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Bach's Schmucke dich, o liebe Seele, BWV 654 was one of Felix Mendelssohn's favorite compositions of this composer. Robert Schumann remembered him saying that "If life were to deprive me of hope and faith, this single chorale would replenish me with them both."
Would you like to learn this beautiful piece by watching me play and by practicing together (if the tuning of your instrument allows it)? Yesterday I recorded this chorale prelude in a very slow practice tempo from up close so that people could watch me playing and copy what I'm doing. It's like looking over my shoulder when I practice and people can practice together with me. The score is freely available, too. More importantly, I subdivided this chorale prelude into one-page chunks for practicing one page a week, so if the piece is 3 pages long, it would take 3 weeks to learn it. Each page has 5 lines of music, so if one learns only one line a day (and repeats the previously learned material), then it really takes 5 days a week of practice to stay on track with this schedule. Although I play all parts together, you can work in solo parts and in two-part and three-part combinations before putting everything together in each line. Because I play very slowly, you can copy my ornaments and my articulation (articulate legato), too. Here are the videos for Week 1, Week 2, and Week 3. Although I played from the Bach Gesellschaft edition with the alto clef for the left hand part, I also prepared a pdf score with the usual treble and bass clefs. Enjoy them but more importantly, I hope you will do something with these series. A few days ago I have received a request to prepare a score of Bach's Art of Fugue, BWV 1080 for manuals only (for piano or hapsichord or any other keyboard instrument) with complete fingerings above the notes.
While this might be very useful, I have come accross this score which has many fingerings written in (not all, but the most important ones). The rest you can figure out by yourself. If it's too difficult to complete the fingering, it simply means you need an easier piece. Enjoy it but most importanly, I hope you will do something with it. Would you like to learn to play organ chorale fantasy "Komm Heiliger Geist, BWV 651 by Bach? If so, you will need to know the exact steps which will help you master this fantastic composition. In this article, I will share with you my recommendations on how to learn to play this piece and be ready for public performance.
Step 1 - Analyze the piece. In this step you will have to analyze the key, the texture, compositional techniques used and tonal plan of the piece. This will help you to understand how the piece is put together. Step 2 - Write in fingering. Writing in fingering will help you to know exactly which fingers to use. This will definitely prevent many mistakes which would occur, if you play with accidental fingerings. Step 3 - Write in pedaling. In this step, you will need to know the rules of Baroque pedaling techniques. Early pedaling for Baroque pieces is different from the Romantic and modern pedaling techniques. Step 4 - Ornaments. This step is very crucial if you want to play this piece in the Baroque style. Step 5 - Articulation. Even more than the previous step, correct articulation will make your playing sound stylistically appropriate. Note that Baroque music generally is not played legato. Step 6 - Tempo. With this step you have to understand the correct ideal tempo for performance of this piece and for practicing this composition. You have to also take into consideration the acoustics of the room which will determine the exact tempo for performance. Step 7 - Registration. In this step, you will need to know which stops to use both for practicing this piece and which kind of stop combinations to use for concert performance or church service. The registration will be different on various types of organ - large or small. Step 8 - Practice the piece. In this step, you will actually start practicing this composition. You will have to figure out the way to practice efficiently and effectively. This will allow you to learn this piece and be ready for public performance in the shortest amount of time possible. Step 9 - Memorization. Memorizing this piece is optional and you don't need to perform this piece in public from memory. However, I strongly recommend for you to memorize it because this will help you truly perfect this fantastic composition and advance to a whole new level of mastery even if you choose to play it from the score. Apply my tips in your practice and this will help you to master organ chorale fantasy "Komm Heiliger Geist", BWV 651 by Bach. I am sure you will have much fun perfecting the piece. This will definitely help you to advance in organ playing. By the way, do you want to learn to play organ music of Bach? If so, check out my Bach Organ Mastery (Level 1) course. Would you like to learn to play organ chorale fantasy "Komm Heiliger Geist, BWV 651 by Bach? If so, you will need to know the exact steps which will help you master this fantastic composition. In this article, I will share with you my recommendations on how to learn to play this piece and be ready for public performance.
Step 1 - Analyze the piece. In this step you will have to analyze the key, the texture, compositional techniques used and tonal plan of the piece. This will help you to understand how the piece is put together. Step 2 - Write in fingering. Writing in fingering will help you to know exactly which fingers to use. This will definitely prevent many mistakes which would occur, if you play with accidental fingerings. Step 3 - Write in pedaling. In this step, you will need to know the rules of Baroque pedaling techniques. Early pedaling for Baroque pieces is different from the Romantic and modern pedaling techniques. Step 4 - Ornaments. This step is very crucial if you want to play this piece in the Baroque style. Step 5 - Articulation. Even more than the previous step, correct articulation will make your playing sound stylistically appropriate. Note that Baroque music generally is not played legato. Step 6 - Tempo. With this step you have to understand the correct ideal tempo for performance of this piece and for practicing this composition. You have to also take into consideration the acoustics of the room which will determine the exact tempo for performance. Step 7 - Registration. In this step, you will need to know which stops to use both for practicing this piece and which kind of stop combinations to use for concert performance or church service. The registration will be different on various types of organ - large or small. Step 8 - Practice the piece. In this step, you will actually start practicing this composition. You will have to figure out the way to practice efficiently and effectively. This will allow you to learn this piece and be ready for public performance in the shortest amount of time possible. Step 9 - Memorization. Memorizing this piece is optional and you don't need to perform this piece in public from memory. However, I strongly recommend for you to memorize it because this will help you truly perfect this fantastic composition and advance to a whole new level of mastery even if you choose to play it from the score. Apply my tips in your practice and this will help you to master organ chorale fantasy "Komm Heiliger Geist", BWV 651 by Bach. I am sure you will have much fun perfecting the piece. This will definitely help you to advance in organ playing. By the way, would you like to learn to play organ works of Bach? If so, check out my Bach Organ Mastery Level 1 course. In order to learn to play Bach organ works on a good level, you should do the following:
1. Develop correct organ practice habits by creating a good long-term plan and sticking with it, practicing very slowly in fragments and in voice combinations. 2. Develop your organ sight-reading skills by playing one unfamiliar piece of Bach's organ music per day in a slow tempo. 3. Develop your organ technique by practicing scales and other exercises on the manuals and on the pedals. 4. Learn to apply the articulate legato touch in Bach's pieces by leaving small rests between the notes. 5. Learn to register the works that you study according to the rules of historical performance practice. 6. Use toes-only pedaling and avoid finger substitutions and glissandos. 7. Add historically correct ornamentation (especially in cadences). 8. Choose correct tempo for performance so that your pulse and sense of meter would be obvious to your listeners. 9. Memorize the pieces you are playing so that you know them by heart - this way you will defeat performance anxiety and reduce the level of fear to play them in public. 10. Develop your music theory and harmony skills so that you would understand how the piece is put together. Start applying these tips today in your organ practice. With time they will allow you to master Bach's organ music on a level that you deserve. By the way, if you haven't seen my Bach Organ Mastery (Level 1) course, check it out today. In this training program you will learn to play in public basic level Bach's organ works with fluency and ease. The polyphonic masterpiece by Bach - the Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 presents a certain riddle to the performers who want to master this magnificent work (or separate fugues, called Contrapuncti).
Although originally it is notated in an open score notation on four staves, musicologists believe it is a keyboard work. Bach apparently chose the vocal score model with 3 different types of C clefs because this way all the parts are clearly visible and understandable. The reasoning behind this theory is this: 1) It was a custom at that time to write polyphonically complex keyboard works in an open score notation (compare, for example, Frescobaldi's "Fiori Musicali" which Bach owned). Organists at that time, especially in Italy had to display a skill in reading open score, called Spartitura. 2) Most of the fugues and canons are playable by 2 hands only. In fact, in many cases, the texture falls quite comfortably within the hands. If one adds a pedals for the bass parts (not in all fugues, though), then the writing is very organistic, indeed very similar to that of other Bach's fugues for organ. 3) The range of the voices go far beyond the limits of any solo instrument. The traditional melodic instruments of the Baroque period, such as violin, flute, oboe, bassoon and others have their fixed range. If we assign a certain voice to a certain instrument throughout the cycle, then it is impossible to perform it without some compromises. 4) There are some additional voices at the end of some fugues which is quite customary for the keyboard practice. For example, ad the end of such fugue the texture might increase to as many, as 7 voices (1- in the pedals, and 3 in each hand). Such texture would not be possible to play on any single melodic instrument. I have prepared a practice score of Contrapunctus I from the Art of the Fugue, arranged for the organ with pedals with complete fingering and pedaling written in for easy practice and ideal articulation. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Let's celebrate the 328th birthday of our great master with this wonderful performance of his Contrapunctus I from the Art of the Fugue, BWV 1080 by George Ritchie.
I remember witnessing two complete splendid performances of this magnificent polyphonic masterpiece within the same week, when I was a doctoral student at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Dr. Ritchie performed it on the famous landmark 17th century Dutch-style organ by Gene Bedient which stood at the time at Cornerstone chapel. Dr. Ritchie has since released a complete DVD and 2-CD set of the Art of Fugue with FugueStateFilms. You can read more about it and watch the introductory video of this work here. If you like Contrapunctus I, I have also prepared a practice score of this piece arranged for the organ with pedals with complete fingering and pedaling written in for easy practice and ideal articulation. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. In the period of apparent decline of public appreciation of quality classical organ music in many countries a lot of organists fall into despair. We deal with this situation in many different ways. Some of us start playing pop music on the organ, some stop playing the organ altogether because they don't see any hope for it in the future.
What can we do to help revive the organ culture in the world? Are there any productive ways a single person can help to change the course of the future of our profession? My answer is EDUCATION. Not preaching about the organ to strangers from the roofs, though, but persistently showing attention to people who have curiosity. And believe me, there are a lot more people with curiosity about organ and its art than it might seem at first. I believe that in our multi-media age we have more than enough tools to help the people grow and inspire. Many of them are free and cost only your energy and time. It might be as simple as starting a blog and sharing your experiences from recitals of organ music you attended or as advanced as creating multiple lectures about the history of the organ art. I know that recitals of classical organ music are not well attended in many countries. We face the same challenge in Lithuania. If I played jazz or pop music on the organ, then surely many more people would come. But what would happen if I consistently showed up and write a little post about some organ piece in my language, what would happen if I started a project which was genuine, unique, and worth talking about even though it might not work? Even though there was a thought in the back of my mind, saying "this is foolish. You are wasting your time. It will never work.", I gave it a try. Actually, I gave it a try BECAUSE of that voice to prove it was wrong. So a little more than a year ago I started playing series of organ recitals from the cycle of "Seven Centuries of Organ Music" at my church dedicated to a different composer or national school of organ composition. About once a month whenever possible. And yesterday I gave my 12th recital from this cycle at Vilnius University St. John's church. This time it was all Bach recital in which I tried to show the fans of organ music in Lithuania some of the nicest pieces from the wide range of compositions by organ's greatest composer. The timing was suited for this kind of program - it's getting close to Bach's birthday - March 21st. I wanted to include in my program as much as possible of fast/slow, soft/loud, and sad/joyful music contrast so that the listeners could keep their focus throughout the recital. Here is the program of this recital: Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565 Trio sonata No. 1 in E flat major, BWV 525 Prelude and Fugue in C major, BWV 547 „O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig“, BWV 656 „Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele“, BWV 654 Piece d‘Orgue, BWV 572 I have to say that the recital was quite well attended - many more listeners than usual for organ concert came last night. Maybe it was partly due to the nice spring weather (though it was still cold with freezing temperatures), or to the fact that BWV 565 was on the program or perhaps my efforts to grow the fan base of organ music lovers are starting to pay off. By the way, today I would like to share a video excerpt from my last night's recital - "Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele", BWV 654 from the Great 18 Chorale Preludes, also known as the Leipzig Chorale Preludes. This is one of Felix Mendelssohn's most favorite Bach's organ compositions, in which ornamented Cantus Firmus in the soprano is accompanied by the three lower voices which move in the rhythm of the sarabande. Sarabande is a Baroque dance of the Spanish origin which has frequent harmonic accents on the 2nd beat in the triple meter. The alto and tenor parts were played from the original alto C clef (which was fun) on the Principal 8' stop from the 3rd manual. In the pedals I chose Principals 16' and 8'. In the beautiful ornamented soprano part - Cornet 8' stop from the 2nd manual with the swell box partly closed. This cycle of "Seven Centuries of Organ Music" is intended to introduce the widest possible range of organ music of various historical styles and national schools of organ composition - from the Estampie of 14th century to the compositions from 21st century to organ music fans of Lithuania. Together with this daily blog it is a part of my ongoing efforts to promote the art of the organ in Lithuania which may help to revive the organ culture in my country for future generations. Are you worried about the future of the organ in your country? How about starting something like that in the area where you live? Don't wait for someone to pick you. As Seth Godin says, "Pick yourself." By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Yesterday I wrote about the structure of the Prelude in E minor, BWV 555/1. Today let's analyze the fugue. Our main objectives here are to discover the tonal plan, subject entries and to know in which voice they appear.
By the way, you can watch this video while analyzing this fugue. This will help you to understand it's structure even better. The subject of this fugue is built from an ascending pentachord (5 scale degrees) with chromatic notes inserted between the 3rd, 4th and 5th scale degrees in 3/4 meter. This arrangement is very common in the Baroque music. The fugue begins with the subject in the soprano (E minor, tonic) after which follows an answer in the alto (B minor, dominant, measure 8). In measure 16, the subject enters in the tenor (E minor, tonic) and the answer in the bass (B minor, dominant, measure 20). The cadential hemiola in measures 26-27 concludes the exposition. The episode connecting exposition with the elements of counter-exposition in measures 28-31 is based on the chromatic ascending line of the subject. Here tenor and alto voices move in canon. Full subject entries don't appear after exposition. The composer seems to like to develop only the ascending or descending chromatic line. It starts in measure 32 where the subject material enters in the bass (E minor, tonic). Then from measure 38 follows 3 descending chromatic lines (subject in inversion). First in the bass (E minor, tonic), then twice in the soprano (measures 45 and 48). In measures 54 and 58, there are ascending subjects in the bass part (A minor, subdominant and E minor, tonic). The fugue concludes with a hemiola and a meter change (to 3/2) at the end. If you would like to learn this piece with stylistically correct fingering and pedaling, check out my practice score with complete fingering and pedaling for easy practice of this colorful work which creates ideal articulation - articulate legato - almost without thinking. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. Prelude and Fugue in E minor, BWV 555 from the notorious cycle of 8 Short Preludes and Fugues is the 3rd piece in this collection. Although its authorship remains uncertain, Johann Ludwig Krebs, one of the greatest students of J.S.Bach is one of the possible authors. We can safely call it a work from the Bach circle.
The prelude is exemplary because of its natural voice-leading, making it a model for creating preludes strictly out of sequences, suspensions, and simple modulations. It seems to be constructed out of just one musical idea because we don't see any contrasting musical material, as in BWV 554 or BWV 556, for example. Therefore, the form of this piece is a period. It starts with the phrase in the Tonic key (E minor, measures 1-4) and has a commonly-seen Frygian tetrachord in the bass (E-D-C-B, measure 4). In measures 6-9, the musical material moves to the relative major key (G major) and creates a perfect authentic cadence in this key (measure 9). The next important modulation happens in measure 14 (B minor, the Dominant key). In measures 15-21, we can see 3 instances of sequences - No. 1 - descending (constructed out of V6 - and it's resolution, i), No. 2 - descending (chains of seventh-chords), and No. 3 - ascending (V6-i). Just before the final cadence at the second half of measure 23, we can see a very colorful F first inversion chord, which in relationship to the home key of E minor is a Neapolitan sixth chord (a major sixth chord built on the lowered 2nd scale degree). Despite its short length (25 measures only), this prelude can give much trouble for organists with modest organ skills because of several reasons: complex 4-part (at times 5-part) writing, syncopations and suspensions, and active pedal part. However, slow tempo makes it accessible to organists with basic organ playing abilities and beautiful harmonies give much pleasure throughout the learning process. If you would like to learn this piece with stylistically correct fingering and pedaling, check out my practice score with complete fingering and pedaling for easy practice of this colorful work which creates ideal articulation - articulate legato - almost without thinking. By the way, do you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster? If so, download my video Organ Practice Guide. |
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Drs. Vidas Pinkevicius and Ausra Motuzaite-Pinkeviciene Organists of Vilnius University , creators of Secrets of Organ Playing. 
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