Marco Carvalho
‘A different form of prayer’. This is how Kevin Duggan sums up the importance of sacred music, regardless of whether or not it is performed in a religious or ceremonial context. A renowned musician, the English composer performed earlier this month in Saint Joseph’s Seminary and Church, in a recital promoted by the Macau Diocesan Liturgical Commission. Director of Music at Scotland’s Dunblane Cathedral, the celebrated organist interpreted works by Henry Purcell, Johann Sebastian Bach and Louis Marchand, but also by contemporary composers such as Jesper Madsen or Hans André Stamm. In the end, Mr. Duggan spoke with “O Clarim” about his career and the transformative power of sacred music.
You brought to Macau a few composers and compositions from the old days: Bach, Purcell. But also, more recent compositions, including your own. Does this prove that the organ, despite being an ancient instrument, is not something from the past?
Kevin Duggan: No, definitively not. The organ is a very old instrument. It’s thousands of years old, but new organs are being built in different styles even now and people are still composing. It’s very much an instrument of every era, as it has always been.
It’s an instrument often associated with sacred music and sacred spaces, like this one. This is probably one of the best places in which this concert could have been held, but the idea that a recital like the one you have performed only makes sense in a Church is kind of an idea of the past…
Kevin Duggan: A church is a wonderful place. A lot of organ music is written for religious services. Bach, of course, was a very Christian composer, but this is not always the case. Two thousand years ago, there was as instrument called the hydraulis and this instrument was used by the ancient Romans, before the Church. And these where instruments which they even used to carry into battle. There is a long history of different things. There are also organs in concert halls and you often have concerts there, as well.
Notwithstanding, it makes a lot more sense in a place like this. Sacred music is still very relevant nowadays. People often say that it is another way to talk to God. Do you agree with this perception? Is sacred music a more intimate way to reach God?
Kevin Duggan: I think so. I think that a Church concert, an organ concert can be a kind of a service. It’s a type of worship. People have a lot of different views about things, but they can relate to each other through the music and it can be a very spiritual experience. They can relate to God, I think, through the music, certainly.
You were saying that today there are still organs being built. This is a very recent example. I think it was installed in this Church less than a decade ago. Apart from organs being built, there are still people like you, composing for organ. You are the musical director of Dunblane Cathedral, in Scotland. When did you discovered that sacred music and that this specific instrument was the right choice for you?
Kevin Duggan: I was a child, singing in Church choirs. I used to sing in the Church, but I also played the piano and when I discovered the organ. I got interested in playing the organ and the repertoire of the organ. That’s how it started: I started with the piano and, then, I started learning the organ, soon after that.
It’s not exactly an easy instrument to master. Is it something that needs a lot of practice? Is it a difficult instrument to play? Do you see a renewal in this area of sacred music?
Kevin Duggan: Yes, it is a difficult instrument. I mean, there’s a lot of things going on at the same time: you play with your hands and your feet, you are choosing a lot of different sounds and different registers. Besides, every organ is different. This organ is different to any other organ I have played. Usually, we need to spend several hours to get used to an organ. If you are a violinist, you just go and play your instrument, but with an organ is different. With this organ, I had two hours, but I could have easily used more time. Sometimes I spend six hours preparing for one concert. Nevertheless, there are still organs being built in new places, in concert halls and in churches. I think that it’s very good that there are pipe organs in Hong Kong and in Macau. It’s wonderful that there are beautiful organs, like this one, being brought in. Before, there were, maybe, only electronic organs. Now, there are real organs. That’s good.
We are witnessing a revival, both in Macau and Hong Kong, of sacred and choral music. Church music is quite an important part of the liturgy both in the Catholic and in the Anglican tradition. How meaningful is this revival? Is sacred music still thriving anywhere else in the world?
Kevin Duggan: The pipe organ in Catholic churches in Europe has a long and wonderful history. A lot of the greatest organs are in Catholic churches. Notre Dame, in Paris, is a very good example. They have been very much part of it and they are an important part of leading the liturgy and the worship, making it more beautiful. It’s very good that is now developing in Hong Kong and Macau, as well. These organs are making the worship even more beautiful in the churches.
I asked you before how difficult was to master the organ. What about composing? How difficult is to compose for this magnificent instrument?
Kevin Duggan: I think it’s difficult to write to every instrument. It’s easier for me, because I am an organist. So, I know how an organ works. If I was writing for a clarinet or a saxophone, a violin or a harp, I would need to discover how those instruments work. Each and every one of those instruments is difficult to learn.
You spent several years of your life in Norway and in Denmark. How did that experience influence your work and your career?
Kevin Duggan: A good part of it is the fact that I have always liked the Scandinavian way of life. People pay taxes towards the Church, which means organists have very good living conditions. So, it’s easy to be an organist there. It’s a nice way of life. I have a lot of friends in Denmark and Norway too.
In Denmark there’s a huge tradition in sacred music. It’s a good place in terms of inspiration?
Kevin Duggan: Yes, there’s a long tradition in the Lutheran Church. Johann Sebastian Bach was a Lutheran. The hymns always have a prelude, a choral prelude. The organ is a very important part of the worship in Scandinavia and Germany.
You were talking about Johann Sebastian Bach. Bach wrote extensively for organ. How difficult it is to play his compositions? Is there any composer that, for you, as an organist, is it still difficult to master?
Kevin Duggan: Well, there two things that we need to have in mind. One is the technique and the technical demands. Some newer pieces are extremely difficult in terms of technique. In the case of Bach, it’s the phrasing and the counterpoint. There are a lot of details to play and to play them beautifully is hard. It takes a lot of work.
Do your fear for the future of this art? Are there many young people willing to learn and to prove themselves with an organ?
Kevin Duggan: I have several organ pupils in Scotland. They are talented and they are enthusiastic. We hope that those students might be the future.
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