Will you play the pedals for me?
It is not an everyday occurrence to find nine-year olds thrilled for Pipe Organs. (Keep an eye out for an Instagram link below!) A lot of kids that age cannot reach the pedalboard to play with their feet. This does not stop the organ enthusiast though. In fact, history is full of those in the world of Pipe Organs becoming unstoppable. J. S. Bach famously walked FOUR HUNDRED KILOMETRES to listen to and learn from Dieterich Buxtehude. Some of the most respected recordings of Bach’s works are by Helmut Walcha, who persevered even when he lost his sight at nineteen years old. Here is his recording of the first movement from Bach’s Trio Sonata in E-flat Major, BWV 525. One that is aptly recognised by Archiv Produktion as a ‘Legendary Recording’
Pipe Organs continue to inspire the young to be unstoppable. I was just turning twenty when I first earnestly started studying about the organ. While I could not possibly walk hundreds of kilometres to an organ concert at the time (Studies began during the COVID lockdowns) what I could do was listen to internet radio. Especially BBC Radio 3. I have benefitted immensely from it and that is how I first heard the incomparable Anna Lapwood, and her work in bringing the organ to the young through social media, especially TikTok and Instagram reels. Even with the short sparks of organ engagement Anna Lapwood generates on social media, she does not neglect more long-form platforms like podcasts or radio, especially with ‘A View from the Organ Loft’, a series of guided Pipe-Organ listening sessions so captivating, I listened to them everyday from the day they aired until they were unlisted. It is happy news that two episodes from the six-part series is available for listening again, for a few days.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0024p7t (Recently the BBC has shut down access to Radio 3 outside the UK. This is a loss that is made bearable by the use of workarounds)
This episode recorded at the Boardwalk Hall is of special note, partly due to how few recordings are available of the instrument and mostly due to the scale of the instrument and its hall being so large it redefines excess. There are facts and figures mentioned in this episode that are simply not available online, and getting to hear from Nathan Bryson, Curator of Organs at Boardwalk Hall is another rare treat. A sight rarer still is what is referenced at the beginning of this post. A nine year old excited for the organ.
I just adore this clip. The way this young organist asks for help because the pedals are just a little too far away reminds me of how I myself reached out for help and was supported into pursuing a career in Organ-Building. If the way forward for the organ especially in India, is to use social media to cross all borders of age or culture, then easy access to organ education is non negotiable - be it academic journals, concerts or TikToks. Radio must be free, concerts must be life-altering and nine years olds should be queuing up in front of organ consoles.
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