Organ & Sheet Music Blog

Organists seated at a softly lit gallery console in a dim cathedral, with tall silver organ pipes on the left and a painted mural on the right

Now Let Us Rejoice: The Story Behind the Hymn

W. W. Phelps printed “Now Let Us Rejoice” in Missouri in 1833, months before the Saints were driven out. Here is the hymn’s story and how to play it.

Now Let Us Rejoice: The Story Behind the Hymn

W. W. Phelps printed “Now Let Us Rejoice” in Missouri in 1833, months before the Saints were driven out. Here is the hymn’s story and how to play it.

Organist's hands writing notes with a pen on sheet music resting on a warm wooden organ music rack above the pistons

How to Mark Your Sheet Music Before Sunday

A soft pencil prevents most Sunday slips. How I mark fingering, pedaling, registration, breaths, and page turns so I am ready at the organ.

How to Mark Your Sheet Music Before Sunday

A soft pencil prevents most Sunday slips. How I mark fingering, pedaling, registration, breaths, and page turns so I am ready at the organ.

An empty multi-manual pipe organ console glowing in warm light in a dark, vaulted church, with the organ bench in the foreground

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee: The Story Behi...

The story behind Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee: a medieval Latin poem, a grieving translator, the ST. AGNES tune, and how to play it on the organ.

Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee: The Story Behi...

The story behind Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee: a medieval Latin poem, a grieving translator, the ST. AGNES tune, and how to play it on the organ.

An organist's hand on the upper manual of a warm wooden pipe organ console, with drawknobs at the side and open sheet music on the music rack

How to Sight-Read a Hymn on Short Notice

Asked to play hymns at the last minute? A ward organist shares how to sight-read with confidence: what to check first, picking a tempo, and simplifying.

How to Sight-Read a Hymn on Short Notice

Asked to play hymns at the last minute? A ward organist shares how to sight-read with confidence: what to check first, picking a tempo, and simplifying.

Close-up of an organist's hands playing the warm wooden manuals of a pipe organ in soft golden light

I Need Thee Every Hour: A Piano and Organ Duet ...

A tender piano and organ duet of I Need Thee Every Hour for sacrament meeting, plus the hymn's story and tips for rehearsing with your ward's organist.

I Need Thee Every Hour: A Piano and Organ Duet ...

A tender piano and organ duet of I Need Thee Every Hour for sacrament meeting, plus the hymn's story and tips for rehearsing with your ward's organist.

An older organist's weathered hands in a plaid flannel sleeve resting on the wooden manuals of a pipe organ in warm, low light

The Story Behind “Come, Thou Fount of Every Ble...

A converted hairdresser's apprentice, an 1813 folk tune, and the line "prone to wander": the story behind Come, Thou Fount, now hymn 1001 in our hymnbook.

The Story Behind “Come, Thou Fount of Every Ble...

A converted hairdresser's apprentice, an 1813 folk tune, and the line "prone to wander": the story behind Come, Thou Fount, now hymn 1001 in our hymnbook.