Church Music Online is designed to be of help to churches of all denominations with respect to their music making in services. The information on this site is most likely to be of use to churches within the M25 and north of the Thames, but there is some overlap into SW Essex and SE Herts. Access to this information is free and there is no charge for using it. It brings together in one place three sites already available: Organists Online - with details about organists available for service playing (but now widened to include information about pianists and keyboard players who can accompany from song sheets with just chord indications and participate with music groups), Wedding Music (with basic information of help to couples trying to choose music for their ceremony), and Funeral Music (with helpful guidelines for anyone who has to choose music for a funeral). There is a section about fees payable to organists/pianists/keyboardists, setting out both the recommendations made by the Royal College of Organists/Royal School of Church Music/Incorporated Society of Musicians and also indications of what churches are actually paying.

The organists who have registed with Organists Online are self-selected and their presence on the register is not an endorsement of their skill or abilities. If you have special requirements of demands it would be worth discussing them with an organist before engaging them.

This site is part of Performers Online and is maintained by Philip Norman. At the end of all the information there are some details about him and Philip Norman Music Services.

Organists Online has been available to churches since November 2000. It contains a list of organists with details about where and when they are willing to play and details of their music qualifications. A fair number of them are available to play on Sunday mornings, and there are many ARCOs and FRCOs on the list. If you are looking for an organist for an occasional service or a run of services, please CLICK HERE to access Organists Online.

Most of the organists registered with Organists Online have a "Classical" musical training. This means that they will have had a least a basic grounding in piano playing and, in most cases, a very thorough grounding. Should you need a pianist at any time, it is worth turning to Organists Online. Additionally, many organists are versatile musicians and are able to contribute to and participate in performances of modern hymns, worship songs and similar music. This often involves performing songs and hymns where the accompaniment is not full written out, but consists of just a few chord indications below a melody line. If there is a (*) beside a name on Organists Online it indicates that the person in question has declared that he or she is able to perform in this manner. CLICK HERE for more information.

As with piano playing, many organists are competent users of electronic keyboards. They are quite happy improvising accompaniments from sketchy melody lines with few or no indications of the accompanying harmony and, if requested, playing with other instrumentalists in music groups. Those who have registered themselves as competent and willing in this area are indicated with a (*). For more information, please CLICK HERE

The Wedding Music page is principally designed for couples planning their wedding who feel that they need some overall guidance in choosing the music for the ceremony in church. It outlines some of the choices available and also comments on the advantages and disadvantages of using an organist/choir/recorded music/video etc. It also sets out the range of fees recommended by the Incorporated Society of Musicians/Royal College of Organists/Royal School of Church Music, and compares and contrasts them to what is actually being paid. If you want to access this page from this site, please CLICK HERE. If you think that this wedding page may be of assistance to someone, the web address, for their reference, is www.pnms.co.uk/weddings

Many people who are called upon to choose music for a funeral have not done so before and have little idea of what is accepted/expected/allowed. The Funeral Music page explains some of the possible choices, their advantages and disadvantages, and gives some guidance on how to achieve what you want.. To access the Funeral Music page from this site please CLICK HERE.If you think that this funeral page may be of assistance to someone, the web address, for their reference, is www.pnms.co.uk/funerals

This area is, potentially, one of the most divisive and difficult areas of negotiation between church authorities and an organist. At one extreme you may find a professional musician who expects to be paid a fully professional rate for his or her services, and on the other an impoverished congregation which wonders why organists should be paid at all (when Sunday School Teachers and Church Wardens work for nothing, for example). Generally speaking, unless you are very lucky or persuasive, you are going to end up paying an organist something. It's partly historical precedence, as there is a centuries' old tradition of paying musicians for working within the church, and this forms a base line of expectation.

The Incorporated Society of Musicians (LINKED HERE), in co-operation with the Royal College of Organists and the Royal School of Church Music, publishes recommended rates of pay. At the time of writing (Sept 2003) these are shown in bold below.

HOWEVER!!, there are many organists who acknowledge that not every church is wealthy and running a sizeable budget surplus and they are willing and happy to play for considerably less. Similarly, although organists have the legal right to demand extra fees if an audio recording or video recording is made of a service, not all of them invoke this right. For instance, there are professionally qualified organists playing for services in the North and East London areas for only £30 - £35 (not the recommended £52.25). Even this may seem a lot for a "one hour service", but when you consider that the service may last for 90 minutes, that the organist has to be present in good time before hand, clear up afterwards, and travel to and from the church (possibly using public transport), the hourly rate seems far less impressive.

Effective from 1 September 2003

Weddings, Memorial Services, Requiems and other Special Services
Playing/Directing: At least £98.25 per service including a rehearsal
Playing only, major church or synagogue: At least £70.25 per service
Playing only, small church or synagogue: At least £53.75 per service

Funerals
Playing only, major church or synagogue: At least £61.50 per service
Playing only, small church or synagogue: At least £45.50 per service

Crematorium Services
At least £25.75 per service

Notes:
Organists who regard themselves as amateur should be paid no less than two-thirds of the professional rate for organists’ posts, weddings, funerals and other services.
The rates do not include private recordings of services, for which an additional fee (50% for audio recordings and 100% for video recordings) is payable.

(This italicised text is taken directly from the ISM website.)

By definition, "amateur" organists play for the love of the art, so they may be less likely to be very strict over recommened rates and recordings. On the other hand, professional organists are trying to make a living out of music and often working very long and unsocial hours with little or no security, sick pay, holiday pay, or other benefits. If your church can employ a professional and is financially secure, please don't begrudge him or her their dues.

Please, always make sure that you and your organist have discussed and agreed on such matters before and engagement is finalised.

Church Music Online is maintained by Philip Norman, a full time musician who runs Philip Norman Music Services and Performers Online. He is Director of Music at St. John's Leytonstone E11, Organist of the German Lutheran Church of St. Mary with St. George WC1, conductor of Chorale Cantando, St. John's Festival Choir, Woodford Symphony Orchestra, The Orwell Singers, often Shernall Concert Choir and, from September 2003, The Questors Choir. His long experience of playing for churches makes him fully appreciative of the financial strictures under which many congregations operate and if you are looking for someone for a Sunday or mid-week service, wedding or funeral it could be worth contacting him, either by 'phone or email. If you would like to know more about Philip Norman Music Services and the full range of activities offered, including concerts, choral workshops and concert tours, please CLICK HERE. Somewhat differently, Performers Online, for £10 pa, offers low-cost webpages and individual web addresses with advice on how to use the internet for publicity purposes. These are particularly suitable for choirs, music groups, individuals promoting their careers and private teachers. For further information, please CLICK HERE.