UPDATED 06/08/2008

FEATURED INSTRUMENT CONCERT   If you enjoy this concert, please donate by clicking on the button to the left! Vermeulen Brothers Organ at Congregation "Vloedschuur," Heteren, Holland (1959) Samples by Hauptwerk.nl Karg-Elert, Sigfrid: Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr, Op. 65, No. 23 A festive fugue with Chorale in the pedal, mostly baroque with a few twists Nice contrast of manuals in the first part. [2:45] HW1 Stanford, C. V.: Prelude 6, Op. 101 No. 6 "Founded on an old Irish church melody" but the familiar tune associated with thte 23rd Psalm is restricted to the Zwelwerk Gemshoorn 8' + Blokfluit 4' (withdrawn for last chord) + Tremulant with interludes on the Hoofdwerk Octaaf 4' coupled to Zwelwerk; punctuating Pedaal is provided by Subbas 16' + Gedekt 8' (withdrawn for last chord). Impulse reverberation added. Thanks to Tom O'Driscoll for the score. [1:54] HW1 Kopřiva, Karel: Fuga As dur Sturdy fugue with quite adventurous harmonies and a slightly dramatic 18th century conclusion. Bottom voice has been changed slightly to become separate Pedaal part. Registration: Zwelwerk Octaaf 2' coupled to HW Holpijp 8' + Octaaf 4', which is coupled to PD Subbas 16' + Gedekt 8'; at end, Gemshoorn 8' + Blokfluit 4' added to Zwelwerk. Impulse reverberation added. [2:25] HW1 Schumann, Robert: Sketch 3, Op. 58 Written for pedal piano, but this is still a rather engaging piece for organ. There are two major sections, each with repeats: one loud in F minor, the second softer in Db Major. As in all four of these sketches, a short reprise of the first part appears at the end. [6:7] HW1 Reger, Max: Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland, Op. 67, No. 29 Marked "Ziemlich langsam" (somewhat slow), many disjunct tonalities are created by chromatic passing tones. [1:1] HW1 Franck, César: Prélude, Fugue et Variation Actually 4 sections. 1) Andante cantabile: lilting 9/8 melody on Zwelwerk Schalmei 8' with one or two voices on Hoofdwerk Holpijp 8' + Roerfluit 4', and another one or two on Pedaal Subbas 16' + Gedeckt 8'. 2) Lento: interlude with louder registration. 3) Allegro ma non troppo: Beautfully worked out Fugue with Zwelwerk coupled to Hoofdwerk. 4) Andantino: The original melody and registration are reiterated, but the Hoofdwerk figuration is mostly in sixteenth notes. WAV file is available in RAR format: here (47.0 MB). [8:28] HW1 Pachelbel, Johann: Vater Unser im Himmelreich Two settings, the first for Zwelwerk Blokfluit 4' + Octaaf 2' coupled to HW Holpijp 8', the second for HW Holpijp 8' + Octaaf 4' with Zwelwerk Schalmei 8' coupled to PD for slow-sounding Chorale. [5:45] HW1 Schumann, Robert: Fugue 3, Op. 60 The third of six fugues written on the name of Bach (B-A-C-H, in modern notation Bb-A-C-B) which Bach himself used "The Art of the Fugue." This is marked for "Mit sanften Stimmen" ("with gentle voices") and is itself the gentlest of the six. Registration: Hoofdwerk Principal 8' + Hohpijp 8' +II/I; Zwelwerk Gemshoorn 8' + Blockfluit 4' ; Pedaal Subbas 16' + Gedekt 8' + II-PD Coupler [2:25] HW1 Karg-Elert, Sigfrid: Mach's mit mir, Gott, nach deiner Güt', Op. 65, No. 29 Canon at the octave between Zwelwerk Schalmei + other stops and top voice of the Hoofdwerk. Somewhat baroque sounding, but so rich and rapid that you may not take it all in the first hearing. [0:59] HW1 Dupré, Marcel: Magnificat III, Opus 18, No. 12 The original registration invokes many mutations of which only the Nasard and Tierce are available, but the chromatic ingenuity of the figuration provides plenty of color on its own. [1:34] HW1 Gigout, Eugène: Sortie No. 10 from Ten Pieces for Organ, Based on the tune "Adoremus in aeternum." Ponderous chords lead to a fugal exposition with the choral tune as a subject in two tempi, then the Cantus enters the pedal in what would almost appear to be a baroque treatment, but for the spectacular Hollywood ending. [4:15] HW1 Sweelinck, Jan Pieterszoon: Durch Adams Fall ist ganz verderbt Var. 1 - HW Holpijp 8' + Octaaf 4', Chorale on Zwelwerk Schalmei 8' coupled to Pedaal Gedekt 8'; Var. 2 - Chorale on Zwelwerk Schalmei 8' + Blokfluit 4' + Octaaf 2', accompanied by HW Holpijp 8' + Octaaf 4 coupled to Pedaal Subbas 16'. [4:3] HW1 Vierne, Louis: Divertissement, Op. 31, No. 11 And an insouciant little diversion it is. WAV file is available in RAR format: here (12.8 MB). [2:18] Midi file available. HW1 Schumann, Robert: Canon 2, Op. 56 Marked "Mit innigem Ausdruck" (with intimate expression) , these beautiful melodies intertwine on the Hoofdwerk with admittedly piano-like repeated chords on the Zwelwerk and a series of organ points and root position bass notes similar to the first canon. Rather than fuss with registration changes every measure or so, the Phantom Organist chose three terraced dynamic levels based on ritards indicated in the Henle Urtext (original text) score, with a few subtle changes in expression near the end. [4:6] HW1 Franck, César: Fantaisie in C Major In four main sections, marked Poco lento - restful with a canon in the middle; Allegretto cantando - containing rather virtuosic counterpoint; Quasi lento - amazing sonic buildup and letdown; and Adagio - strangely comforting, like the soft movements at the end of each Mendelssohn Sonata. [8:30] HW1 Reger, Max: Pastorale, Op. 59, No. 2 A trio with slightly off-kilter harmonies, this time with a little dynamic expression on the melody (Zwelwerk Schalmei 8'). [2:19] HW1 Dupré, Marcel: Ave Maris Stella I, Opus 18, No. 6 Canon at the Fourth between the soprano and bass. Registration: RH Zwelwerk Schalmei 8'; LH HW Holpijp 8' + Octaaf 4'; PD Subbas 16' + Gedekt 8'. Impulse reverberation added. [0:51] HW1 Krebs, Johann Ludwig: Fantasia in F, Br II:06 The Zwelwerk has just one idea, repeated twice and at 2 pitches. The rest is Hauptwerk and Pedal. Impulse reverberation added. [1:33] HW1 Brahms, Johannes: Prelude and Fugue in A minor Both Prelude and Fugue make extensive use of triplets, both alone and together with duplets. The bravura passages at the end of the fugue are almost orchestral. [4:46] HW1