Vidas: Let’s start Episode 84 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Today’s question was sent by Dan, and he writes:
“Vidas, I have been purchasing materials from you. I have about 3-4 years experience on the organ. I am using your resource for 8 Preludes & Fugues. I am only starting the 8 P&F series and have not mastered them. I also purchased BWV 565. I am trying to learn 8 P&F and BWV 565 all at the same, time taking bite sizes out of each one.
Is BWV 565 too advanced for my level and should wait on this until after 8 P&F? Thanks Vidas”.
Good question, right? About the ordering of your study when you master pieces by Bach, especially not based on chorale melodies. Free pieces like preludes and fugues, toccatas, fantasias, passacaglias, chaconnes, and things like that. So Ausra, the end of the collection is the eighth prelude and fugue--which is in Bb Major, right?--
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Imagine that Dan has already mastered 8--will he have sufficient experience to tackle the long Toccata and Fugue in d minor?
Ausra: I don’t think so. I think he has to learn something else first, before moving to d minor Toccata.
Vidas: Because the Fugue is especially complex and virtuosic.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Toccata might work…
Ausra: Yes, Toccata might work but not Fugue.
Vidas: Toccata is just three pages. But then, students should learn maybe more shorter fugues.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Like BWV 578, which is g minor Fugue; or preludes and fugues which are shorter. In e minor, BWV 533…
Ausra: That’s a good choice, yes,
Vidas: Or Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 535. I don’t know if we have fingering and pedaling created for this piece yet.
Ausra: I don’t think so.
Vidas: Probably not yet. But in general, in shorter preludes and fugues--you see, you have to understand that the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues, each probably lasts not more than...let’s say, three minutes?
Ausra: Something like that.
Vidas: And Toccata and Fugue in d minor lasts, what, ten minutes?
Ausra: I think a little bit more--maybe twelve.
Vidas: Maybe. Depending on who’s playing, and where you are playing it.
Ausra: Yes, that’s true.
Vidas: So, you have to have something in between, then: maybe a 5-minute piece, maybe 7-minute piece, a little bit longer. Even Pièce d’Orgue by Bach, BWV 572, is easier than Toccata and Fugue in d minor, probably.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Because it doesn’t have that many virtuoso pedal passages.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Even though the middle section has 5 voices.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: So guys, please learn more shorter pieces by Bach. Ausra, would you think that chorale preludes also facilitate the learning process, too?
Ausra: Of course. For example, if you would play Orgelbüchlein, you would learn all kinds of Baroque passages and figures. It would be a great help for you, when later on playing flashy pieces.
Vidas: You have to remember that Bach created this entire collection--which, by the way, is not finished: he planned to finish 143 chorales, I think, but finished only 45 or 46--basically with the intent of covering an entire range of techniques, right?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: And you can discover the same techniques in free pieces, in preludes and fugues, as well.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: So if you like Bach’s music, don’t neglect the shorter chorale preludes from the Orgelbüchlein collection as well. And there are longer of them, right? Like Schubler chorales.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: And Leipzig chorales, also. They all work to the perfection of your organ technique, probably. It’s a mix; you have to understand that your organ repertoire has to be quite varied, right?
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Do you think, Ausra, that people should also practice Romantic music, with legato technique?
Ausra: Yes, of course!
Vidas: Why?
Ausra: Well, you don’t want to play only one composer. Unless you are obsessed with it, I don’t know. But in general, you want to present various musical styles, from different times.
Vidas: And of course, you go to different instruments...
Ausra: Definitely.
Vidas: And one instrument would be more suited for Baroque music; and another more for symphonic music, and for Romantic music, maybe; and the third instrument might be quite eclectic, and suitable for any kind of music rather well. Right? So...it’s like food, probably. We don’t eat just one sort of meal every day for months. That would not be healthy, probably, Ausra?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: We have a variety of meals throughout the day, and we mix them up during the week; and in general, that’s a quite healthy approach, I would say.
Ausra: I think so, yeah.
Vidas: And then some people have to take vitamins and supplements--in organ terms, it would be what--exercises, probably?
Ausra: Yes, that’s true!
Vidas: Exercises, and scales, and arpeggios, with your hands and feet.
Ausra: And usually when you receive basic training in organ performance, you play various musical pieces. You must do that, you know: your program requires that--that you would play everything from like, late Renaissance to 21st century. But later on, when you graduate, then you will play what you want. And most of us focus more on, let’s say, Baroque music, or Romantic music, or modern music; but still we have to play various musical styles.
Vidas: Exactly. For Dan--and others who (probably) are studying for their own enjoyment only, and don’t normally play, for example, in public very often, or in church services--can we suggest, Ausra, arranging a few possibilities to perform those pieces in a public setting, as well?
Ausra: Yes, sure.
Vidas: Would that be beneficial?
Ausra: Yes, that would be very beneficial.
Vidas: Like Dan says, he’s starting with 8 Preludes and Fugues; and once he has a couple of them mastered (or even one-), maybe he can go to a church in his town, get to know the organist, introduce himself...and ask to play on that organ. Maybe not in public first; but just play it through, to get familiar. And if the organist would approve of that, maybe in a couple of weeks, he could play that prelude and fugue as a postlude. Or prelude.
Ausra: Definitely, yes.
Vidas: That would be great public playing experience, which would probably enable Dan to go on to the next level much faster than just playing on his own.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Ok guys, please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow as an organist. And you can do that by replying to any of our messages that you are getting as a subscriber to our blog at www.organduo.lt Wonderful! This was Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra.
Vidas: And remember, when you practice…
Ausra: Miracles happen.
“Vidas, I have been purchasing materials from you. I have about 3-4 years experience on the organ. I am using your resource for 8 Preludes & Fugues. I am only starting the 8 P&F series and have not mastered them. I also purchased BWV 565. I am trying to learn 8 P&F and BWV 565 all at the same, time taking bite sizes out of each one.
Is BWV 565 too advanced for my level and should wait on this until after 8 P&F? Thanks Vidas”.
Good question, right? About the ordering of your study when you master pieces by Bach, especially not based on chorale melodies. Free pieces like preludes and fugues, toccatas, fantasias, passacaglias, chaconnes, and things like that. So Ausra, the end of the collection is the eighth prelude and fugue--which is in Bb Major, right?--
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Imagine that Dan has already mastered 8--will he have sufficient experience to tackle the long Toccata and Fugue in d minor?
Ausra: I don’t think so. I think he has to learn something else first, before moving to d minor Toccata.
Vidas: Because the Fugue is especially complex and virtuosic.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Toccata might work…
Ausra: Yes, Toccata might work but not Fugue.
Vidas: Toccata is just three pages. But then, students should learn maybe more shorter fugues.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Like BWV 578, which is g minor Fugue; or preludes and fugues which are shorter. In e minor, BWV 533…
Ausra: That’s a good choice, yes,
Vidas: Or Prelude and Fugue in G Minor, BWV 535. I don’t know if we have fingering and pedaling created for this piece yet.
Ausra: I don’t think so.
Vidas: Probably not yet. But in general, in shorter preludes and fugues--you see, you have to understand that the Eight Little Preludes and Fugues, each probably lasts not more than...let’s say, three minutes?
Ausra: Something like that.
Vidas: And Toccata and Fugue in d minor lasts, what, ten minutes?
Ausra: I think a little bit more--maybe twelve.
Vidas: Maybe. Depending on who’s playing, and where you are playing it.
Ausra: Yes, that’s true.
Vidas: So, you have to have something in between, then: maybe a 5-minute piece, maybe 7-minute piece, a little bit longer. Even Pièce d’Orgue by Bach, BWV 572, is easier than Toccata and Fugue in d minor, probably.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: Because it doesn’t have that many virtuoso pedal passages.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Even though the middle section has 5 voices.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: So guys, please learn more shorter pieces by Bach. Ausra, would you think that chorale preludes also facilitate the learning process, too?
Ausra: Of course. For example, if you would play Orgelbüchlein, you would learn all kinds of Baroque passages and figures. It would be a great help for you, when later on playing flashy pieces.
Vidas: You have to remember that Bach created this entire collection--which, by the way, is not finished: he planned to finish 143 chorales, I think, but finished only 45 or 46--basically with the intent of covering an entire range of techniques, right?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: And you can discover the same techniques in free pieces, in preludes and fugues, as well.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: So if you like Bach’s music, don’t neglect the shorter chorale preludes from the Orgelbüchlein collection as well. And there are longer of them, right? Like Schubler chorales.
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: And Leipzig chorales, also. They all work to the perfection of your organ technique, probably. It’s a mix; you have to understand that your organ repertoire has to be quite varied, right?
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Do you think, Ausra, that people should also practice Romantic music, with legato technique?
Ausra: Yes, of course!
Vidas: Why?
Ausra: Well, you don’t want to play only one composer. Unless you are obsessed with it, I don’t know. But in general, you want to present various musical styles, from different times.
Vidas: And of course, you go to different instruments...
Ausra: Definitely.
Vidas: And one instrument would be more suited for Baroque music; and another more for symphonic music, and for Romantic music, maybe; and the third instrument might be quite eclectic, and suitable for any kind of music rather well. Right? So...it’s like food, probably. We don’t eat just one sort of meal every day for months. That would not be healthy, probably, Ausra?
Ausra: Yes.
Vidas: We have a variety of meals throughout the day, and we mix them up during the week; and in general, that’s a quite healthy approach, I would say.
Ausra: I think so, yeah.
Vidas: And then some people have to take vitamins and supplements--in organ terms, it would be what--exercises, probably?
Ausra: Yes, that’s true!
Vidas: Exercises, and scales, and arpeggios, with your hands and feet.
Ausra: And usually when you receive basic training in organ performance, you play various musical pieces. You must do that, you know: your program requires that--that you would play everything from like, late Renaissance to 21st century. But later on, when you graduate, then you will play what you want. And most of us focus more on, let’s say, Baroque music, or Romantic music, or modern music; but still we have to play various musical styles.
Vidas: Exactly. For Dan--and others who (probably) are studying for their own enjoyment only, and don’t normally play, for example, in public very often, or in church services--can we suggest, Ausra, arranging a few possibilities to perform those pieces in a public setting, as well?
Ausra: Yes, sure.
Vidas: Would that be beneficial?
Ausra: Yes, that would be very beneficial.
Vidas: Like Dan says, he’s starting with 8 Preludes and Fugues; and once he has a couple of them mastered (or even one-), maybe he can go to a church in his town, get to know the organist, introduce himself...and ask to play on that organ. Maybe not in public first; but just play it through, to get familiar. And if the organist would approve of that, maybe in a couple of weeks, he could play that prelude and fugue as a postlude. Or prelude.
Ausra: Definitely, yes.
Vidas: That would be great public playing experience, which would probably enable Dan to go on to the next level much faster than just playing on his own.
Ausra: That’s true.
Vidas: Ok guys, please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow as an organist. And you can do that by replying to any of our messages that you are getting as a subscriber to our blog at www.organduo.lt Wonderful! This was Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra.
Vidas: And remember, when you practice…
Ausra: Miracles happen.
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