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Brooklyn Beats — The great church pipe organ known as the “King of Instruments” is going through a tough time. The shortage of organists affects not only the 185 parishes in the Diocese of Brooklyn, but also parishes across the country. Locally, from Bay Ridge to Bayside, a shortage of organists is affecting Sunday services.
According to Gary DiFranco, dean of the Brooklyn chapter of the American Guild of Organists (AGO), there are currently 48 members, down from 10 a decade ago. With chapters in Brooklyn, Queens and New York City, DiFranco couldn’t comment on overall attrition rates, but pointed to a decline in active members of all denominations in Brooklyn.
DiFranco emphasized how his organization in Brooklyn Heights helps advocate for organists through continuing education programs, musical enrichment, certification support and opportunities for organists to perform at borough churches.
“Our organization offers workshops for members to improve their skills, such as how to lead a choir from the organ, along with community events,” explained Di Franco. “We sponsor several concerts for our members at churches in Brooklyn, as well as the Queens chapter and the New York chapter.”
An organist in Catholic churches for 40 years, Di Franco attended Holy Child Church in Staten Island and began playing the organ at the age of 12. For the past three years, he has played at Our Lady of Mercy in Forest Hills and before that was organist at St. Finbarr’s in Bensonhurst for 19 years.
Di Franco believes that the organ is an important and invaluable part of the church liturgy. “I find it much more beautiful when there is music played by an organist and a cantor,” Di Franco said. “If it’s done right, the hymns I choose should match the pastor’s family because we’re both reading the same scriptures and we’re both thinking about similar themes, so it usually works out well.”
According to JW Arnold, marketing and communications specialist for the AGO, the organization has about 13,000 members across the country, from young children to seniors. He acknowledged that membership took a hit after the pandemic with some churches closing for a year or two, but now that things are reopening, he’s optimistic about a revival. He said the AGO aims to encourage younger members to join the body, noting that the organization has attracted more than 1,000 new members under the age of 30 since 2021.
Two years ago, the AGO found that 58% of members surveyed had 31 or more years of service as an organist in a religious organization, and that most members were between the ages of 50 and 70.
Although the organ is not an instrument as easily picked up as the guitar, saxophone, piano or trumpet, the AGO is looking for new ways to introduce the organ to young people. For example, the Brooklyn branch of the AGO hosts “Pedals, Pipes and Pizza” in Park Slope, an event for piano students ages eight to 18.
In 1932, when the Kilken pipe organ at Mary’s Church in Kensington/Windsor Terrace needed to be restored three years earlier, Father Elijah Gill insisted on repairing the great pipes despite the $350,000 cost. Father Gill, who has been pastor of the 130-year-old church for eight years, led a fundraising mission to replace the organ and repair its irreplaceable pipes and enlisted the generosity of parishioners to make the effort possible.
“Organ music enlivens the liturgy,” says Father Gill, “it fills people’s souls with peace and brings joy to their hearts.”
The church’s music director, organist Connor Whelan, said the new organ has certainly made a difference at Immaculate Heart of Mary.
“It feels so good compared to playing the old one because it was so dated and so bad,” Whelan said. Although he grew up in the church and played the organ since childhood, he has been the music director at IHM for three years.
Whelan believes the organ is an important part of the church mass because it helps bring people closer to God.
“Our parishioners love to hear traditional hymns like ‘Mary Mary,’ ‘Holy, Holy,’ and even modern songs like ‘On Eagle’s Wings’ and ‘Fear Not,'” he explained.
At 27, one of the youngest organists in the diocese, Whelan doesn’t believe in the hymnbook but plays by ear.
He believes there is a need for well-trained musicians and music directors in Catholic churches, and believes early training is key.
Carmen Martinez has been a parishioner at IHM for over 50 years. Martinez said having an organ at Mass is not only important, but also inspiring. At a Sunday service or even at a funeral, organ music can bring a sense of comfort and peace that other instruments don’t, he added.
“It sets the tone when you walk into the church when you hear this amazing music,” Martinez explained. “It’s very spiritual and very moving.”
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