Organists Online

Organists Online was founded in November 2000, originally to facilitate the contact between churches looking for organists and organists looking for somewhere to play.

It now provides a comprehensive support and resource network for churches across the UK. Some of the site's resources are used by cathedrals and major parish churches, whilst others are designed specifically for churches with slender musical resources.

Organists Online is now based in Llanddewi Rhydderch, Monmouthshire.

You can find the Organists Online home page HERE and, at the same time, find the other facilities offered by Organists Online.

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Search for an Organist

You can search for an organist by name, location, availability, skills, qualifications, or any combination of these. This facility is useful if you know who you want, or are searching for a very particular skill-set. There are nearly 1,400 organists listed on the site.

If you want to search yourself, please visit HERE.

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Hire an Organist

If you  don't mind which organist you have, you can fill in an online request form. On this, you can state all your requirements that you need from an organist.

As Organists Online is not an agency, you say how much you want to pay and then organists who are interested in taking on the work and for whom it falls within their work area make contact with you.

When you send the form, you get a confirmatory email so that you know that it has been received, and another when it has been activated (usually the same day).

Included in the emails are links you can use to mark your request as filled so that you are not bothered my many organists.

This facility is available for both one-off organists and permanent organists.

If you wish to hire an organist, please click HERE.

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Organ Playing for Pianists

For pianists who are playing the organ: a basic description of how an organ differs from a piano, then essential information about how to accompany hymns and general tips for surviving the experience of playing for a service.

There are also downloadable pieces for simple voluntaries, books about how to play the organ - should a pianist want to increase his or her skills, and suggestions about how, (should it be required) to find a teacher.

You can access these pages (called The Organists' Toolkit) HERE.

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Simplified Hymns

Hymns need to be played fluently and confidently, but the layout in most hymn books makes this difficult for less skilled players. Five hundred common hymns from Anglican, Catholic, and Free Church sources covering the whole of the church's year have been arranged to alleviate this problem. They don't require the use of pedals and are particularly suitable for pianists who are helping out.

You can access these hymns HERE.

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Choir Training Basic Guide

A choir always needs a leader; someone who can give them a sense of direction and purpose, and who can advise them in musical matters. These pages set out the elements of choir training and development, but are aimed at someone with a basic, non-specialist musical knowledge. They are particularly suitable for someone who takes over a choir in an emergency in a situation where, if no such person was available, the choir might wither.

You can access these pages (called the The Choir Trainers' Toolkit) HERE.

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Basic Skills for Choir Members

Small church choirs need to recruit adult new members, but potential singers may be reluctant to join as they are uncertain whether they could cope with the musical demands. In these pages essential, ground-level knowledge about following printed music is set out, and tips about how to be an effective singer.

You can access these pages (called the The Singers' Toolkit) HERE.

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Music for Small Choirs

Many church choirs have few or no men. The Small Choirs pages offer over 1,400 free, downloadable, copyright cleared pieces suitable for such choirs. The composers range from the 16th to the 21st century, and the editors and arrangers come from around the world. The pieces range from simple unison anthems, through flexible pieces for two or three parts, to some complex polyphony for choirs rich in skilled sopranos and altos but lacking tenors and basses.

You can access these pages HERE.

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Carols Uplift

Carol services receive an extra uplift when various musical instruments take part. These pages provide music for a wide range of instruments for thirty eight popular carols and Christmas hymns:

• Melody line only, compatible with all hymn books.

Then, compatible with the simplified hymns above, but usable without accompaniment:

• Flexible arrangements so that almost any combination of instruments can play in three parts only, with or without accompaniment.
  (On the page, these are called Slim Carols.)

And, finally:

• Super Slim carols. That is, arrangements that may be played by any two unaccompanied instruments, with either one being the upper or lower, and the harmony still being complete.

You can access these pages HERE.

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Wedding Music

Basic information about weddings and music in a church, including:

• Choosing music;
• Hiring an organist and/or singers or other musicians;
• Videos and the potential for extra fees to be charged;
• Music copyright in video recordings.

Find out more HERE

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Funeral Music

A brief guide for bereaved families about choosing music and hymns for a funeral in a church or cemetery/crematorium chapel.

Find out more HERE.

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