This Halloween weekend, I did something I haven’t done for years. Was it the fact that I went overboard with my costume, shaved my head and drew permanent marker all over my face? No, I go overboard with my excitement for children’s holidays all the time — Halloween weekend marked the first time in years I went into a church on Sunday.
I grew up Catholic, and I would go to church every Sunday. However, once I went to college, I realized it was my chance to sleep in on Sundays. Church, long lectures and immortal salvation sound great, but when I have to wake up at 10 a.m. to do it, it just sounds intolerable.
This Sunday though, I didn’t go to a church service; I went to listen to a concert organist. I don’t know what her name was because I lost the brochure, but I do know that she was good.
Her pamphlet said that she has a master’s and doctorate in organ studies, which is apparently a real thing. She has traveled all over the nation playing organs, and her ability is recognized by the various professional organ societies, which once again, are apparently real things.
As I entered the church, I felt really nervous and scared. It had been a long time, and churches are pretty intimidating. It took a lot of effort for me not to run away. I felt like Damien from The Omen when he was dragged into church, except his fear was founded because he was the offspring of Satan, and I am pretty certain I am not.
As I sat waiting for the concert to begin, I noticed the crowd. Everyone present was at least 60 years old, and they all seemed to know one another. I assumed this was because they were all from the same church. I was the only college-age kid there, and it made me look really out of place. That, and the fact I had a shaved head and an arrow drawn in permanent marker on my face.
Finally, the concert started, and I felt intimidated right away. Here was this small woman playing a small keyboard, and right in front of her were massive pipes and metal horrors.
As for the music being played, I’m not sure how much I enjoyed it. Despite the fact that most of the songs played were fairly light-hearted, they all sounded like they belonged in the soundtrack for The Phantom of the Opera. When the organist played some of her louder pieces, I could actually feel my heart vibrating from the volume of her notes.
As one would expect from a doctorate in organ studies, the organist was brilliant. When you watch her play, you can tell how difficult the organ is. Besides the standard piano keyboard at her fingertips, there was another keyboard that she had to use her feet for, and there were a multitude of switches she needed to keep working with.
The organist concluded her performance with a more modern organ song. She said this song incorporated jazz music and that it was a song to dance to.
Needless to say, the man with a bright blue arrow on his head and the majority of seniors with potential arthritis did not dance.
What we did do was give her a standing ovation. Though I recognize the difficulty of playing the organ, as well as the organist’s skill, I could not bring myself to fall in love with the music. Instead, I went home and went to bed. Waking up at 4 p.m. after Halloween had been a real difficult task.
Dennis Fulton is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University and a columnist for The Post. Send him some organ facts at df342709@ohiou.edu.
