Organists and Organ Playing

Family fun

Three sisters and a cousin from the Au family
Three sisters and a cousin from the Au family
It was a bit crowded!
It was a bit crowded!

I am sure that I have told you before that my siblings and I grew up without television. Oh, it was not because my parents were opposed to it—it was because our house was located in an area where television antennas would not have been able to pick up a signal, and this was in the dark ages before cable. Instead we used the piano to amuse ourselves.

This weekend, I am afraid that Bach is the furthest thing from my mind, although on the redeye flight over, I did not sleep a wink because I was playing the concert over and over in my head.

Eight hands on one keyboard.
Eight hands on one keyboard.

This weekend my two sisters and my cousin decided to try playing an eight-hand, one piano piece which I wrote about in an earlier post, the Galop-Marche by Albert Lavignac. My sister, Margo, double-majored in piano and education; my sister Doris is a piano teacher, as is my cousin, Mary, a professional accompanist and piano teacher. I as the organist felt a little out of my league—I just don’t read those high treble notes in the stratosphere!

After a couple hours of practice, and learning when to “lean to the left,” and “lean to the right,” we videotaped it (thanks to brother-in-law Alan MacDonald). Here, for your amusement, is our rendition of the Lavignac.

What fun!

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