Back to Work…..

One sure sign that the summer holidays are over is the difficulty we have parking our small car in our road. Another is that my diary begins to fill with ‘can you play for evensong / communion’ requests. Others’ changed lives are an awful lot more inconvenient than our little car parking issue and they probably have no nice invitations to do something pleasurable.

All work, all performances, all engagements require thorough planning. Institutions large and small, secular and sacred, have to be good at it, we organists have to be good at it, too. The less fortunate than us cannot plan for anything, hope is the only motivation to keep going. To be an organist you need an organ to practise on, ideally the means of travel, and plenty people keen to use your skills from time to time. We hope to have plenty to do. That all implies stability. Of all musicians I met during college days, organists were the ones regarded as being mostly stable and reliable, a good bloke or a good lass. You may wonder why. Perhaps it is because, until more organists began to desire to be on the concert platform rather than in church every Sunday, routine was community based, everything ran like clockwork from week to week. Two services each Sunday and a weekly choir practice were enough to keep me on the straight and narrow. Recently, my organ teacher in Bolton died, aged 81. God’s ways being both mysterious and wondrous, the funeral was in Ripon Cathedral where younger son was recently appointed to the Ripon loft. One saw friends not seen for nearly 40 years. On returning to my former parish church later in the year, most of the choir I grew up with were still there, singing some of the same repertoire in exactly the same way. When 16 years old, it felt totally inspiring, setting one on the path to FRCO and more. Some, but not many, winds of change had blown through this place, leaving the sense of community intact. It was both refreshing and reassuring. Life outside that community was more depressing, a dead town centre, few buses running in the evening as they used to. Signs of instability surround us all, whether that is being unable to park the car, or moving about more than usual because of changes of circumstance, or playing for different kinds of services with unfamiliar music, responses, people, even post – service coffee. Bach experienced uneasy changes in his life too. His sons admired him but thought he was a bit behind the times. Yet, sticking to his compositional aims with a strong focus, we now have the greatest musical legacy in the world. All Bach’s organ works were performed between 17-20 September 2015, in Berkhamsted, not by one organist, but several, including yours truly, and Margaret Phillips is also playing them all on Tuesday lunchtimes in St George’s Hanover Square. Both these sets of recitals required a lot of brilliant planning by several people, a sure sign of stability and community for our benefit. It is good that some have that sense of excitement and motivation to keep that flame alive for all to enjoy, whether as participant or consumer.

So, what keeps us going? The love of what we do maintains our purpose to keep on practising, and nurture our support of each other, our congregations, our little concert series. By the time you read this we will have held our first meeting for this term, will be looking forward to the dinner, and should have planned Advent and Christmas. Who will have chosen a few new seasonal offerings for the choir and the organ? Let’s also hope that those seeking a happier life have begun to find something more settled. Perhaps some might join our churches, sing in our choirs, and possibly become interested in the organ. Most might not, but the odd one just may be curious. Let us be ready. Our Society could be helpful to someone we never imagined would seek us out. Thank you to all members who are always ready to give time, and to do practical things to help the new member, the visitor, the stranger.

Marilyn Harper