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It is no secret that today organ music is not very popular among many people. Even classical music lovers prefer to listen to the piano, violin, symphonic, choral, and vocal music, rather than the organ. The reason is that a considerable part of people's minds is heavily rooted in certain myths about organ and its music. Here I would like to bust some of those myths.
1. Organ music is always sad and serious. As with any other instrument, so the organ repertoire has the works of the most varied moods and characters. Incidentally, even the sad pieces have the delicate balance between minor and major tonalities which create those moods. Organists usually try to maintain this balance in recitals. Listen to The Gigue Fugue of J.S. Bach. There is no doubt that this fugue is really extremely fun piece both to play and to listen to. Pay attention to reaction of the audience. 2. Organ music can only be sacred. Perhaps today it seems strange, but the organ's origins were of secular nature in Ancient Greece. Only in the medieval times the Church adopted this pagan instrument in its liturgy. However, even later organ music, a large part of organ music is secular, like this Finale from the Symphony No. 1 by Louis Vierne. 3. Sacred organ music is always sad. Although the music, like the liturgy of the church often has a serious mood, it would be wrong to assume that it is necessarily sad. Even the works written in minor keys often express other feelings and characters. Very often it depends on the text. For example, it can be pieces of solemn and even dramatic character. In fact, choral prelude In Dir ist Freude by Bach is probably one of the most joyful of his choral preludes. 4. Organ music is always difficult to understand. Such very advanced music exists, there is no doubt about it. But this is only one side of the vast organ repertoire spanning 7 centuries. A number of works written in the 20th and 21st century are like that. However, even this kind of music can be properly understood and appreciated if the listener found out a bit more about the composer, his style, the structure of the piece and so on. In this case, the saying "appetite arises with eating" fits perfectly well. I think that you can befriend advanced music gradually. 5. Organ music is not suitable for young people to listen to. It probably depends on the particular piece of organ music. For example, the piece "Penguins Playtime" by the English composer Nigel Ogden sounds like an excerpt from the movie. Here you will surely find a lot of influence of pop music, which is liked by a lot of young people. On the other hand, not all of young people like pop music either, some of them are heavily into classical and art music. 6. Organ music is played only at funerals. This impression may occur to some people due to the fact that these people associate the church only with funerals (apparently they come to the church only on this occasion). While at the funeral organ music is indeed very prominent, none of the above examples are designed for this occasion. It's not clear to me why organ is not necessarily associated with joyful and sweet weddings because that's surely another side of the instrument that general public is aware of (perhaps because nowadays a lot of other instruments can play at weddings - not so much during funerals). Proper understanding of these myths will clarify some people's reaction to the organ. Hopefully you will be able to explain in some way what organ music is all about. Perhaps then some people will no longer find it scary, sad, boring, or depressing. Most of all, organ music is the food for your brain (besides your soul). And this is a good thing, isn't it? Although organ repertoire is vast and spans for about 7 centuries, it is not always easy to find pieces that you both like and are able to learn. In fact, this wealth of pieces available is precisely what makes it so difficult to choose. Sometimes you think you found a beautiful organ composition but when you try to play it, you will simply discover that it is beyond your technical abilities.
So in order to advance and perfect your skills, the pieces should work for your level. In this article, I will share with you my personal recommendations on finding organ music that would be suitable and playable for you. The best way to go about finding out if the piece is playable for you at the moment is to look at the two determining factors which are tempo and texture. 1. Tempo. Open a score of the organ piece that you like and play the first several lines at the half speed. In other words, you should perform them much slower than at the concert tempo. The reason for this is to see how many mistakes did you make in each line. If you make more than 3 mistakes in each line while playing very slowly, then it means this piece is too difficult for you today. In order to avoid unnecessary frustration and speed up the learning process, pick an easier organ composition. 2. Texture. Another test you could make if you want to discover whether or not the difficulty level of the piece matches your abilities, concerns the texture. If the piece has 4 voices or parts, reduce the texture to one simple voice and try to play it at the concert tempo. Again, if you make more than 3 mistakes in each line, then this composition is too advanced for your current level. The reason for playing at the real tempo here is because now you have to play only one voice. So reducing the speed as well as the texture would give you unrealistic environment. I believe you could stil master the piece but it would take much more time. Many people might feel that their progress is too slow and get frustrated. Again, in order to feel better about your organ practice, I recommend choosing an easier piece to learn right now. 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 organ practice guide "How to Master Any Organ Composition". One of the best known pieces in a fascinating collection of 8 Short Preludes and Fugues, Prelude and Fugue in F major, BWV 556 is an outstanding example of how a composition of superb artistic quality can be created using fairly simple musical language.
The prelude is written in a ternary ABA form in 3/8 meter. The character is joyful, even playful and because of that many performers choose a rather quick tempo. Part A consists of the musical idea which establishes the F major key in opening 4 measures and ends on a half cadence. Then we can see series of ascending sequences with triplet figures which end on a perfect cadence in the tonic key of F major. Part B is much longer the Part A. Here we find the same kind of sequences with triplets and haf cadences in F major, G minor and perfect cadences in D minor, C major, and A minor. The Prelude ends with exact repetition of Part A giving us a complete rounded ABA form. The Fugue (4/4 meter) starts with a subject in the tenor voice the first part of which moves in eighth notes and the second part in sixteenth notes. These sixteenth note figures give the fugue a joyful character which requires a quick tempo. As you listen to the recording of this fugue, it is best to count the number of subjects and notice in which voice it appears. There are total of 6 full subject entrances in this fugue. In other instances, the theme appears either in part or in modification. Below you can see the general plan of this fugue. Exposition: 1. Subject in the tenor (F major) 2. Answer in the alto (C major) 3. Subject in the soprano (F major) 4. Answer in the bass (C major) (This completes the exposition) 5. Episode Counter-exposition: 6. Answer in the soprano (C major) 7. Episode 8. Subject in the bass (F major) 9. Episode 10. Partial subjects 11. Closing cadence in F major. Episodes are written using melodic and rhythmical material from the subject. They are meant to connect various subject entrances and/or key areas. One of the easiest ways to achieve this is through sequences which we also encounter here and there. From the above plan we can see that this is a rather simple fugue without subject entrances in other keys or without the canonic fugal entrances, called Stretto. Nevertheless, this entire Prelude and Fugue is so elegantly crafted that we never hear this simplicity and its artistic quality is very high. 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 free Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. Organ Playing: The Exact Steps to Mastering Short Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 556 in 10 Days7/14/2012 Mastering the Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 556 is easier than you might think. In this article, I'll give you the exact steps which will help you learn it in just 10 days.
Here are the steps in mastering Prelude and Fugue in F major, BWV 556 in 10 days: General comments: 1. Play slowly to avoid mistakes 2. Practice each day in solo voices, combinations of 2 and 3 voices, and only then the entire 4 part texture, where applicable) - play 10 times each combination. 3. When you repeat previously learned lines, play them 3 times correctly. 4. Practice one line at a time, unless indicated otherwise. 5. Make sure the notes, rhythms, fingering, pedaling, and articulation are correct in each step. Step-by-step plan: Day 1: Learn lines 1-2 2. Repeat 1-2, practice 3-5 3. Reinforce 1-5, master 6-7 4. Remember 1-7, learn 10 and 11 5. Repeat 1-11, practice 12-13 6. Reinforce 1-13, master 14-15 7. Play the entire prelude and fugue by stopping every 2 lines 8. Practice the entire piece by stopping every 4 lines 9. Play the entire composition by stopping every 8 lines 10. Play the entire prelude and fugue without stopping In order to reap the best results, it is best if you just follow the above steps exactly and you will have it ready for public performance in 10 days. This public performance doesn't necessarily have to be a recital. You could play it in church during liturgy as a postlude or just for fun for your family and friends. By the way, if you would like to start practicing this prelude and fugue tonight, check out my practice score with complete fingering and pedaling which will create the ideal articulation. If you just follow the above steps exactly, you will have it ready for public performance in 10 days. Or if you want to learn my special powerful techniques which help me to master any piece of organ music up to 10 times faster, download my free Organ Practice Guide. The Prelude and Fugue in C Major of North German Baroque composer Georg Bohm is one of his most popular pieces. Contrary from the majority of multi-movement Stylus Fantasticus works of Buxtehude, Bruhns, and other composers from this region, it is a true two-movement piece resembling later works by Bach. In this article, I will give you 5 tips which will help you play this piece on the organ.
1. Articulated legato. Apply the articulated legato touch throughout this composition. This touch was also called the Ordinary Touch in the Baroque period. When you use it in your organ playing of Baroque pieces, make short breaks between each note. However, this touch should not make the music sound unconnected. Instead try to achieve a singing manner of playing. 2. Feel the meter. In addition to the articulated legato, feeling of alternation between strong and weak beats is very important. Make the beats 1 and 3 a little stronger while the beats 2 and 4 - weaker. Since dynamics on the organ are not achieved primarily through touch, make the strong beats longer and weak beats - shorter. You can also come in a little late on certain important downbeats to emphasize the meter even more. 3. Count the themes. Before you play the fugue, take a pencil and number the subject entries in each voice. This helps to understand how the piece is put together. You can also notate the main key areas of these subjects. If you want to take this one step further, write in the chordal functions of these keys in relationship with the home key of C Major. For example, C Major would be the Tonic while G Major would be the Dominant. 4. Keep the hands on the knees in pedal solo. As you play the long and exciting opening pedal solo, it is best to keep your hands on the knees. Although there are methods which allow you to hold with the hands on the bench or on the sides of the keyboard, I really suggest that the hands should be placed on the knees. You see, you have to learn to play the pedals without the help of your hands. When you place them on your knees, your feet alone have to do the job and you will gradually learn how to keep your balance. 5. Change position in pedal solo. This pedal solo runs from the lowest C to the highest D of the pedal board. Therefore, it will be necessary to change your position while you play. If the melody goes upwards, like in the opening two measures, simply push off the pedal with the left foot and shift your lower body to the right. Remember, your upper body should always stay straight and face the music. Use these tips when you practice Prelude and Fugue in C Major by Georg Bohm today. If you apply them carefully in your playing, you will be able to achieve stylistically correct performance, precision, and clarity. 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 free Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. If you are struggling with the fingering, pedaling, articulation and practicing the short prelude and fugue No. 4 in F major, BWV 556 for organ, read this article in which you will find my tips and advice in mastering this wonderful composition.
Concerning the fingering in measures 1-4 of BWV 556, if you play it with the usual technique, it feels strange to your hand. However, if you use them correctly like I will teach you now, they will be perfectly natural and most importantly, they will create the articulate legato touch for you without you having to think about them. You see, the fingering in this piece is based on the paired fingering technique meaning the strong fingers are placed on the stronger beats. Although in measure 1 you could say, 3434 looks like finger crossing, it is in fact, finger shifting. This means you should not attempt to play legato and cross over 3 after 4. Instead, play 34 and shift the entire hand to the new position for another 34. In other words, move your fingers together as a unit. When you shift this way, you are naturally articulating correctly. In measure 3, the right hand part has pairs of thirds which look like this: 2/4 1/3 2/4 1/3. Do not try to cross your fingers but shift your hand from 1/3 to 2/4. Crossing would be very inconvenient but shifting will naturally create a break between the pair of thirds. The same thing applies to the pedaling in the fugue. Try to move both of your feet together as a unit on eighth and sixteenth notes. Another important principle to notice is the finger skipping technique. This means that the same intervals (especially wider ones) should be played with the same fingers. For example, in measure 4 from end of the fugue you can see the 4 consecutive sixths in the right hand part which could be played with 1/5 1/5 1/5 and 1/5 fingering. Be careful not to make very large breaks between the notes also which make the music sound choppy and unconnected. The touch should be singable or as Bach calls it "cantabile manner of playing". When you are good in articulating this way, you could also make subtle adjustments in order to emphasize the meter. Make larger breaks between the stronger beats. As far as accuracy in triplets of the prelude are concerned, try not to lift your fingers off the keyboard and stay in contact with the keys at all times. This will help you to improve your accuracy. For best results, practice in separate voices, 2 voice combinations, 3 voice combinations and only then the entire 4 part texture. Do not play the entire piece from the beginning until the end (at least at first). Instead, choose a fragment of about 4 measures and master each combination in it. Then take another fragment and so on. After you learn all the fragments, combine them together, playing 1 line, 2 lines, 4 lines, 8 lines, 16 lines and so on without stopping. Bottom line: the early fingering helps to achieve the desired articulation. Do not reach for the keys but instead shift the entire hand or both feet into a new position. Make it as connected as possible but not legato. By the way, if you need complete fingering and pedaling of Prelude and Fugue in F Major, BWV 556, check out my practice score. When you click on this link you will be able to see the preview of the actual score with fingering and pedaling which helps to create ideal articulation (articulate legato) naturally. Or 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 FREE Organ Practice Guide: http://www.organduo.lt/organ-tutorial.html Are you wondering what kind of organ music selections are suitable for Bachelor's organ degree recital? In this article, I will give you a list of pieces by Buxtehude, Bach, Handel, Vierne, Langlais, and Franck.
1. Praeludium in C, BuxWV 137 by Dieterich Buxtehude. One of the most famous of all of Buxtehude's organ works will serve well for the opening of your recital. This is a perfect example of multi-movement North German Baroque Stylus Phantasticus writing. This work is also known as Prelude, Fugue, and Chaconne in C major. 2. Chorale Prelude "Komm heiliger Geist, Herre Gott", BuxWV 199 by Buxtehude. This is an ornamented chorale prelude - a perfect example of Buxtehude's style. This piece will make a good contrast with the preceding and following pieces. 3. Prelude and Fugue in G Major, BWV 541 by Johann Sebastian Bach. A joyful prelude with elements of Ritornello form. You will find a complex Stretto section towards the end of the fugue. 4. Chorale Prelude "Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland", BWV 659 by Bach. A very famous chorale prelude from the collection of Great 18 Chorales (Leipzig Chorale Preludes). Slow tempo and fascinating ornamented chorale melody in the right hand part. 5. Trio Sonata No. 1 in E flat Major, BWV 525 by Bach. This is the easiest of all of 6 trio sonatas by this composer. However, the organists will still encounter many technical challenges which have to be overcome at the Bachelor's degree recital. 6. Organ Concerto Op. 4, No. 5 in F Major, HWV 293 by George Frideric Handel. This is the shortest of 6 most famous organ concertos by Handel. It consists of four contrasting movements: Larghetto, Allegro, Alla Siciliana, and Presto. 7. Allegretto, Op. 1 by Louis Vierne. A rarely performed early work of Vierne of moderate difficulty. Nice ABA form with charming oboe melody in the right hand. 8. Meditation from the Suite Medievale by Jean Langlais. Very colorful French style modal writing. Slow tempo makes it a wonderful preparation for what is coming next in your program. 9. Chorale No. 3 by Cesar Franck. This is perhaps the most famous and the easiest of all of 3 chorales of Franck. A perfect closing piece for your recital - very dramatic work with a beautiful slow middle section. Take any or all of the above pieces and start practicing for your recital today. The compositions from this list constitute a recital of approximately 1 hour of duration which is an optimum length for organ recital. They provide a welcome variety in character, mood, tempo, mode, keys, and registration for positive listener experience. 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 free Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. One of the best-known organ chorale preludes by Johannes Brahms, Herzlich tut mich verlangen, Op. 122 (6/4 meter) can be considered a beginner level organ piece. It is easy to play because of very slow tempo, straightforward pedal line and lack of imitative polyphony. Its gentle but sad character can make a nice contrast in your organ recital if you play it between two louder and/or faster pieces. In this article, I will give you 5 tips on how to learn this chorale prelude.
1. Repeated notes. There are several half notes which are repeated in the chorale melody in the pedal part. According to the tradition of legato playing technique, repeated notes should be shortened by an exact rhythmical value. Shorten these notes by the smallest most frequently used rhythmical value in this piece (unit value). This would be a sixteenth note. It means that you should make a sixteenth note rest. The repeated notes in the left hand part should be made shorter by a sixteenth note. 2. Pedal preparation. It is best to automate your pedal playing in this piece by applying pedal preparation technique. For example, as soon as you release a pedal played by the right foot, immediately slide this foot with a quick motion in the position for the next note and let it wait there. The same applies for the pedal preparation in the left foot. 3. Lean on dissonances (harmony). Not all notes are considered equally important in this piece. The most significant notes in the Romantic music tend to be the ones which form a dissonant chord. A dissonant chord consists of dissonant intervals, such as any second, seventh, diminished and augmented intervals. In this case, emphasize the chords which have four or more chordal tones and chromaticisms. In other words, lean on dissonances by coming in a bit late or holding them a bit longer. 4. Long melodic lines. A signature by Brahms are his endless melodies, somewhat similar to those of Richard Wagner. The difficult part of performing long melodic lines is that you can't take a breath in the middle of the line. Instead, use your mental focus by seeking the end of that line. Do not stop mentally in the middle of the phrase. Also try to count out loud the parts of the measure. In this way, the long melodies will have a purpose and direction, and listeners will be able to follow and appreciate the lines. 5. Registration. Since the dynamic level of the manual part is piano, you should use several 8' stops combined. It is best to play the middle part on the secondary manual. The chorale melody in the pedals should be based on the 8' stop. Do not use 16' in the pedals here. Instead, choose a soft 8' reed or 8' principal with or without 8' flutes. Use these tips when you practice the chorale prelude Herzlich tut mich verlangen, Op. 122 today. For best results, try to be very precise in executing every detail, such as repeated notes, using pedal preparation, and emphasizing the dissonant chords. 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 FREE Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. Are you struggling in learning one of the best known organ works by Felix Mendelssohn, Sonata No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 65? In this article, I will give you 5 tips which will help you learn this composition.
1. Repeated notes. One of the most important elements in the performance of the Romantic organ music is the issue of the repeated notes. Whenever you see the repeated notes in this composition, you have to shorten them by the unit value. For example, if the most common rhythmic value (the unit value) in the last movement is an eight note, try to shorten the repeated notes exactly by an eighth note. If the eighth notes are repeated, it is best to shorten them by half and playing a sixteenth note with a sixteenth note rest. 2. Registration. Mendelssohn wrote in the preface of his 6 sonatas that for him fortissimo means a full organ, pianissimo - soft 8' stop alone, forte - great organ without some of the loudest stops, piano - several soft 8' stops combined and so forth. In the pedal you should always use 16' and 8' stops together unless indicated otherwise. 3. Tempo in the toccata (the last variation of movement I). Although many organists love to play this toccata very fast, I recommend avoiding extremes in tempo. This is because in such a tempo you will lose the important details in articulation, phrasing and so on. When you practice this toccata, take a slow and comfortable tempo which would allow you to avoid mistakes. If you make a mistake, go back a few measures and play that episode several times in a row correctly. 4. Practice in fragments, in separate parts and in combinations. For best results, I recommend you practice in shorter fragments of about 4 measures each. Then you will be able to correct your mistakes very quickly. As you start making progress in your playing, you can make the fragments longer. It is also a good idea not to play both hands and feet together right from the beginning. Instead, practice right hand alone, left hand alone, and pedals alone. Then take both hands together, right hand and pedals, and left hand and pedals. Only then master all parts together. 5. Practice on the piano. Since the basis of the Romantic legato organ technique is based on the piano technique, you will improve your keyboard technique by practicing this composition on the piano extensively. If you want, you can play the pedals on the floor while sitting on the higher chair. However, be very careful not to play this piece on the piano using the piano touch with intense dynamics and lifting your fingers high up in the air. Instead, play everything mezzo piano with an even sound and try to keep your fingers in contact with the keys at all times. Playing this way will ensure you will get the most benefit out of the piano practice. Use these tips as you practice the Sonata No. 6 in D Minor, Op. 65 by Mendelssohn on the organ today. If you are precise and consistent in your practice, in time you will learn to play it well. 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 FREE Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. Do you like playing Prelude and Fugue in B flat Major, BWV 560 on the organ and would like to know what is the best way to practice it? Here are my 7 tips which will take your practice of this piece to the next level.
1) Practice is not performance. Very often people enjoy playing the piece in the way they would perform it during a recital or church service. However, if you truly want to learn to play this prelude and fugue with confidence, you first have to realize that the different approach is needed for practicing on your own. 2) Playing the piece in its entirety is not the best option. For the best results, avoid playing the entire piece from the beginning until the end until you are ready. The thing is that when you play this prelude and fugue, you are likely to make quite a few mistakes. Consequently, if you do not stop and correct your mistakes, you are likely to repeat them again and again. 3) Instead practice in short fragments. Subdivide this piece into manageable units of about 4 measures each. Remember that the piece is quite long and it is best to work on a few measures at a time. This way your chances of making a mistake greatly diminishes. 4) Don't underestimate the power of separate voices and voice combinations. In such polyphonic texture with several highly independent parts it is difficult to listen to each voice equally well. Consequently, you are likely to miss some important details in fingering, pedaling or articulation. Do not play all the voices together unless you have mastered them individually, in pairs and 3-voice combinations. 5) Later make the fragments longer. As your playing of this prelude and fugue becomes better, start expanding the fragments by doubling them in size. It is important that you become accustomed to gradually increasing the length of your practice without stopping. This way you will prepare yourself for public performance in the future. 6) Put the hands and feet together. After you master individual voices and voice combinations, it is time to play all parts together. If you were honest in learning the previous step, you will be surprised how fast and enjoyable is the practice process. 7) Make at least 3 correct repetitions. Try not to advance to the next combination or fragment unless you can play the current one at least 3 times in a row correctly. A master organist Marcel Dupre used a system of 10 repetitions in his teaching. This is an optimum example. However, in order to see the positive results with the shortest amount of repetitions, play without mistakes at least 3 times in a row. If you make a mistake, you will have to start counting from the beginning. Go on and start learning Prelude and Fugue in B flat Major, BWV 560 today by repeatedly practicing short fragments. And don't forget to take advantage of learning separate voices and voice combinations. By doing so you will discover that you are on the right path to the mastery of this wonderful composition. Do you have your favorite techniques which help you practice this piece? Share your experience in the comment section. 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 FREE Organ Practice Guide. Or if you really want to learn to play any organ composition at sight fluently and without mistakes while working only 15 minutes a day, check out my systematic master course in Organ Sight-Reading. |
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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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