pipe organ

Image description: inside the organ chamber of the Austin pipe organ at the First Congregational Church of St. Louis.

A Fun Pipe Organ Tour

A few weeks ago, Brent Johnson from the Organ Media Foundation came to the First Congregational Church of St. Louis, where I work, to film our Austin pipe organ.

Image text: Two Favorite Lenten Preludes. Background photo is sheet music for Six Preludes for the Church Year by Robert A. Hobby and Three Lenten Hymn Meditations by Mark C. Jones. For the blog post "My Favorite Lenten Preludes" at sarah-bereza.com

GEMS: My Favorite Lenten Preludes

Time for some organ music! Here are the two Lenten preludes I love the most. Both are based on hymn tunes, and both work on small organs. But one is easy peasy, and one has my highschool-self’s favorite thing: double pedal!

Image text: The Top 25 Organ Postludes Image background: photo of Juget-Sinclair tracker organ with Bach sheet music. For the blog post: Best Organ Postludes sarah-bereza.com

GEMS: The 25 Best Organ Postludes

Do you want to learn new postlude music that you will enjoy and your congregation will love? Here’s my list of the best organ postludes, based on almost 20 years as a church musician. These pieces are: 2-5 minutes long faster/louder rather than softer/slower in the sweet spot between very difficult and too simple (and …

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Text: My favorite organ postlude, no page turns needed. Background image is 4 manual organ with sheet music spread out on the music rack. sarah-bereza.com

GEMS: My Favorite Organ Postlude

Here’s what I want in an organ postlude: 3-4 minutes long faster/louder rather than softer/slower in the sweet spot between very difficult and too simple Maurice Duruflé’s Fugue sur le carillon des heures de la Cathédrale de Soissons (Op. 12) hits all those elements for me. I’ve played it dozens of times, especially in the …

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Image shows podcast cover with text: Music and the Church with Sarah Bereza. At sarah-bereza.com

How to Be a Positively Swell Substitute Organist (with a subbing checklist), on Music and the Church Ep. 14

Do you work as a substitute organist or hire them? This episode is for you! Crawford, Catie Moyer, and I have many (many!) strategies for subbing and hiring subs. Because we have so much to share, we decided to make this post a how-to. If you scroll down, you’ll find detailed strategies, questions to ask …

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