Why the organ is such a spooky instrument, according to musicians
You can thank Victorian novels, Johann Sebastian Bach and Disney's 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
When it comes to Halloween sounds, there is one classic instrument that can make your hairs stand on end — the organ.
Its sound is inherently haunting and has been incorporated into the horror ethos for nearly a century. But how did the 1,800-year-old instrument become the gold standard for bone-chilling music?
Some musicians think it's all about the setting.
"There's something about the organ, the mystique of it — it's in a dark haunted church, gothic," said Rachel Alflatt, Vancouver's membership convener at the Royal Canadian College of Organists (RCCO).
"There are references in Victorian novels to the organist practicing at night, but it's not necessarily spooky. But there is a sense of solitude," she said.
The solitary organist is a figure that has been depicted in popular culture, most notably in the Phantom of the Opera, which was first published in 1909.
The Phantom's lair is in a cellar deep beneath the opera house, where the tortured soul plays a large pipe organ. The title track of the 1980s musical is grounded by its iconic, and equally haunting, organ tune.
Blame Bach
But perhaps the most noteworthy composition is Johann Sebastian Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor. Even if the name doesn't ring a bell, you've definitely heard it — it's been a cinematic staple for years.
Known for it's spooky opening, the song was first introduced into sound film in the 1930s, featured in one of the earliest renditions of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
According to Sam Balden, an organist with Vancouver's RCCO chapter, the tune was highly popularised in Hollywood by its inclusion in 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, where the infamous Captain Nemo plays the song on an organ while the isolateD crew floats through the abyss,
A spooky show
Balden performed another spooky song on the organ Friday, Oct. 28 at St. Andrew's-Wesley United Church, Charles Gounod 's The Funeral March of a Marionette — or more simply, the classic theme of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.
The church was decorated with ghosts and witches, and utilized lighting to enhance the atmosphere of the evening's performances.
His fellow performer Tamar Genossar took on the monumental task of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor at the Halloween Organ Concert. She says the spook-tacular power of the organ is in the hands of the musician.
"It's about emphasizing the spooky parts, making them more dramatic," she said.
And, she added, the spooky sounds of Halloween can be a great way to learn about a beautiful instrument.
"It can be a really fun way to come and hear the organ for the first time, it's a way to introduce them to an organ that's fun."
With files from CBC's The Early Edition