When the Christmas celebration comes, the instrument will roar in full force, says the organist
“We will play on December 25th at 9:30 a.m. at Týn’s Christmas Eve. We chose Brixi’s Missa Pastoralis and on January 8 at the same time we regularly perform Ryba’s Czech Christmas Mass,” says Petr Čech about the Christmas program.
He has been the main Tyn organist for eighteen years. He got the offer already at school, because that was when the previous organist quit. “When you’ve been doing this for a long time, it’s not that difficult,” says the organist.
According to him, the love of music is inherited in Čech’s family. “After all, this happens very often in artistic circles. My grandmother was a singer and graduated from the Vienna Conservatory. My grandfather also sang in the church choir, but he was not a professional,” recalls Čech. He first played the piano from the age of five. She only started playing the organ when she entered the conservatory at the age of fifteen.
“I first went to the Ostrava conservatory, I joined the Prague conservatory until the fifth year. The conservatory is studied for six years – first four years until maturity, then another two until graduation. More opportunities to play various quality instruments attracted me to Prague.”
The importance of interplay with the pastor
“After the conservatory, I went to the Academy of Performing Arts. I also studied in Stuttgart, Germany. Since returning to the Czech capital, I have been teaching at the Prague Conservatory, which I have been directing since 2018,” Čech describes his musical journey. At the same time, he adds that the church is not just about musical education.
“On the choir, the organist is very lonely, and harmony with the parish priest can only be achieved through long-term cooperation. It is good if both are stable in the church and there are no frequent changes. I have to find a way for both of them to be successful,” he says about his work.
Petr Čech has been the organist in the Týn Church near the Old Town Square for eighteen years. He is also the director of the Prague Conservatory. According to him, cooperation with the parish priest is important for the profession of church organist, which can sometimes be achieved through long-term cooperation.
According to him, when performing in the temple, the festive days before Christmas are more demanding. “In the run-up to Christmas, we add one more morning mass, which starts after dark. It is not an exception that I play for example at three masses within one,” explains Čech.
Various liturgical songs are on the program during Advent. “Spatial music is not so big and even to silence the organ. Then when Christmas time comes and the celebration comes, it stands out better that the organ is blown in full force and the celebration of the birth of Christ amazes,” he describes.
The repertoire in Týn is also influenced by the age of the organ itself, the builder was Hans Heinrich Mundt from Cologne. He learned the trade of an organ maker from Hieronymus Artmann and set up his workshop in the house U zlaté štyky in Dlouhá třída near the church.
“Due to the age of the instrument, we have a somewhat limited repertoire in Týn. For example, romantic and contemporary songs cannot be played. That’s why we choose mainly Czech baroque and pre-baroque music,” says Čech. According to Čech, the reason for the chosen selection of songs is that the organ has a smaller range of keyboards for hands and pedals.
Together with other musicians, he regularly rehearses for Christmas concerts every Thursday. The choir is prepared for two to three months. Together with the organ, other musicians practice about a week before the concert.
The Notre Dame Choir, i.e. the Mother of God, works regularly in the church, as does the orchestra, which prepares separately for each individual event. The ensemble consists mostly of professional musicians from philharmonics and theaters or conservatory students.