As I am now fast approaching 70, but not telling you from which side(!), it reminded me that the aging issue is significant for many senior organists.
I know that for some this can be a delicate area, but we still want to practice, and continue playing well. We still want to perfect our skills and share them with other members. However, we also feel that the learning process takes more time and it is not as easy as it once was. Beside that our joints including our fingers are not as flexible as they once were.
So here are a few, I hope, helpful and encouraging considerations for us senior folk to consider, in order to (as Peter Slack says), ”Keep the Music Playing”.
1. Enjoy every moment on the organ bench Always remember that practice is a privilege for which we have to be grateful. Sharing our skills with others is another great privilege. Keeping this in mind, organ playing should be an activity that we treasure, knowing how much we would miss it, if we lost the opportunity. So really enjoy it.
2. Take your time and don't rushAt this stage of our lives, don't push yourself too hard. Although the learning process might take longer than it used to, we are still making progress. So don't attempt to play very fast, with a new piece. Start your practice at such a tempo where you can avoid making (too many) mistakes and thereby stay in control.
3. Play only pieces that you really love There is no point in practicing music, which someone else has given to you, that you don't enjoy or has little musical quality. The same could be said for those dry exercises unless of course they are meaningful to you and lead to the advancement of your skills.
4. Make frequent breaks in your practice sessionsIt is good advice for people to take rests, to relax, and be prepared to stretch about every 30 minutes or so. I find certain muscles – especially in my back, demand this. For seniors, the breaks might have to be even more frequent. If you feel tired after playing for 15 minutes, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Take a short break, walk a little, stretch or lie down with your eyes closed and have a drink. Then you will feel refreshed and will be able to practice for at least another 15 minutes, and make quality use of the time.
5 Think about master organists of the past, who might have been your age, or older For example, Johann Adam Reincken (baptized about Dec 10th 1643- Nov 24th 1722) but some claims to his birth are much earlier. We know that he was still active as an organist in St. Catherine's church in Hamburg at the beginning of the 18th century. Whatever his actual birth date, he was certainly still mastering the organ, well into his late 80’s. He knew Dieterich Buxtehude closely and influenced Vincent Lübeck and probably met Johann Sebastian Bach. Although their meeting may be apocryphal, J.S.Bach was both impressed and influenced by Reincken, both as an organist and a composer.
In this painting,
Domestic Music Scene by Johannes Voorhout, the man at the harpsichord is almost certainly Reincken, on his left most probably Dieterich Buxtehude playing the viola da gamba, and on his right, below the harpsichord, possibly Johann Theile.
Do any of you have any particular thoughts or tips, that you find helpful, which would be of value to other senior members? If so, please feel free to share them below.
Peter
