 If you liked my PDF score of Leon Boellmann's Toccata or Introduction-Choral from Suite Gothique, Op. 25, I'm sure you will enjoy his sweet Priere a Notre Dame.
Thanks to Jeremy Owens for his meticulous transcription of fingering from the slow motion video. Intermediate level. PDF score. 4 pages. Check it out here 50% discount is valid until February 12. This score is free for Total Organist students.
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 These delightful variations of Balleto del Granduca originally were attributed to Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck but recent scholarship points to Samuel Scheidt as a composer.
I have created this score with the hope that it will help my students who love early music to recreate articulate legato style automatically, almost without thinking. Thanks to David Koch for his meticulous transcription of fingering from the slow motion videos. Intermediate level. Manuals only. PDF score. 3 pages. Check it out here 50% discount is valid until February 8. This score is free for Total Organist students. AVA149: Do You Have A Piece Of Similar Difficulty To Handel's Largo With Fingering And Pedaling?2/3/2018 Vidas: Hi guys, this is Vidas.
Ausra: And Ausra. Vidas: Let’s start Episode 149 of #AskVidasAndAusra podcast. And this question was sent by David. He writes: Hello Vidas, I am making progress slowly on Largo from Xerxes. I'm at the point that I would like to also start working on another piece as I finish up Largo. Do you have a piece of similar difficulty with modern fingering and pedaling that you could recommend for me? Also congratulations on 6 years of Secrets of Organ Playing! This is an excellent service and you and Ausra are going a great job! David So this is really nice, that people value our work, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes, it’s always nice to know that somebody appreciates your work. Vidas: So, talking about this question that David asks...he needs help in choosing a similar piece to Largo by Handel, right? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Do you think that it should be a Baroque composition or a Romantic or modern piece, according to him? Ausra: It depends on what he likes. Probably, maybe, another Baroque piece. What do you think about it? Vidas: He did mention that he needs modern fingering and pedaling. But what he means by this, I don’t know. It wouldn’t hurt to play more Baroque pieces, right? Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Do you think we could recommend something created by Krebs, for example? Right, from his Clavierübung Chorale Preludes, like Allein Gott, or Jesu meine Freude? Ausra: Don’t you think this would be too hard, compared to Handel? Vidas: Jesu meine Freude? Is it too difficult, you think? Ausra: Well, yes, you have to have quite good manual technique. Vidas: What’s so problematic about Jesu meine Freude? Sixteenth note runs, or…? Ausra: Well, yes! Vidas: Anything else? Ausra: You would need to have much better technique already, compared to that aria of Handel. Don’t you think so? Don’t you agree? Vidas: And it doesn’t have pedals. So maybe he needs pedals, right? Do you think we could recommend a piece by Johann Sebastian Bach, like chorale preludes or something? Ausra: Well, of course. Vidas: What would you suggest? Ausra: Are you thinking about Chorale Preludes, or about free pieces? Vidas: Both. Let’s say both. And first of all, let’s say a free piece, like 3 or 4 pages long, maybe. Ausra: Well, this could be one of the Eight Little Preludes, like g minor, for example. Vidas: It would seem like it would be a good choice, g minor, because the prelude is rather slow, and the pedal work is not too complex, and the texture is very chordal; but then the problem is with the fugue, right? Ausra: Yes, the fugue is much harder than the prelude. Vidas: What is complicated about the fugue, Ausra? Ausra: Because you have to master all those notes that are equally important; and already the pedals are quite complicated. Vidas: Do you think that David could start on the pedal part right away, instead of playing from the beginning? Ausra: Of course. You always need to learn the harder spots first. Vidas: What else would you recommend that he could play, like maybe a Chorale Prelude, three or four parts…? Ausra: Maybe some Preludes from the Orgelbüchlein, or from the Notebook of Anna Magdalena Bach. Vidas: Mhmm. Ausra: Or… Vidas: Dances? Ausra: Yes. Vidas: Dances should definitely be doable. And from Orgelbüchlein, things like Ich ruf’ zu dir. Ausra: Yes, because it’s a slow tempo, yes. Vidas: Or even maybe O mensch bewein, but… Ausra: Well, that cantus firmus is so ornamented, it’s not that easy to play. I think Ich ruf’ zu dir is easier. You could even decipher the chords in this piece. Vidas: Easier. So maybe O Mensch bewein could be for later. Ausra: Sure. Vidas: But it’s very beautiful. Ausra: Yes, it’s very beautiful. Vidas: One of the most beautiful pieces from the Baroque period. Ausra: I agree. Vidas: Excellent. Could we recommend something for David and people like David in that level--maybe from the Romantic period? Ausra: Of course, there’s a lot of music you can play from the Romantic period. Vidas: Maybe...Let’s say, some French music--like, Vierne wrote this beautiful Berceuse, remember? Ausra: Yes, it’s very nice, and not that hard. Vidas: It could be played with pedals or without pedals. Ausra: Both ways, I believe. Vidas: Both ways. And it’s worth trying. Ausra: Yes, and there’s also that, you know, collection of so-called L’Organiste by Cesar Franck, which is also doable and not that hard. Vidas: Mhm. Ausra: And you can also play it without pedals, because it’s intended to play on the… Vidas: Harmonium? Ausra: Harmonium, yes. Vidas: Good. I think people could find a lot of suitable material in this collection, too. And remember, you have to use modern fingering and pedaling, right? We haven’t, I think, prepared any scores by Franck yet. But we did write down fingering and pedaling for Berceuse by Vierne, Allegretto by Vierne, but it’s a little more complex. But not too much. And then, I think, Meditation by Vierne is also a similar slow motion, meditative piece. That could be possible. What else? Or is it enough for starters? Ausra: I think it should be enough for starters. Vidas: Mhm. It’s best, guys, to try just a few pieces, and master them to the best of your ability--to spend some time, right? Right, Ausra? Ausra: That’s true. Don’t practice too many pieces at once, because then your progress will be very slow. Vidas: Unless you want to sightread things, like… Ausra: Sure. Vidas: Do you recommend sightreading, Ausra? Regularly? Ausra: Yes, it’s always beneficial to sightread things. Vidas: How much time should you spend, or could you spend, every day? Ausra: Well, I would say at least 10 minutes. Vidas: So, do you think that in 10 minutes usually in a slow tempo, people could play through maybe a couple of pages, right? Ausra: Well, it depends on how long your pages are. Vidas: Mhmm. Ausra: And how advanced you are. Vidas: Maybe some people could play 5 pages in that tempo, right? Ausra: Yes, yes. Vidas: So, a piece or two, right? Generally not too long. So, choose your favorite collection that you love, and of course you will be on your way to mastering sightreading as well! It’s very beneficial in the long run. Anything else, Ausra, you could recommend? Ausra: Well, just keep practicing every day. Vidas: Yes. Try not to skip a practice. On your calendar, you could mark X, X, X, on each day; that will be a wonderful feeling after one month or two months or three months. Thanks, guys, for listening, and applying our advice in your practice. This is really fascinating for us, to help you grow. And send us more of your questions, right Ausra? Ausra: Yes, we are waiting. Vidas: And remember, when you practice… Ausra: Miracles happen.  Would you like to learn Da Pacem, Domine, in diebus nostris by the great Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621)?
If so, this score is for you because it will save you many hours of frustration. I have created early fingering for every single note which will allow you to achieve articulate legato automatically, almost without thinking. This set consists of 4 variations (manualiter only, no pedals): Variation 1: Bicinium with the chorale melody (cantus firmus) in the soprano Variation 2: Trio with the chorale melody in the tenor Variation 3: Quartet with the chorale melody in the alto Variation 4: Quartet with the chorale melody in the bass Note that these four settings are perfect example for anybody wants to creatively play hymn accompaniments. You too, can create duets, trios, and quartets from any hymn tune and place the melody in ANY voice. Thanks to Alan who meticulously transcribed the fingering from my videos. 50% discount is valid until February 5. Check out this score here Intermediate level. PDF score (4 pages). This score is free for Total Organist students. SOP Podcast #123: Luca Massaglia on acoustics, expanding your repertoire and giving presents12/3/2017  Welcome to Secrets of Organ Playing Podcast #123!
Listen to the conversation
In this conversation, Luca shares his insights about his interest in Jazz, the modes of Messiaen, harmony, music of Jehan Alain. He also recounts his experiences from his concert tours in Russia where big audiences are attending organ concerts whereas in Western Europe not so many anymore are interested in this art. We also talk about the opera influences on Italian organ music, Renaissance music, acoustics, expanding your repertoire and giving musical presents. You can find out more about Luca's activities at www.lucamassaglia.com. 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. If you like it, feel free to subscribe to our channel on Musicoin. By the way, you can upload your own recordings to YOUR channel to maximize revenue. If you have some audio recordings of your organ performances, you can do the same. Feel free to use my invitation link to join Musicoin: https://musicoin.org/accept/MUSICa45e5f26ede2be5dd4411747 Thanks for caring. Listen to the conversation Relevant links: www.lucamassaglia.com Luca Massaglia's channel on YouTube  At the end of last summer the world-famous Dutch organist Pieter van Dijk came to Vilnius, Lithuania for a few days to give master-classes on early music. As part of this event he also played an hour-long recital at the Cathedral.
One of the pieces that really stood out was J.S. Bach's fugue in C minor on the theme of Legrenzi, BWV 574. Believe it or not I've never played nor heard this beautiful fugue before. Van Dijk's playing was so inspiring and so rhythmically strong that the pulse could be heard even in the most romantic compositions from that day's repertoire. It's a complex double fugue - the second theme enters in the middle of page 2. It also has fascinating canonic stretto entrances which will not be very easy to learn yet I'm sure lovers of fugue genre will find them amazing. The ending of the fugue is particularly worth mentioning. At the end of page 6 the piece sort of ends with a strong authentic cadence but Bach decided to compose one more page with an extended virtuoso plagal cadence - basically a long excursion into the subdominant key of F minor which is also extended by the authentic cadence. Contrary to basic logic, please make sure you hold the last chord extremely short. This will help you make a strong impact on your listeners (just like Pieter van Dijk made on me). Ever since this recital, the fugue on the theme of Legrenzi haunted me wherever I went so that I decided to create a PDF practice score for you. I hope you'll enjoy playing from my score (7 pages) with complete fingering and pedaling which will save you many hours and set you on the efficient path of mastering it. Let me know how your practice goes. 50 % discount is valid until November 15. This score is free for Total Organist students.  A few days ago I have received a request from Christian-Angel to provide a score of BWV 579 with fingering and pedaling. That's Johann Sebastian Bach's Fugue in B minor on the Theme by Corelli.
Today I finally finished this project which any of our students can now take advantage of. It will save you many hours of struggle and help you to master this beautiful fugue easier and quicker. It's a PDF score with 5 pages. A few tips on learning this piece: For Christian-Angel the most difficult part is the final Stretto - the last 3 systems. This is not surprising because in any Stretto composer develops the theme canonically. This means that a few voices have the same melody played but not at the same time - the parts enter before the previous one has finished. In this fugue it's so important to practice ALL 15 combinations separately: S, A, T, B, SA, ST, SB, AT, AB, TB, SAT, SAB, STB, ATB and SATB. Make sure you don't skip any of the steps and try not to rush - extremely slow tempo works best for practice purposes. Don't forget that you don't have to work on the fugue on its entirety, practice of small episodes of about 1 line works best. Start and finish each episode on the downbeat. This helps to connect the fragments between themselves. In my experience, I had to repeat each step at least 3 times without mistakes in a row before I was ready to go on to the next combination. And if you apply my fingering, you will achieve articulate legato naturally, almost without thinking. 50 % discount is valid until November 15. Enjoy and let me know how your practice goes. This score is free for Total Organist students.  Ausra and I are preparing for a recital together which will be in 10 days were we will be performing solo and duet works by Sweelinck, Bach, Mozart and Mendelssohn.
Ausra is playing the famous Fantasia Chromatica by Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562-1621), "Orpheus of Amsterdam" and "the Maker of German Organists" as he was called back in the day to point out his artistic and pedagogical significance. The piece is called "Chromatic" because of the theme which is presented in the beginning. It is formed of descending chromatic tetrachord and later developed in all kinds of ways - canons, augmentation, diminution, double augmentation and double diminution. Interestingly, Sweelinck worked out not only the main subject but also the counter-subject so this piece is a pinnacle of polyphonic mastery before Bach. Of course it's so difficult to pick one Sweelinck's piece over the others because most of them are masterpieces. Fantasia Chromatica is so fantastic that I thought our students who love early music would want to play it too. Therefore I've prepared a PDF score with complete early fingering (5 pages) for efficient practice and instant articulated legato touch. It will save you many hours and give you the tools for historically informed performance practice. 50 % discount is valid until November 15. Enjoy and let us know how your practice of this piece goes. This score is free for Total Organist students.  Would you like to learn the famous Carillon by Leon Boellmann (1862-1897) from his 12 Pieces, Op. 16 (1891)?
If so, save yourself many hours and check out my new PDF score (5 pages) with fingering and pedaling for efficient practice to achieve ideal legato articulation. 50 % discount is valid until November 1. Free for Total Organist students.  Would you like to learn to play Introduction-Choral by Leon Boellmann from his Suite Gothique, Op. 25?
If so, this PDF score with complete fingering and pedaling will save you many hours and and help you practice efficiently with legato articulation. 2 pages. Free for Total Organist students |
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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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