It really is a joy to live in the Twin Cities.
Yesterday four of us attended the 30th birthday party of the radio program "Pipedreams."
Michael Barone has hosted this organ program since 1972, and I've been listening (not every Sunday, of course) for that long.
It used to be on late Sunday evenings, but recently moved to Sunday morning here on our classical radio station. We'd go to sleep with it before, now we wake up to it.
Pipe organs have always been one of my favorite things. I took a year of pipe organ lessons at Wheaton College, playing the big chapel organ once a week, the old Pierce chapel organ 2×/wk, and the room sized pipe organs the rest of the time. I was privileged to pull all the stops and make those instruments produce SOUND!
That's one of my definitions of fun.
Playing the organ is cathartic for me. It cleansed my mind. It's rather like the feeling you get when you quickly solve a Sudoku puzzle --brain clearing and satisfying.
Living in Wiesbaden was heaven for an organ lover. Every Saturday at St. Stephens Church there was an organ concert, 11:00 am, with artists from all over the world. The concert was never long, but wonderful. I attended as often as I could!
Yesterday's concert was a perfect combination of organ splendor. Old stuff, but not the things you always hear. Beautiful arrangements of "A Mighty Fortress" and "Clair de lune" -- also two versions of "Sleigh Ride."
There were five organists, and it was fun to observe each one.
Michael Barone has always been my favorite radio announcer (probably because of Pipedreams) but it was fun to see him having fun with this concert.
When my husband and I began married life in Louisiana I was often homesick for Minnesota. Thankfully "Pipedreams" was on the local public radio station, and Mr. Barone's comforting narrative brought me a little closer to home every week. I wonder how many other Minnesota "expatriates" have felt as I did?
I procured my first full-pedaled organ down there in Louisiana, so I could practice my neglected organ skills. Time passed. Kids came along. Organ playing became low on my list of priorities.
Yet, we wonder at patterns of our lives, and how they replicate in our children. (There's a rather sappy song about our faces rising in our children that the Northern Lights Chorale will sing this spring concert -- but there is some truth to it!)
My third son has a current obsession. You guessed it.
His passion has driven him to read pipe organ books explaining all the stops, the famous organs around the world, and other organ trivia. He has memorized most of Bach's famous work, Toccata and Fugue. He peruses Craig's List in search of abandoned pipe organs, dreaming of the day he can set one up in his own space!
He LOVED the concert yesterday, especially the details given about the organ itself. (It is a 4 Manual, 108 Rank Casavant Organ from 1927)
You know, it is a joy to see a passion transferred, if even for a season.
Tune into "Pipedreams" soon. You can share the concert too!
UPDATE: Thank you to Michael Barone, for linking to Corgi Hollows from the fb "Pipedreams" page. Welcome to you organ fans. Also thanks for the tips for young organists! We plan to be participating!
Yesterday four of us attended the 30th birthday party of the radio program "Pipedreams."
Michael Barone has hosted this organ program since 1972, and I've been listening (not every Sunday, of course) for that long.
It used to be on late Sunday evenings, but recently moved to Sunday morning here on our classical radio station. We'd go to sleep with it before, now we wake up to it.
Pipe organs have always been one of my favorite things. I took a year of pipe organ lessons at Wheaton College, playing the big chapel organ once a week, the old Pierce chapel organ 2×/wk, and the room sized pipe organs the rest of the time. I was privileged to pull all the stops and make those instruments produce SOUND!
That's one of my definitions of fun.
Playing the organ is cathartic for me. It cleansed my mind. It's rather like the feeling you get when you quickly solve a Sudoku puzzle --brain clearing and satisfying.
Living in Wiesbaden was heaven for an organ lover. Every Saturday at St. Stephens Church there was an organ concert, 11:00 am, with artists from all over the world. The concert was never long, but wonderful. I attended as often as I could!
Yesterday's concert was a perfect combination of organ splendor. Old stuff, but not the things you always hear. Beautiful arrangements of "A Mighty Fortress" and "Clair de lune" -- also two versions of "Sleigh Ride."
There were five organists, and it was fun to observe each one.
Michael Barone has always been my favorite radio announcer (probably because of Pipedreams) but it was fun to see him having fun with this concert.
When my husband and I began married life in Louisiana I was often homesick for Minnesota. Thankfully "Pipedreams" was on the local public radio station, and Mr. Barone's comforting narrative brought me a little closer to home every week. I wonder how many other Minnesota "expatriates" have felt as I did?
I procured my first full-pedaled organ down there in Louisiana, so I could practice my neglected organ skills. Time passed. Kids came along. Organ playing became low on my list of priorities.
Yet, we wonder at patterns of our lives, and how they replicate in our children. (There's a rather sappy song about our faces rising in our children that the Northern Lights Chorale will sing this spring concert -- but there is some truth to it!)
My third son has a current obsession. You guessed it.
His passion has driven him to read pipe organ books explaining all the stops, the famous organs around the world, and other organ trivia. He has memorized most of Bach's famous work, Toccata and Fugue. He peruses Craig's List in search of abandoned pipe organs, dreaming of the day he can set one up in his own space!
He LOVED the concert yesterday, especially the details given about the organ itself. (It is a 4 Manual, 108 Rank Casavant Organ from 1927)
You know, it is a joy to see a passion transferred, if even for a season.
Tune into "Pipedreams" soon. You can share the concert too!
UPDATE: Thank you to Michael Barone, for linking to Corgi Hollows from the fb "Pipedreams" page. Welcome to you organ fans. Also thanks for the tips for young organists! We plan to be participating!
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