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The Music Exchange

Strictly organ

Sometimes it takes a long time to get feedback from articles I write.

These days the accessibility of the internet means that responses are becoming a more common feature — and to articles I’ve even forgotten I wrote!

I got rather a sharp rap on the knuckles a fortnight ago for an article I wrote in 2008 about organs and organists which has only now come back to bite me. The rough idea behind the piece was to say that if an organist’s post becomes vacant in a Bible-teaching church, then it’s not absolutely necessary to fill the post just because an organ is sitting there pining for attention, especially if there is no organist available who loves the Lord Jesus and who is keen to serve the proclamation of God’s Word. The conclusion was that there ‘might, just might be another way’.

Standing firm

I still hold to that view, but I admit that I didn’t help my cause when I spoke about the vast amounts of money that organs cost to maintain and restore. I think I mentioned something about a box of matches costing only 20p. Obviously, this was very irresponsible of me, even though I tried to make it sound as tongue-in-cheek as I could, and I have apologised to the person who rightly reprimanded me.

I thought, therefore, that I would write a positive article about organs and organists to try and redeem the situation a tiny bit.

Cambridge scholars

One bit of good news is that last June I met three Christian organ scholars in Cambridge who all put Jesus first in their heart, and who are united in their concern that the Bible is taught, heard and sung. They struggle making a stand for Jesus when they hear wrong things being taught or sung about Jesus where they play, but encouragingly they all make sure that they get to a church where they hear sound Bible teaching on a Sunday. This was one of the keys to my survival as an organ scholar.

Three Christian organ scholars, and that was just at one Bible-teaching church. That’s nearly a revival! There were a few of us in my day, most of whom are still holding on to the Lord now (or — much more correctly — who the Lord has held onto despite our constant desire to run away from him). Praise God that these young organ scholars have been kept so far.

Strange profession

Please pray for them and for other Christian organists. They are part of a very strange profession — one which looks ‘religious’ to the outsider, but which very often clouds the message of the gospel through ceremony and an over-dependence on music to provide spiritual food. As a cathedral chorister, I always thought that everyone came to church to see and hear me and the music we produced. It was easy to think that I was ‘doing’ God merely by singing and looking angelic. It’s a relief to me (and I’m sure to everyone else) that this isn’t the case.

Also, praise God that there is evangelism going on among organists, and they are by no means beyond the reach of Jesus. Please pray that they would hear the clear words of Jesus calling them home. Organists have the enormous privilege of providing musical accompaniment to solid biblical truth, sometimes on a daily basis. A cathedral organist will daily have the songs of Mary and Simeon proclaimed to him/her as God tells of salvation coming to his people through the Lord Jesus. He/she will also accompany the singing of half the Psalms every month, as well as some great hymns. Pray that these words would dwell in organists richly and so open their eyes to see Jesus.

One last thing (apologies to non-organists here for a bit of in-house organ humour, but I’m sure this won’t be lost on everyone) — I received an email from a bridegroom last week asking about wedding music for his wedding. He wondered if he and his bride could walk out of the church to Vidor Stoccata.

I hope the groom in question isn’t reading this, but, if he is, Anand, thank you for brightening up my inbox.

Richard Simpkin is Director of Music at St. Helen’s Church, Bishopsgate, London.