Yesterday I described the system of modes in Gregorian chant. Hopefully you have practised writing and played them on your organ from any of the 12 chromatic notes in the octave. This is essential if you want to master them and apply in the process of learning to improvise on the organ.
So how can we use this system of 8 or 12 modes in our organ improvisations? The most obvious application of such modes is in Renaissance style pieces. Since chant-based organ music in the Renaissance period was primarily part of Alternatim practice (when verses of the chant were sung in alternation with the choral polyphony or organ music or both), we too can improvise short versets composed in these modes which would be based on the Gregorian chant melodies. For example, imagine a hymn, such as well known Veni Creator Spiritus. If the starting note would be G, then its mode is Mixolydian (No. 7). You can improvise a number of verses this way (presented in the increasing number of voices): 1) A Bicinium for 2 voices with the chant in the soprano 2) A Bicinium for 2 voices with the chant in the bass 3) A trio for 3 voices with the chant in the soprano 4) A trio for 3 voices with the chant in the middle voice 5) A trio for 3 voices with the chant in the bass 6) A quartet for 4 voices with the chant in the soprano 7) A quartet for 4 voices with the chant in the alto 8) A quartet for 4 voices with the chant in the tenor 9) A quartet for 4 voices with the chant in the bass Also you can improvise canons for two voices with one or more additional voices. Canons can be based on any interval but the most common are an octave, a fifth, and a fourth. Most commonly a canonic voice can enter after the distance of 1 note, 2 notes, or 4 notes. Remember to stay within the same mode throughout the piece. Also your improvisation does not have to be based on the given chant melody at all. We know of versets which are freely composed. If you are improvising in the polyphonic style, you can have a polyphony of two types - contrasting and imitative. In contrasting polyphony, the rhythm and the melody of the chant is contrasted with the quicker (usually) rhythmical values of other voices. In imitating polyphony every voice imitates the theme or the fragment of the theme in alternation from the same or different pitch level. Your improvisation can become quite modern and colorful if you include modulations of the same mode and extend your piece with additional episodes. I've done this in my Veni Creator Spiritus (2011). By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide.
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The majority of organ music composed until about 1550 used the system of 8 Gregorian Modes - 4 Authentic Modes (1, 3, 5, and 7) and 4 Plagal Modes (2, 4, 6, and 8) first described by Hucbald in De harmonica in ca. 880: The pieces written in the authentic modes (Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, and Mixolydian) end on the lowest note of the mode called Finalis (represented by the letter f in the above example).
Plagal modes have the prefix Hypo- before the name of the mode. Here the Finalis is not the lowest pitch but the note a perfect fourth above it. So basically, these modes are precursors of a Major/Minor system and throughout the history there were several variations of such modes. From the middle of the 16th century, the number of modes increased to 12 (as described by Glareanus in his Dodecachordon, 1547). In his system, he added authentic Aeolian (from A) and Ionian (from C) modes and their plagal counterparts to the entire spectrum. Practice writing these modes first from the white notes and later from the sharp or flat notes. Also try to play them on the organ. As soon as this becomes easy, you can start improvising on such modes. Tomorrow I will describe how you can do that so stay tuned if this topic is interesting to you. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Yesterday night I played a long awaited concert of improvisations called "The Fight Between David and Goliath" with perhaps the most famous saxophonist in Lithuania, Petras Vysniauskas at Vilnius University St. John's church in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The program was modeled after the Biblical Sonata No. 1 by Johann Kuhnau (1660-1722) I played a month ago at the same church as part of my ongoing series of organ recitals from the cycle of "Seven Centuries of Organ Music" where I introduce to organ music lovers composers and pieces from various historical periods and national schools of organ composition. This Kuhnau Sonata was part of the 12th concert from this series devoted to the Middle German Organ Baroque School. So yesterday we used all 8 of Kuhnau's descriptions of the fight between David and Goliath including boasting of Goliath, trembling of Israelites, the courage of David, the fight itself, the flight of Philistines, the joy of Israelites, women's concert in honor of the victory, and general rejoicing and dancing. However, to make a musical story more complete, we also added 4 additional movements at the beginning: David with the sheep at night, David's journey to his brothers at Saul's army, the armies of Philistines and Israelites and Goliath's appearance. I hope you will enjoy listening to this video excerpt from this concert as much as we enjoyed creating music together. This video is an additional improvisation we played right after the David and Goliath program. It starts slowly and quietly in the B Dorian mode. Then we create conversations between saxophone and various organ stops. It all ends with a joyful Fortissimo using most of the resources of this magnificent organ. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. If you are wondering about technical aspects in creating your own music, at some point you must have come accross the term "ostinato". It refers to the fragment of music which is repeated for some time. This fragment may be just a couple of beats long or it can extend over several measures.
In organ improvisation and composition ostinato technique can become very handy. Since there are 3 main elements of music: melody, rhythm, and harmony, any or all of them can become the basis for ostinato. When keeping the same melody, you can change the meter, the rhythm, and the chords. When keeping the same rhythm, your melody and chords can be different. When keep the same chords, you can change your melody and rhythm. And don't forget to use different textures and modes to make it really colorful and spicy. Of course as in everything when improvising, you should be conscious of time. It is best to keep track of time by counting measures and the repetitions of the fragments. I find that an episode of about 1-2 minutes based on two or three similar but somewhat different ostinato figures used interchangibly can be very interesting to hear. You can even construct fairly lengthy and advanced pieces by alternating the contrasting ostinato episodes, resulting in rondo forms, such as in A B A B A or A B C B A or A B A C A B C A etc. Try the ostinato technique in your organ composition and/or improvisation today. It's fun and easy and interestingly, leaves a powerful impact on the listeners. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. If you ever wanted to create your own musical composition (either improvised or written down on paper), you surely had to face this problem: what to do with a musical theme? How to use it over the course of the piece? How to make this short 4 measure phrase into a composition or improvisation of considerable length (even up to 30 minutes long).
So what you need to understand is how to make use of thematic transformation techniques which is nothing more than thematic development. Here's how it works: You probably know that any musical theme has the 3 main elements: melody, rhythm, and harmony. In one theme melody would be more pronounced, in another rhythm and so on. Therefore, we can label certain themes as melodic themes or rhythmical themes or harmonic themes. So when you want to develop your theme over the course of the piece, you can change any of the 3 elements: 1) For melody of the theme, you can change intervals (smaller or larger), you can change the direction of the intervals (inversion), you can play the theme backwards (retrograde), or you can even use retrograde-inversion when the theme is played backwards with inverted intervals. 2) For rhythm of theme, you can change rhythmical figures and meters, make the rhythmical values smaller (diminution) or larger (augmentation). 3) For harmony of the theme, you can change modes and chords. By transforming melody, rhythm, and harmony of the theme, you can create a piece in various forms, including but not limited to variations, rondo, sonata, rondo-sonata, fantasia etc. Franz Liszt was very good at using thematic transformation so you can look at many of his works, including his Fantasia and Fugue on "Ad nos at salutarem undam" for models. Also Beethoven was able to weave the entire symphony No. 5 out of the famous opening 4 notes. Because we always look at the work of the masters from the past for inspiration, studying how they developed and transformed their themes will be a great education for you. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. We as organists sometimes are called to play a short interlude or a prelude during a church service. Not always we are prepared to play something from the classical organ repertoire. Besides, it is not always easy to find a piece which suits the theme or character of the service well. That's when improvisation and composition prove very handy.
A short prelude or interlude could have a form of a Binary Exposition which is about 16 measures long. It can be a piece which stands on its own or it can be a part of the larger structure. Such exposition has the two main elements - a theme and a commentary. A theme is a musical phrase which lends itself for development. A commentary is a different phrase which contrasts somewhat with a theme. So your Binary Exposition of 16-20 measures might look like this: 1) Theme of 4 measures. 2) Commentary ending on the dominant of 4 measures. 3) Repetition of the theme of 4 measures. 4) Commentary ending on the tonic note of 4 measures. 5) (Optional before 4) Commentary ending on a different note of 4 measures. Remember, the melody does not have to be in the right hand part - it can easily be placed in the tenor voice and played on a different manual with solo registration. The pedal part is optional. What to do with the accompaniment? Many things - you can do a simple four-part harmony, add a melodic and rhythmic figure etc. You are only limited by your imagination. If this is the case, look a the pieces of your favorite composers for models. You can improvise your Binary Exposition on the organ, compose it on the paper or both (preferably). Give it a try today. It's easier than it sounds from this description. Creating your own music is one of the greatest joys musician can have. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Improvisation of the French toccata always fascinates both organists and listeners - it's fun, exciting, fast, and loud. If played well, it leaves everybody in awe. Today I would like to discuss some ways how you can improvise a short toccata at the end of the church service.
Preferably such improvisation will be based on the exit hymn at the close of the church service. Here are a few of my recommendations (there are countless variations of such improvisations, but this is good for starters): 1. Place a hymn tune in the pedals. 2. Use easy figuration in sixteenth-notes which fits 5 fingers well: right hand descending (5321), left hand ascending (5321). 3. Play a short introduction of 2 measures in the hands on the first phrase of the tune. 4. Use a fixed harmony (chords) - 7th chords, 65 chords, 43 chords, 42 chords, for example. 5. Change the chords regularly (one chord for every phrase, for example). 6. When the pedals enter with the tune in equal note values, aim for step-wise motion in the hands - it's easier to control. 7. Remember to keep the same mode - then no matter what you play in your manual part will sound well with the pedals. 8. If you want to have more variety in color, change the mode every 4 measures or so - your tune doesn't have to stay in the same mode all the time. 9. Once you play the phrase of the tune in the pedals, repeat it in the manuals (without pedals). 10. End with a short CODA on a Tonic pedal point (the last note of the tune) repeating the last fragment several times in ascending transposing sequence (in major or minor 3rds). 11. Choose a loud registration with mixtures and reeds (if available) based on 16' stops. BONUS TIP No. 1: Although it will be a fast piece, practice repeatedly REALLY slowly in fragments so that you are always in control and let your mind direct your fingers (and feet) and not otherwise. BONUS TIP No. 2: Write down your improvisation on paper and see what can be improved. Having your own completed piece notated on staff notation is an incredible achievement in itself. BONUS TIP No. 3: Actually you can start upside down and write your toccata on paper first and improvise later (it's more difficult but you will thank yourself later for doing so). Remember to analyze real French toccatas (Boellmann, Widor, Vierne, Gigout, Durufle, Messiaen etc.). There you will find even more exciting figures, textures, harmonies, and models. But start small and only expand when you feel like you mastered the current version. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Probably every person who sets out to learn the art of organ improvisation at the beginning is facing this problem - his/her fingers (and sometimes feet) can go faster than their brain. In such situation anything you improvise on the spot may sound unintentional and accidental.
In other words, a lot of times such playing sounds like a bunch of unconnected notes, which doesn't make sense musically. Usually the result is not something we all are very proud of or intend to re-create in the future. But this experience is vital, I would say, not only because it helps to brainstorm all kinds of musical ideas but also because it helps you to understand how much you still have to learn. In a sense, it helps us to feel humble enough at our first steps as improvisors. Of course, not everything what we improvise in such manner might sound ugly or not worth remembering but if we play something which our brain doesn't orders our fingers, we will have a hard time re-creating the nicely done passages or excerpts that we want to save for the future. So obviously we have to ask this question - is there a way to ensure that our improvisations become more intentional? In other words, how to let the brain direct our fingers and feet and not the opposite? Now I can hear some people who are reading this ask that isn't the true improvisation non-rational? Isn't the purpose of improvisation something we create without predetermined thinking and planning? Of course, improvisation can have many forms and shapes but now I'm talking about this definition of improvisation - Composition at the Time of Performance. It's no different from written down works, the only difference being that when you improvise, you don't have much time to think and correct your mistakes with eraser like you would do when composing on paper with a pencil. Let's come back to our concept that our mind has to direct the fingers. I think it's easier to achieve that than we think it is. Although you might be tempted to say that only geniuses can create something on the spot and it would sound like a fully worked out written composition, I think everyone is capable to achieve that on his/her level. Of course, it wouldn't necessarily be a 4-part scholastic fugue right away but we can reach this level very gradually (remember the concept of "Baby Steps"). Let's start with limiting the possibilities because one of the main problems we face when improvising is the seemingly limitless number of options we could take and limitless number of paths we might follow. Think of the 6 most important elements of organ music (the are more of course): melody, rhythm, harmony, registration, texture, and form. Limit your improvisation to just one single option in each category and master it. Choose just one melodic theme, one rhythmical pattern, one meter, one mode, one registration option, one kind of texture, and one kind of form. Practice in a slow tempo many times until you feel you can safely add one more option to your "bag of tricks". If you practice improvisation in this manner, you will discover that it's so much easier to create something much more intentionally and you can grow from there. Try this approach today. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Today I would like to propose an improvisation exercise based on the Christmas chorale prelude "Vom Himmel hoch da komm ich her", BWV 606 from the Orgelbuchlein by J.S.Bach. Although this piece lasts less than a minute, you will find a powerful model figure for your chorale and hymn based improvisations. This piece is constructed in such a way that the soprano part which has the chorale tune together with the alto and the tenor alternate suspirans figure (three sixteenth notes after the rest) most of the time. The pedal part (the bass) has a harmonic foundation and moves in eighth notes using the chordal notes. Here is how you can implement this figure in your improvisations: 1. Open your hymnal and choose a tune. This can basically be any tune from any period but older chorales work better with this figure. 2. Harmonize a tune in four parts - soprano, alto, tenor, and bass, giving the tune to the soprano part. You can keep the same harmonization as in the hymnal or you can create the chords yourself. 3. Play soprano line (the chorale tune) and the bass line with pedals using the chordal notes. 4. Add the suspirans figure which would alternate between the three upper voices. Be very systematic at first: alto-tenor-soprano. Keep this order until you are fluent with this figure. BONUS TIP: When there is an interval of the third or the sixth between the voice which has this figure, don't hesitate to add the same figure in another voice - your sixteenth notes would move in sweet sounding parallel intervals. Remember that it is easier to create your piece on paper first. In fact, you could take 10-20 hymn tunes and compose chorale preludes on paper following this model. Then you could take the hymn tunes, put them on the music rack in front of you and start improvising your chorale preludes. That's the fastest way to progress in organ improvisation. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Have you ever been in a situation when you were asked to improvise but seemed to be stuck even before attempting to start your piece? In other words, have you ever been lost in not knowing how to begin an improvisation?
If this situation applies to you, I know how you feel. I know how frustrating it can be just to sit on the organ bench even without a single thought of how to start your improvisation. It's amazing how simple it can be to improvise a theme on the organ. Yes, a theme is exactly what many of the good organ compositions have in the opening. Let's establish for our purposes that a theme for improvisation is like a question. What you need to do next is to provide an answer to this question. That's it, folks. It's that simple. Of course, your improvisations can be very elaborate and can last a long time but the very first step you need to do is to improvise this answer. So the question is a melody of about 4-6 measures long which may or may not end on the note of the tonic chord of the key (1st, 3rd, or 5th scale degree). It's better if this question ends on a different note than tonic because it propels the melody forward. Usually it ends on the note of the dominant chord (5th, 7th, or 2nd scale degree). Although there are many paths you can take making your answer more interesting and advanced, the simplest form of it might be just to repeat the question and end it on the tonic. Now when you know how to construct an answer from the question, you can harmonize it in four parts following the rules of harmony and voice-leading and you may just have enough of musical material for a short prelude or interlude in your church service. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Our Hauptwerk Setup:
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