Today I had a chance to play an organ demonstration for two groups of school children in the small northern Lithuanian town of Vabalninkas. There our composer Juozas Naujalis worked back in 1890-1891. And Juozapas Radavicius built this 3 manual organ.
It was a very rainy day, Marek our organ fan and I, left very early in the morning. We arrived in Vabalninkas a little too early, when the morning Mass was still going on. It was a funeral Mass. We went inside and I lifestreamed the ending song "Angelus Domini":
Then we both climbed to the organ balcony and got ready for the organ demonstration. I asked Marek to take the camera and record the event without showing the kids faces for privacy reasons. They were 8th graders.
After my talk and playing I offered the kids to try the organ themselves and everyone was really shy. It didn't make sense! In all of my previous demonstrations kids were practically dying to play the organ with their hands and feet. Usually our demonstration would last for much more time than planned precisely because of extra questions and practical playing by the kids. Everyone would want to have a try and teachers and I would have a hard time convincing them to switch places.
But now all I could do was to drag a couple of boys on the organ bench and play the organ with 4 hands. Boys, girls - doesn't matter - they all were extremely resistant to the idea of playing the instrument in front of their peers. And even when finally the boys played, one of them said, "I don't know how to play...."
This is absolutely unheard of! Everyone can play any key they want, press any pedal they want on the organ, right? And here this boy is telling me, he doesn't know what to play!
OK, OK, I told him to play C, D, E. And he did. He also played a few pedals as well. We applauded! Hope these kids will rememeber this day for a long time.
After the first group one man came up to me and said he came to Vabalninkas from Siauliai (100 km) to hear an organ concert. I told him to sit in the pews on the side of the organ balcony and enjoy the second demonstration.
The second group was a class of 9th graders and their music teacher. They were even more shy. Only one kid played the organ afterwards.
The kids afterwards were in a hurry to go to lunch so we didn't make our group picture but Marek and I went downstairs and took the picture ourselves. Then we drove home and got a little lost because of Google Maps directions! Good thing we weren't in a hurry to get back to Vilnius...
Hope you will also enjoy some photos from today:
I'm co-owner of witness untersatz with @contrabourdon!
Do they normally play?
Yes. Maybe it's adolescent age and their thinking in packs that stopped them from letting themselves to relax. Or the fact that this is a small provincial town where people are in closer proximity of each other. In a capital they wouldn't care so much what other people think about them.
Ever wonder how much opportunity is missed and perhaps how many potential loves in life because of caring what others might think?
That would be 99.99 percent, right?
I have many regrets from my childhood and adolescence which I wish I could back and have a redo. Climbing to the top of bell-towers (I'm scared of heights), petting a dolphin, trying a new sport, etc. Mostly because I didn't want to make a fool of myself. Now--I am happy to be the fool for the most part. It is the experience that matters.
Yes, with experience comes understanding that the only thing we really have to do is to be ourselves. (whatever that means is up to everyone to find out...)
!blacklist-check cebuladeals
Have you seen my Blacklist Notifier Chrome Extension?
Yes. I use it, thanks so much.
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^ @themarkymark. Probably one for the blacklist.
Thanks