SOP Podcast #53 - The Poetry Of Organ Music With Glenn Tompkins

Published: July 31, 2016, 10:41 a.m.

Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #53! (hosted by Vidas PInkevicius, DMA)\n\nSecrets of Organ Playing - Helping Reach Your Dreams:\nhttp://www.organduo.lt\n\nToday's guest is Glenn Tompkins from Mesa, Arizona who is a fellow blogger, artist, improviser on accordion and a great lover of organ music.\n\nHe has always been fascinated by sound, textures, color and atmosphere. Early in his life he learned to love music, having been drawn to such art by listening to his grandfather play the violin, harmonica, piano, organ and mandolin. His Uncle Walter gave him his 1930's Hohner accordion which stimulated a lifelong fascination with the study of instrumental music. In the 1950's his father provided for him to start music lessons at an accordion school in Bound Brook, New Jersey. \n\nFrom 1960 to 1965 Glenn attended Middlesex High School, then went on to Drew University at Madison, New Jersey from 1965 through 1970. At Drew he initially wanted to major in English, but subsequently decided to change his major to Art (Studio).\n\nAround 1967/ 68 he had given up on continuing with the accordion as it seemed to be considered an out-of-date and somewhat unpopular instrument. \nSomewhere in the vicinity of the years 1999/ 2000, some friends gave him a beautiful vintage Scandalli accordion, a 4/5 reed instrument in LMMH configuration. The Scandalli rekindled his abiding interest in acoustic music, allowing him to experiment with all sorts of tonal blends from those beautiful Italian reeds. \n\nGlenn joined YouTube in 2009 and started making music videos to share with the worldwide community under the channel name FromHolbergsTime. Previously he had not realized the potential for making new friends through the sharing of music, but quickly he could see the value of this imaginative and extensive network of musicians, fans and music-lovers. This chapter of Glenn's life has provided exceeding joy as he has rediscovered the positive attributes of folk music, traditional hymns, contemporary praise & worship, improvisation, Classical music, Gospel tunes and popular melodies. \n\u200b\nIn this conversation Glenn talks about the poetry of organ music.\n\nEnjoy and share your comments below.\n\u200b\nAnd don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends.\n\nThanks for caring.\n\nRelated links:\nhttp://www.fanfaresandreveries.com\nGlenn on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/FromHolbergsTime\nGlenn on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100009012063724\nGlenn on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Mesa_Artist\n\u200bGlenn on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/glenn-tompkins-a4853373