Posted on 04/29/2021 3:55:02 PM PDT by SamAdams76
Somebody, I don't remember who, challenged me to recommend some organ music.
Whenever I think of organ music, I think of Johanne Sebastian Bach. A man who when wasn't making music, was making babies with one woman or another (he had twenty).
This Netherlands Bach Society has been putting out some pretty incredible YouTube videos. Evidently they are on a mission to put the entire Bach oeuvre online and that's fine by me.
I've also been reading some Alice Munro short stories but that's the subject of another, future, post.
Golly. Would like other pipe organ composer also
Bach was incredibly prolific. Just to transcribe his works would take over 50 years, one
author estimated 80 years.
He also wrote at the end of each work “To God be the glory.”
"Ahhh, Bach!"
If it’s played by E Power Biggs and *NOT* Virgil Fox, then I LOVE Bach organ music.
Also the Brandenburg Concertos, but they were made for chamber orchestras, not organs.
These are very nice Bach versions of “Tony” Vivaldi’s pieces. One of my favorite Bach written pieces for organ would have to be Fugue in G Minor #542.
It’s like sitting in a Lazy Boy lounger while riding a Roller Coaster.(Seat Belts ON, of course!)
A Mach piece (in D minor) by Nigel Tufnel of Spinal Tap
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NgViOqGJEvM
LOL, Ahhh, Bach, beat me to it!
One of the greatest works of music ever!
While not all organs , this piece is called the “Organ Symphony” with good reason.
This is the Telarc version so turn up your subs to 11, nail your EZ-CHair to the floor, strap yourselves in & enjoy the ride !
TELARC presents Camille Saint-Saëns - The Symphony No. 3 in C minor, Op. 78. Organ Symphony
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5eusBP6uW7Q
Stunning rendition on a magnificent instrument. Thanks for posting.
Greatest live performance in my life was by J. Reilly Lewis, founder of the Washington Bach Consort, who played for a small group of us who stood behind him at the organ.
After one of his Tuesday recitals at the NY Presbyterian Church in DC, J. Reilly invited our group, consisting of entirely bored high school kids, to “show them how the organ works.”
Never saw those kids more mesmerized. That boy could play!
For many years I would play Bach’s Toccata & Fugue in D Minor for the trick and treaters on Halloween. They always found it very spooky.
This is my favorite of Bach's harpsichord works. The overhead shots in this piece are stunning.
If any of you would like your very own pipe organ to play with may I highly recommend the Hauptwerk virtual pipe organs.
I have their free version and, while it is stripped down compared to their paid versions it sounds great. Run it through decent audio gear and WOW !. They say that you can download the basic version ($300), use it as a free trial for two weeks and then use it as the free version as long as you want. That’s what I’m doing but on an earlier version so this is just my best guess for newer versions, but even if its just the trial why not try it ?
They also sell monthly subscriptions to the program in the $20 range which is not bad if you will just be using it here and there.
You can check it out here...
There are lots of youtube videos of people who use the software to control great home-brew MIDI beasties as well, nut all you need is a basic MIDI keyboard and put yourself behind the wheel.
Here’s a guy using 4 manuals , again, you don’t need more than one but this is a real good demo of what Hauptwerk can do...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k9BdlH_F70E
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