some inner problems, like being afraid of a fast tempo, too. Some people are afraid of fast tempos. So, it could also be a little bit psychological. Because a fast tempo, we often think that it’s something very hard, and I think that this thought gives us more of a struggle. V: I see. A: Don’t you think so? V: Right. I agree with you, because speed is a very relative thing. A: True. And also, I think if you would listen to YouTube recordings, in many of those, there is such a fast tempo, if we are talking about toccatas or some other virtuosic pieces. But not everybody has to play at the same tempo, because if you are technically very capable, then yes, play it very fast—as fast as you can. But if you are making mistakes, if you are not ready yet, then you would sound comic, and you will just make people laugh at you. V: So, I think Jeremy can play 100 beats per minute in a stable tempo without making too many mistakes. A: Because, you know, sometimes when an organist is not ready to play in as fast a tempo as he or she wants, and he or she tries to do it, it sounds comic. V: Yeah. A: So, you need to take such a tempo that you could still be able to control things. V: Also, people who can’t play fast usually don’t practice much on the piano. Maybe I’m wrong, but it could be that Jeremy has an electronic organ at home. A: Could be also. You know, electronic organ doesn’t help so much. V: Unless they have some keyboard with resistance, Right? A: True. V: Which is quite rare. A recent innovation, I think. A: Because it’s hard to develop your finger muscles while playing electronic keyboard. V: Remember our friend Paulus, who works in St. Joseph’s parish, here in Vilnius? He actually complains sometimes that he has to play an Allen digital organ. A: Isn’t this Johannus? V: Yeah, Johannus, Yeah. But still, digital and very easy to depress keys, and then he has to play sometimes on mechanical action organs like at Saint John’s church or the cathedral. And whenever he comes over, he is very much stressed out about the strength needed. Right? So a real organ with real resistance is, I think, a beautiful thing. So I think people should spend as much time as possible playing on real instruments plus piano, too, because it’s a real thing. A: Yes. I agree. V: And then their technique will develop much faster, and getting up to speed will not be that big of a problem. Yeah? A: Yeah. V: So, guys, please apply our tips in your practice. We certainly know they work for us, and we hope it will work for you, too. And please send more of your questions. We love helping you grow. This was Vidas, A: And Ausra. V: And remember. When you practice, A: Miracles happen.
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[Listen to the audio version of this conversation here]
A: What about originality in organ improvisation? V: Good question. I think a lot of people start with copying others, in any medium--in visual arts, in poetry, if you write a poem, right? If you read a lot of poems by other poets, you fall in love with them, and you create something similar. So with improvisation it’s kind of the same: you try to copy the style of your favorite composers. And a lot of people try to imitate Bach, which is probably one of the last texts we should do, because he is so advanced! It’s better to imitate some of his students, right--or masters before Bach, if you want to imitate anyone at all. And I think this stage is good, because it allows us to learn the basics of compositional technique, or improvisation. I don’t feel there is much difference between improvisation and composition. Composition is just written down, on paper or with the computer, and improvisation is the same composition but performed at the same time as it is being created. A: But don’t you think that written compositions are more elaborate and, you know...better in some ways? V: It depends on how far you have advanced in expressing your ideas. If you can come up with new ideas fast enough, it would be advanced, right? Many people can play double fugues, or triple canons. A: Really? V: Yes. And it seems like a supernatural skill to people who are, for example, not musicians at all; or, look, nonmusicians even marvel that you are playing with pedals. Right? A: Haha. But I don’t think nonmusicians can appreciate a double fugue very well. I think only a musician can do it. Because if you don’t know it’s a double fugue, then why would it matter? V: Okay, maybe I went to far with this. Maybe other musicians, right? A: Yes, I think other musicians, yes. V: Who have never created before, but only played double fugues themselves. Right? Let’s say organists who played double fugues by Bach, and heard some organist improvise a double fugue. And it is possible, but it takes probably tens of thousands of hours of practice to do this. And I’m just wondering if there is a point of mastering that isolated technique--this is a technique, double fugue or canon or imitative technique--what matters is that you create something. For people who want to do this, this is the way to do this. And for others, they feel that it limits their expression. They don’t want to imitate any other style that they know before; they probably want to express their own unique (or not so unique, haha, maybe) musical ideas, right? Invent in the moment--whatever comes out. What do you think? A: Very interesting. Fascinating subject, actually. V: Why? A: Because there can be so many ways, you know, and so many ideas, how to go about something like this. Do you think sometimes it would be good to just compose some compositions first? V: Both ways. You can compose and improvise, and vice versa, right? It feeds off each other, right? We have talked about it before, I think. And it feeds your performance as well. It’s like a very good symbiosis--creativity and performance. A: Don’t you think that some improvisers could just compose a composition, write it down, and then learn it by heart, and to play, and then say it’s improvisation? V: Yes...but why? Why would they do this, if they could improvise a second composition maybe 5 minutes later? A: Well, I’m talking about not-so-advanced improvisers. V: Oh. A: Just, you know, beginners. V: I know. We’ve all been there. It’s a beginning stage: we are afraid of making mistakes when we improvise, so we write it down, and memorize. Or even, not write down, but maybe repeat, repeat, repeat, the same thing over and over, until we memorize it. I did that myself, and you can listen to it on YouTube, a few improvisations of my own from earlier times. And I’m not ashamed of putting them out there for people, because this is probably how other people might start. Not all of them, but some, definitely, who love to imitate other styles. I loved imitating Bach and Krebs, for example, at that time. And now I do something different. This is just evolution, I think. A: Evolution! I like this word. V: So, what did you do differently, Ausra, ten years ago, that you’re doing differently now? You surely also evolved! A: Hahahaha! Or I devolved, maybe! That’s also a possibility! V: Or revolved! Evolution or revolution! A: Yes. I think my life moved me in a different direction, a little bit--more in the music theory field. V: This is good, for your intellectual mind. A: Well yes, I guess it is. V: Before that, for example--before you were moved into the music theory world--were you able to analyze your pieces so well as you can do today? A: I was able to analyze, but probably not as deep as I can do now. V: Because you’re teaching others. A: True. But basically, while in these years of teaching music theory, I’ve lost the ability to speak, basically, because all I do is...I’m trying to teach others with as few words as possible. Because I realized if you tell your students too many words, they will not remember those. And it is quite a hard thing to do, to teach a new subject in only a few words. V: Do you sometimes encourage your students to teach less-advanced students in their class? A: Sure. I think that’s a very good way to learn. V: Their friends? A: Yes. And some people are just very natural about teaching others, and sometimes they find better ways and better words to explain things. V: So, you’re a teacher, right? You have students to teach who are less advanced than you. Do you feel that you’re a student yourself, today, even though you have practiced for many many decades? A: Well, yes, in a way because I still can find new things. V: And you can learn from either people who are more advanced than you, or music which was composed before. A: True, true, true. Especially from music. V: Or instruments. A: Yes. Because in studying compositions, you can see how those rules that you teach others apply to reality. V: Mhm. And do you feel that you have your colleagues who are on your own level? A: Well, you know, too bad that some of them are still...haven’t left the classroom, and they just stick very strictly to the theory books… V: Mhm. A: And don’t try to look beyond the horizon to real examples of musical pieces. V: But you’ve got me! A: I know. V: So, if I can say, we’re colleagues at this, too, right? A: True. V: So you have students, you have teachers, and you have colleagues, right? Like friends. A: Yes. V: So people who are more advanced than you, who are equal to you, and less advanced than you. And all three levels are very important to probably any person. A: True, true. V: Right? So, as a closing idea, would you encourage our listeners to go out and seek out those people around themselves? A: Sure, of course. Because it’s very important to have somebody whom you can teach, or help. Help, I would say--yes, that’s a nicer word, probably. And then, it’s always good to have somebody whom you can learn from, too. V: Mhm. A: So it goes both ways, I think. V: And people who are equal to you. A: True, true, true. V: On the same level. Who can basically support each other. A: Yes, you can support and you can share your ideas. V: Thank you guys; this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions; you see how far we can go from the original question to the ending of this conversation! But we do hope it was useful to you, and inspiring, at least in some way. And please write more of your feedback and experiences; we would love helping you grow and discussing that on the show. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start Episode 235 of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Ron. He writes: Hi Vidas and Ausra, Thank you guys! What a wonderful response to my email note to you. You’ve got me right, and I feel you understand my level of playing (yes, at home, and lucky that I have an organ for that reason.) I am paying attention to this, and I am going to try this ha-ha-no-longer-secret model. Yes, and I love Cesar Franck, too. What is very nice about your blog-podcast is that Ausra and Vidas are like a Socratic dialogue, and by bouncing things off of each other, so much more information comes out and is expressed. Your comments contain a wealth of information and understanding. I really appreciate this, it is very inspiring, and will keep us moving forward. Cheers, Ron V: So, this is a very pleasant comment, right? A: Yes, it is a very nice letter. It’s nice to know that people appreciate what we are doing. V: I think Ron wrote us about the question with improvisation. Remember, we talked about how you can take any organ composition and apply it as a model. A: Yes, I think we talked about it, yes. V: And Ron, apparently, participates in our improvisation contests on Steamit. A: That’s very nice. I actually enjoy his improvisations a lot. V: And he’s improving. Advancing every week. A: True. You know, if you will do that on a daily basis, you definitely will improve. It cannot be any other way. V: How many years does it take to reach perfection, Ausra? A: Well, I would say it’s never perfect. So, it takes many years. V: And even at the end it’s not perfect. A: True. V: But every day is better than the last, right? A: That’s also true. V: So that’s what we strive for—to be better ourselves than yesterday. And not necessarily to compare ourselves with others. A: True. V: Do you have this habit of comparing Ausra with the masters? A: Well, I had it before, earlier in my life, yes. I would compare myself to others. V: To whom? A: Well, other famous organists. But you know, then finally I realized that you cannot compare yourself to others, because you are not in the same situation as they were. So, it really doesn’t matter. V: They never were in your shoes? A: True. So each of us is unique with our own unique history. V: And also you unique experiences and talents. A: True. V: And, what is more important, combinations of those talents. A: That’s right, so… V: For example, a lot of people play the organ. Right? And if you compare yourself to others, you are just one in a million, or one in a hundred thousand—how many organists are playing on the Earth, I don’t know. Right? A: Right. V: But, you might have another hobby besides that. And then two hobbies combined, organ plus that other activity, you are already in the minority. Right? So, if you combine even the third activity that you are doing, then you are definitely unique on Earth, I think. Three things is more than enough to combine in order to be original. A: Yes, that’s true. Do you think it’s important to be original? V: No. I think somebody wiser than me said anyone who strives to be original never will be original. A: Interesting. V: Because originality is not the point. I think the point is something else. What is the point, Ausra? A: Well, it depends on what we are talking about, because now when you talked about originality, I started to think about modern music. V: Yeah. A: And there was at some point that you had to show something original in your composition. If you wouldn’t do that, your composition would be “bad.” V: And in certain circles, there is still this idea that you have to be original. You have to invent something. A: But, I think that so much ugly music was composed… V: Because of this. A: Because of this yes, of trying in any way to be original. V: And forgetting another concept. Not originality, but beauty. A: True! But of course, when we are talking about beauty, you know, everybody has his own understanding of what beauty is. What’s beautiful music? V: What’s a beautiful flower? Would you agree that any flower is beautiful? A: Probably, yes, maybe with some exceptions. V: Yeah, like a weed, right? A: Yes. V: But still, when the dandelions or something, when they blossom they are beautiful. A: True. But not on my lawn, probably! V: Yeah. Tell them, “Get out! Find a new home!” A: Yes, it’s true. V: Our neighbors. A: Mhm. V: So, nature is always beautiful, and a man who imitates nature in earlier days, human endeavor also wanted to express beauty in this way, too. But today, simulating nature is not the point. Right? No longer the point. A: Yes! Because now, you just take a picture if you want to simulate nature. That’s the easiest way to do it. V: But if you take a picture, and a million other people take a picture, your picture will get lost, right? Because it’s just like any other picture. Of course, you could add your own unique touch. Something that, you know, other people would not do. And that’s enough, I think, to be original. To express yourself, your own experience. A: So how would you apply it to the organ? V: To organ performance, or organ creativity? A: Both! V: Let’s say in organ performance, when you have a composition which is created many years ago by the masters, and hundreds of other people are playing the same piece, they’re not playing the same piece in the same way. A: But do you think that originality is very important when you are playing, let’s say, standard organ repertoire? V: It depends how far you can go, right? We’ve all heard those strange performances of, let’s say, standard works, where originality is too strident, Right? Too obvious. And probably it distracts you from the piece. A: But I guess the more famous you are, the more eccentric you can become. You know? If you are performing, then nobody will say, “Oh look how he played.” Because, “Oh wow, yes, he can do it, he’s a star.” Do you know what I mean? V: I know what you mean! Ton Koopman, right? A: I know! V: We went to his recital last summer in the festival here in Vilnius. And his tempi were like maybe one third too fast. A: And he’s a virtuosic performer, definitely. It was one of the most excellent performances that I’ve heard in my life. But still, some of those tempi raised for me a lot of questions. But you know, how can you doubt him? He’s star. V: He can do whatever he wants, right? A: True. V: And you and me, if we played this way…. A: I know or somebody else would do it, people would just think it’s crazy. V: But, if you did it long enough, this would become part of your brand—part of your trademark. A: Well, it’s also like Joris Verdin playing Franck. Very fast, no ritenuto at the end of a piece. Just gone, like a wind! V: Right, because he discovered something about the discrepancies with the earlier metronome and the modern metronome markings. And it’s how it is devised, this metronome. So he says that in Franck’s day, metronomes were beating faster. And that’s why Franck’s music, in his view, should sound more virtuosic. [This discussion continues in the next podcast episode. Stay tuned… And please send more of your questions. We love helping you grow.] Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 234 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. This question was sent by Tomeu, and he writes, Dear Vidas, Thanks a lot for your advice about how to improvise Prelude in Bach’s style. It is very interesting and useful how the information is organized. I keep following you. Kind Regards. Ausra, I think he is talking about this 9-day or 10-day mini course about playing keyboard preludes in the style of Bach. Remember the time when we were studying in Lincoln University of Nebraska? A: Yes, I remember that. V: And in the last year, I wrote this dissertation about improvising preludes in Bach’s style. A: I remember it, yes. V: It was an experiment to take keyboard preludes out of Wilhelm Friedemann’s Klavierbüchlein that Bach created for his eldest son, and try to take them as models, as exercises to develop one’s skill in improvising a free type of keyboard-based compositions without the pedals in the Baroque style. And I did that; and then later, when I came back to Lithuania, and we started this internet online organ teaching activity, I thought maybe some of those chapters would fit into teaching, you know--not as a book, but maybe as a course. And I converted the first chapter into the free 9-day mini course. And then, the rest of the dissertation came into a longer prelude improvisation formula. So that’s how it all started. Of course, I revised and expanded this dissertation a little bit, because at first it was my own experiment with little real-life application; but then I tried it out on other people, and got feedback, you know. So...I did it like that. So I think Tomeu is talking about this type of course. A: I think you did a great job, and I’m glad that you went back to it, and revised it, and recycled it and refreshed it. Because I think it’s very valuable. V: Even though it’s not, probably, something that will enable anyone to master the entire Bach style, right? It’s just one side of how to approach beginner’s improvisation until a certain point--until you master cadences, sequences, harmonic progressions, and put them together into a coherent structure to create maybe a 2-3 minute piece. But it doesn’t talk about fugues; it doesn’t talk about chorale preludes. Things like that are too complex for this intent. A: But still, I think it’s a good beginning, you know; if you could master preludes like this to improvise a prelude like this, I think you would be ready to move forward to do other things, maybe to improvise a fugue or fughette. V: That’s what I thought, because it’s all based on harmonic foundations. If you have knowledge of sequences, cadences, and how to put several chords together, how to modulate, and maybe to steal some ideas about figuration from Wilhelm Friedemann’s Klavierbüchlein...Sometimes you can even borrow from other sources, if you are curious and playing other repertoire. That’s why we say, analyze your own pieces that you’re playing, and maybe you’ll find something worth borrowing. A: Yes, because if you take any piece, you’ll always find sequences, cadences...They will all have something similar. V: Yes, and then, you can even transpose your piece to every single key. Remember, Ausra, how much fun you had? A: Yes, transposing Handel. V: Transposing Handel! Was it fun, really? A: Yes, it was very fun. V: Would you repeat it today? After this conversation let’s do it--to 24 keys! A: Hahaha! Well you know, now, after teaching harmony and theory for so many years, I don’t think I would have trouble to transpose them in any given key. V: Actually you were my first student of that method book. A: True. V: In Lincoln. Of course, my first student was myself, but it doesn’t count, probably. But for other people I taught, you were my guinea pig. Right? Would you like to be my guinea pig again? A: No. No, I wouldn’t. V: Maybe I could be your guinea pig! A: No. V: Why not? A: I don’t like to torture others. Hahaha! V: Hahaha! A: But that’s just a joke, really. His suggestions are really worth listening to, and trying, too. V: That means a lot, to hear that kind of compliment from the closest person in the room. A: Good! V: Because she knows me inside out, right? And she knows my weaknesses and strengths...and maybe more weaknesses than strengths, right? A: Well, I know both well enough, I think. V: So, it really means a lot when you say this. So today, of course, you can choose to try out our mini course. And it’s not long; it’s just 9 days (or maybe an additional day at the end of it, for recapitulation); but it will give you a good overview of what could be done with any other keyboard prelude. This mini course is based on just 1 keyboard prelude from that Klavierbüchlein for Wilhelm Friedemann Bach. And Prelude improvisation formula, which naturally comes afterwards, deals with, I think, 15 or 16 more. 16 more--that’s why it’s a 16-week course. But you can, as we are saying, apply the same foundation you learn from those 9 beginning days to any other style, I would say--any other composer. Even if you don’t like Bach, and you still try this mini course, you will learn that you can turn the page of your favorite organ composer...Let’s say your favorite is Guilmant, ok? Or Franck, or Mendelssohn, or something from the 20th century, could be. You open that book, and you will see patterns, which could be isolated and practiced and transposed and memorized, and they will become your own. And then you collect as many patterns from other pieces of the same composer, and then you use those patterns in a different order. Right Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right. V: And you will create something similar, but something different, as well. It will be like The Lost Piece of Franck, or Long-Forgotten Organ Sonata by Mendelssohn. Right? Or the Seventh Symphony by Vierne, you know? A: True. And I think in general, while working with your improvisation course, it will teach you to study written compositions in a completely different way. I think you will be more skillful to recognize things in the real compositions--to see how the piece is put together, to see behind the composer’s mind. V: Who taught you this phrase, “how the piece is put together”? A: George Ritchie. V: Ahh. I see. You like him? A: Yes, he was a great teacher and mentor. And a friend. V: Yes. A: And he still is. V: They visited us in Vilnius many years ago. A: Yes. Not so many--a few years ago. V: A few years ago, yeah. Maybe we can visit them, too. But it’s a long flight. A: True. Too bad that Atlantic Ocean exists. We need to bring America closer to Europe. V: Yes. Maybe that legendary continent Atlantis, if it existed now, it would be much easier to cross! A: Yes. V: Excellent, guys. So, be fearless today, and try out something new, and look at written organ compositions in a new way: what could you borrow? And you will actually see for yourself that you will gain, at the end of the day, much more than simply just playing the music, right? A: True. V: You will probably start to feel a little hunger or thirst for your own creativity to develop, to flourish, little by little--in any field, not only in music. But you will want to make something which hasn’t been done before. A: That’s right. V: Thank you guys, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen. This conversation continues from previous podcast episode: AVA232 where David asked how often we improvise in a church service.
Listen to AVA233 here. Vidas: So yeah, we imagine that those masters were superhumans, superheroes, and in a sense, they were! Right? But, we all have that inner power to do something outside of our comfort zone, because the first step for Bach, probably, was also to surpass his own current level. He never did something twice, probably. Once he managed to do something that is working, he always tried to create something new. And this is quite scary, you know? Because, if it’s working, why change it? You could do like some of his students did, like writing all over the same type of compositions. But, if you do that, our advancements will not be as great, and a contribution to humanity. Ausra: So, that’s coming back to the original question… how much? How many times do you need to improvise? I think it’s up to you actually to decide. V: As many times as you can comfortably say that you are not sacrificing, perhaps, your site reading, also practice. Because site reading is also important. A: And the quality of the service, and as long as the congregation is not complaining about your improvisations. V: Yes. For example, when I go to Saint John’s church, when they invite me, which is very rare nowadays because they prefer guitar music and synthesizers, and just once in a while when those guitarists are not able to show up, they ask me. And when I’m able and I’m in town, then I go and play everything on the organ. Almost nothing from the score, because it’s so rare, I want to show the organ side of the service. And everyone knows that, that this is me who is playing, and this is me who is specializing in improvisations, you know? But for everyone it is different, right? Maybe David, at first, would be brave enough to improvise just once a month if he plays four Sundays. Or maybe twice a month, you know? It’s not that big a deal. You could even improvise once a week, just for one setting—for communion, you know? Or part of the communion. If communion is five minutes long or more sometimes, you could do a two minute improvisation. And then the rest of it could be hymns or service music. What do you think Ausra? A: Yes, that’s right, I think. That’s a very good suggestion. V: You don’t have to go all in, in that, for improvisations. You can just dip your toes in the water and see if it’s something you can pursue in the future—if it’s something you can envision perfecting later on in years to come—maybe in decades to come. What do you think Ausra. A: Yes, I think that’s very nice. Although don’t improvise so much that you forget to play a repertoire as well. V: That’s what I’m saying. A: You always need to find the right balance. V: Because improvisation feels your repertoire playing. You’re starting to recognize patterns in written down compositions. You’re starting to look at how the piece is put together so that you could also learn from the piece, and maybe steal some ideas and use them in your own playing. And, vice versa, when you improvise, it also helps you to play the repertoire. A: That’s right, I think it goes both ways. V: For example, remember, Ausra, when I played Passacaglia by Bach the last time for Bach’s birthday recital, A: Yes, I remember! V: and I had this faintest idea at the last minute, basically, just before the recital, I never practiced this type of playing, but I thought of playing a cadenza after the fermata towards the end of the fugue in Passacaglia where the Neapolitan chord is held, and maybe I have heard somebody do that maybe decades ago, could be. Or maybe I heard that done in other pieces. But, I’d never done this before in Passacaglia. What was your reaction, Ausra, without complimenting me too much. A: Well, I was surprised, I was shocked a little bit! I liked it. It was so dramatic that it almost made me smile. V: And, of course, since I’d never done this before on that piece, I had to come out of this cadenza somehow skillfully, and I didn’t! You know? Anyone who heard the recording might have felt, maybe, that I was searching for the right arpeggio or the right final note to finish the flourish. But I didn’t panic, I found that note, it wasn’t how I would do in the future, and actually, I did practice for a couple of weeks later on, this Passacaglia, for another performance, and I played this cadenza every time something different. And I don’t know which version was better! So you could add to existing organ compositions, too, if you learn this style and skill. A: Yes, because sometimes cadenzas are risky, because if they will be completely out of style you might ruin the entire piece. V: Remember we heard in our philharmonic hall... A: Yes, that’s what I thought about.. V: written down cadenza for what? For Mozart’s piano concerto. A: Yes. But it was a professional composer who did it, and actually he’s quite famous in Lithuania, and he wrote a cadenza in his style, completely out of Mozart’s style, and I think it was quite disgusting, at least for my taste. What do you think? V: Yes and no. You know, it’s so surprising, it actually was shocking but… A: I felt like you are eating soup and you suddenly find a worm in your soup, or a fly. V: What if you like worms? A: Well, I don’t! V: Then this is like a delicacy, right? A: Ooy!!!! Yuck!!! V: Yuck! Nice! So guys, be fearless, basically. Whatever you do, you will not be as good at the beginning as later on. If you have played organ repertoire for years, and now want to dip your toes in improvisation, you will inevitably play worse than repertoire. And you will feel “Oh, I’m not good, I shouldn’t even try.” Right? That’s what I thought at the beginning. And, in fact, somebody wrote about my improvisations, that… how’d they say? A: “Essentially very ugly...in places” V: “Essentially very ugly in places” after one competition. You see? So after this comment, somebody with poor self esteem might have stopped playing altogether. A: Yes, but now that man is dead who commented on you like this, but you are still alive and still improvising. V: Exactly. So, continue practicing everyday, even as little as 15 minutes, and in one year, you will probably see a miracle happen, right? It’s a nice ending of our conversation, because remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen! Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 232 of Ask Vidas and Ausra podcast. This question was sent by David. He writes: So...I keep hearing you and Ausra saying to improvise for service music during communion etc. How often do you improvise for a service? Every week? Once a month? That certainly seems much more doable than learning 27 pieces a month in the beginning... Though once the hymns are all learned, it would reduce to 11 per month to not repeat for 1 year. V: That’s a very interesting question, right Ausra? A: Yes, and actually who could answer it, how much do you need to improvise. V: I think it depends on person's preferences and motivation to improve improvisation skills, right? A: True. V: Because when you improvise in public like for church service setting you are basically practicing failing in public. This is something that everyone should internalize right now because you’re improvising not everything is perfect like printed out score, right? If you had a chance to go back and transcribe what you have improvised you would certainly change many things. And I found that during one hour of my non-stop improvisations I usually improvise enough quality material to be worth to put down on paper for about five minutes. A: True. V: When you practice for an hour you imagination comes up with enough quality music for three, maybe five minutes. Not every not you play is a masterpiece. A: True and it probably shouldn’t be. V: No. Of course. It’s a practice so even though we are not perfect when we play in public it doesn’t mean we should only play those five minutes because we don’t know which five minutes will be good. A: And you know I think why I suggest you to improvise during the communion especially because you never know how long communion will take. For sure. Especially if you are in the Catholic Church you never know how many people will show up, how many of them will go to take communion. V: But in the Protestant Church just as well. A: Well yes, but I think it is probably easier to get communion in the Protestant Church so basically everybody in church goes to communion. Not the same case with the Catholics. You have to confess to receive communion. So, not everybody likes to do it so not everybody goes to communion. And because of that you never know how long it will take. I found myself quite a few times when I picked up a piece and I finished playing it and I still saw that the church is full and a hundred people are waiting for communion. So, then what to do? Repeat that piece again, sightread the next one or do whatever. V: It’s good if you have really great sightreading skills but it takes years to develop it at this level, right? A: True. V: How many years have you been playing keyboard? Since... A: Since the age of five. V: Five. Right? And your first church position you received was when? A: Well, second year of Academy of Music. V: So you were like twenty years old maybe. A: Well no, nineteen. V: Nineteen. Nineteen minus 5. Fourteen years of practicing keyboard. At that level, yes, you could sightread a lot of things. So the thing we suggest sometimes is to improvise, not necessarily even based on the hymn, it’s a very nice practice and we found out that it works and people who would do it like it, to improvise based on just four notes. Right? A: True. V: We are holding every Monday, Secrets of Organ Playing Improvisation Contest and people submit entries based on the theme and so far we did come up with four note themes like tetrachords maybe. Not necessarily in that order. Could be any other order with sharps, with flats, and people are free to use those notes in any order, in any rhythm, meter, registration, octave, with pedals or without pedals, basically to make it interesting and to play non-stop for maybe two to ten minutes. After a while it might get boring so with four notes you don’t really play a long piece, right? But you have to switch something to make it still interesting. A: Yes, and I am amazed and surprised that actually it works and it sounds quite nice. V: Yes, people who do it, who send those entries to Steemit, to dSound platform it’s an amazing practice. And they get rewarded for that too. So, anybody can do that at church. Even a beginner, right? Who cannot really play four part harmony with hymns. A: Yes, because it’s really not such a hard thing to control four notes. V: Four notes, yeah. It does not have to be fast, can be slow, could be two voice texture with maybe one long pedal note once in a while. A: Yes. V: So that’s how beginners could start making up improvisation in the church service setting during communion, during prelude, if you are more maybe advanced you could play postlude too, playing louder and a little bit faster, maybe more energetic. Not necessarily very fast but energetic. So maybe louder registration with principal chorus, mixtures, maybe reeds to cover people’s talking. A: Yes, that’s right. V: So Ausra what do you think stops people from improvising, lack of knowledge or lack of bravery? A: I would say probably the second thing is more common. What do you think? V: I would say both because a lot of times people say I don’t know how to improvise and even after hearing this conversation they probably won’t believe it that it’s possible to create a quality interesting piece on the spot based on the four pitches alone. A: I think we would need to hear those improvisations that we hear on the Steemit platform. V: And we are sharing every Monday the winners. A: I think it would inspire them to try. V: Definitely. And it also brings out something which is missing in our lives, this creativity, you know. If we only play music that was composed hundreds of years ago or maybe not so long ago, but by the masters, by semi-gods let's say, just Bach you know who probably didn’t eat at all, he didn’t sleep. Imagine that he wrote his music with pen. A: Remember when he went to Halle to compete for a church position and he wrote that cantata in his hotel room. Remember that receipt that he received for all the food that he ate and all the drink that he drank. It was a long list. V: And he created a cantata in that week plus probably some other music too. [Our discussion continues in the next podcast episode] Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 231 of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Robert. He writes: Hi Vidas, ... It's hard to get Bach’s In dulci jubilo, BWV 608 from Orgelbuchlein up to speed .... 3 sharps and some significant contrary motion. Pedal no issue but the left, right hand ... some serious reading there. 😊 Also wondering what concert tempo should be on the beat,.... the half notes. ....... Maybe it helps to figure out the chords progressions in this key. Anyway I would classify this piece ' intermediate to advanced level ..... for me anyway! By the way it really helps as in one of your last videos .... when you play it 1/2 tempo and have the camera covering from the top .... sort of a bird's eye view. As well you can sort of see the pedal motion too. ...... Keep up the great work to both of you. Greeting and blessings from Vancouver/Canada! Robert V: So, Robert is our frequent reader of our blog and he writes these questions frequently, right Ausra? A: True. V: Do you remember this video, when I play in a slow motion and then, people from our team can transcribe the fingering. A: True. Yes, I remember it. V: It’s helpful not only for them to see in a slow motion, but also for other people. So, they are now publicly available, and as Robert says, it helps to see my fingering choices, but also how I articulate. Sometimes even the feet motion are visible. A: True. I think it’s very helpful, especially for beginners to observe more advanced organists playing this, to see how the organist’s body is moving. I think even that can help a lot. V: Yeah. Remember you played Variations In D Major by Mendelssohn. A: Yes, I remember that, yes. V: Before the concert at Saint John’s Church. A: Well, I do not recall that particular moment, but…. V: And I had you play this piece in a rather slow tempo. Not half speed, but slower than usual. And I held the camera above your head, sort of, so that also your hands would be visible. Did you like this, at the time? A: Well, I actually don’t remember it now. V: You don’t? A: Are you sure you told me that you were… V: No, I didn’t. A: So that’s why I cannot remember it. V: And when the time came to turn the page, I held the camera with one hand, and with another I turned the page, and sort of was in your way of playing. But you didn’t know that I was recording. So, you were not particularly happy about that. A: True! V: Yes!. But people who will be able to look at your fingering, and maybe our team can transcribe it and write down fingering and pedaling from that video, of course, will find this video very helpful. A: Well, I hope so! V: So, that’s the same with Robert. At first, of course, he struggles to get Bach’s “In Dulci Jubilo” up to speed. Yes, three sharps make considerable difficulties for beginners. I’m not considering him a beginner, since he’s practicing this piece, but for basic level organists, let’s say. A: Yes, and, you know, he says that those three sharps are making him some trouble, and he asks about progression—if knowing chord progressions would help. It would, if you sort of know theory quite well. If you are a beginner at theory level, then I don’t think it would help so much. V: What I would recommend, probably, for him and other people who are sort of struggling in getting up to speed, is to take a look at my basic chord workshop. It’s not a harmony course, where I play with two hands, but with one hand, let’s say C major chord in C major key would be a tonic chord, and I would play three pitches only: C, E, and G. And that would be a tonic root position chord. And I teach those things from the easiest concept to the most difficult to, let’s say, five note chords. Little by little, they can understand, play themselves, internalize this material, and also, which is very interesting, later discover the same chords in their own pieces that they play. A: True! That’s the point of learning theory. Not only knowing chords, but applying them to real pieces. V: So, maybe before analyzing his piece, Robert could take a look at my basic chord workshop and go from there. A: True. V: And… A: I think this might help for him to get better at his piece, “In Dulci Jubilo”. V: And not only “In Dulci Jubilo.” A: In all the other pieces as well. Because he asks if you learn chords once in your life, you can apply them to any other piece that you are working on. V: It’s like riding a bicycle, right? A: Sure. V: After decades of not doing it, the skill comes back after a couple weeks. A: True. V: One more thing for him to get up to speed is, of course, to play and stop every beat. And then stop every two beats. And then every measure. Every two measures. Every line. Every two lines, right? Every page, always doubling the amount of musical material he has to play in the concert tempo. A: True. V: What do you think about it? A: Yes, I think that’s a very good method. And also, I’ve thought that since the contrary motion gives him the trouble, I think maybe he’s not leaning well enough on the strong beats. Because that’s what helps me, for example, when I have to do some contrary motion. You lean down on the strong beat more, and then you just know very well where you are going to. V: There is one more problem here. If contrary motion is a problem for him, it means that he cannot hear, let’s say, two separate lines at the same time. They are different melodically and rhythmically sometimes. They’re two different parts. I think he has to play solo voices more, and then combinations of two parts. A: Yes, definitely working in combinations always helps. And since he says that pedal is not a problem, I still don’t believe it, because if you are working in combinations you need to do right and pedal, left and pedal, then maybe just right and left, and then all things together. Because when you are playing, it might seem for you that left hand, for example, is giving you trouble, but maybe pedals are giving trouble as well, too. V: What he could do is to record himself on a phone, and listen later to an audio, and see if he is playing in time, rhythmically correct, melodically correct. Is he leaning on the downbeat? Is he articulating correctly? Sort of listening from the perspective like that as an outsider, as a listener will actually help him grow. A: True. And don’t try to push to the right tempo right away. Because, if you are still struggling with contrary motion or some other stuff, it means that you are not ready to play in a concert tempo yet. So don’t do it too early. V: Yesterday, I had a lesson with my piano student at school, and in one spot, he had to play an accompaniment called, I think, “Sarabande,” and then he struggled to play in a fast tempo the chords and the octaves in the left hand. He always played more than an octave in the left hand. He has a wide range. So I said, “Ok, slow down 50%,” and he slowed down 25% only. Just a quarter of what I was asking. “It’s not 50%,” I said, and he slowed down maybe 27%. Which means that a person really cannot judge himself or herself on which level they are playing. A: So that’s why recording yourself is always a good idea. To listen to yourself from outside. V: Yes. And, with time, maybe in a few weeks, he will see some serious improvement in “In Dulci Jubilo.” Thank you guys, this was Vidas! A: And Ausra! V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow as an organist. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen. Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 230, of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. This question was sent by Ronald. He writes: Dear Vidas, The programme that I have thought of studying for the diploma is the following: 1. Buxtehude Prelude and Fugue in D, BuxWV 139 (c. 6 mins) 2. Franck Prelude, Fugue and Variation in B minor , Op.18: no 3 from '6 Pieces' (c.11 mins) 3. Stanford Postlude in D minor: no 6 from '6 Short Preludes and Postludes, 2nd Set, Op 105 (c.5 mins 30 secs) 4. Bach Chorale Prelude "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 645 (c 4mins) 5. Jongen Petit Prelude (c. 3 mins) 6. Vierne Symphonie No 1 in D minor, Op.14; 6th movement, Finale (c 6 mins 30 secs) The total programme duration is around 36 mins. I am not young. I am 52, work as a self-employed accountant and also hold a Masters in Environmental Planning and Management which I use in my role as a member of the Maltese Catholic Church Environment Commission. Some 13 years ago I had obtained a Diploma in Music Studies from the University of Malta focusing on organ performance and composition. I still do some composition every now and then. Currently I am finalising a Christmas Carol for SATB and children's choir accompanied by harp and organ. I had studied for the ABRSM grades in piano and organ and obtained distinction in Grades 6-8 in both instruments. I am the organist of a choir in Malta called Jubilate Deo directed by Christopher Muscat. I therefore have frequent occasions to play in church. My challenge now is to stick to a timetable and practice programme in order to sit for the organ diploma. The Total Organist courses are excellent for me because I can brush up all the things that I have already studied since I was young and learn new ones. There are ALWAYS gaps in knowledge which can be excellently filled by the online courses that you provide. Thanks a lot for your interest. V: So, Ausra, Ronald is preparing for the ABRSM diploma, exam, right? A: Yes, true. V: And he has to prepare about 36 minutes of organ program for that. From the pieces that I have mentioned before, in your opinion, what is the most difficult, or some of them. What are the most difficult. A: I would say probably the Vierne Finale from 1st Symphony. V: Mmm-hmm. A: Then of course there might be like couple not so comfortable spots in Bach’s Chorale "Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme", BWV 645. Overall it’s not a hard chorale, but those spots where the third voice comes in are harder. V: Mmm-hmm. So it seems that those six pieces are arranged in the order that could be performed as a recital, short recital. A: True. True. Very nice program, I would say. V: Mmm-mmm. You start with Baroque piece, then Romantic piece, and so on. I see the alternation between loud and soft dynamic colors. And fast and slow movements too; that’s a nice variety. A: Yes, I think so, yes. I think that’s a very nice program. V: So, his challenge is of course to stick to a time table, and being able to practice the program, you know, in a timely fashion, that he can prepare for the diploma on time. Of course this is a challenge when you have a short recital program like that. But, do you think that having a goal like this helps? A: Sure. Because it always pushes you forward. V: It’s even better probably than having a goal of playing a recital because it’s an examination. It’s even more, it’s like a competition. A: What about you? Were you worrying more and preparing more than you were preparing a degree recital, or just a regular recital? V: Probably, to me at that time it was a routine work because so many recitals came out, one after another. And we both spent, you know, we were immersed in this study all year round. And yes, it motivated me to not procrastinate and to play every day. What about you, Ausra? Do you like deadlines and due dates. A: No, I hate those. I don’t know, somehow, sometimes it motivates me but sometimes it just kills me. Demotivates. But you know, while preparing for degree recital was always fun and was a lot of pleasure because for a degree recital you would always learn new pieces of music. You would never repeat your old music. V: Of course if you can choose those pieces yourself, then its even more fun, right. They’re yours. A: True. V: So hope that Ronald chose those pieces himself, at least some of them. And he’s eager to learn them. A: True. V: It’s not like a burden to him but he would probably learn them anyway, without even preparing for the diploma. A: True, because it’s classical pieces for any organist. V: And it’s good to have in your repertoire, anyway. A: Sure. Because as you told earlier, some are shorter, some are longer, some are loud, some are soft. Some are virtuosic some are lyric in character. V: And he mentions that he frequently plays in church, so he can play one or two pieces all the time, alternate those and in immerse himself in public performance. A: Yes because you know some would work nicely as preludes or postludes. For example Buxtehude or Vierne. And some would work very nicely as, I don’t know, elevation pieces, or communion pieces. For example, you know, he could play Franck’s Preludes, Fugue and Variation, like in three different methods for, let’s say communion. Do preludes in one mass and then fugue in another mass and variation in another mass. Because he has such a soft, nice, I would say sad character. It’s used I think in communion main very well, although it’s a three piece. V: Ronald writes that he’s a self-employed accountant. So being self-employed of course might add you flexibility in your day. You can work whenever you want, basically. But it also adds you pressure, right? Because you have to find the work yourself. Risk. A: True. V: More risk. A: So, more freedom but more pressure, probably. V: Mmm-hmm. With freedom of course, it’s a good thing because he can then prioritize his time and say that, let’s say, this diploma preparation on the organ, is important for him. A: True. V: And do it first thing in the morning, let’s say. I don’t know if he has an access to a keyboard at the home. Because probably he is not at church all day long. A: Yes. V: It could be. It’s better to have an instrument at hand, even without pedals. Right Ausra? A: Yes! That’s true. It’s always nice to have an access to an instrument, at any time. V: You wake up early in the morning, and you do the thing that’s the most important to you first, creatively, let’s say. A: Yes, and your neighbors are so happy about that, yes? If you live, for example in an apartment building. V: In this case, sometimes people have electronic keyboards, with headphones, right Ausra? A: True. V: Do you like electronic keyboards? A: No, and you know that. So what are you asking me? V: Because other people don't know. A: I think they who listen carefully to all our podcasts, they know my opinion about real things. V: I see. That’s why we bought a mechanical action pipe organ which only has two stops, at home. A: Yes. V: But’s it real, instead of, you know, electronic version with three or five manuals. A: True. But it’s still costs much more to have mechanical instrument. V: And it lasts longer. A: True. V: With decent, probably, care and maintenance. Anyway, so, the challenge is of course to Ronald is to get motivated every single day, to sit on the organ bench. But since he has a goal, it’s already built-in. Motivation is built-in. A: I think, thinking about the diploma that he will receive after he accomplishes this program. I think he (it) should be well motivation for him. V: Yeah. Maybe this diploma will help him find a decent church position. A: Yes. I think that’s what he is looking forward for. V: Or maybe his current church position will elevate him to a higher level of income, maybe. If the church officials recognize this diploma. A: True. V: In Malta. A: True. V: Okay. What would you suggest for Ronald in terms of scheduling and being able to know if he is on track with his program? You know, step by step? A: Well, of course, I would start learning from harder pieces. Such as Vierne, Bach, probably Buxtehude, Franck, and you know to learn text first and then to progress further things. Musical things. V: I would probably also suggest calculating lines of organ music that he has to learn, and the days that he has to be ready. And he has to prepare probably two months before the date. Don’t you think? A: No, at least a month before, at the very least. V: A month is very risky, for non-professionals. Risky! But two months would give him plenty of time to improve his current level. So, for him would be good to calculate the lines and divide those lines in days. And then he will know how many lines he has to learn per day. A: True. But you know, but just counting the lines wouldn’t do the same, because some lines can be very easy but some can be really hard. V: It’s an average, I think. It’s, at the end it will average out, and, as you say, some things are easy, some things difficult. So on average, it will be okay. Thank you guys. This was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. This is really fun to help you grow. And remember, when you practice... A: Miracles happen! Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start Episode 229 of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. We’re continuing our discussion from the previous podcast conversation about our recent concert of Vilnius University Unda Maris studio. You can check it out in podcast Episode 228. So the next piece that was performed in the program was by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. This was prelude in F Major, A lovely piece for manuals only and it was played by Ruta, our allergology professor. A: Yes, and she’s also a member of our studio. I believe this is her sixth season as a member of our studio. V: It’s always lovely to see her in the studio. A: I know because she shows up so rarely. But she always amazes me because she appears before recital sometimes quite a short time before recital and she always will be quite well so she’s very talented woman. V: I sometimes I forget how she looks and I always tend to take her photo at the organ so that she will also appreciate how she plays and how she looks on the organ bench. And last rehearsal I took the photo and after the concert sent this photo to her and she was very smiling at that photo and she wrote me back that she looks quite old you know and I said as long as you’re smiling you’ll never get old. And she wrote back that I’m probably right. A: True. V: Prelude in F Major by Ciurlionis is a lovely piece. She played it with the Principal stop, maybe together with the Flute and Salicional on the first manual and it went much smoother than any other concerts that she performed I think. A: Yes. V: Even though she comes to the studio very rarely she does seem to progress. A: That’s right. V: Maybe Ausra she practices on the piano at home. A: Could be and I think she has a great potential if you know she would practice regularly. V: Exactly because if she does that without any hard work imagine what she could do with hard work and practice. A: I know because she has that rare quality you know no so often happen with Lithuanian folks that she has self confidence in her. V: Right, she’s not embarrassed. A: I know and Vidas asks her “Are you sure you can do it?” Oh yes, yes, I will do it. Sure. And it amazes me every time. V: Yeah. We can learn this quality from her. Excellent. So then Mindaugas who is our actually graduating member from the studio from Chemistry Department he will be leaving us next year. A: That’s very sad because we are so well connected with him and he is so dear to us. V: Mindaugas performed March Gavotte in F Major by George Frideric Handel which was transcribed for the organ by Dubois. The registration was like a French Grand Choeur style. A: Yes, that dialog of reeds between different manuals. V: Nineteenth century registration style which suited the texture well although the harmony is eighteenth century. That’s how maybe Dubois would have performed it in Paris of nineteenth century. A: I think so, yes. V: And so Mindaugas will be leaving us to start his fourth position in another town in Klaipeda probably. It’s quite sad. A: Yes, it is. V: We got used to him being with us every week, he participated in our Secrets of Organ Playing Improvisation Contents and also he gave an interview for the Secrets of Organ Playing podcast earlier. It was really nice. A: He was a great help you know with tuning the organ when I for example couldn’t go to church he helped us tune the organ and he would help us during recitals and with page turning and was real kind to us so we will miss him greatly. V: March Gavotte in F Major by Handel was probably the most advanced piece that he ever played. A: Yes, he progressed with each year. He did better and better in each recital. V: So just like John from Australia who came to play at our church in April, Mindaugas also has potential to play full hour recital because we told him that he can recycle his old pieces and put together a nice maybe 30 minute recital first, and then later 60 minute recital. A: Sure. V: Excellent. We’ll try to arrange for him the possibility to practice in one of the local churches in Kaunas the next year. A: Definitely. V: Excellent. Then it was a nice surprise in our program because guitar music sounded on the organ. A: Not on the organ but together with the organ. V: Exactly. I played the organ and Andrius played the guitar part. Andrius is quite a colorful personality, right? A: He is. V: He started playing with us as a Mathematics student. He wanted to play the organ, especially improvisations. A: Because he didn’t want to play from a musical score. V: Yeah. And we thought that he cannot read music, but he now is going to transfer to Lithuanian Music Academy and he will study professionally guitar. And it appears that he reads music quite well. He participates in guitar festivals and competitions. So this time he played a piece by Bach, Prelude in D Major, BWV 998, originally composed for Lute and I supplied the organ accompaniment on the spot like improvised organ part. A: Sounded lovely. V: We had a problem because guitar sound is quite soft and we thought if we needed to amplify it with a microphone. A: So that’s what we did. V: And I used only one flute sound on the organ to accompany it. Excellent. So you see guys we have pretty interesting colorful program so far. And the next piece was quite dramatic taken from the first half of the nineteenth century by the second generation student of Bach, Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck, the famous Postlude in D Minor which was performed by Giedre. Giedre also studies at the Mathematics department and is together with us for how much? A: Second year. V: Second year and she has a well advanced piano technique. A: And as you know she is nice plays for Lithuanian musical schools like other schools that are located in Vilnius because she comes from not a large town in southern part of Lithuania and she just attended regular musical school. And, oh my, her technique is so advanced. She is extremely well. That’s what I think about her. V: And she’s an example of what people can accomplish after graduating those music schools for kids. Seven year long studies. A: Yes, and because you know she studies Math and it’s probably not as fun as music. I think it’s nice way for her to relax and to spent some time with an art coming to the studio to perform. V: So this Postlude in D Minor by Rinck sounded quite dramatic. A: Yes, and it sounds actually like played by a professional. V: She could be one of the candidates to perform at a competition for young organists I would think. A: Yes, if she would wish. V: And then we finished our program with interesting organ transcription by Beethoven. First part Allegro con brio from Symphony No. 5 which needs no introduction of course. A: Sure. It was an organ transcription for organ duet. It was played by Giedre and Arnoldas. And Giedre the same girl who played before and Arnoldas played the second part. V: And Arnoldas is now a medical student but in another university. A: Yes, actually he started as a Chemistry Major at Vilnius University but when he realized that his passion was actually medical studies and he wanted to become a medical doctor so he actually had to take some additional exams and he transferred to another university. But he came back to play with Giedre to do the duet. Because last year actually we played that wonderful Sonata in D Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. V: Which Ausra and I also have been playing as an organ duet. A: Yes, because we liked it so much now we played it and we wanted to do it ourselves. And actually we even taking this piece to London, yes? V: That’s right. A: If I remember correctly. V: To Saint Paul's Cathedral. A: Would you like to play Beethoven as well? V: Well, it’s possible though. I had this idea to play either Beethoven’s symphony or Mozart’s Symphony No. 40 in G Minor. A: I like Mozart better. I think it’s more suited to the organ. Because this motif of repeated three notes. It’s hard to perform well especially when you are playing with four hands. It’s very hard to play together. V: True. A: And we did a great job knowing that you know how little we practiced together. V: Because Arnoldas lives now in Kaunas and they only practiced here in Vilnius. A: For a couple times I think before recital. V: So it went quite well considering the circumstances and I wish next year they could also perform something in duet and/or solo too. I hope Arnoldas will find a church in Kaunas to practice in. A: Because you know Giedre, Arnoldas is you know equally capable to play well because he comes from another part of Lithuania but he also graduated from musical school and he has also very advanced piano technique. V: Before leaving Vilnius University he also took part in Vilnius University Chamber Orchestra where he played harpsichord, continuo part. A: Sure, also quite advanced pieces. He did very well. V: So this was our recital on May 26, performed at Vilnius University at St. John’s Church by the members of Vilnius University Organ Studio Unda Maris. The end of the seventh season. It was very nice and after the recital we told everyone to think about what they would like to play next. So hopefully they will come up with nice pieces to perform. A: Yes, I’m sure they will. Especially some of them I’m sure. V: Wonderful. And they have been progressing and it’s nice to see them grow and to be able to help them grow, right Ausra? We hope also that your schedule next year permits and you can join me in leading the studio as you did last year. A: But I think you did quite a good job on your own this year. V: As well as could be expected right? A: Yes. V: Because when you showed up it’s very well organized and less talking you know. A: Yes because I just wanted them to have the possibility to play. I think this is the most important and you can talk later on. V: But actually this year I talked much less. I let them practice. A: Well I could hear it from being we did quite well. V: I’m learning. A: Good. V: Thank you guys for listening, for sticking with us with the last two podcasts and please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow and it’s really fun to answer your questions about the challenges you are facing, or problems that you are having, or dreams that you are dreaming about the organ playing. So looking forward to that. 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 228 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Today we’d like to discuss the concert of Vilnius University’s Unda Maris studio that was held at St. John’s Church on May 26. It was the culmination of our year-long season, right Ausra? A: Yes. V: It’s hard to believe, but it was the ending of the seventh season already. A: Already, yes. Time flies. V: Remember the day when we decided to create this studio? A: Yes, I remember it. V: We were in our summer cottage that day; and after communication with our boss at the Cultural Center at Vilnius University, we decided to create this studio, and even gave it a name: Unda Maris. A: Yes. And I was the godmother, actually. V: You came up with this name? A: Yes. V: It’s a nice name. A: Yes, and especially because the organ at St. John’s Church has this beautiful Unda Maris stop. V: Right. So, the studio is open to all members of the Vilnius University community. Students… A: Staff. V: ...Faculty, alumni… A: That’s right. V: ...Who love organ music. A: True. V: Ausra, do they have to be able to play piano, or not? A: Well, it’s not necessary, because some just started from scratch; but some are actually quite advanced keyboardists. V: Mhm. And in this concert, we also saw some quite advanced players, even though they were performing for the first time with our studio. For example, what did you think about the opening piece, Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 553, which was performed by Totile. A: Well, I thought she did quite well, knowing that it’s her first recital at all with the organ, and that she’s just a freshman in organ. V: Exactly. And during the concert, I introduced the performers and pieces, and during those intermissions, Ausra helped them to change the stops. A: Yes. V: And that saved a lot of time, and made it smoother. A: I know. It was sort of fun for me to watch them, how each of them behaved; because, I mean, you could not see such things in a professional concert! V: Mhm. People who had more experience playing in public acted more or less naturally, right? A: I know. It was great fun. V: But others, who were doing this for the first time, or after some decades of not being on the… A: Stage. V: Stage--they were very scared! A: True. V: Okay. So, then, the next piece was Léon Böellmann--Prière à Notre-Dame, from the Suite Gothique, which was also played by Totile. It’s a lovely piece, right Ausra? A: Yes, very nice. V: But if you don’t have a good grasp of piano technique, it’s too hard to start with Romantic music. A: Yes, that’s right, that’s true; but it seems that she had quite good piano technique, so it wasn’t a problem for her. V: Mhm. Before the concert, I told her to imagine that either she prays, herself, or she dreams. It’s sort of like Romantic meditation--in both states, prayer and dreaming are similar, in a way. So while playing, she had to transfer this mood to the listeners, too. A: Yes. V: I also thought that her articulation with Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in C Major was quite well-performed. A: Well, I thought that, you know, the… V: Too much… A: Subject, yes, of the Fugue sounded almost staccato--it was played almost staccato. And I noticed that before the recital, you told her to do the longer notes, instead of shortening them so much; but she did not do that during the recital! V: Yeah… A: I guess it was too much to expect from a beginner. V: Yeah. Maybe she can do this with her next piece, to adjust articulation a little bit. And Totile is an alumna of Vilnius University, and she is a translator, I believe, from English. A: True. V: Okay. The next performer was Vytautas, our faculty member in the physics department. And he played 2 pieces: one by Simon Mayr Prelude in d minor. This is an 18th century Austrian composer, I believe. A: True. V: Have you heard him before? A: Actually, no. This was my first time hearing him. V: Vytautas brought the music for me himself, and chose this piece--the entire collection. And the next piece, also, was unknown to me. So I felt quite pleased that he has some curiosity to dig up some unfamiliar and rarely-performed organ music. A: True, and actually, I think from all who performed in this recital, Vytautas is the oldest member of our studio. And so this was his 7th recital already, as an Unda Maris studio member. V: Uh-huh. A: And he always amazes me, how he’s interested in things; and even after this recital, he told me that next year he would like to learn more about the organ, and how all the things function. So basically, he’s a real physics major! V: And also he wants to learn music theory. A: True. V: To decipher musical compositions--to understand how they are put together. So, hopefully we can help him next year. Okay. And also, a few years ago, Vytautas brought with him his student--who is now also an alumnus of Vilnius University, graduated from the physics department of engineering: Vadim. A: And he actually came to the recital, and he told us that he might be joining the studio again next year. V: Yes. As his graduation work, for a diploma, he constructed a robotic hand, which can grab things, you know. A: Interesting! V: Excellent. So, the next piece or set of pieces was performed by Justas, who is a faculty member at the biochemistry lab. He deals with various...protons, I believe...and investigates them...I don’t even understand what he does. A: Hahaha! V: I think he does computer modeling of how they behave, you know. A: But you understand what he plays! V: Yeah. The first piece that he played was actually written by me: Offertorium from the Mass for the Fourth Sunday in Lent. This was the piece performed on the string stops on 2 manuals. And actually, I was surprised that he dealt with the texture where there are no barlines very well. And actually, I told him before the recital that he plays this piece better than me! A: Wow. Well, but you know, I had a problem with him; because since I had to change stops for him, for 2 pieces for your Offertorium and then for Prelude and Fugue in a minor, BWV 559... V: Mhm. A: He was always checking if I did everything right! And it just made me laugh! V: Well, maybe because he is not used to playing in public. It’s his first year. A: But he argues with me--he wanted to do pedal with 32’ stop... V: Mhm. A: And you know, I had many doubts about it; and finally, no--he agreed not to use it. But we had quite a fight before the recital! V: In order to use a 32’ stop in the pedals in a Baroque piece, the pedals should move quite slowly, right? A: I know, and I just didn’t think it suitable for this kind of prelude and fugue! V: Like, imagine maybe Chorale Fantasia by Bach--“Komm, heiliger Geist” from the Great 18 Chorales from the Leipzig collection, right? That would be... A: And my final argument was, “Are you so good at articulating the pedals? Because if not, your pedal will be behind all the time.” V: Mhm. A: The sound will be behind all the time, if you add 32’ stop. V: Or 32’ stop would work well for Pièce d’Orgue, middle movement. A: Yes. V: Because of the long note values. But you know, since Justas is just a beginner, he probably likes the 32’ stuff, and its gravity. A: Haha! Sure. V: But he doesn’t know what the effect is downstairs. A: True. V: He’ll learn, probably. Excellent. So, let’s continue our discussion in the next conversation. But you see, it’s so much to talk about, right Ausra? A: Yes. V: And it was a fun concert to observe. A: Yeah, it was. V: Thank you guys. Look forward to our next discussion in the next podcast. And remember, when you practice… A: Miracles happen. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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