The Temple Organist

In temples that have an organ or its digital equivalent, temple presidencies are encouraged to consider having live organists serve in the temple to assist patrons as they prepare for the sacred ordinances of the House of the Lord.

Organ music in temples should generate a spirit of reverence, meditation, and worship. It should assist patrons in leaving behind worldly cares and concerns and encourage them to focus their thoughts on the Savior, His sacrifice, their relationship to Him, and the purpose for which they have come to the temple.

This music should not call undue attention to itself but should leave patrons’ thoughts and feelings free for prayer and introspection. Volume, registration, tempo, and selection of music should encourage a thoughtful, gentle mood with careful attention to graceful transitions from one hymn to another.

The Temple Organ Coordinator 

To effectively appoint, coordinate, and supervise live organists, temple presidencies should call an organ coordinator. They may also call an assistant organ coordinator if needed. 

The organ coordinator should be a qualified and respected organist in the community who is proficient in their understanding of the organ console, organ registration (choosing organ stops) and accomplished in playing with smooth legato technique and accurate notes and rhythms. The organ coordinator should be able to assess the skills of organists to serve in the temple according to these standards.

Presentation of the Music

Organists should play only hymns and children’s songs from the list of Approved Hymns for the Temple. These should be performed as printed in Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Children’s Songbook. 

Organists should play in a smooth legato style, accurately execute notes and rhythms, and use varied but appropriate registrations.

The tempo of a piece should be played as written. Though some hymns may need to be modified to a more thoughtful speed, they should not drag.

Organists should use the expression pedals discreetly, without constantly shifting the volume. The standard is for all expression pedals to be fully closed. The crescendo pedal, if it is present, should not be used and should be left in the closed position at all times. Organists should use the pedalboard only if they can play the pedals accurately and in legato style.

Organists should create graceful, smooth transitions between hymns by allowing brief pauses between pieces to encourage quiet reverence.

Playing in the temple is not a time to present recitals or to sight-read through an unrehearsed selection of hymns.

Musical and Spiritual Preparation

Pianists will find that playing the organ is different from playing the piano and should become thoroughly familiar with the organ by learning about the components of the organ console and how to use them, the basics of organ registration (choosing organ stops), legato technique, and note and rhythm accuracy before they are scheduled to play.

Organists should be sufficiently accomplished in playing with smooth legato technique, accurate notes and rhythms, and varied yet appropriate registration, fostering a spirit of reverence and worship. Playing that is inaccurate, choppy, too loud, too fast, lacks registrational variety, or fails to follow the notes as written in the hymnbook can be distracting. It would be better not to have music playing than to distract patrons with undesirable playing.

Organists should always seek the guidance of the Spirit in their choice of music. There is great value in having organists who can be inspired to play the right hymn at the right time to meet the needs of a patron.

The Organ Console and Organ Registration 

Organists should understand the components of the organ console, how to use them, and the basics of organ registration (choosing organ stops). Using and combining stops without understanding them can be distracting. For temple organ registration, use flutes, strings, and hybrids. Registrations should be simple, with usually no more than one-to-three stops per division. Always have light 16’ and 8’ stops in the pedal. The following combinations have proven useful:

• A single 8’ flute, string, or hybrid.

• An 8’ string paired with its celeste companion.

• Flutes 8’ and 4’.

• An 8’ flute paired with an 8’ string or hybrid that is not a celeste.

• Reserve the 8’ principal or soft imitative reeds (such as the English horn, Oboe, or Cromorne) for soloing out melodic lines on another manual.

• Avoid using 4’ and 2’ principals and mixtures, as they are too bright for the temple setting.

• Avoid pedal reeds, principals, and mixtures.

• Avoid loud reeds such as trumpets, bombards, posaunes, or tubas.

Variety in registration is desirable. Organists should vary their registration for each verse and for each hymn they play. The melody can occasionally be played on one manual with a solo stop or combination. In contrast, play the accompanying voices on the other manual with softer stops, such as an 8’ flute or 8’ string paired with its celeste companion. The tremulant may be used with any solo stop or combination when the melody line is soloed out on another manual.

The use of the “chimes” and other percussion stops is not permitted in the temple.

Temple Registration Guidelines

Overall approach

Variety in registration is desirable for organ music within the temple. Temple organs are designed to provide a wide range of tonal color, so becoming intimately familiar with your instrument’s stoplist and experimenting with its tonal resources will enable you to create interesting and meaningful music that will invite the Spirit.

1. Basic foundation sounds

Begin by using only soft 8’ stops from the Flute, String, or Hybrid families. Keep your registrations simple by using no more than one to three stops per manual division, depending on the tonal color and volume you want.

Use light 16’ and 8’ flute stops in the pedal to provide a gentle bass foundation.

3. Using Celestes

Celeste stops may be used in the temple to add warmth and richness.

Remember, a celeste must always be paired with the stop immediately to its left, unless it is labeled with a Roman numeral “II,” which indicates it is a complete celeste and therefore does not require pairing.

4. Avoid overly bright sounds

Avoid using 4’ and 2’ Principals and Mixtures, as they are too bright for the temple setting.

5. Manual division contrast

One simple way to achieve variety in your music is to select contrasting registrations on the Great and Swell manuals, and then change manuals during performance.

6. Solo and accompaniment textures

Sometimes you can play the melody on a separate manual with a solo stop or combination. In contrast, you should play the accompaniment on another manual with softer stops, such as an 8’ flute or 8’ string with its celeste companion.

Reserve 8’ Principals and soft solo reeds (such as the English Horn, Oboe, or Cromorne) for soloing out melodic lines on a separate manual.

The tremulant can be added to any solo registration as desired.

One of the most meaningful ways to create interest in your organ playing in the temple is to use the following techniques outlined below. A hymn in its normal arrangement can become a beautiful musical meditation through thoughtful registration, texture, and variety. The goal of this section is to teach you how to turn a standard hymn into a simple improvisation that will generate a spirit of reverence, meditation, and worship.

Playing a Hymn as Written

The simplest approach is to play the hymn in its normal four-part setting:

• The right hand plays soprano and alto

• The left hand plays tenor

• The pedal plays the bass

Choose a registration that follows the principles outlined in the section before, which teaches what stops you should choose for temple worship. 

If playing multiple verses, vary the sound between verses by changing registration. Even small changes in tonal color can add interest and variety.

Using Solo and Accompaniment Texture

Another effective technique is to highlight one voice of the hymn as a solo.

Tenor Solo

If the tenor line is interesting, play it on a separate manual using a solo stop or solo combination. The right hand continues to play the soprano and alto accompaniment on another manual while the pedals play the bass. The tenor may also be played an octave higher if desired.

This creates a warm and expressive texture that works especially well for reflective hymns that have melodic tenor lines.

Soprano Solo

Play the soprano melody on a separate manual using a solo stop or solo combination. In contrast, the left hand plays the alto and tenor accompaniment on another manual with the bass in the pedals.

This is one of the most useful creative hymn-playing techniques because it allows the melody to sing clearly above the accompaniment. A solo flute, reed, or gentle 8’ principal combination can work well for the melody, provided it remains balanced and not overpowering.

Adding Voices Gradually

A hymn can also become more expressive by having each part enter one at a time.

• For example:

  • Begin with the soprano alone

  • Add alto after several measures

  • Add tenor later

  • Add bass near the end

This creates a natural musical crescendo and can make even a familiar hymn sound fresh and thoughtful.

Another interesting variation is to begin without the soprano melody. Start with the alto, tenor, and bass voices only, then introduce the melody later in the hymn. This variation works best if the alto line is interesting.

Combining These Techniques

These techniques can be combined across multiple verses or multiple hymns:

• Change registration between verses

• Alternate between full hymn texture and soloing out the soprano or tenor voices on another manual.

• Add or remove voices

With thoughtful planning and practice, a simple hymn can become a simple improvisation that will generate a spirit of reverence, meditation, and worship.

Using these techniques can invite temple patrons to listen more thoughtfully to your music, helping them to leave behind worldly cares and concerns and encourage them to focus their thoughts on the Savior, His sacrifice, their relationship to Him, and the purpose for which they have come to the temple.