As the International Year of the Organ draws to a close in a couple of months, I took the time to reflect on how the pipe organ has shaped my life. Back in my former hometown of Clifton, New Jersey, I used to attend a parish with a three-manual pipe organ. It felt just wonderful (to me, of course, although I love traditional tunes even more) to sing the modern hymns and those memorable introits from Marty Haugen’s Mass of Creation. Now, I attend a parish with a lone spinet piano and a Yamaha digital organ, and to this date I have not heard a note of a real diapason pipe since my Asheville vacation, when I attended Mass in a basilica with a century-old pipe organ. With those in mind and the IYO in full swing, I wrote an article on my very strong preference towards pipe organs over electric ones on Musicouch, and I recently thought, “Well, that received a lot of views, but I would very much want to write a revised version of it to the American Guild Of Organists (AGO) so they can give me credit for this.” I am in the process of doing that, so I hope that the organization recognizes me for my input of opinion on the pipe-versus-electric debate.

Tell me what you prefer to be heard in your church -  please explain why you prefer pipe orver digital/electric or the other way around. To Catholics who are commenting, I’ll gladly respect your disdain and horror stories towards current litugical music but not bash against them.

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