I spent the past week in Florida. I stayed with my mom in Melbourne, Florida for a few days. Then we both traveled to Orlando so that I could take the exam at St. Luke’s Episcopal Cathedral.

The American Guild of Organists offers multiple levels of certification from entry-level to advanced.

• Service Playing Certificate

• Colleague Certificate

• Associate Certificate

• Fellow Certificate

The fellowship exam is split into 2 major sections. You must get at least 70% overall and 50% on each individual “F” item.

1. Tests at the organ

2. Paperwork tests

Section 1: Tests at the organ

F1. (40 points)

Play the following pieces after 3 hours of registration/practice on the exam instrument:

• Dieterich Buxtehude: Magnificat Primi Toni, BuxWV 203

• J.S. Bach: Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam, BWV 684, from Clavierübung III

• Charles-Marie Widor: Allegro (first movement)from Symphonie VI

• Gerre Hancock: Schönster Herr Jesu from A New Liturgical Year

F2. (10 points)

Play a passage of organ music at sight.

F3. (15 points)

Play at sight a passage of music in open score on four staves employing C clefs (soprano, alto, and tenor) and bass clef.

F4. (10 points)

Arrange at sight for the organ the piano accompaniment of a vocal score (which itself may be a reduction of an original accompaniment for orchestra).

F5. (10 points)

Transpose a passage of music, not more than a major third in either direction.

F6. (15 points)

Improvise a short piece (approximately two minutes in duration) in ternary form on a given theme. The candidate will supply a recognizable contrasting motif for the middle section. Clarity of form and structure will be expected.

SECTION 2 – Paperwork Tests

First Session (3.5 hours allowed)

F7. (20 points)

Counterpoint: Candidates should be prepared to analyze examples, respond to questions, and write brief examples of counterpoint in 16th- century style.

F8. (15 points)

Fugue: Candidates should be prepared to analyze examples, respond to questions, and write brief examples of 18th-century fugal composition.

F9. (15 points)

Essay: Write an essay on one of three given topics concerning the life and music of Max Reger.

Second Session (3.5 hours allowed)

F10. (15 points)

Ear Tests: (A) Write down from dictation a short passage in four parts, for which the key and time signature will be announced and the tonic chord played. (B) Write down from dictation a short passage of two-part counterpoint, for which the key (but not the time signature) will be stated and the tonic chord played. Test A will be played five times, Test B four times. One minute maximum is allowed between each playing.

F11. (15 points)

Orchestration: Demonstrate knowledge of the capabilities of orchestral instruments, the craft of orchestration, and the historical stylistic use of the orchestra through responses to questions, analysis of examples, the transcription of a brief passage for orchestra or ensemble, and/or the reduction of an orchestral score for performance on the organ.

F12. (20 points)

Composition: Write a composition for unaccompanied voices on a given text. The length will be specified. Imaginative use of the tools of composition will be expected.