Premier spoke to John Henderson, an organist in his twenties who plays at various churches across London, to see from his experience how popular it was among young people.
According to the survey, John is among the few under 30 who play in church. He said: “I’ve always been fascinated by the organ.”
Many organ teachers prefer students to have Grade 5 in piano already and it is often hard for those learning to find an organ to practice on frequently. However, John explained how it may also involve other factors: “I think it may just be to do with a decline in interest in music, not only in specifically organ music but in the choral music that the organ is normally used to support. I think a lot of churches and a lot of organists currently would have sung in church choirs as children or growing up in their teens and that really does cultivate a love for this beautiful, sacred music we all use to worship together.”
When asked what it means to the congregations he plays for he said: “I think it does mean quite a lot; to have a real instrument, to have someone leading the worship by playing the notes at the same time as congregation are singing, to have everyone united in worship together really is very special.”
There are also some signs of the instrument having a come-back: “There are new organ scholarship starting at parish churches which is very encouraging and…
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