September 5, 2001
Church organs challenge for Lewis
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Sally Lewis, the organist at the First Congregational Church, made the tour with the choir to Europe. An organist with more than 50 years of experience, Lewis has multiple organ tours in Europe under her belt.
Despite this, Lewis found the trip a musical and mental challenge - one worth the taking.
In order to play on different organs during the tours' nine singing engagements, Lewis asked the travel agent in the spring to request organ specifications from the churches. By studying this information in advance, she could prepare for the seemingly infinite permutations among instruments.
Some churches cooperated and some didn't, she said.
"One place sent me the specifications for their big organ and I ended up playing the little one," said Lewis, who plays organ, harpsichord and piano and teaches at Northwestern Michigan College.
Lewis knew from previous trips to Europe that churches there had mainly older organs that are mechanical instead of the electronic ones more common in this country. That difference is probably the biggest hurdle for a guest organist, especially one not used to worrying about overloading the mechanics of an old organ by using too many stops.
In addition, some models have shorter keyboards or have them arranged in a different order or the stops are in a different order.
"I didn't run in to anything I haven't played before but there is just such a wide variety of issues," Lewis said. "Some organs were very old and the pedals were in another place and were shorter; when the keyboards are shorter, you kind of rearrange the music as you go because you will run out of keys to play."
Lewis likens a trip like this to a musical pilgrimage, both satisfying and stimulating at the same time. She studies in advance the history of the churches and organs she will visit. If any music was composed there she tries to play these pieces on the organ for which they were written.
"I've played organs that Bach, Handel and Mozart played, the list goes on and on," Lewis said. "When you sit and play one of those early organs and know that this person has played there, it is really an emotional experience. It is sometimes hard to play because of the emotions involved."