Piano Forte 3.27.2025

     Most weeks I spend at least a couple of hours playing the Piano. It is a welcome break from the brain-breaking work of preaching to sit down to play and sing a few favorite tunes. I have tablatures scattered over “my” piano; some hymns, some old-fashioned rock’n’roll, classic singer songwriter things. It is a relaxing break during the busy days. 

The technical term for the instrument whether grand, baby-grand, upright, or spinet is fortepiano. This Italian name means “soft-loud.” It describes the basic technological breakthrough that ushered in a new phase in the development of Western Music. Prior to the invention and development of these instruments by Bartolomeo Cristofori and Gottfried Silbermann the defining characteristic of most keyboard instruments both harpsichords or clavichords which distinguished them from organs was that the musician did not have the ability to control the volume or tone of the instrument in any other way than how she struck the keys. Composers such as J.S. Bach were able to create beautiful and timeless music largely by using time signatures, harmony, and playing technique to inject a complexity in the music which was otherwise impossible. The illusion of increased or decreased volume was a brilliant substitute for what the available instruments could not yet do. It is because of the giftedness of the Baroque composers that much of their music transcribes so beautifully to more technologically advanced instruments allowing their music to scale otherwise unobtainable sonic heights. 

    The genius behind a fortepiano comes from using multiple strings to sound each tone, and then including multiple mechanical means of muting or softening some of the strings dedicated to each tone. Yes, they used pedals, but that was the means of achieving the end of decreasing the volume of a given tone by preventing its full volume to be heard. Again, it is a tribute to composers such as Bach that they were able to do compositionally what later composers were could do mechanically. 

Now the question. What does this have to do with preaching? Two things, one of which is particularly germane the other a piece of trivia. First, the trivia. March 31 is the day upon which Johann Sebastian Bach was born. I usually celebrate by listening to some of his larger choral works. If you are a novice and wish to listen to a bit’o Bach this month I would recommend Vikingur Olafsson’s 2023 recording of the Goldberg Variations. He pays on fortepiano what Bach originally wrote for clavichord or harpsichord demonstrating both Bach’s genius and his own mastery of the instrument. 

    Now the primary issue. When one plays the piano not every note or chord in a song should be struck or played at the same volume. Doing so often violates the express intent of the composer or song writer. In the modern world where we mostly listen to some form of recorded music, volume is often a function of the listeners pleasure or context. As written, volume is a part of the intended compositional structure of a piece of music. Sometimes when we listen to a performance, either live or Memorex we are struck by the sense that the musicians are shouting at us. Regardless of how loud they actually play, or we play back, we feel like we are being force-fed. We don’t have the time to comprehend the notes because the space between them is overwhelmed by presentation. No one LIKES TO BE SHOUTED AT ALL THE TIME! It doesn’t matter if we read it on the internet, listen to it on the stereo, or hear it in Church. One volume all the time wears out the auditor of any song or message. 

    Preacher, you have control over the presentation of your message. What is the point of expending labor over a text to prepare a sound Biblical sermon, and then presenting it as if you had no control over your own tone, volume or pacing? Preachers need to have a fortepiano—soft-loud approach to delivering the message we are called to preach. There are times when we need to raise our voices or change our tone. We might make people cringe or laugh. Some might become emotional while others detached. The point is that your approach to the preaching moment needs to be as intentional as the writing of the message. 

    For this to occur requires that you, the preacher think through the presentation of the message during the process of composition. The exegesis of the passage itself will provide both a sense of rhythm as well as tone and color, as well as suggesting modulation in volume.  As the text determines the shape of the sermon and prescribes its content it should also be allowed to provide guidance as to how the message will be preached. This textual guidance should provide insight into the English words you and I choose as well as the syntactical structure and other elements we will add to the message.  In this sense a sermon is like a musical score—except most preachers don’t even think about “performance” until they are way past preparation—at which point it may be too late. 

    Throughout my preaching career I have been constantly expanding the amount of material I take into the pulpit. When I was young (and presumably quick thinking) I could use a minimal outline and fill in the “score”. As I have grown older and have increased my concern for the content and presentation of messages, I have concluded that a fuller manuscript allows the preacher to be more careful about presentation, choosing clearer and more precise wording than extemporaneous preaching allows. Do I add phrases, include expansions, and even omit material? Yes. But a fuller manuscript provides more secure guardrails for the entire sermon. I finally decided that there is no point in being precise in the study if I’m going to “wing it” in the pulpit. 

    Some examples. A sermon from a Pauline text should not be too chatty—unless it is one of the sections where he congratulates, introduces, or cajoles members of his team. On the other hand, the doctrinal matters he considers should have a different tone from the personal sections of a letter. Sermons from the parables of Jesus should draw more upon story-telling and narrative techniques. You can preach any of these forms the same way at the same volume, and people may very well “understand” what you are saying, they may “get” the passage you are preaching. It is only through preparing to play the score of your sermon that you, the preacher, can have a measure of control over the intellectual, emotional, and volitional reaction of your congregation. This is not mere manipulation, rather it is simply thorough preparation. 

    Do I hear someone mutter “Well, where’s the Holy Spirit?” Right here. In the text, in the preacher, in the congregation, in public worship, in private preparation. If He’s not in your study don’t expect Him to show up in the sanctuary. Most of those who “depend on the Holy Spirit” actually presume upon Him and the results, should provoke apologies. Not from the Spirit, but from the preacher who presumed too much. 

    Every week as I write these essays my conviction is simple. Preaching is a high and holy calling and every single one of us who is called to it, can get better at it. As far as we can tell the “Old Bach” (J.S.) had limited exposure to the technical advancements of keyboard instruments in his life. His Musical Offering BWV 1079 was said to have begun whilst at Potsdam visiting his son Carl Phillip Emmanuel who was in the employ of Frederick the Great. The King provided a theme for him to expand upon, he sat at one of the Kings fortepianos and extrapolated a brief extemporaneous theme. He told Fredrick it would only be possible to expand further by spending more time upon the royal theme. So, he took that theme home, sat at his own instruments and composed the final great work of his life. Bach knew that even geniuses should work hard at their vocation.