Organic Singing

The Pipe Organ's Ability to Aid in Congregational Song

A few years back, I wrote an article called “Pipes Worth Playing: Four Lost Lessons from the Pipe Organ” for Kuyperian Commentary and Theopolis Institute. I thought it might be helpful to get at the complaint some folks in my circles have with pipe organs in worship. I believe the pipe organ can be a blessing to congregational singing, not necessarily the adversary that some consider it to be. Yes, I know that for some, this will seem about as timely as listing the merits of the horse-drawn carriage in the age of Tesla electric automobiles. In reality, Christians in a technological age should pause and consider how the church has been blessed by things like organs and how we might continue to be so today in our congregational singing.

A King in Exile

In 1777, Wolfgang Mozart penned a letter to his father, where he recounted an exchange with someone who was bewildered why a virtuoso keyboardist like Mozart would want to play the pipe organ. Mozart wrote, “In my eyes and ears, the organ is the king of the instruments.” Mozart was right. There is no more complex and large-scale instrument in existence. Its pipes are grouped into “ranks,” which draws comparison with the heavenly host of angels that are also organized by ranks.

The pipe organ is one, and many, much like the Church is one and many. It is made up of many pipes that function in unity and harmony under the inspiration of its player. These pipes of all sizes have voice boxes called reeds where air passes through, producing the vibrations of sound, from bellowsome lows to piercing highs and everything in between. This instrument serves as a scale model of how all the universe voices praises to God. When used rightly in the church's worship, this instrument envelops the voices in the pews with a volume that Psalm 150 describes. With its different stops, pedals, and sounds, the pipe organ can create a grand symphony of sound that pictures the complex and glorious diversity of creation. It is, therefore, sad to see that this kingly instrument has been exiled from the worship services of many churches.

What Kind of Organ Exactly

There is not just one type of organ instrument out there. The term organ has been caricatured and overgeneralized. For this article, I will speak about pipe organs as opposed to the other types of organs that many people associate with basketball arenas, haunted houses, old cinemas, or funeral parlors. I’m talking about the large-scale pipe organs that were built into the structures of many cathedrals and churches over the past five hundred years.

Raising the Singing Volume

We’ve all been to a party in some large or small venue where people were conversing. The combined volume of all the conversations forces you to speak up and project to the person standing closest to you as you talk. At some point, the hosts may pray or instruct the crowd. Maybe you don’t immediately sense the spreading quiet as folks became aware that the host was speaking. You blurt another word or two, now comparatively at a very loud volume, given the sudden decrease in talking in the room. It’s then that you would realize just how loud you were being by necessity. You quickly lower or stop speaking. 

Similarly, this is where the organ’s size and scale are a benefit to our singing and not a hindrance. Organ accompaniment, not performance, can provide enough volume for those singing in the worship service not to feel exposed or alone in their singing. Like the dinner party guest whose voice is projecting, so too can the singer’s voice project without fear or worry of being heard. But that is precisely the chief complaint I hear from folks who are not accustomed to organ accompaniment. “I cannot hear myself sing” is the objection that seems to be most prevalent. The issue here is that the organ is not a timid instrument. Sadly, the singing in many churches is timid at best or virtually non-existent at worst. The organ is quick to expose that fact. The correct response would be to sing out and listen, not for your own voice primarily, but for the harmony of voices and instruments in praise to God.

Corporate, Not Individual Worship

There is a reason the church has historically referred to Sunday services as corporate worship. The people of God gather as the body of Christ (Corpus Christi) to worship and be renewed in our callings to live as His church. But many people have been swept up in the modern idea that Sunday worship is the time for me to praise and worship my Savior in song. Of secondary importance is that I’m in the same room as others, praising and worshipping similarly. The shift in an understanding of worship from corporate to individual removes the value of the pipe organ in worship. We do sing to God as individuals who are gathered as one body. Yes, our heavenly Father is the chief hearer of our worship. Yes, we still sing to one another in our worship. But at the same time, our worship posture and content should still point to the fact that we are not just worshipping as individuals. The organ playing songs that allow for all to sing along in unison, or possibly in parts, helps reinforce the fact that we worship as the body of Christ.

Resounding the Pipes

What do you do if you do not have access to an organ or an organist who understands the glorious responsibility of accompanying the congregational singing in a Sunday worship service? Well, the first thing is to rejoice and give thanks. I mean that. Give thanks that you can worship God and that he accepts our praises even when we know we have much to learn in how to sing and praise as the body of Christ.

Second, the principles of corporate worship do not just apply to instruments used in worship. They also apply to what versions/arrangements of hymns and psalms are being sung. If the melodies and arrangements are too complex for the average person to sing, then the organ is not going to be a palatable option for your worship. Also, if most of the songs used in your service heavily use words like I, me, my, and rarely You, Us, We, The Church, etc., your worship has room to expand and grow in corporate emphasis.

Third, if you cannot get a pipe organ, then give thanks that your voice is a pipe. The Lord has given you breath so that you might sing praises to him all your days. Even if pipe organ accompaniment is not possible for you, you can still add instruments that the pipe organ has in its arsenal (Flutes, horns, strings, etc.). This will help bring grandeur and majesty that can aid in the strength and beauty of corporate singing. Of course, with this increase will come more of a need for coordination of instruments in purpose and playing. But that’s a great thing to tackle.

Fourth, one of the fruits of this technological age is that there is a good selection of digital pipe organs where great care has been taken to recreate the sounds like an acoustic pipe organ. This is a great way to start from scratch, especially in worship spaces where purchasing and building an organ into the existing worship space would be challenging.

Worship that is Different

In a day and age where individualism is more widespread than corporatism when it comes to worship, we are going to find some of these things to be different and maybe even difficult. Our Lord’s Day Worship should feel different because it is holy or set apart from the mundane sights and sounds of the other six days of our week.

Our worship services should not be times of “Blessed Quietness,” like the old hymn title mentions. Instead, we should sing in such a way that leaves no doubt that we want the world to hear that we are singing praises to the God of the universe. No other single instrument in the church's history can provide such an aid to help raise the overall volume of voices singing together than the pipe organ.