 I couple of days ago we went to our church and practiced our organ duet program for upcoming concerts and one of the pieces we recorded was Beethoven's Adagio for mechanical clock. It's such a heavenly sounding piece.
It's the favorite of Ausra's brother and his dog always wants to join playing with us when she hears us practicing together. The moment she sees us playing, she starts nagging at our backs. :)) We hope you'll enjoy it too. PS Our 2nd e-book I Don't Have Time to Practice Organ Playing (And Other Answers from #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast) right now has a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 16. It's dedicated to all our students who don't have enough time in their days and still continue to practice.
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 Today we'd like to share our video from our recent trip to Stockholm German church where we played the famous Duben organ.
This is Vidas' intabulation of double choir motet "Ecce Dominus veniet" by Hieronymus Praetorius, a contemporary of Sweelinck from Hamburg. He added multiple organistic passages, runs and florishes to make it sound like a genuine organ piece from the time of Heinrich Scheidemann (mid 17th century) North Germany. Let us know if he succeeded. PS Right now we're very excited to announce that our 2nd e-book is finally ready: I Don't Have Time to Practice Organ Playing (And Other Answers from #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast). Right now it has a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 16. It's dedicated to all our students who don't have enough time in their days and still continue to practice.  It's been a week since we released our 1st e-book "Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old".
Here's what some people are saying about it: Gordon Mallitt This book could have been written with me in mind. I am 96 years old and I did start learning when 56 years old. I bought a 2nd.hand electronic organ, but could not afford lessons -so I am largely self taught. After a couple of years I was invited to try out on a large pipe organ and caught the 'bug.' Even with my very limited knowledge of music theory, I have benefitted immensely from Vidas' free organ course. Thank you Vidas & Ausra! I still play regularly for at least 3 meetings per month and enjoy every minute of it. Mike Scruggs I found this book easy to read and full of good advice and encouragement. Practicing pieces in fragments has been a way I can focus on getting results quickly since I have to fit practices into a busy schedule. I enjoyed the discussions on hymn playing and techniques as well. There is plenty of information for readers having any skill level. Thank you! And now we're very excited to announce that our 2nd e-book is finally ready! I Don't Have Time to Practice Organ Playing (And Other Answers from #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast) Right now it has a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 16. It's dedicated to all our students who don't have enough time in their days and still continue to practice. If you love reading the transcripts of our podcast, we hope you'll enjoy it. Let us know what you think and share this message with your friends or enemies. Thanks for caring, Vidas and Ausra
Vidas: We’re starting Episode 46 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Today’s question was sent by Pat and he writes that he needs to follow our plan each day. And this is a difficult thing for him - sticking to the plan, sticking to the predesigned practice procedures that probably he thinks are helpful that we recommend.
So Ausra do you think that a lot of people struggle with this? They know some things that are useful for them but they just can’t really follow through with this plan. Ausra: I think it’s in human nature. We are not robots. We seek pleasure first and want to take responsibilities only after that. Vidas: Right. We simply make up a plan. Maybe it’s a good plan or somebody else devises this plan and recommends it to you and maybe you follow this plan for 3 days. And then what happens? Ausra: And then you just lose patience and that’s it. Vidas: Why do you think this happens after 3 days? Ausra: Well, I don’t know. What do you think about it? Vidas: It’s a tricky question, really. For everyone it’s different. As you say, we seek pleasure and after 3 days it’s not pleasure anymore. It’s work. Ausra: Definitely. Vidas: It’s a tricky situation that Pat and everyone else is facing but there is no other way probably - just developing this habit of constant practice. You have to stick to your simple practice procedures for a number of days, for a number of weeks. Talking about yourself, Ausra, what does it take for you to develop a habit? How many days of constant practice do you need? Ausra: Well, actually, I think what keeps me moving is a final deadline, a due date. Vidas: Do you love this word? Ausra: No, I hate it. I simply hate it. And during my studies, especially at Eastern Michigan University I just started to hate these words, “Due Date”. It sounded like a death sentence to me, all these due dates, papers, recitals and other stuff. Vidas: But due dates are actually the things that gets you moving, helps you accomplish something. Without the due date it’s like a constant holiday. Ausra: Oh, yes. And our studies there were so intense. I remember once I had a half an hour free time and I didn’t know what to do with it because simply my entire day was always planned. Vidas: That’s true about summers, right? Sometimes when we have vacations, we have a different type of schedule. We don’t have to go to school and work. Every day starting from 8 AM. And we make up a schedule as we go and sometimes the schedule at the summertime is not the best time. Ausra: Definitely. But you have to have leisure time. Just doing nothing. Vidas: “Don’t underestimate the value of doing nothing”. Do you know who said that? Ausra: No, but I’ve heard this sentence. It’s very famous. Vidas: I just looked it up. It appears to be by Winnie the Pooh. Ausra: Oh, he was a very smart bear. Vidas: Yeah, just sitting and relaxing. Maybe looking at nature, enjoying an evening, listening to birds sing. Connecting to a person you love. This is very valuable because then your right side of the brain actually develops ideas and sets you on the path of actually taking action later. You basically feel refreshed after that. Ausra: It’s like recharging a battery, I think. And going back to the question I think it would be very good to Pat and all of us to set up a goal what would you like to achieve. Maybe not a final goal but something like what do you want to achieve in a month or in two months? Vidas: In the foreseeable future? Ausra: Sure. It could help you stick to your plan. Vidas: Exactly, if you say, “I want to become the best organist in my country?”, for example, or in the world. Sometimes people send us messages like this. It’s silly. Ausra: Or in your house, if you have two. Vidas: Yeah, you just kill one and you’re the best. That’s easy. Ausra: Oh, thank you. Now I will be afraid of you. Vidas: Exactly. Or I will be afraid of you. It’s a silly goal. So audacious and so without limits. Like you want to conquer the world and be the best in the world. Basically you have to want something achievable. Maybe have a goal for 6 months or 1 year or maybe 5 years from now - what would you like to do? Ausra: Well, if you have a final goal, or some important goal, then you will know that playing everyday and sticking to your plan will help you to achieve your final goal. Vidas: And that would be the motivation for you to practice every day. So why do you think people fail at motivating themselves to stick to the plan? It’s not a rocket-science of what we’re talking about. It’s common sense. Why do you think this human nature forces us to stop doing what we love doing actually and do something else? Ausra: Maybe laziness? Vidas: What do you mean? Ausra: Well, maybe we are too lazy in our nature, I don’t know. But people who want for example to lose weight - some of them just stick their picture on the refrigerator door that they could see if they will keep eating what would happen to them. Vidas: Oh, naked picture? Ausra: Well, half-naked or naked, I don’t know. Vidas: It’s a reminder, yes? Ausra: Maybe you could do something similar to the organ? Vidas: Record yourself. With mistakes. Ausra: Maybe at the beginning you could record yourself and after a month later record again and compare it. Vidas: And this joy that you get from seeing little bit of progress every month will get you propelled forward. You will probably get endless motivation because now you’ll know what is possible to achieve in a month. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And you’ll think what about 6 months from now or 12 months from now or 48 months from now. You could multiply. And it compounds. Because we progress slower at the beginning and it accumulates faster down the road. Ausra: That’s true. That’s like a snowball. Vidas: So guys, we wish you to become those snowballs in organ practice and then you have this endless motivation and endless energy. Because you want it so badly and you can achieve this little by little step by step every day. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: And send us more questions. We love helping you grow as an organist. And the best way to do this (if you haven’t done so already) is subscribing to our blog at www.organduo.lt and replying to our messages and you will also get this 10 day free organ playing mini course with video on how to master any organ composition. This will gets you rolling on the correct path of efficient organ practice. Thanks guys. This was Vidas... Ausra: ...and Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice - Ausra: Miracles happen. PS Our first e-book "Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old" is available here for a low introductory price of $2.99 until tomorrow, August 9. If you have already read it, we would appreciate if you left a rating and review.
Good news first:
We've installed Product Reviews app in our Shopify store. If you have purchased any products from us or practiced some training programs and scores through the Total Organist program, we would greatly appreciate you leaving a rating and an honest review. They would help decide future customers if this training is right for them or not. When you go to this page, either scroll down to the score or training that you have or enter the keyword in the "Search" bar above. Thanks for caring. And now let's jump in and get started with the question. Vidas: Let's start Episode 45 of #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast. And today's question was sent by Pat. He writes, that the thing that is holding him back from achieving his organ playing goal is basically time, finding time without interruptions the lack of which causes him to be discouraged by his inability to regain his skill. And he also writes that our lessons are what is giving him exactly what he needs. "Any extra help for a rusty student would be most appreciated. Thank you." So this means that our suggestion to part are helpful, right? Ausra: I hope so. Vidas: And this is good news to the people who are taking action and applying our tips in their practice and if we only talk about those intricate details and nobody pays attention and do those things in their practice, it's a waste of time. Ausra: Sure. And I think about finding practice time - this is a lifelong struggle for everybody. Vidas: I think what it comes down to is developing a habit, developing a small and good habit one at a time. Over a long period of time, finding time, making time. Do you agree with this, Ausra? Aura: Yes, I couldn't agree more. Vidas: Well, for example, regular practice is just like any other activity that we do every day, hopefully every day. And when you make the time every day, just a little bit, maybe 10 minutes, 15 minutes, 30 minutes or whatever you find in your day, it becomes easier and easier. Ausra: Definitely. And it should be a part of your routine, just like brushing your teeth or taking a shower or eating 3 times a day. So should your organ practice. Sometimes it might be a problem when you don't have an instrument at home. Then if you have to go somewhere to play to perform or practice, it might be an extra trouble. What do you think about it? Vidas: I agree with you, of course and also think it takes about 2 months or maybe a little bit more to develop a habit. I've read it takes 67 days to build any type of habit you want, good or bad habit. Definitely you want to build a good habit. Ausra: Well, definitely to build a bad habit takes a shorter time than a good habit. Vidas: So for Pat and everyone else listening and struggling with finding time it's good news because you only have to persevere for only 2 months or 67 days. And after that it's just downhill. Ausra: And I think that at the beginning you might practice for a shorter period of time, if it's hard for you to find time or you're too lazy to play for a long time. For example, start with 20 minutes or half an hour and later on you will add more time. Vidas: Exactly. It's like with exercising. Like with running, for example. Some people want to run a marathon. But you never start with marathon. You start with maybe 15 minutes or 10 minutes or maybe just walking around your block. And that would be enough for starters, don't you think? Ausra: And you also should find out what type of person you are, morning person or a night person. The best thing would be to practice when you are the most productive. Because some people are like owls - they can stay up very late at night and work and do things and some are only working in the mornings. Vidas: For example, I feel very much refreshed in the morning. I can practice starting from 8 AM and I can do a quality work until around maybe noon. With frequent breaks, of course. But these 4 hours every day is like my golden time. What about you, Ausra? Ausra: I would say, it's probably the same with me. But I can’t work very hard in the morning because it's difficult for me to get up very early. For example, 6 AM is a nightmare for me to get up but that's what I have to do. 7:30 AM is the best time for me to get up. Vidas: It's always light at 7:30 AM. Winter or summer and you feel refreshed. Ausra: But of course, if you have to work late hours, I realize that physical exercises help me a lot. Going to a gym or a swimming pool gives me extra energy and prolongs my day. Vidas: That's I think very good idea to advice for people to do some form of exercise every day in addition to your hobby or professional activity, like organ playing. Do some kind of physical activity that gets you sweaty, elevates your heart-beat. It doesn't have to last very long, does it, Ausra? Ausra: Sure, especially at the beginning. Vidas: Maybe 15 minutes or even if you like doing push-ups, do a set of push-ups to gets you exhausted and you’ll feel much better after that. But of course you have to warm up and cool down and do some stretching to not hurt yourself. Ausra: Sure, we don't want you to hurt yourself. Vidas: Great. Back to this question of finding time for organ playing. Pat is also struggling with time without interruptions. I can guess that family obligations or his job activities also tend to interrupt him. When he gets back from work, maybe he thinks that "Oh, I have lots of things to do." He faced lot of stressful situations over the day and these thoughts interrupt his quality practice. Ausra: Well, then just try to do your organ practice as some sort of meditation which would calm you down and you could relax during your practice. Don't make it another job, make it a pleasure. Vidas: What do you mean when you contrast a job and pleasure? How are they different? Ausra: Oh, they are very different. Vidas: Let's take organ playing, of course. How would you imagine work or job in terms of organ playing? Ausra: Well, when you do routine work. For example, you work in church when you have to play this service stuff, maybe hymns that you don't like all the time. And to play them over and over again. This might be a routine. And when you're learning new music - it's exciting. This could be like a pleasure. Vidas: You have responsibilities. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: And you don't necessarily love those responsibilities. Maybe you know you need to do them to fulfill your duties but they're not your sweet spot. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: And for pleasure, as organist you would love to do other things. Like what? Ausra: Maybe improvise or learn new music that is not so suitable for liturgy. Vidas: Good advice, I think. You have to alternate. If you are serious about your organ playing future and your goals, you definitely need to think about deadlines, maybe set yourself a deadline and learn a piece or two and perform in public. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: But that's a responsibility. And for the pleasure part, it would mean like Ausra says, to improvise a little, play what you definitely love. Maybe your favorite organ piece that helps you relax. Ausra: Yes and I hope these tips will help you to find time to practice and enjoy it. Vidas: And of course, guys, let us know how you apply those tips in practice this week. And send us more questions. And the best way to do this is by subscribing to our blog at www.organduo.lt (if you haven't done so) and simply replying to our messages. Wonderful. This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice - Ausra: Miracles happen. PS Our first e-book "Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old" is available here for a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 9. If you have already read it, we would appreciate if you left a rating and review.  Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #106!
Today's guest is an American organist Weston Jennings who is quickly establishing himself as a talented and engaging international performer. We recorded this conversation before his concert at Vilnius University St. John's church which was about a month ago on July 1. On his thoughtful program - works of Felix Mendelssohn, Edwin Lemare, Arvo Pärt, Johannes Brahms, David Conte and, of course, Johann Sebastian Bach. Having first encountered the pipe organ at the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp (Michigan) at the age of sixteen, Weston later graduated from the Interlochen Arts Academy. At the Eastman School of Music, Weston earned his Bachelor of Music Degree and the prestigious Performer’s Certificate. He recently completed two years in England as the Organ Scholar of Canterbury Cathedral and Chelmsford Cathedral. During this time, he was also appointed the first Organ Scholar to the Royal Festival Hall, London. Weston currently studies with Thomas Murray at the Yale School of Music and the Yale Institute of Sacred Music. Former organ teachers include Michel Bouvard, Hans Davidsson, David Higgs and Thomas Bara. Following his recital debut at The Kennedy Center (Washington, DC) in 2009, he has performed across the United States and Europe, including Westminster Abbey (London), Saint Thomas Church Fifth Avenue (New York), The Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels (Los Angeles), The Cathedral Basilica of the Immaculate Conception (Denver), the Chapel of the Queen’s College (Oxford), Royaumont Abbey (France), and the Berliner Dom (Germany) and St Paul's Cathedral (London). On the Newberry Memorial Organ of Woolsey Hall, Weston has performed with The Philharmonia Orchestra of Yale, The Yale Concert Band, and The Yale Symphony Orchestra. As a part of the London Handel Festival, he collaborated with the Apollo Baroque Consort in a concert of Handel Organ Concertos from Mayfair’s Grosvenor Chapel. Weston is an enthusiastic advocate for new music and has premiered compositions by Molly Joyce, Soosan Lolavar, Mark Carroll, and Allison Willis. His performances and interviews have been broadcast live on BBC Radio 3. Committed to the education of new organists, Weston presently serves as Instructor of Undergraduate and Secondary Organ at Yale College. He has served on the faculty of the Interlochen Summer Arts Camp, the Department of Music at The King’s School, Canterbury, and taught and performed at several Pipe Organ Encounters across America. Forthcoming recital engagements include St. George’s Chapel of Windsor Castle, the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (Moscow), Hildesheim Cathedral (Germany), and Kelvingrove Art Gallery (Glasgow). In this conversation Weston shares his insights on finding the right bench height, your favorite repertoire, and letting the instrument tell you what it wants. Enjoy and share your comments below. And don't forget to help spread the word about the SOP Podcast by sharing it with your organist friends. And if you like it, please head over to iTunes and leave a rating and review. This helps to get this podcast in front of more organists who would find it helpful. Thanks for caring. Listen to the conversation Related Link: http://www.westonjennings.com
Vidas: Let's start episode 44 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. Today's question was sent by Annunziato.
He writes, "Hello Vidas and Ausra Motuzaite. I hope that this email finds you both well. First of all, I would like to thank you for the mails you are sending me. There is a lot to learn. I wish you every success in all your dealings. The podcasts are very interesting. Thanks for giving us the opportunity to ask you questions. Currently, from the end of last May, I am playing a Sicilian pipe organ, builder Santucci, period 1775. We having one manual, 53 keys, 17 pedal notes, 15 manual stops, three pedal stops and two accessories. At the right column stop list among covers are interesting markings as individual stops. Like in Roman numerals, XXVI and XXIX, XXII and XIX. Can you please tell me what they are? Perhaps they have names like Flauto XXII in soprani and when can I use them? Until I receive your reply, wishing you my very best regards, Annunziato." So wonderful, Ausra, this is Italian organ tradition, to write stops as intervals, basically. Not like German, French or other traditions. Well, maybe English have something like this too, when they write 12th for example or 15th as an organ stop. Ausra: I know since you were in Italy, not so long ago, maybe you could now explain for our friends how to understand it? Vidas: Yeah, it's basically if you take the lowest note, let's say C, right, in the base octave. It is the basis of the principal. They would write "Principale", right, for the principal 8’, but later they would write "Ottava". Ottava means octave, above this principal. So this is like a 4’ stop. Later, instead of adding one of them more, they would write an interval. You have to count interval from the bass note. So what comes next is like 15th and that would be like Roman numeral XV. This means like a 5th, 2 ⅔’. In Italian, Decimaquinta. Then you have another Roman numeral denoting maybe 2’ principal, right? They would not write, "Super-octave", they would write something like XIX. Then maybe a XXII and XXVI. You have to count intervals, basically, back to the bass note. That's how Italians wrote their stops. It's may be confusing, but it's very logical. Ausra: Yes, if you get used to Italian instrument. But if encounter it for the first time, it might be a little tricky. Then just try each stop separately and listen to it. Vidas: Listen to it, which octave are you playing? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Sometimes you will get an octave sound, but sometimes you get a 5th sound, too. Ausra: Yes, and then you figure it out. You just make yourself like a dictionary in your notebook. Vidas: But if it's an old organ, and it is, right? From 1775. Ausra: It looks like it's very Italian, because it has only three pedal stops. That's so common for Catholic countries, like Italy, or France. Vidas: Yes, it has maybe three pedal stops and maybe the coupler, perhaps I hope, to have a longer sustained pedal point. Or sometimes they don't even have pedal couplers. Ausra: No, you don't use so much pedals in Catholic liturgy. Especially in those times, in those days. Vidas: You only have 17 pedal notes, this means that you have incomplete pedal compass, like 1-1/2 octave perhaps, right? So you don't play a lot of Reger. Ausra: Oh, definitely not. Probably some Frescobaldi, Fiori Musicali. Vidas: Or improvisation, improvisations could sound really well on these type of instruments. He told me he has one manual, right? Some stops might be divided as he writes. "Flauto in Vigessima Seconda" means flute in twenty second, but only in soprano, which means that only the right hand starting from C can play this. So in the tenor range, it doesn't sound. Only in the soprano range with the right hand you can place the flauto. Vigessima Seconda. Now let's calculate 26 from the bass. 26, 24, 26, 7, 8, 8, 16, 8, two octaves, right? It's a 5th. It's a 5th, I think, but not 2 ⅔’ but 1 ⅓’. It looks like this. Very high-pitched flute. Ausra: High-pitched flute, yeah. Vidas: But as a flute, not a principal. So it doesn't fit with any Ripieno sound at least, I think. The Ripieno is another tool entirely in Italian organs. It's a handle. You take out this handle and entire row of principal stops like a plenum sounds are present and could be sounding. It's like a mixture, organ Ripieno. Full principal chorus if you use this piano handle. But remember in Italian, organs they don't have a mixture sound per se, you have to assemble mixtures. Ausra: Yes, you have to pull it out from the organ, yes. Vidas: Pull everything together. Sometimes everything together if you want a big sound, and sometimes just a handful of stops. Ausra: Yes, because sometimes they have full Ripieno, and sometimes you have just smalller Ripieno. Vidas: Yes. Maybe it's for a later conversation because it's a long subject but every mode in this tradition have different type of registrations. Sometimes one principal would be enough for one particular mode, sometimes a flute, sometimes principals 8’ and 4’ for another mode. We will discuss it another time, I think. Wonderful guys, please send us more questions. This was very interesting. We hope this is useful to you and you can do this by subscribing to our blog at www.organduo.lt and reply to any of our messages. And remember, when you practice - Ausra: Miracles happen. PS Our first e-book "Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old" is available here for a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 9. If you have already read it, we would appreciate if you left a rating and review. #AskVidasAndAusra 43 - What practice methods do you suggest for simple fugal improvisation?8/4/2017
Vidas: Let's start episode 43 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. And this question was sent by Lilla, and she writes, “Dear Vidas, if you could accept my question, here it is. What practice methods do you suggest for simple fugal improvisation? It might be a good idea to practice it in your writing as well. A good source material method would be tremendous help and would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for all your work. Sincerely, Lilla.”
Interesting question right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Not many people ask us question about the improvising fugues. Ausra: Sure, because not many organists improvise them. Vidas: Not many people are brave enough even to try. Ausra: Yes, sure. But as Lilla mentions in her question, that's a good way would be to write it down first of all, or basically start to analyzing other composer's fugues, just to know how they are constructed, then try to write some of them down, and then just go to the practical work. Vidas: Yeah, exactly. What Ausra is mentioning is, before you had any treatises, before you had any method books, and exercise books, what did composers do? They studied other works, they studied a compositions of previous masters, who lived before them. And they, of course, analyzed them and copied them note by note, and maybe arranged them for organ, for other instruments. Like, Johann Sebastian Bach arranged for harpsichord, I think Hortus Musicus by Johann Adam Reincken, these were for string quartets, also contrapuntal works and Bach studied this way. So, before somebody even wrote a treatise on the fugue, or even on contrapuntal imitation, improvisation, they worked practically, analyzing things and writing them down. Ausra: Sure, and you know later you could take Weimar Tabulature by Johann Pachelbel, (not to be confused with Weimar Organ Tabulature) that's an excellent source for improvising. Easy fugues, fuguettes I would say. And then the next step would be, probably to take the Handel's book. Vidas: Exactly, Continuo Exercises According to George Frideric Handel. Ausra: At the beginning, he gives the number to exercises of basso continuo, and later on he gets to the fugues, to improvising fugues based on the basso continuo. Vidas: What do you mean probably is like partimento fugue. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Where you only have the bass line, and the entrance of the subject notated in the bass clef. Sometimes the clefs change, but they also notate which voice has to enter and according to the principals of polyphonic imitation you add other voices, based on intervals. Ausra: Actually, yes. And after Handel you could proceed to the Langloz Manuscript. And actually this is much harder, much more complex than Handel's book. But after Handel you definitely can try to do it. Vidas: It's a very interesting collection of contrapuntal fugues, which are also simplified in notation, just like Buxtehude would write in his organ praeludiums and toccatas. Those intricate fugal sections, but you could write them in one line, in bass line, they're very lively, fast moving instrumental type of fugues, just like Buxtehude and his friends. Therefore, they're more difficult to play than Handel's. Ausra: Definitely. I remember doing them and that's very hard. Vidas: Yeah. Ausra: Very hard. Vidas: But if you practice them diligently (it's a big collection), if you do all of them, one by one, it gets easier. Ausra: Yes, definitely, just don't practice them all in a given row. You just pick up the easiest first. Vidas: Yeah, with slower note values. Ausra: Yes, definitely. Vidas: And also, these are primary sources, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Composer's at the day, in the 18th century wrote them as exercises for their students. What about a little bit later collections and exercises that people could practice? You know there's a student of Bach, Friedrich Wilhelm Marpurg I think wrote- Ausra: A big treatise, yes, I remember that. Vidas: Treatise on the Fugue. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: That’s in English and in German it's Abhandlung von die Fuge. It is like an analysis of many, many, Bach's fugues, basically Well Tempered Clavier and even Art of Fugue contrapuntal pieces, it's like a predecessor of modern Treatise on the Fugue, and many modern Treatises on the Fugue method books, are based on this, right? Ausra: They are based on Marpurg. And because Bach hasn't left any written sources, Marpurg's book is actually about Bach's legacy. Vidas: Now based on Marpurg is a collection of exercises, which were practiced at the Paris Conservatory in the 19th Century and into 20th century too by Andre Gedalge. It's called Treatise on the Fugue, it has 11 or 12 chapters, and each chapter is based on one particular aspect of the fugue. Like the theme, the counter subject, an answer, episodes, stretto, things like that. It's indispensable for any serious student of fugal improvisation. Ausra: Yes, and good luck with that. Vidas: Now, do you think that people could benefit from practicing Marcel Dupre's Treatise on Improvisation Vol. 2, where he has an entire chapter on the Fugue? Ausra: Definitely, yes. Vidas: But it's for later, because Marcel Dupre himself advises people to go back to Andre Gedalge’s Treatise on the Fugue first, and write down exercises, on the paper with pencil first, and only then try to improvise on the organ from Dupre's treatise. Ausra: So basically, there are three steps. Analyze other composer's work, then try to write Fuges down by yourself. You can compose your own subject or you can pick up some subjects from real fugues and then try to improvise it. Vidas: Three steps. Very good, Ausra, I hope people can take advantage of this, and let us know what specific step is your favorite from this podcast conversation, what would you apply this week, and let us know how it works. And please send us more of your questions, and you can do this easily by subscribing to our blog at www.organduo.lt and replying to any of our messages, we'll be glad to help you out. This was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember, when you practice - Ausra: Miracles happen. PS Our first e-book "Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old" is available here for a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 9. If you have already read it, please leave a rating and review.
Good news first:
Our first e-book "Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old" is available here for a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 9. If you have already read it, please leave a rating and review. And now let's go to the question of the day. Vidas: Today's question was sent by Robert and this is Episode 42 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. So, Robert writes, “While comparing two versions of Franck's Offertoire in Eb Major, from the organist I noticed there are some differences in the score, hearing there they have naturalized the odd note here and plus other variations. Is that normal? I suppose they modify as to difficulty or based on level of competency. Thanks again, Robert.” Do you know this collection, Ausra, L'Organiste? Ausra: Yes, I know it. Vidas: Ever played yourself a few of the suites? Ausra: I have played them before. Vidas: For people who haven't played mastered or even sight-read this wonderful collection, can we recommend really looking at it and playing a few times, it's it worth it? Ausra: Yes, it's very worth it, especially for those who work at church, so they are suitable pieces for liturgy. Because they are not long, not too complicated and actually very beautiful. Vidas: Yeah, it's constructed very interestingly. It's sort of multi sectional organ suite and there are seven of them? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Seven and each of them starts on each note C and C#, D and D#, Eb and E, F and F#, G and G#, Ab and A, Bb and B, sort of chromatically, but sometimes they are put together into each suite and each episode can be played for any particular spot for the liturgy, right? Ausra: Sure. Vidas: It's like an organ mass, right? Ausra: Basically it is. Vidas: And it's all without pedals or maybe pedals have not complicated, you can add the lower part, the bass note if you want to do this optional pedal line, but you could play everything without any pedals? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: What Robert is asking in this additional Franck's Offertory in Eb Major, he noticed some notes are different from other editions, so is this normal, does this happen in your case, have you noticed these things and why? Ausra: Yes, actually, I had noticed it so many times, because what you will have to do would be to compare maybe another edition and to look to which one of those two or three editions is the most scholarly based. Vidas: Yes. Ausra: And then you would also read an editorial word, what editor has to say about things and know sometimes those scholarly editions are very expensive, so what could you actually could do is just go to a library to see that edition and then maybe know to write down, to take some notes to your own score that you own- Vidas: Yeah- Ausra: To do some corrections. Vidas: Circle some notes- Ausra: Yes, circle some notes, add some flats or sharps- Vidas: In red probably- Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: Remember Ausra, we did that with Klaus Beckmann's edition of Organ works by Tunder, I believe. Ausra: Yes. Vidas: When we studied with Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra at Eastern Michigan University, she had this collection and we played also from it, so she advised us to do this very scholarly work, or was it Reincken? Might have been both, right? Ausra: Both, yes. Vidas: Because, we played a lot of North German music- Ausra: We did both, yes. Vidas: So what Klaus Beckmann did in his time, in this edition, he changed some of his Tunder’s and Reincken's original manuscripts. Ausra: Yes, because some editors wanted to know to make that music to sound more like modern, more normal I could say. And that's not the right way to do it. So we tried to get back to the original resources. Vidas: Yeah and remember when a few years ago they discovered a copy of Reincken's “An Wasserflüssen Babylon”. It was Johann Sebastian Bach's copy. Basically it means that Bach studied Reincken's work and mastered them and assimilated this style and was influenced by Reincken. But what I mean that Bach's handwriting had those mistakes that were also present in Reincken's autograph that Klaus Beckmann corrected. Ausra: Yes- Vidas: And that means that they're not mistakes probably- they're original. Ausra: Reincken intended is pieces to sound like this. Vidas: What Beckmann did sometimes if you have a sequence and this sequence sounds like this and you transfer and transpose the sequence into other keys, so you maybe expect to do this every time the same in modern terms, but in those days composers did whatever they wanted and the fragment of the sequence might be a little bit different. Ausra: Because for our modern ears we listen to that major and minor system, like harmonic minor for example, we've raise the seventh scale degree, but in those days, you know the modal harmony was still very common, you know and all those ancient modes, Phrygian, Dorian and so on so forth so basically many compositions were based on those modes. Of course, they’re very influenced by major minor, but not as much as classical music or liturgical music. Vidas: Exactly, modes were still very common an everyday tool for composers. So in Franck's case modes were not necessarily the very prevalent tool. But think about this, this way, there are a number of Franck's editions and the first edition is maybe based on the autograph from the 19th century and then later in 20th century other publishers reissued Franck' works and published them again and some of them are based on the autograph and some of them are based on the first edition. Ausra: Sure- Vidas: And this is different because the first edition might have done mistakes. Ausra: Sure, definitely. We really need to be careful about editorial mistakes because humans make mistakes so that's natural. Vidas: Or sometimes Franck himself in his autograph might have made mistakes, but you never know, which is what so you really need as Ausra says to read the editorial comments. Ausra: Yes. I think that's the best way to do it. Vidas: So we hope this answers your question and for other people who are listening, please send your questions to us and the best way to do this is through our blog at www.organduo.lt. Please subscribe to get our daily messages or weekly messages, and you can choose basically the time that you can get them. You can reply to our messages this way and send us more questions and we'll be very happy to help you grow. Thanks guys, this was Vidas. Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: And remember when you practice ... Ausra: Miracles happen.  Just a quick note to let our readers know we're very excited to announce that our first e-book is finally ready!
Is It Possible to Learn to Play the Organ When You Are 56 Years Old (And Other Answers from #AskVidasAndAusra Podcast) Right now it has a low introductory price of $2.99 until August 9. It's dedicated to all our students who are 26, 56 or 96 years old and still continue to practice. If you love reading the transcripts of our podcast, we hope you'll enjoy it. Let us know what you think and share this message with your friends and enemies. Thanks for caring, Vidas and Ausra |
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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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