The Organ Forum

Now that I think of it, perhaps folks in my church applaud because I've stopped playing. 

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Soubasse32

In some RC Churches I attend recitals and on the bottom of the programme in bold, it will often state "no clapping" at the end of the recital.

Perhaps for Methodist and Baptist Churches this is different, but most RC Churches I've come across have this rule. 

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Currently own:
ALLEN TC-3S (#42904 - 3rd Feb 1971) with Sequential Capture System

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Austin766:

... at the CS church I go to on occasion about 80-90% of the people stay in the auditorium until the end of the postlude, and of those who remain everyone applauds...

As a veteran substitute for CS churches, that percentage seems awfully high... and the applause?  That has never been my experience, but good on the Cleveland church for caring about their organist.  I have always found folks at CS churches to be very loving and appreciative of my playing, though I cannot say that more than 10 to 15% of the congregation remain for the postlude.

Yesterday I substituted for the Anglicans and 2% of the congregation stayed for the postlude, which I judiciously (there's a relative term!) pruned. If anyone cares about the math: 2% = 1.5 church ladies.  (One of them had more than a foot in the grave, so I couldn't count her as a whole.)    

 

I could be wrong, but I think that the majority of people stay for the postlude, I never paid that much attention, I'm usually sitting up front (or at least in front of most people) staring at the pipes I can see behind the grill. I think that many stay because they figure it's the polite thing to do, as well as applauding the organist. I usually stay because I want to talk to the organist afterward.

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Once you can tie your arms into a pretzel and your legs into a knot, you've got it under control

In some RC Churches I attend recitals and on the bottom of the programme in bold, it will often state "no clapping" at the end of the recital.

Perhaps for Methodist and Baptist Churches this is different, but most RC Churches I've come across have this rule.

I have honestly never seen that on any programme in a church. And there isn't anything else than RC around. At most they ask not to applaud before the end of the whole concert. But this is probably because  99.9% 90%(*) of those present haven't any clue as when any of the pieces end.

(*) I needed to adjust because there is never enough people in the audience to make that 0.1% a whole person.

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Expert in non-working solutions

Actually in my church, it's simple. The "postlude" is me and the pianist playing the last stanza of a hymn. The song goes for about 15-20 seconds. Piece of cake

In my church, everyone stays until the postlude is finished and then applauds. Doesn't matter how long or how short it is. I once played the Franck A Minor Choral (No.3), and it's about 15-17 minutes long and they stayed all the way through and really liked it. Of course, I don't normally play that long as a postlude, but I gotta play it every once in a while to keep it in shape and it's due for another play soon.

Cheers, ReedGuy

I just performed that this evening. 

It always takes a lot out of me - mainly on an emotional level...

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Soubasse32

Soubasse32,

 I totally agree with you about the Franck. It takes a lot out of me too, emotionally, physically, mentally. I put myself into it so much, I concentrate so much, and there's so much profound feeling in it that when it's done you realize just how much of a gift of ourselves we as organists give to our audience. It's a "long" piece, but it doesn't feel that way.

 I must admit, though, and you've probably gathered this already from my profile picture, I love Reger. It is very difficult to describe because what I feel is so strong. I played his Toccata in D Minor as part of a recording, I'm making it my postlude tomorrow, and I'm saving it for a recital in March. I just lose myself in it. It is so strong, so powerful, and the feelings I feel from it, and then when I get to the ending it's this adrenaline rush, and all I want to do is play it again, and again, and.......

 This sounds absolutely CRAZY, doesn't it? You guys must think I'm nuts. It's just so hard to describe. If I could go back in time, what an honor it would be to be Reger's pupil. We already speak the same universal language: music.

I'm not quite as enamored of Reger as you are although he does have his moments.

To me, Franck is utterly intoxicating.

I included the Violin Sonata on Friday's program (it was an all-Franck recital).

During rehearsals with the violinist we discovered that we share the same feeling for this great music: we both felt a profound sense of loss when each movement ended.  As you said, all we wanted to do was play it again and again.

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Soubasse32

Guess I'm pretty lucky.  In our little North Dakota RC church, the priest stays at the altar until the last verse of the recessional.  People are well trained to kneel at the end of the him and don't get up to run out for about at least 20-30 seconds.  I don't start a recessional until that half minute is up and people start to get up and move.  I always make postludes short, as the congregation is small and I'd be playing for myself for sure.  I personally believe that even playing a lively hymn arrangement is an appropriate postlude; unless your setting and congregation require otherwise.  There's always books full of hymns and although I have favorites I repeat, I haven't run out of postludes yet. :-)

I usually curtail the end of Widor's Toccata / Mendelsshon's Wedding March if the church doors have been shut firmly.....sometimes with a glissando.....

I've been an organist in RC Churches for over 20 years in Buffalo.  I gave up playing postludes a long time ago for anyone to hear.  So I just stay to amuse myself, I suppose. There are always a number of people who stand in the vestibule throughout the entire service and doors begin slamming before communion is done.  There's only a skeleton crew left for the final prayer and hardly anyone for the final hymn.  Also, the priest leaves as soon as the last hymn starts.  I think he's afraid he won't make it to the back before dinner.  It used to anger me but now just leaves me questioning why anyone would bother to drag themselves to church, including the priest if they just can't wait to get out.  Any answers?  Please let me know.  Thanks.

I don't know if things have changed (it's been a long time since I was at a Catholic mass) but my memory of them is that they are pretty short--15 to 20 minutes unless there are a lot of people to get the Eucharist.  I often wonder what those parishioners would say if they attended a typical Pentacostal service (where the sermon alone may take an hour and folks don't think they've been to church if the service is not at least 2 hours long).

David

Responding to both David and Rodenstock:

An average RC Sunday Mass runs anywhere from 45 minutes to 75 minutes.  A weekday Mass with a short homily and rarely any music or singing, with a small congregation, usually runs between 25 to 35 minutes.  Most RC churches have at least one weekday Mass every morning (including Saturday mornings).

I really should read that "why Catholics cannot sing" book!  I think it would explain so much, including the thread on this Forum about the organ being too loud.  Mea culpa for not reading it!!  Rodenstock is describing what is still a long-standing tradition among Catholics that goes back at least 50 years (probably much further), whereby you attend Mass to get your ticket punched for the week, get it over and done with as quickly as possible, and then move on with everyday life.  It is sad when even the priest appears to have adopted this attitude (as described by Rodenstock's post).

My parish is blessed with a more serious attitude where most of the congregation actually wants to be there rather than being there only because they feel obligated.  Nevertheless, a significant number of them arrive late for Mass and about half the congregation leaves during the singing of the closing hymn.  Perhaps a dozen people out of 500 will actually remain for the entire organ postlude.  However, it is difficult to be Catholic and not always carry some of the "ticket punching" attitude with you.  Some of us just make the best of it and enjoy good liturgy.

We do have a small contingent of parishioners who have a strong preference for Masses with no music or singing.  They claim this allows windows of opportunity during the Mass for private prayer and meditation.  But they will also freely admit that it makes the Mass ten minutes shorter.  Most of these people also think that organs are only for playing barely-audible background music.

My RC parish has a Saturday evening vigil Mass (as do most RC parishes) and five Sunday morning Masses (including a Tridentine Mass at 1PM) and then a Sunday evening Mass.  The first two (early) Masses on Sunday morning have no music.  I would say that our parish is more active and musical than average.