A Final Encore

Over the course of Friday and Saturday, we all made our way back home to the States. There’s no question in any of our minds that this has been an incredible, unforgettable trip. Our eternal gratitude goes out to all of those whose support made this possible; extra special thanks is due to Chris Lane–our fantastic teacher–without whom none of us could have imagined this trip as a reality.

Below, we all reflect on how much we have learned, our time together, and how the trip has changed our outlook and perspective.

It is impossible to capture everything this invaluable trip meant to me in just a few sentences. From playing my favorite movement of Widor’s Sixth Symphony on a world-renowned Cavaillé-Coll to learning about symbolism in Bach’s music from a Dutch expert or from walking the quaint streets of Europe to spending time with incredible friends, every aspect of this trip was special. I know that I will cherish the lessons I learned and the bonds I made for many years to come. One fun memory in particular was experiencing “The Busy Drone” mechanical player organ in the Orgelpark on our last day in Amsterdam. When I walked into the auditorium and saw the colorful rectangular assortment of pipes, I thought I recognized the name emblazoned at its top. As it happens, I was admiring the very organ for which Dutch composer Ad Wammes had written his “Ride in a High Speed Train,” one of my favorite pieces to play!

– Karen Christianson

Chris teased me endlessly about the opera being my favorite part of the trip (I mean, Handel is one of my all-time favorite composers) but rest assured, the educational value of the trip was not lost on me.  Being relatively new to the organ, I have a relatively small repertoire and I had only ever encountered a handful of organs in Cambridge.  While I am still not totally sure what exactly distinguishes a Cavaillé-Coll organ from a Clicquot organ, or how a Barker machine works, the education for me was about seeing the interplay between instrument and repertoire and realizing the extent to which the organs influenced composers of different regions and eras, and vice versa.  But my actual favorite part?  The bonding experience which comes from telling waiters, train passengers, store clerks, et. al., that we’re visiting Europe to play historic pipe organs, and then holding our breath while we wait to see how they react.

 – Adriana Pohl

I can’t say whether or not the Harvard Organ Society’s Europe trip lived up to my expectations because I simply had absolutely no idea what to expect from this adventure!  Being my first time out of the country, I’ll admit that these past two weeks have been an absolutely overwhelming experience—it feels like I’ve just awaken from a dream and am breathless from the sheer level of overstimulation in such a short period.  In only two weeks’ time, I feel as though the lens through which I perceive both music and its surrounding culture has widened enormously.  I’ve realized that there’s something profound, perhaps even spiritual, about physically tracing the footsteps of musical legends that internally solidifies their significance and relevance to us.  We can listen to recordings, study scores, and read books, but it’s not until you are hearing 16th century pipes, sitting in Duruflé’s living room, or sliding onto Widor’s bench that suddenly everything becomes so real—the organs, the composers, their lives. It all really does exist.

I already miss our HOS family.  We have bonded over memories of both laughter and awe.  But as I’ve said before, I’m excited to be home. There is a lot to process and put to practice in embarking on the next chapter of music-making with newfound inspiration and insight.

– Joey Fala

Spending two weeks learning about these amazing, historic instruments has been a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me.  I will always remember the excitement of forming such a close bond with the members of the Harvard Organ Society. To be able to share the same passion for the organ with so many others was thrilling for me.  I am so thankful for all the “behind the scenes” work Chris Lane and Laura Gullett did — “masterminding” this trip and all of the organization behind it!  Seeing so many instruments and the excitement from the organists in Europe has inspired me to encourage others to appreciate the grandeur and fascinating history of this beautiful instrument we play.

– David von Behren

During my sophomore year of high school and second year of organ lessons, I read Louis Vierne’s autobiography, “Mes Souvenirs.” The book provided me with a glimpse into the power of the incredible Cavaillé-Coll instruments that French organists yearned to play and let inspire their repertoire. My fascination gave way to the dream of making my own pilgrimage to Paris. The past two weeks have been a dream come true.

The sweetest part of the trip was our wonderful group and the organists we met along the way. It was simply sublime listening to my companions play, being treated to their lovely company, and being inspired by their excitement and motivation.  I could never have dreamt how our time together would invite me to reshape my perspective on music and art. 

– Laura Gullett

As a relative newcomer to the organ, going to Europe and playing these instruments was quite inspiring. It was so illuminating being able to play Buxtehude and Bach on the very instruments they were composed on. In addition, learning from so many top-notch organists has motivated me to improve my technique further and really dive deeply into the music. Finally, it was amazing to experience this truly unforgettable experience among friends. 

– Khristian Erich Bauer-Rowe

The Harvard Organ Society trip was an incredible, eye-opening experience. Each instrument and teacher we worked with has impacted my approach to organ music in some way. The opportunity to visit such historic organs was irreplaceable. Thank you for following our journey on our blog and stay in touch!

– Jordan Abbasi

There’s no way I could have anticipated how incredible this trip would be.  It’s impossible to choose which was better — discovering these historically significant, beautiful organs, or spending time with and getting to know my travel companions.  Being in the same spaces as famous organists and hearing their music on their instruments was incredible, but it was just as inspiring to hear how the other students approached and played the instruments.  Endless thanks to Chris, Laura, and our donors for organizing this trip and making it possible, and to everyone else for making it so wonderfully memorable.

– Noel de Sa e Silva

One last final group shot!

A Moveable Feast

No one could believe that today was the last full day of our trip; it seems as though not even a week has passed since we all arrived in Montreal. For our last day, we wanted to do something especially fun and exciting — but where would we go? How about the “Orgelpark?” That’s right, a theme park for the organ.  I’ll admit, none of us knew exactly what to expect, not even Chris who had only heard of the venue from a friend.  We took a brief walk from our apartment through the Vondelpark (think Amsterdam’s version of NYC’s Central Park) and found ourselves standing in front of plain brick church building.

Orgelpark!

Treated to coffee and tea at the Orgelpark Cafe

A smorgasbord of organs under one roof!

Under the colorful “Orgelpark” sign we met curator and researcher Hans Fidom who welcomed us in to the bright red foyer café for some coffee and tea.  We then moved upstairs into a whimsically colored auditorium where we were surrounded by a smorgasbord of organs and a wrap-around balcony engraved with names of organ composers.  The auditorium used to be a church sanctuary from 1918, but today it houses eight separate instruments: a 1913 Mustel Harmonium, a 1925 Molzer parlor organ, a tiny Elbertse-positive organ, a 41-stop reproduction of a Cavaillé-Coll, a Sauer organ retrofitted with a computer-controlled console, a replica of a 15^th Century medieval organ, a Van Leeuwen baroque organ, and a mechanical café dance organ.  Hans explained that the Orgelpark opened in 2007 and was designed to be both a concert venue (hosting up to 3 concerts a week during season) and a musicology institute.  Most patrons are actually non-organists, but rather artists involved in dance, theater, and other experimental music disciplines.  There was something both charming and zany about the whole operation, making me feel a little as if I had entered into a pipe organ version of “Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.”  Yet, at the same time, our visit to Orgelpark provided a fascinating and perhaps even provocative glimpse into the organ’s potential to become relevant in today’s modern context.

David plays Liszt on the Sauer organ’s digital console

Laura plays Rheinberger using the Rollschweller crescendo roller pedal

The reproduced medieval organ

Organists are more excited to try the bellows than play the organ!

Karen plays Widor on the Cavaillé-Coll replica, complete with authentic Barker machine action

Hans uses a prototype to demonstrate the action to be used by he newly commissioned baroque organ

“The Busy Drone” is a mechanical dance organ that plays itself!

Hans operating the music feeder for “The Busy Drone”

We spent the rest of our afternoon exploring the city at our own pace.  Some went sheet music shopping; other visited the Anne Frank Museum.  Noel and I went hunting for a bakery, determined to find the best stroopwafel in the city.  “Stroop-what?”  For those unfamiliar with this delicacy, imagine a sweet honey syrup paste sandwiched between two thin waffle crackers.  Stroopwafels are very popular in the Netherlands and we’ve seen them incorporated into all sorts of desserts. Last night, we even tried a stroopwafel-flavored liquor!

Lunch in the Vondelpark

Music shopping in Amsterdam

We tried pickled herring, an Amsterdam specialty

As the sun began to set, we all started making our way towards St. Nicholas’s Basilica in the Old Centre district for the part of the day we had all been waiting for.  Meeting up at the water’s edge, we anxiously waited for the arrival of the charter boat we had scheduled for our last evening together.  That’s right–the Harvard Organ Society does it all, boat cruises included!  Our skipper, Paul, pulled up and welcomed us aboard.  He seemed impressed as we unpacked our bags, transforming the boat’s center table into a full blown feast of bread, cheeses, charcuterie, wine,td and other treats.  We cast off and soon found ourselves drifting gently down the picturesque canals of the city.  One thing we noticed about Amsterdam is how hectic walking from place to place can be.  Between the congested sidewalks, erratic bikers, and whizzing trams, it’s hard to believe we didn’t lose anyone in our group to a madcap moped this week!  The perspective of the city from the water, however, couldn’t be more different.  Time slowed as we adjusted to the leisure pace of canal traffic, passing under quaint bridges and catching glimpses of scenic vistas through the archways.  I felt as if I had entered the scene of painting—it was almost too perfect.

Casting off from our dock right in front of St. Nicholas’s Basilica

Drifting leisurely down the canals of Amsterdam

With our skipper Paul

Karen and Laura enjoy the scenery…and the high life aboard our private yacht

Our cruise comes to an end

Our skipper dropped us off in the middle of town where we had planned on meeting up with former Harvard musicology professor Olaf Post, who was Chris’s colleague and Noel’s former teacher.  After a light dinner and some drinks, we headed back home where we enjoyed our last night together in the apartment living room, reminiscing over highlights of our trip.  Someone asked, “So when’s the next time we’ll all be together in the same place?”  “Never, statistically!” Olaf interjected.  We all laughed at first and then sighed because we knew he was probably right.

Despite how bittersweet our evening was, there’s really no place for sulking—after all, we just had the most incredible two weeks anyone could ask for.  The strange thing about this study trip is that I’m honestly excited to be going home.  Several of us mentioned how eager we are to get back on the bench and make music after the rush of inspiration from these past two weeks.  In the spirit of Hemingway, Paris (or Europe, for that matter), is indeed a moveable feast—I’ve never so strongly felt that I’ve come away from a single experience with something so tangible as the artistic insight and cultural enrichment we’ve acquired over the course of this amazing journey.

Goodbye Amsterdam, Goodbye Europe

– Joey Fala

Haarlem Globetrotters

A trip to Haarlem was the highlight of our fourth day in Holland. After walking quickly to Amsterdam’s central station from our apartment – we were all proud that we kept up with Chris’s pace that morning – we boarded a train headed to Haarlem. In classic fashion, most of us took a short nap during the fifteen-minute ride. Once we arrived in Haarlem, we walked to the center of town and had lunch at a cafe with a magnificent view of the St.-Bavokerk (“Bavo”), which would be our first stop of the day. In keeping with the European tradition, the chairs at this cafe were oriented facing outward around the tables, so the ten of us sat in a line and people-watched while we ate our delicious meal.

Lunch in Haarlem!

 

With full tummies and full spirits, we headed across the square to Bavo and met the organist there, Anton Pauw. This was one of the most anticipated moments of our trip since we had heard so much about this famous organ. As Anton showed us into the sanctuary, we admired the vast beauty of the church itself as well as the striking red organ façade that adorned the west wall, decorated with gold leaf and carved sculptures. It was clear why the Bavo is often called the “Grote Kerk,” or “Great Church.”

Inside the St.-Bavokerk.

 

This was the third Christian Müller organ we have visited on our trip, dating back to the beginning of the 18th century. While Müller built the organ, the sculptor Jan van Logteren designed the ornate casework. After three years of hard work, and many payments to workers in the form of food and wine at “The Golden Fleece,” the organ was ready to show off to the public and debuted in a service on September 14, 1738. The splendor of the new massive organ in Haarlem spread around Europe, and even Handel and Mozart traveled to Haarlem to play it! How cool is it that we can all now say we’ve played an organ that Mozart played when he was ten years old? Most recently, the Flentrop organ company has been in charge of maintaining and tuning the great organ, the same company that built the lovely instrument we have in Adolphus Busch Hall back home at Harvard!

Chris admires the grand Müller organ in Bavo.

Jordan plays the Müller organ in Bavo.

Laura plays the Müller organ.

Noel plays the Müller organ.

David plays the Müller organ.

Karen plays the Müller organ.

Khristian Erich plays the Müller organ.

Chris performs for us too!

 

We each took turns at the console of the great organ and also had the chance to explore the church while we listened to each other play. As wonderful as the organ sounded from the console, it was even more glorious to listen from below as the sound filled the space. Some of us even got to climb the rafters of the church and listen from the triforium balconies that were higher than the console! Such an amazing view of the organ and the church doesn’t come without a little work, though. We had to climb up a tiny spiraling staircase and then walk across a single plank of wood, the only thing supporting us from falling several stories to the bottom of the church. For the adventurous souls among us, this was a breeze, but the rest of us were rather apprehensive as we gripped the wall for support and tried not to look down. Our relief upon making it onto the 2-foot-wide balcony did not last long, as Anton warned us that the railing would crumble into the church if we leaned on it. We could all agree, however, that it was an exhilarating experience and well worth braving fears of heights for this VIP access that mere tourists did not have!

It’s a long way down!

Joey plays the Müller organ, from the perspective of a triforium balcony.

Adriana plays the Müller organ.

Gianmarco plays the Müller organ.

Group shot!

 

After two hours on the Bavo organ, we walked with Anton to the Nieuwe Kerk where we got to try out another van Covelens organ. This organ is a modified version of a small organ that used to be housed in the St.-Bavokerk. Organ accompaniment was not previously used in the Nieuwe Kerk until this organ was installed in 1791. Today, the Haarlem tradition is that the Nieuwe Kerk serves as Bavo’s winter replacement — since Bavo gets too cold in the winter, its services are transferred to take place in the Nieuwe Kerk. Again, here each of us had a chance to try out the organ. The selections we chose to play ranged from Sweelinck to Bach.

We pose with Anton Pauw in front of the van Covelens organ in the Nieuwe Kerk in Haarlem.

 

After saying goodbye to our wonderful host Anton at the Nieuwe Kerk, we sat down for a quick dinner in the main square in Haarlem before taking the train back to Amsterdam. Our day concluded with attending a fantastic recital at the Basilica of St. Nicholas. Michael Hedley, our host from the previous day, performed works of Tournemire, Ropartz, Rheinberger, Debussy, Planyavsky, and Howells. After the recital, we leisurely walked back to our apartment and resumed one of our favorite traditions: late-night snacking.

-Karen Christianson

German Romantic love!

Our third day in Amsterdam began with a great breakfast of pancakes by Gianmarco as everyone got prepared for another day of playing. (It’s become a common theme that during our travels we feel that all we do is eat.) We stopped for a quick, yet delicious lunch at Café t’Centrum in Amsterdam on our way to Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam to get us through the next six hours.  After our trek through the Red Light District, we arrived at our destination!

Jacques van Oortmerssen intriguing us with his stories about Waalse Kerk.

Jacques describing the beautiful organ to us.

We met Jacques van Oortmoorsen at the Waalse Kerk. The church is located in the oldest part of Amsterdam, past the Red Light District. The church was founded in 1409, originally built very small. However, due to a period of economic prosperity in trade, the church was expanded. Originally at Waalse Kerk, organs weren’t used during the church services. The church was the communal, cultural building for the city – home of artists, composers, and painters. Special police monitored the activities in the church at that time. The church was within three blocks of the home where Sweelinck once lived.

In 1578, the religion of the church changed from Roman Catholicism to Protestantism. The organ of the Waalse Kerk was built in 1680. It was that same year that the city council in Amsterdam made a decision that the organ could be played during the services. At the time when the organ was built, 90% of the expenses were the materials for the organ while 10% of the materials were the labor. Today, the opposite it true.

Before we began our organ playing, Jacques told us a story of how Marie-Claire Alain was playing a televised organ concert. Jacques was turning pages for the concert, and Marie-Claire’s husband placed cigars in the mouth of every angel at Poiters. Jacques told us how the audience who watched the concert were amazed at the “beautiful” angels!

Jacques told us the type of repertoire we play on specific instruments should match the type of organ we play. As organists, we should listen to how an organ wants to be played.

Jacques gave a very intuitive masterclass for about three hours. Some of the main points he drove home to us were as follows:

When playing flat pedal boards, it is so important to have solid technique. He talked about an exercise in holding your arms up, but to feel totally and completely relaxed. Oftentimes, excluding the element of relaxation in our playing translates as stress and tension in the body. In turn, the stress is very present to the listener. We should feel relaxed in our playing as if our hands were relaxed at the side of our body. Our pedal playing should consist of the weight from our legs.

He talked in depth about articulation of a note:

1. Attack – Fast attack produces a “t” sound. A slow attack with steady weight to the key allows the pipe to produce a “d” sound. Most often we want to produce a “d” speaking sound. However, there are times where a “t” sound could be desirable. It all comes down to the desired sound the player wants to convey within the music he or she plays.

2. duration – the amount of time the note sounds
3. release – The release is just as important as the attack. A quick release instantly closes off the pipe. This sometimes can make long melodious lines to sound chocked. However, a slow, thoughtful release leads to a smoother ending articulation to the note.

Jordan Abbasi working with Jacques van Oortmerssen – playing Bach Fugue in G minor, BWV 542.

Khristian Erich playing the Buxtehude Passacaglia in d minor with a coaching by Jacques.

Jacques talked about Bach’s playing. It was said that Bach could match the same articulation of a subject or motif in feet as played in the hands. When we as organists play Bach, we should strive to match the same structure in whatever voice the subject appears.

We talked much about the importance of tempo. Tempo is very strong in the language of pop music. Having a solid tempo is so important for the listener. It’s vital to give a clear indication of the measure. Allow the downbeats to be the downbeats of the beat. In between the downbeats, it is important to allow the musical line to have a sense of freedom. Ultimately, we should aim for a good balance of tempo and meter.

Jacques told us if we can learn to read, we can speak. If we can learn to speak, we can sing. And if we can learn to sing, then we can play.

Noel de Sa e Silva playing a partita by Bach during the masterclass with Jacques.

Karen playing “The Wedge” Prelude by Bach during the masterclass with Jacques.

He discussed the dynamics of motifs. It is important to understand where a musical line is going. Allow each note to have its own particular characteristic. Be convincing of the motif.

We talked about the works of Bach that were “terrible in the sense of subject.” Jacques was referring to the darkness of some of Bach’s pieces. G, E, and C minor are among those keys. Bach told us how “The Wedge Prelude and Fugue” was about the death of Jesus Christ. This is obvious due to the minor key, chromaticism, dissonances, the descending lines (whether in hands or pedals), the syncopation – weight within certain parts of the melodic lines.

We talked about how many of Bach’s pieces symbolize the Trinity. The emphasis in beat one of a measure, beat two in the next measure, and beat three of the next measure oftentimes implies the Trinity. The first beat symbolizing God the Father, the second beat symbolizing God the Son, and the third beat symbolizing God the Holy Spirit.

The Harvard Organ Society with Jacques van Oormerssen!

Overall, it was a very informative masterclass – not only for those who played – but for those who were listening in the audience as well.

Michael Hedley showing us the beautiful organ at the Basilica of St. Nicolaas!

Laura Gullett playing Rheinberger’s Passacaglia in e minor on the beautiful German instrument at St. Nicolaas!

David von Behren playing the Liszt “B-A-C-H” Prelude at Basilica of St. Nicolaas on the beautiful German Romantic organ in Amsterdam!

The Harvard Organ Society at Basilica of St. Nicolaas in Amsterdam with Michael Hedley!

David von Behren, Khristian Erich, and Gianmarco Massameno played the piano throughout the night at Van Speck during their dinner in Van Speck. Khristian Erich opened with Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and improvised. David played Liszt’s “Un Sospiro.”

Fun during dinner at Van Speck in Amsterdam!

We then went to play the German Romantic organ at the Basilica of St. Nicolaas here in Amsterdam. It is the largest German Romantic organ built in Holland. It is considered the most important German Romantic organ built in the area. The console can be easily registered straight across each row of stops. It is the perfect instrument for playing Schumann, Liszt, or any other German Romantic composers. The organ is very warm in sound, much like a supersized, symphonic Skinner – with a warmth of smooth, liquid sound that blended so well with the acoustic like I had never heard before. After leaving, we went out to eat at Van Speck, a place that Jordan picked out.

Our waiter was hilarious, and a few of us entertained both the servers and restaurant patrons on the upright piano in the restaurant. Overall, the day was full of learning, wonderful food, and great company!

A wonderful way to end our eventful day in Amsterdam at Van Speck in Amsterdam!

Alkmaar Adventures

We woke up our first morning in Amsterdam both very eager for the day’s trip to the city of Alkmaar, but also quite exhausted. As we walked towards the train station, eyes were peeled for somewhere to get coffee or a quick breakfast snack. Yet, even though it was past 8 am, the streets were deserted. Adriana put the pieces together and realized that today in Holland was “Pentecost Monday,” a national holiday. All the shops were closed, no one was working, and everyone was sleeping.

After a half hour train ride, we arrived in Alkmaar! Our first stop was the Grote Kerk. We were warmly greeted by Pieter van Dijk, who explained to us that the previous night, the Grote Kerk had hosted the North Holland Beer Festival (explaining the heavy scent of beer pervading the church). The Grote Kerk is no longer a proper church; rather, it serves as a community gathering space for events such as the Beer Festival. Such a use for a church is not as large of a departure from historical precedent as might be expected; throughout the Netherlands’ history, churches have been the center point of city and town life, and used for a variety of purposes. The Grote Kerk had even served as a town prison at one point in its history. To our luck, a town’s wealth was displayed by the splendor of its church, and as a result, the organs were fabulous.

There are two organs in the Grote Kerk. The first we played was a 1511 Van Covelens organ, the oldest playable organ of the 1,800 historical organs in Holland! The organ has a span of three octaves and a third, and charmed us with its flutes and beautiful plenum sounds. I was struck by the clarity of the sound that came from the small instrument. Adriana and David played Sweelinck on the organ as part of a masterclass, and then we all got a chance to try it out. The organ can be manually pumped, so we all took a turn pumping the bellows, as well.

The 1511 Van Covelens Organ

David plays the van Covelens organ.

Pieter coaches Adriana on Sweelinck.

We take turns pumping the bellows.

We then ate a yummy Dutch lunch at a restaurant on a boat built into the side of a canal. The menu was entirely in Dutch, so we weren’t entirely sure what we were ordering—even Karen, who has shown a remarkable aptitude for figuring out the Dutch words and has served as our quasi-translator.

Lunch!

We returned to the church to play its main organ, a 1646 Schnitger organ. The organ had been built originally by van Hagerbeer as a Dutch classic organ. Schnitger was brought in to “renovate” the organ to a North German style instrument, prompting much controversy throughout the town. After the Schnitger renovation, those who had been opposed called the organ a “German noisemaker.” But to our ears, the organ was fantastic. Schnitger expanded the organ from 40 to 56 stops, expanding the pedal from 3 stops to 13. For this expansion, he managed to fit all of the new pipes within the original Dutch case, a quite impressive feat. Today, 90% of the original Schnitger pipework remains, as well as the original case.

The group with the Van Hagerbeer/Schnitger Organ.

Noel plays us a Bach chorale partita.

This organ is renowned internationally, largely because the blind organist Helmut Walcha made recordings there. The story goes that Walcha was in Haarlem on the beach with a friend, who suggested they visit this organ in Alkmaar. Walcha conceded that he would visit the organ if it rained the next day, which it did! He loved the organ so much he decided to make his famous “Art of the Fugue” recording there. Ever since, the organ has inspired many to become organists. We all got a chance to try the fantastic instrument out, playing a variety of Buxtehude and Bach, which was an incredible experience.

To round out the day, Frank van Wijk welcomed us to the Kapelkerk in Alkmaar. The Kapelkerk boasts a 1762 Müller organ, the last made by Christiaan Müller. We will see two more organs in the next days, so this was our introduction to his instruments. The organ was restored in 2001-2004 by Flentrop so that the instrument retains its original colors. As Frank played and spoke about the instrument, you couldn’t help but catching his enthusiasm as he excitedly detailed its history and showed off its great features. Frank played us several movements of C.P.E. Bach sonatas, as well as a wonderful Dutch allegro in the classical style. The instrument was marvelous to hear up close; we were all beaming as we listened to the music.

Frank tells us about the Müller organ in the Kapelkerk.

Frank plays us CPE Bach!

That brought our day in Alkmaar to a close. We got back on the train and rode back to Amsterdam. After a five-minute dinner, we sped walk across the city to Leidesplein, where we were going to see the opera that very night! The performance was Handel’s “Orlando,” which I think we can all agree was amazing. All the soloists were impeccable, especially Bejun Mehta, a countertenor. For many of us, this was our first exposure to a full-length opera, and we emerged opera enthusiasts.

Standing ovation at the end of “Orlando.”

Per usual, we returned home and feasted. Despite the post-midnight hour, we were all hungry for another meal. After hanging out a while, we all hit the sack and fell asleep within seconds.

– Laura Gullett

Welcome to Amsterdam!

Today, we said au revoir to Paris and hallo to Amsterdam. Even though we were exhausted from the previous day, we managed to get up, pack, and leave the apartment and catch our train. We were asleep for most of the train ride, but some of us were more than happy to spread the Harvard Organ Society spirit. Jordan, in particular, served as a wonderful ambassador to other train passengers, and excitedly explained that we were visiting organs in Amsterdam. 

Gianmarco sips cider on the train.

We get off the train in Amsterdam!

When we arrived, we immediately sensed that we were in a city rich in history and culture. However, getting around was somewhat of a challenge. Just simply crossing the street was an adventure: we had to watch for bikes, cars, trams, and other pedestrians! We took taxis to our apartments, dropped off our luggage and quickly headed to our first destination: Nieuwe Kerk, where we got to play the beautiful 1651 Van Hagerbeer organ accompanied by Henk Verhoef. We were amazed by how hard it was to pull stops because they were quite heavy! 

We arrive at Die Nieuwe Kerk!

The main organ of Die Niewe Kerk. The original organ was built by Schonat in 1655, and then expanded in 1673 by Van Hagerbeer and Duyschot.

Henk Verhoef sets up a registration for Gianmarco at Die Niewe Kerk.

After leaving the church, we headed to the local grocery store to pick up food for dinner. We bought so much food that some of the locals began to wonder if we were having party. With our bags breaking from the weight, we carried the groceries back the apartment, where Master Chef Lane and his assistants cooked up a wonderful dinner of chicken, rice, and vegetables. Heartily satisfied, we all went to bed. Good night, Amsterdam! 

Walking home along the canals of Amsterdam

– Jordan Abbasi and Khristian Erich Bauer-Rowe

A Final Day in Paris

Today marked the last full day of our time in Paris, and so we each explored some remaining sights with the day’s ample free time (except for those of us who caught-up on some needed sleep in the morning).  Many of us explored the various Paris markets in search of souvenirs for ourselves or loved ones, while others visited the majestic stained glass of the Saint Chapelle, and the treasures of the Louvre and Musée D’Orsay.  We then all reconvened at Saint Séverin for a beautiful organ recital of Duruflé, Bach, Frescobaldi, Dumage, and Bach by Thomas Kientz, a student of Olivier Latry and Michel Bouvard at the Paris Conservatory.  A delectable three hour long dinner at Le Petite Prince de Paris followed (thanks to Caroline Robinson for the recommendation), after which we enjoyed a restful walk along the Seine on our way back home to bed.

The interior of St. Eustache

David with the Mona Lisa!

A visit to the Louvre

A trip to the Musée d’Orsay!

The stained glass of Saint-Chapelle.

A picnic along the Seine

The organ of St. Séverin

Noel watches his crème brûlée being prepared.

Jordan thanks the manager at the wonderful restaurant where we ate dinner.

Evening walk along the Seine

– Gianmarco Massameno

A Prison of Pleasure

Today’s main event was a visit to the resplendent palace at Versailles, where we got to both see the palace and play the organ.  But first, we allowed ourselves a lie-in to catch up on some much-needed sleep.  My morning began with a trip to the supermarket to pick up breakfast supplies.  Normally, I find grocery shopping in America to be daunting enough, and I don’t speak a word of French, so you can imagine my apprehension at grocery shopping in France by myself.  At length, however, I managed to find the supermarket, to figure out the French word for “butter,” and to pay with Euros, and I patted myself on the back for using such complex phrases as “Deux baguettes” and “Parlez vous Anglais?”

We managed to finish breakfast just around 13:00 (it seems some of the boys were up a bit late last night) and headed to the train station where, of course, we missed our intended train and after much hassle at the ticket machines (France seems bound and determined to reject our card at every turn) we took a short but sleepy ride to Versailles.

We got an early start on the 14:00 train to Versailles.

We were greeted at the palace by the esteemed Jean-Baptiste Robin, one of the organists at Versailles, our guide from Poitiers two days ago, who sidestepped a few velvet cords to give us VIP access to the chapel and the palace, which he described to us as a “prison of pleasure.”  After ascending yet another historic spiral staircase, we found ourselves face-to-face with the lavishly gilded organ of the Royal Chapel.

The organ in the Royal Chapel at Versailles

Now, I don’t claim to know very much about French organ music, but I’ll save you the Google search and give you the scoop about this organ.  Newly built in 1995, this organ is a reconstruction of the original French classical organ built for the chapel in 1710 by Robert Clicquot, the grandfather of the builder of the instrument in Poitiers — a new organ built into the original 18th century case! The organ occupies an unusual position over the altar, facing the king, who would sit in the back of the chapel.  It has four manuals, a small pedalboard, 58 ranks, and 37 stops.

After Jean-Baptiste’s demonstration of the organ, each of us took a turn at the console, sending French Baroque music echoing around the splendor of the chapel.  In the absence of said tourists inside the chapel itself, a few of us took the opportunity to soak in the sun streaming through the windows and bask in the swirling harmonies.

If I never become famous, at least I can say I’ve played the organ at Versailles!

David takes the organ for a spin.

Decisions, decisions!

 

Joey and Chris listen in reverence…

…while Noel poses for Abercrombie Versailles.

A chapel ceiling to rival the Sistine Chapel’s.

God save the King!

We finally and reluctantly closed the doors on the organ console (because let’s face it, this is probably the first time that we can say, “I played the organ at ____!” and actually impress some non-organists) but we still had the whole palace to explore!  We wandered through numerous bedrooms, receiving rooms, dining rooms, and galleries, all of which I’m sure you can find photos of online, but my favorite part was walking through the Hall of Mirrors.  It’s one of the only parts of Versailles that I could recognize from a picture, and it just felt really thrilling to be there myself.  It helped cement the reality of this trip in my mind as I start to realize that we are really in Paris and it isn’t all just a dream.

The Hall of Mirrors – like a dream!

Pure decadence.

Of course, our stomachs started rumbling around 17:30 so we made a pit stop for “lunch” in the museum cafe (apparently our stomachs never adjusted to the time difference) where got a little too excited about spending exactly 100,00 Euros.  Afterwards, we decided to check out the gardens and were met with a maze of hedges, shrubs, ponds, and fountains to navigate.  We set off towards the north winding our way through gravel paths, the towering shrubs reminiscent of the hedge maze from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.  Along our wanderings we encountered a (maintenance) path less traveled, a cathedral of trees, and a few secret gardens, but as is our luck, we were just too late to rent a rowboat on the expansive Grand Canal.  Still, we stopped to dip our feet in the canal and enjoy the view, where we took our second collective nap of the day.  Gianmarco and Noel acquainted themselves with the wildlife while they fed the fish pieces of a Clif bar.

A secret garden

A cathedral of trees!
Now where is the organ?

Organists are a sedentary species.

Organists feed fish.
Strangely, not the first time this has occurred.

We finally roused ourselves from the lawn and ambled back to the train station where we took our third collective nap on the uneventful train back to Paris.  Upon our return, we glimpsed the sunset over the Seine and contemplated the pros and cons of jumping onto one of the dinner cruise boats from a bridge, but decided in favor of hitting up our favorite supermarket (this time before it closed).  Chris, Joey, and Gianmarco whipped up a delicious dinner of pasta, shrimp, vegetables, and chicken (at our ever-later dinnertime of 23:45) and Noel earned the title “God of Chocolate Mousse” for making us a very tasty dessert.

All in all, it was a well-balanced day:  relaxing in the morning, playing organ in the afternoon, and exploring Versailles in the evening, finished off by a home-cooked meal in good company!

Written by Adriana

Like a Dream

Thursday was our busiest day yet.  We left our apartment shortly after 9 and headed to the Church of La Madeleine to visit a 1845 Cavaillé-Coll, which had previously been the organ of Saint-Saëns, Fauré, and Demissieux.  (La Madeleine was also the location of Chopin’s funeral, at which the organist Lefébure-Wély performed two of Chopin’s opus 28 preludes on the Cavaillé-Coll).  We were greeted by François Henri Houbart, who demonstrated the instrument’s capabilities with an impressive improvisation.  Afterwards, he invited us up to try the organ.  Even Chris played!  At one point, some organ technicians had to come up to fix a faulty pipe.  We overheard him telling one of the technicians that he wasn’t always happy when seventy year old American organists visit and play “de la merde,” but that it was a real pleasure to have young students come and play well!

Chris plays the Allegro from Widor’s Symphony 6 at La Madeleine

Right after saying goodbye to M. Houbart, we headed to the Church of la Trinité to attend a recital by Dr. Michael Bauer, an American organist.  Guilmant and Messiaen had been organists at la Trinité.  David and Joey played pieces from Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur, allowing us to hear the music the same way Messiaen would have heard it.

David plays Les bergers from Messiaen’s La Nativité du Seigneur

We used Messiaen’s toilet-pit

We stuck around for a little while to listen to a brief recital by our host, Carolyn Shuster-Fournier, then headed to the 5ème arrondissement for our next stop: Maurice Duruflé’s apartment.  But along the way, because so many of us were hungry and grumpy and tired (despite having taken several short naps throughout the morning), we had to stop for a meal.  We ate a quick meal of pizza, paninis, and pastries, then hurried to the apartment.  There we met with Frédéric Blanc, who had been a student of Duruflé’s wife, Marie-Madeleine, and who now lives in the apartment.  He brought us up to the eighth floor and into the modest apartment.  Despite the size, Duruflé had installed a three-manual practice organ!  M. Blanc even brought out an original manuscript of Duruflé’s Prélude sur l’Introit de l’Épiphanie for David to play.  One more thing amazed us: from the balcony, we could see the entire city of Paris.

The best view in Paris — like a dream!

M. Blanc then brought us to Notre-Dame d’Auteuil, home of a 1885 Cavaillé-Coll.  “It sounds like a dream,” he kept on telling us, and soon we were able to confirm that ourselves.  We took turns playing a variety of French romantic music (and some Bach) on the organ, experimenting with the beauty of the instrument.

Laura plays a Duruflé fugue

After grabbing some ingredients from the grocery store (which nearly refused to let us in, since we arrived as it was closing), we made it back to the apartment.  Chris, Gianmarco, and Noel prepared a shrimp risotto for dinner, which was finally ready to eat a little before midnight.  It was a long day, but we all agreed that it was one of the most inspirational.

Noel de Sa e Silva

Time Travel in Poitiers, France

Today began with our usual breakfast of eggs, croissants, and fruit.  Eggs were prepared in various styles: over-easy, sunny-side up, and scrambled.  In the process, we found that our Nebraskan friend David von Behren uses slightly backwards terms for the first two: “easy-over” and “upside sunny.” This provoked an interesting, though drowsy, conversation about cultural differences between our hometowns.

After breakfast, we headed to the Montparnasse train station, where we met Jean-Baptiste Robin, an expert in French Classical music and former organist at Cathédrale Saint-Pierre de Poitiers (Poitiers Cathedral).  Our high-speed train was far smoother than any American train we had been on, and it got us to Poitiers in only two hours.

Laura and Jordan on the train to Poitiers!

 

Upon arriving in Poitiers, we picked up sandwiches at a small deli and ate them during our way to the Cathedral.  As we walked, Jean-Baptiste pointed out landmarks along the way, including the place where Joan of Arc was last interrogated before her execution.  He also told us that the famous Clicquot champagne was created by a member of the same Clicquot family as that of the builders of the Poitiers Cathedral organ!

 

Jean-Baptiste shows us around Poitiers!

Walking to the cathedral and eating lunch!

The cathedral holds the famous 1791 Clicquot organ, which, remarkably, remains largely untouched; all of the pipework is original and only slight modifications and restorations have taken place.  We entered through the back of the church; the western façade was incredibly ornate and its carved figures and rose window reminded us of Notre Dame in Paris.

 

Meeting Olivier Houette, organist at Poitiers Cathedral!

Inside, we met the current organist at Poitiers, Olivier Houette, who masterfully improvised on the instrument so we could listen to its blend from downstairs.  The sound struck a fine balance between piercing the air and drawing the listener in, and the organ fit the space perfectly.  In fact, one of the important lessons we’ve learned is that much of the magic of such fine French instruments depends on the tremendous and reverberant spaces in which they live.  It is clear that such instruments would not be the same in smaller, drier rooms.

Members of the Organ Society listen to Olivier Houette play the incredible 1791 Clicquot organ

 

Karen and Laura climb the spiral staircase to the organ balcony

 

Thus, the large impact of acoustics in these churches has reminded us to listen and adapt our playing constantly to the actual sounds that result from our playing; it would be a huge mistake to use the same playing style on each organ that we visit.  This becomes a difficult endeavor because usually the sound is quite different at the organ console than it is in the rest of the church, so we are sure to walk around the church while others are playing to get a sense of the acoustics.

 

Karen plays Marchand’s Grand Dialogue during our masterclass with Jean-Baptiste Robin!

Jean-Baptiste teaching with Karen at the console and other eager pupils listening!

During our extended masterclass with Jean-Baptiste, we were taught about the improvisatory nature of French Classical organ repertoire and the interpretive decisions that he demonstrated as he brought the music to life.  Jean-Baptiste taught with a perfect blend of musicality, humility, and humor.

 

 

Jean-Baptiste demonstrates articulation in a Couperin piece for Joey

It was an incredible experience to play this music on an instrument from the same time period; one could feel that the music made so much sense played on the Clicquot.  It was like travelling back in time several centuries as we played the music of Couperin, Marchand, Daquin, and Nivers on the sort of instrument those composers lived with.

The remarkable Poitiers Cathedral, as seen from the organ loft.

Jean-Baptiste used comical metaphors to instruct Jordan on a movement of Couperin’s Organ Mass for Parishes

HOS members pose with the amazing Jean-Baptiste Robin in front of the organ!

After returning to Paris, we ate dinner at Au Chien Qui Fume (“The Smoking Dog”) and celebrated Adriana’s birthday!  David’s passion for his dessert, Chocolate Mousse, was impressive, and he strongly considered asking the waiter for a tub of Mousse to bring home.

Celebrating Adriana’s birthday over dinner at Au Chien Qui Fume

-Jordan Abbasi