Playing Preludes to the Mass

The organist for a Catholic Mass wears two hats. Playing before and after Mass are two totally different animals.

During the Mass you must be super-vigilant to insure that you begin to play when you are supposed to, watch the action while playing with both hands and even feet to anticipate and be ready to stop when the priest is ready to continue. It’s hectic and when working with others in the choir loft causing distractions, it even worse. You are expected to have short pieces prepared as needed or to be able to improvise at the drop of a biretta. Little of the organ that you learned to play if you have a degree in Organ is often short enough to be useful.

If you had the opportunity to study organ with a Catholic organist you may have been prepared for this. If your teacher never played for Mass, they all too often didn’t have a clue, being used to everything stopping and people sitting back to hear the organ in Protestant churches.

In Catholic churches Preludes and Postludes you have the freedom to practice all week and then play pieces that do not call for you to be on your toes to stop suddenly. You have time to play
freely.

Having timed your Prelude in advance, give yourself plenty of time to complete it before the Mass begins, especially if the Rosary is said before Mass.  Fit your prelude in that bit of time. You may concentrate and enjoy yourself and embed yourself in the music playing preludes and especially postludes.

Performance Suggestions

Organ registrations can vary based upon the organ you are playing, the acoustics of the room, and when you are playing them. Later works of the 1800’s almost always call for the richness of the organ including mutations, mixtures, and even the reeds. You will find those of the 1700’s in this collection are less assertive and some may be played during Mass with appropriate registrations.

~ Noel Jones, AAGO