The Master of Sacred Music Program in Organ

Overview

This program offers comprehensive graduate level study in organ performance. It is a professional degree with a strong academic basis offered jointly through the School of Theology and School of Music at Boston University. At the end of the course it is expected that the student will be able to perform a wide variety of repertoire with stylistic integrity and to demonstrate fluency in a number of keyboard skills relevant to a career as an organist. It is also expected that the student will also be well-rounded in his or her knowledge of other aspects of the profession including the art of accompaniment, organ pedagogy, and organology. The program is offered as a component of the Master of Sacred Music degree, which offers the finest professional training to those interested in sacred music. For further information on the Master of Sacred Music program click here [add link]. Note: there is currently no MM or DMA in organ offered by Boston University.

Faculty

The outstanding faculty at Boston University includes:

Andrew Shenton, Director of the MSM program

Peter Sykes, Applied Organ

Nancy Granert, Applied Organ

Full details of the faculty at the School of Theology and School of Music can be found at their respective web sites. Questions about the Organ Program or the Master of Sacred Music Program should be directed to Dr. Shenton

Admission

This degree is administered through the School of Theology and applications must be submitted to the School of Theology and not the School of Music. Applicants should read the admission requirements for the MSM program on its web site [add link]. Further details are available from the School of Theology Office of Admissions pages.

Audition requirements

It is recommended that applicants audition in person. Candidates are called for audition on the basis of their application materials which should include a video recording (VHS or DVD.) Audition requirements include a major work by J. S. Bach or one his contemporaries, a major work from the Romantic repertoire and a piece of contemporary music. Candidates may also be asked to demonstrate other keyboard skills although it is understood that a candidate may not have had much experience in this area. A candidate may be admitted on the basis of a recorded audition alone where distance preclude an on-site interview.

Repertoire

The student must demonstrate an awareness of the vast range of repertoire for the organ, and the performance practice and technical issues required to perform this repertoire. The recital requirement will test this skill by asking the student to perform, for example:

A piece/collection written prior to 1650
A major work by J. S. Bach
A major Romantic work
A major twentieth-century work
A work by a contemporary (living) composer
A concerted work

Recital requirements

There will be two degree recitals (length of each to be determined), one to be presented by the end of the first year and one by the end of the second. Each should concentrate on a certain repertoire and be performed on an organ suitable to that repertoire. A possible division may be music prior to 1750 and music after 1750. Boston University has relationships with several churches in the area, with notable instruments, which students may use for this purpose. The recitals will be free and open to the public. The usual School of Music requirements for faculty attendance will apply.

Performance practice

Students will be required to display knowledge of historically informed performance practice relevant to the repertoire they perform.

Technique

Students will be encouraged to strengthen and extend their technical facility through the repertoire they perform and by the addition of studies and exercises. Remedial work may be necessary for some students.

Organ seminar

The organ seminar is designed to cover those skills required of a good organist that cannot be covered in the applied lesson due to time constraints. [It is hoped that the organ seminar will be offered as a one year course on alternate years starting in the fall of 2006. Current students will receive the training outlined below as part of their applied lesson and during the Sacred Music Practicum.] The organ seminar will cover the following:

Repertoire classes

Students will be exposed to important works in the literature in a chronological sequence. This will include score study and listening to recordings as well as performance of the repertoire by class members.

Keyboard skills

The value of a high level of proficiency in keyboard skills is integral to this program. The student should be adept at the following skills, up to the approximate standard of the Associate diploma of the American Guild of Organists:

1. Sight reading: in three clefs, music for organ that may include manual and/or registration changes, and should include the pedals.
2. Score reading: in four parts—G and F clefs only.
3. Transposition: up or down a tone to a maximum of four sharps or flats.
4. Improvisation: to demonstrate basic awareness of technique including form, modulation and melodic continuation.
5. Figured bass: to be able to recognize and play at sight the most common figures and to demonstrate by playing a simple accompaniment to a melodic line with figures.

Organology

It is expected that the student will have some knowledge of the history of the development of the organ, organ building and design and organ maintenance.

Pedagogy

Students will be taught the fundamentals of organ pedagogy so that they know of the tools available for teaching and study and are aware of types of approach and technique for teaching.

The art of accompaniment

Students will learn the art of accompaniment at the organ in three areas:
• Choir accompaniment (large and small choruses)
• Congregational accompaniment (including hymns and service music)
• Orchestral accompaniment (including continuo work)

Masterclasses

Master classes will be offered on a periodic basis, allowing students direct contact with skilled and prominent members of the profession. This may be done in conjunction with the AGO or other organizations, including area schools and colleges.

Field trips to visit local organs

Field trips to area churches with important instruments and / or music programs will be offered on a periodic basis. This may be done as part of the Sacred Music Practicum.

Competitions

Where appropriate, students should be encouraged to enter for local and national competitions. This can be advantageous both to the student and the program.

Professional examinations

Where appropriate, students will be encouraged to take the Associate and Fellowship diplomas of the American Guild of Organists. Since the AGO is the principal professional organization for Organists in the US, the Guild’s fee scales are based on members having these diplomas. Study for these exams can also provide a useful additional focus for work on repertoire and keyboard skills.

Liaison with AGO and other professional organizations

Boston University has good relationships with the National and Local chapter of the American Guild of Organists and other professional organizations and institutions of higher learning in order to expand the range of offerings available to our students, and to foster an environment of cooperation and mutual respect.

Professional Placement

The Director of the MSM program will facilitate placement of incoming students into professional positions in area churches if available. In addition to gaining valuable experience, it will provide practice facilities for the student, and money to help offset tuition and other student expenses. The Director will monitor each student and provide assistance as needed.

Second study organ

Second study organ is available to those with fundamental keyboard skills. Some of this teaching may be done in a group in the early stages of learning. The expectations for a second-study organist are similar to those for an organ major, but at a different level.

The AGO Organ Library

In addition to the resources of the University library system, students have full use of the AGO Organ Library which is housed at Boston University in the same building as the School of Theology. Established in 1981, the printed music, monograph, periodical, and archival collections of the Organ Library encompass the full historical range of music composed or transcribed for the organ. The Library's holdings also include pedagogical materials, monographs about composers who have made notable contributions to the repertoire of the instrument, and archives documenting the careers of prominent organists. There are also many books and pamphlets about organs throughout the world. Since the Organ Library is exclusively a research library, materials do not circulate, nor are they available through Inter-Library Loan. Out-of-print material not protected by copyright will be photocopied and can be mailed anywhere in the world. For further information see: http://www.organlibrary.com/index.html

The Symphonic organ at Boston University

Boston University owns a large player organ that is housed in the Sherman Union building. In his web page, the curator Nelson Barden declares: “It is an unusual multi-purpose instrument designed to play a variety of music and serve many functions: classical organ concerts, symphonic realizations, silent film accompaniment, and background music for banquets and receptions.” For further information see: http://www.nbarden.com/buso/welcome.html.