An Inside Look at the Gospel Through the Eyes of an AGU Organist

Nami Takasaki

 When people go to the chapel to worship, the first thing that many people  hear is the beautiful sounds of the music known as the prelude. During the worship, participants sing hymns along to the music. At the end of the worship, they leave the chapel once again listening to a beautiful melody known as the postlude. All these sounds are made using a pipe organ. Though similar in design and function to the piano, the pipe organ is an instrument which makes sounds by pushing wind through a series of pipes whereas the piano makes sounds by striking strings. Pipe organs traditionally have a large role during worship. One of the organists of AGU, Ms. Sakato Mami, explained her experiences.

Q: What brought you to be an organist?

A: I was so impressed when I first saw the pipe organ at the age of 12. I strongly felt  I wanted to play it. However, at the time, the pipe organ was much less famous than it is now, so I had no idea where I could learn it. When I was in 2nd grade of high school, I had a chance to talk with a professor at a college of music who played the pipe organ. At first, he did not recommend that I learn to play the pipe organ. He thought that it would be difficult to make a living from it, though later I was accepted to attend college to learn

it.

 After I graduated, I became an organist of a church, but I was not a Christian at the time. However, no one criticized me, and after a while, I came to have faith  in Christianity. Unlike many organists whose fathers are pastors, or parents are Christians, I had no relations with Christianity at all. As for me, the pipe organ led me to Christianity. That is why I do not mind if non‑Christians come to the church, in fact, I welcome them.

Q : What do you think is attractive about Christian music?

A: Of course, the melody is beautiful, but also, I can play it while praying.  Most of the music contains phrases from the Bible and praise to God. Playing the pipe organ, I can feel the message deeply and my faith in God gets stronger. In addition, it is pleasant for me to share the feelings with other people listening to me playing.

Q: What do you keep in mind while playing the organ?

A: I don’t play it only by the music sheet. When the winds flow to the organ, the wind becomes holy and spreads to everyone as sounds. Therefore, I play it, wishing the wind would become better. Also, I attempt to express the message of the song as much as possible.

Q: How do you decide the prelude and postlude?

A: First, I check the weekly schedule of university worship and know which part of the Bible and hymn are going to be used. Then, I decide them intuitively. Especially, I choose the prelude from among songs with similar keys and rhythms if possible. Finally, I often choose a cheerful song as the postlude.

Q: What is the most difficult part of playing the pipe organ?

A: It is difficult to adapt myself to pipe organs in different places because every pipe organ has different characteristics. In addition, there are more songs for the pipe organ than the piano because it has a longer history. The music style varies depending on the age, so it is essential to know about the music history before playing. Moreover, it is also useful to learn European languages such as French and German. Since many songs used for worship were made in Europe, it helps you to understand the rhythms, phrases and tunes correctly.

Q: Do you have any messages for AGU students?

A: I want you to attend the worship and sing the hymns to the pipe organ as loudly as possible. You ought to feel relaxed with the pipe organ sounds. I will respond to your full volume singing voice with my even louder pipe organ sounds!