Opera with piano and electronic organ accompaniment

from both aesthetic and practical viewpoints

Abstract

“Yearbook of Opera performances in Japan 2014”(edited by Opera Research Center, Showa university of Music) enumerates about a thousand of opera performances which were held in Japan in 2014, and 37 of them used the electronic organ for accompaniment. The rate of utilization of the electronic organ in Opera hasn’t increased nor decreased since 2006. The accompaniment style with piano and electronic organ has advantage to promote the spread of Opera performances. Opera with piano accompaniment is one of popular styles and smooth to execute. Singers are used to piano accompaniment and vocal scores with piano accompaniment are easy to get. The performance will gain rich tone and effective ensemble feeling by adding an electronic organ. Not trying to copy the sound of orchestra but to create renewal version for piano and electronic organ, organists can arrange their own part in the autonomous aesthetic manner. Students majoring electronic organ in universities generally experience ensemble of two or more electronic organs to perform orchestra part. In this way they can share the orchestra score and reproduce the orchestral sound. This is an important lesson. But we have rare chance to be able to use two or more electric organs after leaving school. If young organists learn to perform orchestra score in piano and electronic organ version, they will play a big roll to spread opera performances. Keywords: electronic organ, piano, opera, vocal score with piano accompaniment