The Organist's Blog

Music for Meditation – Prelude on the Hymn Tune “St. Columba” (“The King of Love My Shepherd Is”) - Healey Willan One of the most beloved hymn melodies in modern hymnals is the Irish melody “St. Columba,” sung most often to the text “The King of Love My Shepherd Is,”...

Music for Meditation – Chorale Prelude, “Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren” (“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation”)…..Johann Gottfried Walther This short setting of the classic German chorale (hymn) sung in English translation as...

Music for Meditation – Chorale Prelude, “Lobe den Herren, den mächtigen König der Ehren” (“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of Creation”)…..Johann Gottfried Walther This short setting of the classic German chorale (hymn) sung in English translation as...

Sunday, June 23, 2024 Music for Meditation: Prelude on the Hymn Tune “Morecambe”….Charles Callahan These two brief settings by the American composer Charles Callahan are based on the familiar hymn “Spirit of God, Descend Upon My Heart.” Offertory: Prelude on the Hymn...

May 26, 2024 The organ music for this week is based on hymns that are particularly appropriate for Trinity Sunday. Music for Meditation – Prelude on the Hymn Tune “Repton”….Charles Callahan The hymn tune “Repton” is by the late Romantic English composer C. Hubert H....

Pentecost Sunday, May 19, 2024 Postlude: Chorale Prelude, “Komm, Gott, Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist” (“Come, Creator God, Holy Spirit”)…..J.S. Bach This work is from Bach’s Eighteen Leipzig Chorales, a group of organ chorale settings which date from earlier periods in...

Sunday, May 5, 2024 Music for Meditation: Prelude on "Easter Hymn" by John Ferguson John Ferguson, for many years Professor of Organ and Church Music at St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN, chose to make his setting of the well-known hymn tune “Easter Hymn” (sung with...

Organ Music for Sunday, September 10, 2023 This Sunday’s organ selections have an element in common – they are all in the key of G major! The prelude is a personal favorite of mine, the beautiful “Song of Peace” by the twentieth-century French composer Jean Langlais...

Our church has been truly blessed with an amazing gift. For the past two weeks, we have been able to enjoy our new Steinway piano during worship. I have to say that I feel like the luckiest participant in the enjoyment of this new gift. I have always loved the fact...

I love Epiphany because it gives me an excuse to leave my Christmas decorations up for two extra weeks and keep playing Christmas music in my car, at home, and at church! This year, I especially like it because I have an arrangement of “We Three Kings of Orient Are”...

Over the summer and fall, I have been working on my biggest composition project to date, and I am so excited to tell you about it in this week’s post. Let me take you back to the project’s conception. During my first Advent season at First Baptist (2017), Jim preached...

In my opinion, Christmas truly is the most wonderful time of the year! There is just a feeling of cheer in the air that is unique to the season. I love that there are lights and decorations everywhere. I love the special drinks at Starbucks, but my favorite thing is...

Christ the King Sunday is one of my favorite Sundays of the year. I am sure that most of you have picked up on the fact that I love big, bombastic, shake-the-room organ music, and this is one of the Sundays where that really fits. It is a wonderful celebration of...

I absolutely love this time of year! There is so much fun and excitement in the air. It all begins with Halloween for me. Many of you may already know how much I enjoy Halloween. I always try to outdo my costume from the year before; and forgive me for bragging, but I...

This Sunday is a special day in the life of the church. We remember and celebrate those who have finished their work here on earth and are enjoying eternity with their creator. Last year, my dear friend and fellow FBG member Danette Patterson came to me with an idea...