 Would you like to learn Allegretto in F Minor from L'Organiste by Cesar Franck? I hope you'll enjoy playing this piece yourself from my PDF score. Thanks to Alan Peterson for his meticulous transcription from the slow motion video. What will you get? PDF score with complete fingering written in which will save you many hours of work. Basic Level. 1 page. Let me know how your practice goes. This score is free for Total Organist students. Check it out here  Have you ever wanted to start to practice on the organ but found yourself sidetracked after a few days? Apparently your inner motivation wasn't enough.
I know how you feel. I also was stuck many times. What helped me was to find some external motivation as well. In order for you to advance your organ playing skills and help you motivate to practice, my wife Ausra - @laputis and I invite you to join in a contest to submit your organ music and win some Steem. Are you an experienced organist? You can participate easily. Are you a beginner? No problem. This contest is open to every organ music loving Steemian. Here are the rules  Thank you everyone for participating! You all made us very happy with your entries. We have selected the following winners. You can congratulate them here.
Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast 527!
Today's guest is a young and talented American organist Tyler Boehmer. With international acclaim for his keyboard abilities, Tyler carries much promise as a future organ virtuoso. After completing undergraduate studies at Brigham Young University with Dr. Don Cook, Tyler moved to the University of Kansas to study with Dr. James Higdon. He has also been active in many national and international competitions. Recent accolades include first prize in the Miami International Organ Competition (2019), second prize in the Sydney International Organ Competition (2018), and the diploma prize in the Mikael Tariverdiev International Organ Competition (2017). Besides attending school, T. Boehmer also works for the church where he plays for services and works with the children’s handbell ensemble. In the future, he plans to become a university professor. I met Tyler at my church and we talked about his experiences in preparing and participating in the 8th International M.K. Ciurlionis Piano and Organ Competition. By the way, just before coming to Vilnius he won the 3rd prize in Shanghai International Organ Competition. Listen to the conversation Relevant link: www.tylerboehmer.com 
Vidas: Hi guys! This is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. V: Let’s start episode 525 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Roland, and he writes an answer to my question, how is his organ playing going on these days? He writes, Very well thank you. As I studied in the Netherlands and before that in Austria I was nervous of becoming too one-sidedly Dutch/Germanic in my repertoire and my approach, so am now preparing French repertoire and have tuition in Paris with Prof. Cauchefer Choplin (with whom you have recorded the interesting interview) in the coming period. V: So, Ausra, it seems that Roland wants to now become more balanced organist, not only focusing on the German side of the repertoire, but also the French side of the repertoire. First of all, before you say something, do you think that German and French sides of the organ historical playing schools are the only ones that needed to be taken into consideration? A: No, that’s what I wanted to say. Because I think that the sort of beginning of music itself is not in Germany, and it’s not in the Netherlands, it’s not in France, it’s in Italy, probably. V: Yes. A: So that’s, you know, you should consider Italian school as well. All those Frescobaldi pieces, and other masters. And there is also Spanish school, which is also fascinating with its chamades. And music, especially the baroque music was quite polyphonic at that time. V: Yeah. A: So it’s also worth of consideration. Plus, also English tradition - all those virginalists. Of course, if he knows the Netherlands music very well, so went through Sweelinck, of course he gets an idea of English virginalists. So, I guess sometimes we spent too much focusing on these two countries: Germanic and French. V: But, professor Cauchefer Choplin is a renowned figure when it comes to improvisation, for example, and French repertoire, so it will not hurt him in any way. Obviously, it’s very nice that he has listened to the podcast conversation with Professor Sophie Veronique Cauchefer Choplin, that I recorded. I think it, at the beginning of the time when I was just starting doing podcasts. A: Yes, I remember that time when you were taking an interview. V: She was on the jury of Ciurlionis International Organ Competition in Vilnius four years ago. A: That’s right. V: Which will start also in two weeks I think, or less than two weeks, almost in a week. So, we will try to also to listen to some of the organists, and maybe to interview some jurors too, if they agree. A: Sure. And you know, talking about Roland, I think it’s important when you are study, during your study years, as he now obviously is, to experience as much countries, and to try as many instruments and as many traditions as you can. But I guess at some point in your life, you have probably to choose which area will be the area of your concentration, of your main focus. V: Do you think it’s necessary to do that? A: Well, I guess if you are sort of like freelance musician, then probably not. But if you consider to work, let’s say in the university, let’s say in United States, then yes, I think it’s necessary. Because when I think about any professor back in the States, each of them would have their main focus of studies. Don’t you think so? Because I don’t think it’s possible to know everything in depth, because organs, there are so many countries with different traditions and so many organ composers, and such a wide range of repertoire starting from the Middle Ages and finishing nowadays. I don’t think it’s possible to be equally good and knowledgeable in each of those spheres. Don’t you think so? V: Well, there are a few ways to be successful in organ playing, not just one. To specialize, yes, this is one. One way to become the best in your area, in the small area, right, rather small. For example, you discover a very curious composer who didn’t receive much appreciation when he lived, or perhaps he is living now, and you could record everything that that composer wrote or writes. Become the go-to person, the expert in this music, right? And you will be known for that very, very narrow topic. That’s what Ausra is talking about. Another way is to become the first. Become the first inventor of something. For example, let’s say Harald Vogel, right? A: Yes. V: I don’t know if he was the first, but to me he is the first in re-energizing focus and attention to early organs in… A: Ostfriesland. V: Yes, area of The Netherlands and North Germany called Ostfriesland, with fantastic instruments and music from the manuscripts, tablatures, early performance techniques. Maybe there were other people involved in that, but he’s the most prominent figure in leading this movement - Harald Vogel, right? And what’s the third one? A: I don’t know. You wanted to tell us, so tell us! V: Okay! A: Or you forgot while talking about two others. V: The third way is to become different. Different from anybody else that you know. For example, okay - Guillou. Jean Guillou - is he an expert in the French music? Yes he is, but so are many others. So what is he, or what was he most well-known for? Improvisations, and his own compositions. A: But many French organists are very famous for their improvisations, so how is he different from others? V: His style is different from others, you see? A: Well, yeah… V: You know that? A: I know that, yes. V: So be yourself. You can easily be yourself. But the problem is that you have to be yourself or stick to one particular path, one, two, or three, for a long time so that people will start noticing you. A: True. V: Because at first they will ignore you, then they will laugh at you, then they fight you, and only then you win. A: Yes, and I think the worst thing that might happen, that after graduation you play only the pieces you learned during your study years. I know many organists like that. Especially in Lithuania, that we have learned, let’s say 20 pieces during the study years, and we keep playing them all through life, not trying anything new. I guess you just have to keep your curiosity going, even after graduation. V: To keep a beginner’s mind, always be prepared to accept that you don’t know everything. A: Yes, I think that’s the main, the most important thing. V: And be hungry for, learning new skills. Okay guys, this was Vidas. A: And Ausra. V: Please send us more of your questions. We love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 504 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Vitold, and he writes: “Good day! This is Vitold from the organist school. Can you send or recommend literature to better understand organ harmony? Because I write those notes and I can't understand where and how those intervals are calculated. The hardest part I ever studied was the harmony I never understood. I played mostly from hearing and finally I would like to learn. Sincerely Vitold” So Vitold is a student from St. Gregory’s organist school, where I teach, this semester, Harmony. And there are something like 14 students in this course. Two are on the second level, and the rest of them are at the beginner level. So Vitold is at the beginner level, and during the first lesson or class, I gave them five hymns to work on, but I didn’t ask them to supply 4-part harmony, yet. Only to supply the bass line to the soprano melody. But, I asked them to think about the sweet-sounding intervals of sixths, and thirds, and octaves and fifths, but to avoid parallel octaves and fifths, and mostly use sixths and thirds in alternation. And, in order to avoid forbidden intervals, aim for contrary motion between the hands. When the soprano goes up, the other voice has to go down and vice versa. So this the general instruction. A: So basically, you are teaching it, not more like a harmony, what I understand is harmony, but more as about counterpoint. V: That’s right. We are starting from there, because before there was harmony, there was counterpoint. A: But, I think as an advanced musician, you need to understand that counterpoint in general is much more complex and difficult than harmony. V: If you take it into consideration the next species of counterpoint, not only note against note, but two, three, four, five mixed counterpoint, right? This is difficult, but from what I assigned, they only have to supply one note in the bass against one note in the soprano. A: But you know, what I understood from Vitold’s question, I think he is in much bigger trouble than he… V: ...realizes… A: ...realizes, yes, because he cannot calculate intervals. It means he doesn’t know what a certain interval is. And, it means that he really needs, probably, elementary music theory, to learn before taking any courses of harmony. V: That’s why I didn’t start with four voices. You know? And the next lesson when we meet, maybe I have to refresh what intervals are, what kind of intervals you can use… A: But then, you know, other guys in that course that know what intervals are will be bored! V: Yes! Yes, that’s true. A: I guess they need to do some sort of entry examination into this organ school. V: They didn’t. A: I know! I remember, I taught there last year for a half a year, and then I quit it, because I had like 18 students at very different levels, and I had to teach all of them harmony. V: So, to help Vitold and others who don’t know what an interval is, I took my camera yesterday and recorded a video about intervals, basically listing all those intervals from the unison up to a perfect octave from the note C, and I calculated their distance in terms of half steps and whole steps. A: Another thing that I was thinking while reading Vitold’s question was that he seems to have some musical training in the past, but hasn’t learned much out of it. So these are the hardest students, I believe, that have some formal training but haven’t learned anything, because, they seem to like to complain about things, resist things that you are offering them, and it’s just really bad. V: If he were a fresh beginner without any training, like a blank sheet of paper, you could write on a blank sheet of paper. But if you have a paper with something written in, you have to first erase incorrect things on that paper, and then rewrite everything from scratch. A: That’s right. So good luck for you, Vidas. I’m glad I’m not teaching harmony there this year. V: Yes, you can laugh at me, now. A: No, I’m not laughing. I feel really sorry for you. V: Or you can build a monument for me. After this semester. A: You haven’t built a monument for me after last year! V: Let’s build a monument for each other. A: Yes, ok. But anyway, harmony is not such a hard thing. If you can count to ten, you can learn harmony, too. V: Obviously, only the first twenty years are difficult. Afterwards it’s easy. A: But, you know, by having an understanding of harmony and about chords and how they are connected and all those things are a big help for a church organist. I cannot imagine being a good organist without having at least a basic knowledge of harmony. Especially if you are working in a Catholic church. V: In Lithuania. Because in more civilized countries, musically, they have hymnals and supplements, and harmonizations of melodies they have to play, and people sometimes can get away without harmonizing things. But in Lithuania, there are only a few hymnals with harmonizations, and the rest is up to an organist. A: So basically, if you are a church organist in Lithuania, you need to be an organist, a conductor, a composer, and cantor. V: Total organist, right? A: Yes, basically Total Organist. V: Like we teach! Excellent. So guys, please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow, and remember: When you practice, A: Miracles happen.
Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas!
Ausra: And Ausra! V: Let’s start episode 502 of Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast. This question was sent by Terry, and I asked him about his “8 Little Prelude and Fugues” practice. So, he writes: “Hi Vidas! Thanks for asking. The pedals are not second nature to me yet, unlike, say, doing scales on a piano. I made great progress with your pedal challenge courses but I need to get in some sort of regular pedal practice like doing my daily Hanson exercises, which I have not sorted out yet. I am also unsure of registration and tempo. Finally, remembering to practice articulate legato in both hands and pedals requires focus. Your fingering and pedaling suggestions, however, are a great time saver, although I do make some changes that seem to work better for me. In any event, practicing these works is a great joy with only a year under my belt. One other thing: it is hard for me to figure out a gradual progression of compositions to practice within your guidance of beginning, intermediate, and advanced groupings. I also stated with the “Orgelbuchlein” compositions, so I started with BWV 599 and will go from there. A small confession: I started with the Widor Toccata as my first piece, quite foolishly, although it was a thrill and I stayed with it through memorization. Maybe I will actually be ready for it with appropriate technique in a few years, but at age 71 I can’t wait too long. Playing these works of the masters is tantamount to coming in direct contact with the Divine, before I pass through earthly bonds and come, hopefully, face to face. All the best, Terry” A: What a nice letter! V: It is! Even though Terry is 71 years old, he still strives to improve, which is really nice. A: True! V: More people should challenge themselves at this age. A: That’s right. V: I think when he writes that he can’t wait too long because he is 71, and he started playing from Widor’s Toccata as his dream right away, I think people should understand that dreams can change! They can adapt. A: That’s right, and being 71, you could think that you are only 71, because you never know how much longer you will live! Maybe you still have quite many years ahead of you. Nobody knows, actually. V: Yes. So better, probably, not to postpone your dream, but to live it today. Right? A: Well, I didn’t mean that, but I meant that being 71, you might still have a lot of time ahead of you. That’s what I meant. V: And be able to master Widor’s Toccata later. A: True. Actually, and this episode about Widor’s Toccata reminded me about that new girl that we have in our studio this year, V: Right… A: In our Unda Maris studio, who is desperate to play “D Minor Toccata” by J. S. Bach, and this is the only one organ piece that she recognizes. But she has never had any formal musical training whatsoever, and basically what she does is she plays for a church here in Vilnius, but basically she plays everything by ear. So what she hears, she plays that, somehow. V: I told her to discover more organ compositions beyond “D Minor Toccata.” A: And I was convincing her that it would be beneficial to play “8 Little Preludes and Fugues,” but it doesn’t seem that my ideas and thoughts touch her. V: I was not so progressive with her. I just recommended “6 Short Trios” by Lemmens. And, she played the right hand part of the first trio together with 4 other ladies quite nicely, so I thought they could master the first trio within several weeks, I think. But she still wants to play “D Minor Toccata” now. Who knows? Maybe she can play in her own time, but now I hope she will study Lemmens, as well. A: I think when you pick up a piece that is much too difficult for you, you might ruin the piece forever. So, it’s better to go step by step. At least that’s my opinion. V: Right. So from those “8 Little Preludes and Fugues” that Terry is working on, the easiest one is probably not the first one! Not C Major. A: No. V: And obviously, the gradation should also take into account the fugues. The fugues are much more difficult than the preludes because of the polyphonic writing. A: Could you learn the preludes first and then do the fugues after that? V: That’s how my Bach’s Mastery course: “Bach Organ Mastery Level 1” course is constructed. First we learn “8 Little Preludes,” and then we learn 8” Little Fugues.” But we’re not starting with the “C Major Prelude,” we are starting, I think, from either F Major or G Minor, I don’t remember now, but those two are the easiest ones. A: Well, but I started with G Minor, and the pedal part wasn’t so easy for me at the beginning. V: That’s why always…. A: Although, the tempo was slow, so… V: Yeah, it has more voices than three, that’s why I recommend easier pieces like trios—short trios like exercises of 8 measures long—like Lemmens, maybe. A: But when you are talking registration of these preludes and fugues, if you have no idea how else to register them, you can just play them using Organo Pleno, I think. V: And Organo Pleno is full Principal Chorus with mixtures. A: That’s right. And if you find it too much, you could just play with principal 8’, 4’, and 2’, and maybe some with just principal 8’ and 4’. V: Yeah, basically use principals, depending on the character. If it’s a solemn character and bright tempo, then maybe use mixtures. If it’s a slow movement and a meditative character, maybe one principal would be enough. A: That’s right. V: And register the pedals accordingly. You don’t need always to play with Posaune. Posaune fits well with mixtures with the hands, but if you only play it with one principal in the hands, maybe you only need 16’ and 8’ in the pedals. A: True. V: Excellent. Then Terry asks about “Orgelbüchlein” gradation. Obviously, 599 is the first one, Nun Kommt der Heiden Heiland,” but the easiest one is… A: Probably “Ich Ruf’ Zu Dir.” V: Probably, yeah, with a trio texture. And there are a few more like that, not with trio texture, with four voices, but which are less difficult to play than “Nun Komm”. They are at the beginning of the collection, too, but not right at the beginning. A: Plus I think that “Orgelbüchlein” was maybe written according to the liturgical year, but not according to the difficulty of pieces. V: No, no. That was intended as a collection of all the ways you could play the chorale for the liturgical year, and Bach didn’t even finish it. A: True. V: So postpone, Terry, the “Widor Toccata,” until you are ready for this, and have fun with the Bach pieces—easier Bach pieces first. And, if you are interested in the gradation of those “8 Little Preludes,” take a look at my “Bach Organ Mastery Level 1” course, and you will start from the easiest prelude, go through the more difficult ones, and then graduate from the easiest fugue through the most difficult fugue. And of course, this program is available without additional cost, like anything else we create, for Total Organist students. Thanks, guys, this was Vidas, A: And Ausra, V: Please send us more of your questions; we love helping you grow. And remember, when you practice, A: Miracles happen!  Would you like to learn Lento in F Minor from L'Organiste by Cesar Franck? I hope you'll enjoy playing this piece yourself from my PDF score. Thanks to Juan Osorno for his meticulous transcription from the slow motion video. What will you get? PDF score with complete fingering written in which will save you many hours of work. Basic Level. 2 pages. Let me know how your practice goes. This score is free for Total Organist students. Check it out here  The official website of the competition has announced the finalists:
http://ciurlionis.link/en/b/organ/rezultatai I'm going to post them here for you to see. Here are 6 organists who are OFFICIALLY admitted to the FINAL Round of the 8th International Piano and Organ Competition (in ALPHABETICAL order): No. 2 Tyler Jason Boehmer, United States No. 4 Somang Lee, South Korea No. 11 Josef Kratochvíl, Czech Republic No. 16 Filip Šmerda, Czech Republic No. 20 Jan Šprta, Czech Republic No. 22 Hyun Sun Park, South Korea Congratulations! I'm looking forward to listening to your performances on Friday. If you read my reviews of the 2nd Round, you would have noticed I have given each contestant a score from 1 to 10 in 3 categories - technique, registration and artistry. I have added up the points for each category and came up with my own list of the results. Are you curious? Here they are in DESCENDING order: No. 2 Tyler Jason Boehmer, United States - 81 points No. 7 Sunghyun Park, South Korea - 79 points No. 11 Josef Kratochvíl, Czech Republic - 76 points No. 4 Somang Lee, South Korea - 74 points No. 22 Hyun Sun Park, South Korea - 70 points No. 3 Ilaria Centorrino, Italy - 68 points So the above 6 people ACCORDING TO MY OWN SCORES would have advanced to the Final Round. And here are the remaining scores in descending order: No. 1 Yohan Chung, South Korea - 67 points No. 16 Filip Šmerda, Czech Republic - 67 points No. 20 Jan Šprta, Czech Republic - 66 points No. 14 Ae Shell Nam, South Korea - 62 points No. 13 Anastasiia Igoshina, Russian Federation - 61 points No. 17 Alexander Little, United Kingdom - 60 points [Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion which may or may not coincide with the reader's opinion. If you don't like it, write your own.]  I just had a lunch with Tyler Boehmer, an American organist who played at the competition yesterday. Before that we had a very insightful conversation for our Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast which will go live on Sunday, so stay tuned!
And now I'm sitting at the church of St Casimir's waiting for today's audition to being. There is some 20 minute delay because of the technical issues of the organ needed to be taken care of. Some mechanics of the manuals and tuning of the Trompete stop. But now it's all ready to go. The live stream should be available from competition's website: http://ciurlionis.link/en/b/organ The first contestant today is No. 14 Ae Shell Nam from South Korea. He starts his program with Fantasia and Fugue in G minor, BWV 542 by Johann Sebastian Bach. The registration of the Fantasia's loud episodes includes manual Trompete which sounds out of place here to me. The soft episodes are played only with principals 8' and 4'. Could have been a separate principal chorus on a positive instead. The tempo started to fluctuate too much in the middle. The fugue starts without 16' in the manual. Tempo is too fast to be able to hear fugal entries and counterpoint. The first pedal entrance of the fugue is with a mistake. Did organist use pedal preparation? Not sure if the hands and feet sound together in one phrase where they move in parallel 6th chords. The ending sounds rushed. My score based on the scale of 10: Technique: 6 Registration: 7 Artistry: 6 Next on the program is Fugue in C# minor, VL 86 by Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis which is required piece for Round 2. Good registration in the middle section where E major comes in. The stop changes towards the culmination sound a little too late. Not much attention to harmonic changes. Needs more articulation to let it breath between the phrases. My score: Technique: 8 Registration: 7 Artistry: 7 The final composition is "Transports de joie" by Olivier Messiaen from "L'Ascension". The organist doesn't seem to use the trick of playing a piece one octave down at least some episodes where the manual range allows it. This would make it sound more French when playing on the Neo-Baroque organ. Some chords feel rushed. Especially in culmination. My score: Technique: 7 Registration: 7 Artistry: 7 Now is the turn for No. 16 Filip Šmerda from Czech Republic. He starts with Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 548 by J.S. Bach. I need more articulation in the hand part in many places. The manual part is too weak to balance the Posaune in the pedals in the prelude. Is there 16' in the hand parts? The fugue is also played on the same registration. A small slip in the hand part doesn't prevent the flow of music. I don't hear articulation in the 16th note runs. Sometimes there is no sense of pulse and strong and weak beats. My score: Technique: 6 Registration: 7 Artistry: 7 The next piece is the fugue by Ciurlionis. I miss more attention to harmonic changes and subject entries at the beginning. The breathing between phrases could be more prominent in these acoustics. Conservative climax in terms of registration. Works well. My score: Technique: 8 Registration: 10 Artistry: 8 We now again hear "Transports de joie" by Olivier Messiaen from "L'Ascension". I again see the dilemma of making this organ sound more French. Some chordal passages could be played with more attention. The same could be said about the final long run. Great sounding final cadence. My score: Technique: 7 Registration: 7 Artistry: 7 The next contestant is No. 17 Alexander Little from United Kingdom. He plays BWV 548 which we heard before. I have my own doubts about the registration here. The manual part sounds too harsh because of Trompete. More than a few small mistakes don't disturb musical flow. Need much more attention to articulation. The final trill in the prelude could be performed with more stylistic awareness. The same registration in the fugue. Here the organist doesn't control the 16th note runs with articulation. Can't emphasize this enough. Not a complete final trill. My score: Technique: 5 Registration: 7 Artistry: 6 Next sounds the fugue by Ciurlionis. Good registration at the beginning. The musical flow seems a little rushed, producing a mistake in one place at the beginning where the pedals come in. Pedals are too weak in E major episode. Wrong note before B minor. Needs more attention to harmonic changes. The ending is rushed too. My score: Technique: 8 Registration: 8 Artistry: 6 The final piece is "Transports de joie" by O. Messiaen. At times chordal passages sounds chaotic. Good enthusiastic spirit though. The organ lacks French colors. Better articulation is perhaps needed for scalar passages to be heard properly. The final pedal two-note motive is too slow for my taste. My score: Technique: 6 Registration: 7 Artistry: 7 After a short break the next contestant arrives. This is No. 20 Jan Šprta from Czech Republic. His program starts with Prelude and Fugue in Eb major, BWV 552. The organist seems to wield the acoustics well at the beginning. Good principal chorus with mixtures and 1 3/5'. I want more attention to the key changes. A couple note slips don't disturb the flow of music. The fugato episode needs more articulation and attention to details. The final cadence seems rushed. The 1st fugue starts with reduced registration but a bit faster tempo. The 3rd fugue sounds too fast in relationship with the previous fugue. Better articulation is needed. The final trill needs more stylistic awareness. My score: Technique: 7 Registration: 10 Artistry: 7 Next sounds the fugue by Ciurlionis. Rushed tempo and no attention to melodic and harmonic changes at the beginning. More rush in the middle. Good balance between hands and pedals. Before B minor episode two noticeable mistakes. The chaos in culmination. Registration doesn't work here because of the reed. My score: Technique: 7 Registration: 6 Artistry: 5 The final piece is "Transports de joie" by Olivier Messiaen which we heard before. Exciting spirit in performance. Registration changes toward culmination come too late because of the assistant. Needs more French flavor in registration. The final cadence could have been listened with more attention. My score: Technique: 8 Registration: 8 Artistry: 8 And the final contestant in the 2nd Round is No. 22 Hyun Sun Park from South Korea. The organist starts her program with the fugue by Ciurlionis. Calm tempo and no rush provide a feeling of contemplation. A little bit better phrasing is needed. I want more pedals in E major episode. In culmination a little mistake is heard and I think more forward movement could have been better. Also need to listen to harmonic changes more. My score: Technique: 7 Registration: 8 Artistry: 7 Now sounds "Eaux natales" from Poèmes pour orgue: "Eaux natales" by Thierry Escaich. We've heard this piece yesterday played by Tyler Broehmer. I like his opening registration more. But later the performance gets in the mood pretty well. Nice registration colors at the end. My score: Technique: 10 Registration: 8 Artistry: 10 The final piece for today is Toccata and Fugue in E major, BWV 566. Strange choice of reed for the pedals. I think it's Dulcian from the Positive. Certainly not Posaune. The first fugue is registered with 8', 4', 2' principals in the manual and 8' and 4' principals in the pedals. It is played with only a few small hiccups towards the end. The second fugue is registered with Trompete in the manuals and Posaune in the pedals. I hear a small mistake here. A better articulation and attention to harmonic changes is needed. My score: Technique: 6 Registration: 8 Artistry: 6 There you have it! Round 2 is over and I'll be waiting for organizers to announce the results. I will also calculate my own scores in a separate post. Stay tuned! Organ specification: http://www.vargonai.lt/vargonai_vilnius_kazimiero.htm [Disclaimer: This is my personal opinion which may or may not coincide with the reader's opinion. If you don't like it, write your own.] |
DON'T MISS A THING! FREE UPDATES BY EMAIL.
Photo by Edgaras Kurauskas
Would you like to say "Thank You" to us?
Buy Us Coffee.Authors
Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. Don't have an organ at home? Download paper manuals and pedals, print them out, cut the white spaces, tape the sheets together and you'll be ready to practice anywhere where is a desk and floor. Make sure you have a higher chair. |
RSS Feed