# Does anyone else find organ music painful?



## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

I like quite a few pieces of organ music, especially Preludes and Fugues by Bach, and organ works by Max Reger. I love the concept of the instrument itself, its history and technical side, not to mention the majesty of its slow, powerful chords, and liturgical charisma.

And yet organ music always causes a mild internal ache around the stomach / solar plexus when I listen to it. Sometimes it also causes temporary headaches. Something feels wrong about the way it resonates inside the body. This is also true for music which features the organ in the background. A friend of mine reported similar reactions when I recommended some organ music to him.

Does anyone else experience something comparable about this instrument?


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## mbhaub (Dec 2, 2016)

I have a friend who utterly detest organ music - it's too limited in nuance, dynamics, timbre, etc. I on the other hand love the sound and feel of a real organ in a real space. Among the most memorable concerts I've ever been to was an organ recital in Vienna at St Stephansdom with music of Schmidt, Reger, Bach and Mendelssohn. And I love the Wurlitzer theater organ, too. There is no instrument that is as difficult to replicate on a home stereo as organ. A great, powerful amp and subwoofer really help. Headphones are pointless. I don't listen to a lot of Bach on organ, but I do enjoy the late romantics: Reger, Schmidt, Vierne, Franck, and above all Widor. Doesn't cause me any of the problems you identify, but I know the music will sound so much better with a real organ.


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## Bulldog (Nov 21, 2013)

The organ presents no problems for me - sounds great and is good for the body.


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## Guest (Oct 22, 2019)

No problem, but I guess the strong low frequency components could conceivably be felt in the body cause an unpleasant reaction. 

These days headphones are my only option, which is not ideal, but the shortcoming is not enough to make me give up listening to organ music entirely.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Fabulin said:


> I like quite a few pieces of organ music, especially Preludes and Fugues by Bach, and organ works by Max Reger. I love the concept of the instrument itself, its history and technical side, not to mention the majesty of its slow, powerful chords, and liturgical charisma.
> 
> And yet organ music always causes a mild internal ache around the stomach / solar plexus when I listen to it. Sometimes it also causes temporary headaches. Something feels wrong about the way it resonates inside the body. This is also true for music which features the organ in the background. A friend of mine reported similar reactions when I recommended some organ music to him.
> 
> Does anyone else experience something comparable about this instrument?


That reminds me of a Sherlock Holmes story, where the detective was using his violin to experiment with different sounds which would repel flies.

One thing to mention is that there are lots of different types of organs, if your response is caused by _all_ organ sounds then it could well be psychosomatic, maybe caused by difficult experiences in church when you were a child.

Or maybe just the fact that it's called _organ_, with all its sexual connotations, is what's triggering the response. In some languages even the word _pipe_ has a sexual connotation.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Organ music always makes me think of this....


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## Larkenfield (Jun 5, 2017)

Magnificent instrument. Some refer to it as the King of Instruments, under the control of only one person, … and I believe it is because of its power and range. It can vibrate every cell and molecules in one's body in a beneficial way. It can also be thrilling and great works have been written for it:






Awesome performance:


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

Mandryka said:


> One thing to mention is that there are lots of different types of organs, if your response is caused by _all_ organ sounds then it could well be psychosomatic, maybe caused by difficult experiences in church when you were a child.


I consider the possibility that it has something to do with the association of organ music with being in a public place where focus and attention is required.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I read, somewhere, that the overtones in some organ music simply rub listeners the wrong way.


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## David Phillips (Jun 26, 2017)

I love organ music but unfortunately it's the only kind of music that is disrupted by my having tinnitus. I suppose it's because the constant tones in my head are similar to organ notes.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

KenOC said:


> I read, somewhere, that the overtones in some organ music simply rub listeners the wrong way.


It probably depends much upon the tuning of the organ in question. I think equal tuning is particularly harmful to organ music written before say 1800, because of the chaos of higher partials it produces combined with the organs sustain. On the other hand my impression is, that some modern organ composers use this effect to make the organ sound more aggressive.


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## ericdxx (Jul 7, 2013)

Currently listening to Alfred Desenclos, Messe de Requiem and it is a kind of headache inducing this mix of choir and organ. This might be the first and last time I listen to this piece...any love for this piece?

On the other hand, I LOVE organ with a symphony orchestra like the ones by Camille Saint-Saëns.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Merl said:


> Organ music always makes me think of this....


Ironic that Iron Butterfly's only famous song is also one of the most turgid examples of late 60s overindulgence I know of.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Fabulin said:


> I like quite a few pieces of organ music, especially Preludes and Fugues by Bach, and organ works by Max Reger. I love the concept of the instrument itself, its history and technical side, not to mention the majesty of its slow, powerful chords, and liturgical charisma.
> 
> And yet organ music always causes a mild internal ache around the stomach / solar plexus when I listen to it. Sometimes it also causes temporary headaches. Something feels wrong about the way it resonates inside the body. This is also true for music which features the organ in the background. A friend of mine reported similar reactions when I recommended some organ music to him.
> 
> Does anyone else experience something comparable about this instrument?


Since you mentioned that even low-level background organ sounds affect you, I don't think it's the actual vibration, but is psychsomatic. 
I think that you may have what Scientologists call an "engram," a bad memory which is imbedded in your unconscious, which is triggered by organ music.
I suggest going to the nearest Scientology center and receiving "auditing" as soon as possible. And don't forget your wallet.


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Fabulin said:


> A friend of mine reported similar reactions when I recommended some organ music to him.


This makes sense if the two of you have some sort of affiliation which you share. Some institutions which use the organ (churches) might have some sort of ideological opposition to whatever it is you might represent and, by proxy, advocate, and this opposition is represented in the sound of the organ, which naturally evokes an unpleasant reaction for you.

Similarly, certain groups of Americans are frightened by dogs, because of historical "resonances" which the dogs embody.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

Whilst I don't mind the sound of organs in small doses (And I also love Saint-Saens' Organ Symphony) the sound of a barrel organ makes me want to punch the owner's lights out. The sound of those cheesy organs used for awful songs like 'Oh I do like to be beside the seaside' also grind my gears.


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## Simon Moon (Oct 10, 2013)

I have a love/hate relationship with the organ.

I love organ in the context of the various subgenres of prog and jazz, but do not like it at all in classical music.

The Hammond played by prog keyboardists like, Emerson, Wakeman, Flavio Premoli, Vittorio Nocenzi, Dave Stewart, etc, or by jazz players, like Jimmy Smith, Carla Bley, Sun Ra, etc, is one of my favorite instruments. 

But I have yet to hear it in classical where I am not annoyed by it.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

My wife detests Organ Music because it reminds her of her Church going childhood. My Jewish upbringing wasn’t so encumbered and I can only play Organ Music when she isn’t home. I do however, have an aversion to music played from a Rams Horn


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## millionrainbows (Jun 23, 2012)

Triplets said:


> My wife detests Organ Music because it reminds her of her Church going childhood. My Jewish upbringing wasn't so encumbered and I can only play Organ Music when she isn't home. I do however, have an aversion to music played from a Rams Horn


Oh, I'm sure the encumberment will arise one of these days, if it hasn't already. BTW, the 'shofar' is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes.

The sight of certain groups of men makes some people want to start playing the ram's horn.

How do you feel about dogs?


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

I love organ music, but I love it more if accompanying an orchestra, like in:

Barber's Toccata Festiva
Novak's Slovak Suite
Glazunov's Carnival Overture
Bax's Christmas Eve
Tchaikovsky's Manfred and Maid of Orleans 
Massenet's Esclarmonde

And so forth.


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## Triplets (Sep 4, 2014)

millionrainbows said:


> Oh, I'm sure the encumberment will arise one of these days, if it hasn't already. BTW, the 'shofar' is an ancient musical horn typically made of a ram's horn, used for Jewish religious purposes.
> 
> The sight of certain groups of men makes some people want to start playing the ram's horn.
> 
> How do you feel about dogs?


I was alluding to the Shofar, but I am missing the point about dogs?


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

millionrainbows said:


> How do you feel about dogs?


I loathe the creatures.


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## Ethereality (Apr 6, 2019)

A reason I prefer contemporary composers... the evolution of orchestra simply sounds better. Do I want to spend my time analyzing organ pieces, or listening to great-sounding music? for the sheer creativity of thematic possibilities it inspires us to expand upon?

I think this is largely what this topic comes down to. There is a palette of sound, a whole inspiration of which, the organ has never offered the most creative minds.

I do think orchestral music has been more creative and evolutionary as a whole, even if the individual composers each may not be. This was true of the Romantic period as well (see here.) As for the organ, is it more of a back-to-basics inspiration. There's no need to settle down favoring a certain composer, such as Bach, Mozart, Beethoven, when there's a such a breadth and variety of great music which contemporary composers have written, where I don't need to settle on one genius within any focused instrument.


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## KenOC (Mar 7, 2011)

I read once, a long time ago, that classical pipe organ music tended to have certain overtones that set some people's teeth on edge. Don't know if this is the case or not.


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## Merl (Jul 28, 2016)

I am most amused by the news that some people only get out their organ when their wife isn't in. The childish part of me sniggered at that.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

KenOC said:


> I read once, a long time ago, that classical pipe organ music tended to have certain overtones that set some people's teeth on edge. Don't know if this is the case or not.


There is an instrument where these feelings are even stronger. Saxophone. Can't stand them, unless no louder than mezzo-piano, slowly, and not for long.

Do they have some weird overtones as well?


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## Janspe (Nov 10, 2012)

I've never had any actual (negative) physical reactions to organ music, but I certainly struggled with the instrument and its timbre a lot during my early listening years. I think it was only upon discovering 20th century organ music - Ligeti and Messiaen, most prominently - that I realised what a stunning instrument it is. These days I tend to seek out composers' organ output immediately when working through their works.

I mentioned this on another thread, but I recently delved into Bach's six organ sonatas and loved every second of it. How can it be that I was unaware of such incredible music?


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## Enthusiast (Mar 5, 2016)

I like to hear a human element in music so electronic and organ music often fails to impress me as much as wind, string or percussion music ... or singing. Its a prejudice on my part but it does limit the enjoyment I can get from the organ or electronics.


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## Fabulin (Jun 10, 2019)

Enthusiast said:


> I like to hear a human element in music so electronic and organ music often fails to impress me as much as wind, string or percussion music ... or singing. *Its a prejudice on my part but it does limit the enjoyment I can get from the organ or electronics.*


You accuse yourself of prejudice? Point the finger at yourself, as if it was _your _fault that electronic music (or the organ) doesn't sound as natural to your human, organic ears, as do wind, strings, or percussion instruments? Why? Who told you that you are guilty of anything?


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