UPDATED 04/10/2008

FEATURED INSTRUMENT CONCERT   If you enjoy this concert, please donate by clicking on the button to the left! St. Anne's Church, Moseley, Birmingham, England (1874) - Samples by Martin Dyde Bach, Johann Sebastian: Toccata and Fugue in F Major, BWV 540 The Toccata is an exuberant, energy-filled extravaganza with many deceptive cadences at the end. This relatively little-known double fugue is enjoyable in its own right, however. The first subject is chromatic and the ornaments are preserved throughout. The second subject enters on the Swell and is a jumpy little thing. When the first theme reënters in the alto, though, Bach surprises us by following it with a pedal entrance of the second theme. [12:30] HW1 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Valet will ich dir geben, BWV 736 A funeral piece which celebrates life rather than deploring it. Unusual 24/16 meter, chorale in pedal. The tune, of course is sung in many churches for Palm Sunday as "All Glory, Laud and Honor." [4:11] HW1 Buxtehude, Dietrich: Canzonetta in G, BuxWV 171 Two sections in this charming little piece, the first with scurrying repeated notes, the second a lilting variation on that theme in 12/8 meter. [2:18] HW1 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Symphonia to Cantata 4, BWV 004a Transcription of the 1st movement of the Cantata for the First Day of Easter, this extremely short piece sets a dramatic mood for this rest of the cantata. [1:6] Midi file available. HW1 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 546 This masterful Prelude begins with pitting large chords in the left and right hands, progresses through several expressive episodes, and returns to the original statement at the end. In the companion fugue, the subject alternates with playful episodes that wander off in many directions. [11:9] HW1 Krebs, Johann Ludwig: Prelude in C, Br II:01 Lyrical as this piece is, it is marked for full organ. [1:26] Midi file available. HW1 Brahms, Johannes: Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele Gentle setting of the communion hymn for manuals alone. [1:47] HW1 Dandrieu, Jean-François: Rondeau A light, cheerful and uncomplicated example of the rondo form from the French Baroque. Impulse reverberation added, Brad Lehman temperament, +6dB output volume. [1:31] HW2 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, BWV 688 Part of the German Organ Mass, this setting has a jazzy wedge-like motiv that moves between keyboards, with the chorale sounded slowly in the pedal. [4:10] Midi file available. HW1 Brahms, Johannes: Herzlich tut mich verlangen (I) In this first setting of the Passion chorale, Brahms places the melody in the soprano voice, decorated with passing tones, The interval of a rising second and a rhythm that emphasizes the 2nd and 4th (weaker) beats play a major part in the pedal part. [1:40] HW1 Brahms, Johannes: Herzlich tut mich verlangen (II) A restless accompaniment in the manuals adds urgency to the passion chorale as sounded in the pedal. [2:8] HW1 Bach, Johann Sebastian: Prelude and Fugue in D Major, BWV 532 The prelude is in three parts, beginning with a D major scale in the pedal, proceeding to an Alla breve, and concluding with an Adagio which is actually a transition into the fugue, whose spirited subject alternates with arpeggios and block chords using as many as six voices. [11:9] HW1