Patty Griffin and I share a trait in that we've both recorded downtown churches. Hers was in Nashville, and producer Buddy Miller used it for her solo album Downtown Church.
My experience recording in a downtown church happened a few cold afternoons ago in Lancaster, Pa. It was the same house of worship where I worked weekends part of my way through college. And "work" meant getting to play the pipe organ three times a weekend, in front of 300 or more people at a time. Yeah, it's a very audible position.
Just went back to visit on Wednesday and played a few songs for a retired priest I remember from boyhood.
Steve Sauer - The Bells of St. Mary's
On the organ, I presented my rendition of "The Bells of St. Mary's," the once-popular heartwarmer associated with an eponymous movie from the '40s or so. Longstanding tradition mandated it be played exactly five minutes before every weekend Mass. Therefore, over my tenure as house organist, I estimate I played it roughly 936 times and played it precisely the same way each time, from rote memory. Even eight years later, I can still play it from rote memory and muscle memory exactly as I played it then.
This is the same church when I, then a high schooler, played the organ for the wedding of a local writer to none other than Colin Greenwood of Radiohead.
Anybody know where I can upload MP3s and embed them into a blog?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Comments are moderated prior to publication. Comments will not be published if they are deemed vulgar, defamatory or otherwise objectionable.