With hundreds and even thousands of organ pieces to choose from, some people are rather lost. They like this and like that. One day they practice a Baroque composition and the second day - Romantic. And I don't mean they sight-read, no, they practice and perfect them.
Sometimes organist chooses a piece which is too difficult for him at the moment. But he likes the piece so much and tries to work it out. Another time, it's quite the opposite - the piece is very easy but artistic quality is really low. Choosing wisely what to practice is an advantage. What's more important, though, is deciding to practice in the first place.
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A lot of organists have their favorite musical styles, favorite composers, even favorite compositions. Some people love French music, some - German, some - Baroque, some - Romantic, and some - modern style. Is it enough to have just one favorite composer or a style and practice playing it with the exclusion of everything else?
I think that today knowing one style is not enough. Here is a simple reason: Organs you get to play might be from different period, different national school, and different type. Imagine you only play Franck's music and you are invited to try out a small positive Baroque one manual organ. You would feel quite awkward not being able to play any chorale prelude by Pachelbel, a choral partita by Bohm or other pieces that works well for this type of instrument. Or you get to play an English Romantic organ but all you practice are manualiter pieces by Scheidt. No pieces from his Tabulatura Nova would work for this type of instrument. Or perhaps you are trying out a North German Baroque organ with a short octave and split subsemitones. Of course, you would need pieces by Scheidemann, Buxtehude, Tunder, Weckmann etc. What could you play on an Italian or Spanish Baroque organ? Of course, Frescobaldi, Diruta, Banchieri, Gabrieli or Cabezon, Arauxo, Coelho and the like. You might say that Bach's music would work on the organ of any style? While this is true for a lot of modern instruments, Bach's compositions wouldn't sound convincing in a lot o village churches which have 19th century organs. You might also say that there is no chance you get to play such various historical organs? I wouldn't be so sure. In today's world, when people like to travel a lot for their vacations (and when connecting with local organists is just a click away), it's actually quite likely. If you are travelling to another country and you don't have your music scores with you, the best way to try out a new instrument is simply to improvise. This is true not only if you go abroad but also if you are visiting another church in your town which houses an unfamiliar organ. Of course, the ability to improvise in various musical styles (with or without pedals) is still very important in such case. You could also ask a local organist demonstrate the organ for you but this wouldn't be nearly as much fun as trying this organ yourself. This would probably feel like being on the beach on the sunny summer day and watching other people swim while you would be just standing there and thinking that too bad you left your swimwear at home (assuming you like swimming). Today I would like to talk about what kind of organ pieces you can play on manuals only. It's important for organists to know the manualiter repertoire because we not always have access to organs with pedals. So in this video I'll give you a list of Baroque music which can be performed using manuals only.
We will of course start with Bach but will continue with a number of lesser played composers and their pieces. All the pieces in this list are personally tested by me so if you are struggling to find some suitable compositions to play without the pedals, I recommend you watch this video and take notes. It is very rare that the fire in the open field can be started with large firewood. Usually we use paper or bark, small branches or sticks. This way the fire starts very easily, after minute or two we can hear how larger firewood is burning merilly.
Everyone who tried to start a fire from large branches or firewood remembers that small flame, bitter smoke and... a waisted match. When we start on our organ practice journey, the beginnings are similar to starting a fire. It is best to get used to the organ playing in small dozes, playing short and easy compositions and exercises. This will help you build a solid foundation for advancing your organ playing skills. But if you start with grandiose symphonies, polyphonically complex fugues, advanced musical language and modern harmonies, this music can be too difficult for you at the moment. Some people can begin to have an impression that organ playing is not for them. Then they give up and quit. Therefore at the beginning the best pieces you could play are short chorale preludes, inventions and exercises, and only after that – more complex and developed polyphonic compositions with 3 or 4 parts. Let your organ playing fire start little by little with baby steps. P.S. Sometimes if you want to start a fire, you can use fuel mixture or a gasoline – then the size of the firewood is not that important. In organ playing – that‘s education. Advice for Organists: Finding a Technically Manageable and Musically Worthwhile Repertoire7/20/2013 When you first start playing the organ, you will discover right away that majority of organ repertoire is too difficult for the beginner organist. In other words, the pieces might be really well constructed but you will not be able to learn them if you are just starting out. On the other hand, some pieces are easy to manage and learn but they are simply not musically interesting enough and not artistically pleasing. So you have to find a balance between these two sides of the organ repertoire - technical requirements and artistic quality.
The best way to go about finding such a composition which is technically still accessible to a relative beginner and musically interesting enough to keep you interested for a long time is to choose a piece by classical organ composers. By classical composers, I mean that these are masters whose works have stood the test of time. So anything you will find written by a major organ composer will be worth playing and worth practicing for a long period of time and you will not feel bored. On the other hand, even in these classical pieces you will find a high number of places which will be technically too challenging. So what you have to look for in these pieces are texture, rhythms, and key signatures. The texture has to be simple enough and rhythms have to be not complicated and the keys should be easy to understand and to play. Let's consider each of these three points in turn. The simplicity of the texture means that it's best to choose the piece which has only a few voices. Try not to choose four and five or even six voice compositions if you are a relative beginner. The most number of voices for you will be three - one for the right hand, one for the left hand, and one for the pedals. The next thing to consider is the simplicity of the rhythms. In other words, the note values have to be not complicated and you should not see any syncopations and smaller note values such as sixteenths and thirty-seconds. The smallest note value has to be an eighth note or an eighth note triplet. Lastly, the keys have to be simple and easy to play for you. If you are a beginner, try to avoid pieces which have more than one accidental next to the treble and the bass clef. Consider my tips in your practice and apply them when you choose the piece to play. If you choose wisely, you will be able to learn and master it very effectively. Are you wondering what kind of organ music selections are suitable for Bachelor's organ degree recital? In this article, I will give you a list of pieces by Buxtehude, Bach, Handel, Vierne, Langlais, and Franck.
1. Praeludium in C, BuxWV 137 by Dieterich Buxtehude. One of the most famous of all of Buxtehude's organ works will serve well for the opening of your recital. This is a perfect example of multi-movement North German Baroque Stylus Phantasticus writing. This work is also known as Prelude, Fugue, and Chaconne in C major. 2. Chorale Prelude "Komm heiliger Geist, Herre Gott", BuxWV 199 by Buxtehude. This is an ornamented chorale prelude - a perfect example of Buxtehude's style. This piece will make a good contrast with the preceding and following pieces. 3. Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541 by Johann Sebastian Bach. A joyful prelude with elements of Ritornello form. You will find a complex Stretto section towards the end of the fugue. 4. Chorale Prelude "Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland", BWV 659 by Bach. A very famous chorale prelude from the collection of Great 18 Chorales (Leipzig Chorale Preludes). Slow tempo and fascinating ornamented chorale melody in the right hand part. 5. Trio Sonata No. 1 in E flat Major, BWV 525 by Bach. This is the easiest of all of 6 trio sonatas by this composer. However, the organists will still encounter many technical challenges which have to be overcome at the Bachelor's degree recital. 6. Organ Concerto Op. 4, No. 5 in F Major, HWV 293 by George Frederic Handel. This is the shortest of 6 most famous organ concertos by Handel. It consists of four contrasting movements: Larghetto, Allegro, Alla Siciliana, and Presto. 7. Allegretto, Op. 1 by Louis Vierne. A rarely performed early work of Vierne of moderate difficulty. Nice ABA form with charming oboe melody in the right hand. 8. Meditation from the Suite Medievale by Jean Langlais. Very colorful French style modal writing. Slow tempo makes it a wonderful preparation for what is coming next in your program. 9. Chorale No. 3 by Cesar Franck. This is perhaps the most famous and the easiest of all of 3 chorales of Franck. A perfect closing piece for your recital - very dramatic work with a beautiful slow middle section. Take any or all of the above pieces and start practicing for your recital today. The compositions from this list constitute a recital of approximately 1 hour of duration which is an optimum length for organ recital. They provide a welcome variety in character, mood, tempo, mode, keys, and registration for positive listener experience. 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 free Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. One of the best known pieces in a fascinating collection of 8 Short Preludes and Fugues, Prelude and Fugue in F major, BWV 556 is an outstanding example of how a composition of superb artistic quality can be created using fairly simple musical language.
The prelude is written in a ternary ABA form in 3/8 meter. The character is joyful, even playful and because of that many performers choose a rather quick tempo. Part A consists of the musical idea which establishes the F major key in opening 4 measures and ends on a half cadence. Then we can see series of ascending sequences with triplet figures which end on a perfect cadence in the tonic key of F major. Part B is much longer the Part A. Here we find the same kind of sequences with triplets and haf cadences in F major, G minor and perfect cadences in D minor, C major, and A minor. The Prelude ends with exact repetition of Part A giving us a complete rounded ABA form. The Fugue (4/4 meter) starts with a subject in the tenor voice the first part of which moves in eighth notes and the second part in sixteenth notes. These sixteenth note figures give the fugue a joyful character which requires a quick tempo. As you listen to the recording of this fugue, it is best to count the number of subjects and notice in which voice it appears. There are total of 6 full subject entrances in this fugue. In other instances, the theme appears either in part or in modification. Below you can see the general plan of this fugue. Exposition: 1. Subject in the tenor (F major) 2. Answer in the alto (C major) 3. Subject in the soprano (F major) 4. Answer in the bass (C major) (This completes the exposition) 5. Episode Counter-exposition: 6. Answer in the soprano (C major) 7. Episode 8. Subject in the bass (F major) 9. Episode 10. Partial subjects 11. Closing cadence in F major. Episodes are written using melodic and rhythmical material from the subject. They are meant to connect various subject entrances and/or key areas. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is through sequences which we also encounter here and there. From the above plan we can see that this is a rather simple fugue without subject entrances in other keys or without the canonic fugal entrances, called Stretto. Nevertheless, this entire Prelude and Fugue is so elegantly crafted that we never hear this simplicity and its artistic quality is very high. 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 free Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. Organ Playing: The Exact Steps to Mastering Short Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 556 in 10 Days7/14/2012 Mastering the Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 556 is easier than you might think. In this article, I'll give you the exact steps which will help you learn it in just 10 days.
Here are the steps in mastering Prelude and Fugue in F major, BWV 556 in 10 days: General comments: 1. Play slowly to avoid mistakes 2. Practice each day in solo voices, combinations of 2 and 3 voices, and only then the entire 4 part texture, where applicable) - play 10 times each combination. 3. When you repeat previously learned lines, play them 3 times correctly. 4. Practice one line at a time, unless indicated otherwise. 5. Make sure the notes, rhythms, fingering, pedaling, and articulation are correct in each step. Step-by-step plan: Day 1: Learn lines 1-2 2. Repeat 1-2, practice 3-5 3. Reinforce 1-5, master 6-7 4. Remember 1-7, learn 10 and 11 5. Repeat 1-11, practice 12-13 6. Reinforce 1-13, master 14-15 7. Play the entire prelude and fugue by stopping every 2 lines 8. Practice the entire piece by stopping every 4 lines 9. Play the entire composition by stopping every 8 lines 10. Play the entire prelude and fugue without stopping In order to reap the best results, it is best if you just follow the above steps exactly and you will have it ready for public performance in 10 days. This public performance doesn't necessarily have to be a recital. You could play it in church during liturgy as a postlude or just for fun for your family and friends. By the way, if you would like to start practicing this prelude and fugue tonight, check out my practice score with complete fingering and pedaling which will create the ideal articulation. If you just follow the above steps exactly, you will have it ready for public performance in 10 days. Or if you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster, download my free Organ Practice Guide. The Prelude and Fugue in C Major of North German Baroque composer Georg Bohm is one of his most popular pieces. Contrary from the majority of multi-movement Stylus Fantasticus works of Buxtehude, Bruhns, and other composers from this region, it is a true two-movement piece resembling later works by Bach. In this article, I will give you 5 tips which will help you play this piece on the organ.
1. Articulated legato. Apply the articulated legato touch throughout this composition. This touch was also called the Ordinary Touch in the Baroque period. When you use it in your organ playing of Baroque pieces, make short breaks between each note. However, this touch should not make the music sound unconnected. Instead try to achieve a singing manner of playing. 2. Feel the meter. In addition to the articulated legato, feeling of alternation between strong and weak beats is very important. Make the beats 1 and 3 a little stronger while the beats 2 and 4 - weaker. Since dynamics on the organ are not achieved primarily through touch, make the strong beats longer and weak beats - shorter. You can also come in a little late on certain important downbeats to emphasize the meter even more. 3. Count the themes. Before you play the fugue, take a pencil and number the subject entries in each voice. This helps to understand how the piece is put together. You can also notate the main key areas of these subjects. If you want to take this one step further, write in the chordal functions of these keys in relationship with the home key of C Major. For example, C Major would be the Tonic while G Major would be the Dominant. 4. Keep the hands on the knees in pedal solo. As you play the long and exciting opening pedal solo, it is best to keep your hands on the knees. Although there are methods which allow you to hold with the hands on the bench or on the sides of the keyboard, I really suggest that the hands should be placed on the knees. You see, you have to learn to play the pedals without the help of your hands. When you place them on your knees, your feet alone have to do the job and you will gradually learn how to keep your balance. 5. Change position in pedal solo. This pedal solo runs from the lowest C to the highest D of the pedal board. Therefore, it will be necessary to change your position while you play. If the melody goes upwards, like in the opening two measures, simply push off the pedal with the left foot and shift your lower body to the right. Remember, your upper body should always stay straight and face the music. Use these tips when you practice Prelude and Fugue in C Major by Georg Bohm today. If you apply them carefully in your playing, you will be able to achieve stylistically correct performance, precision, and clarity. 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 free Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. If you are struggling with the fingering, pedaling, articulation and practicing the short prelude and fugue No. 4 in F major, BWV 556 for organ, read this article in which you will find my tips and advice in mastering this wonderful composition.
Concerning the fingering in measures 1-4 of BWV 556, if you play it with the usual technique, it feels strange to your hand. However, if you use them correctly like I will teach you now, they will be perfectly natural and most importantly, they will create the articulate legato touch for you without you having to think about them. You see, the fingering in this piece is based on the paired fingering technique meaning the strong fingers are placed on the stronger beats. Although in measure 1 you could say, 3434 looks like finger crossing, it is in fact, finger shifting. This means you should not attempt to play legato and cross over 3 after 4. Instead, play 34 and shift the entire hand to the new position for another 34. In other words, move your fingers together as a unit. When you shift this way, you are naturally articulating correctly. In measure 3, the right hand part has pairs of thirds which look like this: 2/4 1/3 2/4 1/3. Do not try to cross your fingers but shift your hand from 1/3 to 2/4. Crossing would be very inconvenient but shifting will naturally create a break between the pair of thirds. The same thing applies to the pedaling in the fugue. Try to move both of your feet together as a unit on eighth and sixteenth notes. Another important principle to notice is the finger skipping technique. This means that the same intervals (especially wider ones) should be played with the same fingers. For example, in measure 4 from end of the fugue you can see the 4 consecutive sixths in the right hand part which could be played with 1/5 1/5 1/5 and 1/5 fingering. Be careful not to make very large breaks between the notes also which make the music sound choppy and unconnected. The touch should be singable or as Bach calls it "cantabile manner of playing". When you are good in articulating this way, you could also make subtle adjustments in order to emphasize the meter. Make larger breaks between the stronger beats. As far as accuracy in triplets of the prelude are concerned, try not to lift your fingers off the keyboard and stay in contact with the keys at all times. This will help you to improve your accuracy. For best results, practice in separate voices, 2 voice combinations, 3 voice combinations and only then the entire 4 part texture. Do not play the entire piece from the beginning until the end (at least at first). Instead, choose a fragment of about 4 measures and master each combination in it. Then take another fragment and so on. After you learn all the fragments, combine them together, playing 1 line, 2 lines, 4 lines, 8 lines, 16 lines and so on without stopping. Bottom line: the early fingering helps to achieve the desired articulation. Do not reach for the keys but instead shift the entire hand or both feet into a new position. Make it as connected as possible but not legato. By the way, if you need complete fingering and pedaling of Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 556, check out my practice score. When you click on this link you will be able to see the preview of the actual score with fingering and pedaling which helps to create ideal articulation (articulate legato) naturally. Or 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 FREE Organ Practice Guide: http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html |
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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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