Revenge of the church organist

[Aidan]

Anything to confess? Of course, I've never done anything like this ...

 

Clonkety

[Jon May]

 

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[xKnuckles]

Absolutely brilliant!! Send in the clowns.......... LOL!!

[WillNeverPost]

Is "straying from the path of musical orthodoxy" a recognized sin? Have these insubordinate organists put themselves on a "Highway to Hell" only to end up playing "Light My Fire" in the afterlife for you-know-who upon request for all eternity?

[Mr. Nightime]

I haven't done anything like that in church, yet, although I have been known to throw in blues stylings from time to time.

 

I have been accused by some of the choir members to have put in some Vanilla Fudge here and there. In fact I got an "Award" because I "Caused psychedelic flashbacks" for some of the choir members.

 

Although I have thrown "The Flintstones" into a boogie blues shuffle solo.

 

 

[Threadslayer]

On time when I was playing at a high school dance, a bunch of students showed up in the gym to listen to us do a sound check - along with a case of beer. Someone tipped off the local cops who rolled up to bust them for underage drinking. I started playing the Beatle's "Piggies" harpsichord part in the middle of whatever we were playing but sure enough, one of the cops recognized it and gave me the stink eye and "Shut up smartass."

[mate stubb]

Geez, I got in trouble for some mildly dissonant Langlais one time. I remember slipping in parts of Jesus Christ Superstar back in the day when it was popular, and got compliments for that.

 

Late night practices at the church OTOH, are likely to include excerpts of Close to the Edge.

[jpgxk3]

Oh yes, Sunshine of your Love, WSOP, JC Superstar,raised a lot of eyebrows and used to laugh when the heads turned back to look up in the loft. Of course I was a teenager then, and the biddies used to get twisted. The priest realized we could grow the youth crowd so we formed a folk mass that was a huge hit for years. Even talked them into going for a Leslie 145w hooked up to a Conn organ. Had a great musical director back then and he composed some great originals as well. Lots of fun & memories...

[allan_evett]

I snuck the modern country hit, "She Think's My Tractor's Sexy" into a postlude about 10 years ago.

[cedar]

How about "revenge of the baseball-game organist?

 

I think the organist at NY Met baseball games occasionally plays the melody from Charlie Parker's "Now's the time" (or perhaps he views it as the pop version: "Do the hucklebuck")

 

I've fantasized occasionally about what I might be able to get away with if I ever got to play organ during a sporting event.

[ksoper]

I hadn't prepared any music for a communion service and thought I'd just improvise. Ended up slipping "Moonlight In Vermont" in amongst the noodling. A choir member caught me. That's the extent of my musical sins against the church. And then there was the time I took my girlfriend in the narthex...

 

 

[richforman]

That Simpsons clip was great, thanks! "Wait a minute, that sounds like rock and/or roll."

[WesG]

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[midinut]

I was playing as the sub in a Praise & Worship band years ago and we were invited to a guest church in another town. I was asked to play behind the pastor while he was getting ready to pass the collection plate. I had not prepared anything of course and started improvising and managed to work in "Sympathy for the Devil" and "You Can't Always Get What You Want" as well without anyone noticing. After the service, two of the deacons came up after inquiring about my substitute status and asked me if I would consider become their full-time organist. I had graciously decline and explain to them that I didn't read music and only played by ear. I smirked on the bus all the way home. Even the other P&W members hadn't noticed. Got a feeling there is a turd waiting for me to smoke in purgatory for that one, unless the Lord has a sense of humor! He's got to ... after all, he created me!

[theGman]

I've used "Jesus Paid It All"... ha ha ha

 

Also, the Lord DOES have a sense of humor....He made a donkey talk!

 

[Kevin Keys777]

Great article!

 

I never would have thought to do this but now I feel I must!

 

The next time they light incense I am going to sneak in a bit of "Smoke on the Water"

[Lone Stranger]

Also, the Lord DOES have a sense of humor....He made a donkey talk!

 

Shrek or no Shrek.

[Bucktunes]

Nowadays there is plenty of CCM material I can use during a Mass that is both appropriate and cool. But I remember back around `80 I would often play the last 1:10 of Kansas' "The Wall". It worked well on the pipe organ. Anyone who wasn't familiar with Kansas used to tell me what a nice tune that was, what was that, etc...My friends who were Kansas fans just gave me that approving smirk!

[mate stubb]

I would often play the last 1:10 of Kansas' "The Wall". It worked well on the pipe organ.

 

What a fabulous idea. I'm stealing it!

[RudyS]

When i was a church organist I did this too. I even played the final countdown before the service. I only got positve reactions.

[RobP2]

The organ solo from Burn played slowly works well....I even got a little Green Onions in once.....

[joegerardi]

The standard '50s chord progression I-vi-IV-V played reverently works great for instrumental music. I can't tell you how many hymns use that chord progression.

 

I used it on countless occasions when I was still a little half in the bag for my church gig and didn't want to sight-read something.

 

..Joe

[B3Nut]

We've done Green Onions as entry/prelude music on a couple occasions...even trotted it out mid-service as time-filler while congregants filled out a survey.

 

To flip things around, ever sneak bits of sacred music into a secular gig? I've snuck bits of the Kyrie from a mass by Widor into "Bridge Of Sighs" during the gods look down in anger verse...

[Lone Stranger]

To flip things around, ever sneak bits of sacred music into a secular gig? I've snuck bits of the Kyrie from a mass by Widor into "Bridge Of Sighs" during the gods look down in anger verse...

 

I attended an open mic session once where someone was playing and singing "House of the Rising Sun" and in the middle started singing "Amazing Grace" to the same tune.

A couple of years ago one of my fellow church musicians played the second movement from Beethoven's Pathetique Sonata on the piano and someone from the church council did make a comment about her playing "Midnight Blue." I had to educate the council member about that tune.

[Bosendorphen]

I played a wedding service back in '81 on the pipe organ and between assigned music did a version of Genesis' "Afterglow." Really worked well.

[churchkeybob]

I've often dreamed of things I'd like to try to pass off on the church organ, just never done it.

Eight years ago I was playing piano at a church that had a 90 year old organist. We always played before before the service. We called it the "walk in". One Sunday Old Helen played four pieces from Moussorgsky's Pictures at an exhibition. When she played Promenade I recognised it right away. When she played Chicks, The old witch and finished with The great gates of Keiv (City gates) I couldn't believe my ears. No one else in that whole church seemed to notice. It might have been one of her greatest moments for all I know. I'll never forget it. ~BOB

[RichieP_MechE]

On a slight tangent, Vince Guaraldi composed and performed music for a "jazz mass" at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco: Grace Cathedral Concert

 

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