# Contemporary organ music



## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Organ music is often associated with old music, but I feel it is still much alive and more and more contemporary compositions appear. A lot of today's composers play the organ themselves and improvise regularly.The purpose of the thread is to boost interest for this music genre and at the same time to prove that there is absolutely no dearth of good contemporary music. In order to kickstart the thread i will post a list of pieces so that members can react and hopefully add plenty of other contemporary pieces.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Contemporary Organ Music

Plse note that my original list has been completed by the much appreciated contributions of our members

-Thomas Ades: Under Hamelin Hill
-Kalevi Aho: Three Interludes, Ludus Solemnis
-Mark André: IV 15
-Ellen Arkbro: 4 Organs and brass, Three, Chords
-Luciano Berio: Fa-Si
-John Cage: Organ 2/aslp
-PM Davies: Psalm 124, O God abufe, Fantasia on O, Magnum Mysterium, 3 Organ voluntaris, Reliqui Domum Meum, Sonata
-Pascal Dusapin: Memory
-Petr Ebben: Job
-Thierry Escaich: 6 Etudes, Chorals, Evocation I-III
The composer is a great virtuoso on the organ and improvises frequently.
-Morton Feldman: Principal Sound
-Brian Ferneyhough: Sieben Sterne
-Carlotta Ferrari: Impressive catalog, Including Le Maraviglie d’Arcimboldo
-Michael Finnissy: Organ Symphonies 1-4
-Philip Glass: Dances II & IV, Mad Rush, Contrary Motion, Satyagraha
-Hendryk Gorecki: Kantata
-Sofia Gubaidulina: Hell und dunkel
-Jonathan Harvey: Fantasia, Laus Deo
-Toshio Hosokawa: Sen IV, Cloudscape
-Eva-Maria Houben: Drones, Breath, Going on, Erwartung 2, Orgelbuch
The composer plays the organ herself and has an impressive catalog of organ works.
-Klaus Huber: Metanoia
-André Jolivet: Mandala, Nocturne, Hymne à St-André, Hymne à l'Univers, Arioso barocco
-Mauricio Kagel: Fantasia, Improvisation ajoutée, rrrrrr
-Marina Khorkova: Installationen
-Thomas Lacôte: Quilisma, The fifth Hammer, Et l’unique Cordeau des Trompettes marines, Organ Books I-II
The composer holds the chair of la Sainte-Trinité in Paris.
-Gyorgy Ligeti: Volumina, Ricercare, Two Studies
-Olivier Messiaen: Impressive Catalog of Organ Music played exquisitely by Olivier Latry, who holds the chair of Notre Dame in Paris. Le Banquet céleste, La Nativité du Seigneur, L’Ascension and Le Livre du Sacrement are absolute masterpieces.
-Per Norgärd: Partita Concertante
-Joao Pedro Oliveira: Iberian Organ Book. The composer has studied organ music and is a virtuoso performer. There are 3 other compositions for organ in his catalog, unfortunately there is no recording to my knowledge.
-Arvo Pärt: Pari Intervallo, Trivium, Annum per Annum, Mein Weg hat Gipfel und Wellentäler
-Enno Poppe: Arbeit I-III for virtual Hammond Organ
-Horatiu Radulescu: You-Tree Kalotrope III, Christe Eleison, Amen
-Einojuhani Rautavaara: Toccata, Laudatio Trinitas, Ta Tou Theou
-Wolfgang Rihm: Bann-Nachtschwärmerei, Fantasie, Drei Fantasien, Sinfoniae I Messe, Contemplatio
-Terry Riley: Persian Surgery Dervishes played by the composer on electric organ
-Lula Romero: Umbra
-Poul Ruders: Trio Transcendale
-Robert Simpson: Eppur si muove
-Karlheinz Stockhausen: Tierkreis
-Dobrinka Tabakova: Diptych
-John Tavener: Mandelion
-Peteris Vasks: Viatore, Cantus ad Pacem, Canto di Forza, Musica Seria, Te Deum, Hymnus, Balta Ainava
-Iannis Xenakis: Gmeeoorh

Famous performers are:
-Zsigmond Szathmary
-Jennifer Bate
-Iveta Apkalna
-Christopher Bowers-Broadbent
-Ernst Surberg
-Christoph Maria Moosmann
-Kevin Bowyer
-Olivier Latry
-Forrest Eimold
-Jan Lehtola
-Thomas Lacôte
-Dominik Susteck
-Bernard Foccroulle
-Carson Cooman
-Joel Peters

The grand master for contemporary organ composition is Olivier Messiaen because of his extensive and superlative catalog. It will be interesting to see how far Carlotta Ferrari (1975) gets because she has strong support from Carson Cooman. Eva-Maria Houben is also a great exponent of the genre and has a fascinating body of work, that tends to the minimalistic style.
Many major composers like Gubaidulina, Radulescu, Dusapin, Xenakis have contributed few pieces to the genre but their pieces are gorgeous.


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## Torkelburger (Jan 14, 2014)

Have you ever heard of Leo Sowerby? I don't think he is known at all in your part of the world. He is barely remembered in mine. I only heard of him a few years ago when I was going through the list of Pulitzer Prize winners, researching the lives and music of the composers I didn't know. He was one of them. He also won the Rome Prize. He won the Pulitzer (at the time was a very prestigious and well respected award in my country, the USA) in 1946 for a cantata.

Below is the link with his bio and catalogue. He was an organist and wrote a lot of organ music, including multiple concertos for it. I think in my country his catalogue is well known among organists. It didn't strike my interests but I do remember liking his orchestral tone poem _From the Northland._

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leo_Sowerby


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## RobertJTh (Sep 19, 2021)

Shameless plug for my own music, available at IMSLP, free for non-commercial use.

https://imslp.org/index.php?title=C...ersect=For_organ&transclude=Template:Catintro

My biggest project is a series of 24 organ sonatas, in every key, inspired by Rheinberger, but using a modern idiom.
There are lots of collections of smaller, easier to play works too, suitable for liturgical use. Many are based on Gregorian chant and Lutheran chorales.


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## composingmusic (Dec 16, 2021)

justekaia said:


> Contemporary Organ Music
> 
> -Kalevi Aho: Three Interludes, Ludus Solemnis
> -Mark André: IV 15
> ...


This is a great list, thank you!


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

How about the site owner:



Magle: Like a Flame

Frederik Magle (organ)

rederik Magle is a Danish contemporary composer and concert organist. Frederik Magle also works with film scores and crossover music, blending contemporary classical music with other genre such as jazz, rock, and electronica. His works have been performed by many orchestras and soloists including the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Nikolaj Znaider, and many others.

On Like a Flame Frederik Magle plays on a Frobenius organ. Frederik's music on this CD was composed with this specific Frobenius organ in mind.


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## Ariasexta (Jul 3, 2010)

I have collected 2 discs Helmut Walcha`s(1901-1991) organ music on Naxos. He was renowned for his interpretation of JS Bach organ works and he himself also composed for organ and published four volumes of original chorale preludes by his own pen. Naxos is planning to record all of his organ works in 4 discs and I now have 2 and also looking forward to complete this series. I am interested in modern works for organ in the vein of traditional hymns and chorales, but not sure about non-religious organ music.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

This one is in my disc collection, Disques Du Solstice - SOCD 192, released in 2001:









Recorded at Notre-Dame De Paris, the selections include _Gmeeoorh_ by Iannis Xenakis, _Diagramme_ by Charles Chaynes, and _Etna 71_ and _Evocations Improvisees De L'Eruption Du Volcan Niragongo_ by Francis Chapelet. Intriguing stuff. Not quite Bach, Franck, or Widor.


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## Prodromides (Mar 18, 2012)

justekaia said:


> The purpose of the thread is to boost interest for this music genre and at the same time to prove that there is absolutely no dearth of good contemporary music. In order to kickstart the thread i will post a list of pieces so that members can react and hopefully add plenty of other contemporary pieces.


React: Where's Jolivet?

Add: Jolivet below:


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Great piece by Russian phenomenon Marina Khorkova.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Feldman's Principal Sound (1980), his only composition for organ, played by French legend Olivier Latry.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

One I’ve heard is exceptional is Rihm’s Clamatio. I’ve never heard it, it’s not online as far as I can see. There is a recording but I’m not sure I’m interested enough in all his organ music to make the investment.



https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/in-conversation-vol-12/hnum/9473179


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Mandryka said:


> One I’ve heard is exceptional is Rihm’s Clamatio. I’ve never heard it, it’s not online as far as I can see. There is a recording but I’m not sure I’m interested enough in all his organ music to make the investment.
> 
> 
> 
> https://www.jpc.de/jpcng/classic/detail/-/art/in-conversation-vol-12/hnum/9473179


I think you mean Contemplatio which is one of the pieces of Susteck's traversal of Rihm's organ music. Although i have the cd in my collection i would not consider it to be one of Rihm's best efforts. Every composer has his areas of excellence and i would rather go for Rihm's piano music, where he has exceptional touch.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

justekaia said:


> I think you mean Contemplatio which is one of the pieces of Susteck's traversal of Rihm's organ music. Although i have the cd in my collection i would not consider it to be one of Rihm's best efforts. Every composer has his areas of excellence and i would rather go for Rihm's piano music, where he has exceptional touch.


No, I mean clamatio, the first piece in that set which I’m holding off buying. I read somewhere that it’s a musical representation of a day in the life of the organist (a precedent in Strauss’s Domestic Symphony I guess.) I also have the Wergo CD and have failed to enjoy the music in it so far.

Much as I enjoy early organ music, I haven’t spent any time exploring organ music after the middle of the 18th century - one day maybe. But I am interested in trying to make sense if Rihm’s work: no mean task, and I’m not helped by the fact that I can’t read German.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Mandryka said:


> No, I mean clamatio, the first piece in that set which I’m holding off buying. I read somewhere that it’s a musical representation of a day in the life of the organist (a precedent in Strauss’s Domestic Symphony I guess.) I also have the Wergo CD and have failed to enjoy the music in it so far.
> 
> Much as I enjoy early organ music, I haven’t spent any time exploring organ music after the middle of the 18th century - one day maybe. But I am interested in trying to make sense if Rihm’s work: no mean task, and I’m not helped by the fact that I can’t read German.


Yes, you are right, like always. I have this box of 4 cds which is available at amazon.de for 15 euros and includes clamatio. .You will have to add transportation cost.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Umbra (2021) by Lula Romero (1976) for organ and electronics.


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## Andrew Kenneth (Feb 17, 2018)

*Adriana Hölszky* - "Und ich sah wie ein gläsernes Meer, mit Feuer gemischt" (1997)


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Andrew Kenneth said:


> *Adriana Hölszky* - "Und ich sah wie ein gläsernes Meer, mit Feuer gemischt" (1997)


Maximilian Schnaus blew my socks off with this great version of Adriana's great piece. Good competition for Susteck who has an album with her organ pieces under his belt. Thks for posting.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

*Robert Simpson: Canzona, Media morte in vita sumus, Tempi, Eppur si muove ( Corydon Singers, Corydon Brass Ensemble, Iain Quinn, Hyperion)
*
Simpsons only work for organ, Eppur si muove (Ricercar e Passacaglia), is a 31 minutes beast that is imo one of the best works for the instrument composed post Franz Schmidt. Unfortunately not on YT.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

justekaia said:


> Contemporary Organ Music


You forgot one of the greatest: Petr Eben.


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## SanAntone (May 10, 2020)

> Olivier Messiaen: Impressive Catalog of Organ Music played exquisitely by Olivier Latry, who holds the chair of Notre Dame in Paris. Le Banquet céleste, La Nativité du Seigneur, L’Ascension and Le Livre du Sacrement are absolute masterpieces.


I agree about the importance and quality of the organ music of Messiaen, but prefer *Jennifer Bate* over Latry - although Latry is certainly very good.

I also want to mention *Maurice Duruflé*'s music for organ, although his output is small.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

premont said:


> You forgot one of the greatest: Petr Eben.


Point well taken. Eben has a wide range of organ compositions. I will listen and post a work i think is among his best ones. That being said you are welcome to post one yourself.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Fantasia (1991) for organ by Jonathan Harvey.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Hell und dunkel (1976) by Sofia Gubaidulina.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Volumina (1961-1962) by Gyorgy Ligeti (1923-2006) performed by Joel Peeters.


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## starthrower (Dec 11, 2010)

A bit older but still modern is the organ music of Paul Hindemith. I have an Apex CD that features his concerto, and three sonatas for organ.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Toshio Hosokawa's (1955) Sen IV (1990) played by one of the best:Susteck


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Herewith i feature two versions of Olivier Messiaen's absolute masterpiece not only of organ music but also of 20th century works overall. The work also exists in an orchestral version.
First a short introduction about 2 outstanding organ builders. There were also outstanding organ builders in he USA and in England.
Gottfried Silbermann (1683-1753) was a German organ builder whose two best examples are to be found in Freiberg Cathedral and in the St-Trinity Cathedral in Dresden. Silbermann worked closely with J-S Bach.
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899) was born in Montpellier but got his training from his father in Toulouse, one of my favourite cities. He made the most important restoration of the organ at Notre-Dame in Paris and built the organ at the St-Trinity church in Paris. Another church in Paris, Sainte Eustache has the most powerful organ but was built and restored by several organ builders.
I believe Messiaen is the modern equivalent of J-S Bach regarding organ music.
Concerning the two videos it is obvious that in the first one Jennifer Bate is outstanding and benefits from the Cavaillé-Coll organ. In the second Latry gives a performance of the full piece at the Royal Albert Hall. I would have preferred his performance at Notre-Dame which you can get on CD. I know my Anglo-Saxon friends prefer Bate, but i would go for Latry because he has the best instrument, is so familiar with the music. Bate also worked closely with the composer and had better recording. The conclusion is that you need to get both. That's how good the piece is.


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## premont (May 7, 2015)

justekaia said:


> I believe Messiaen is the modern equivalent of J-S Bach regarding organ music.


In what respect? Isn't a statement like this like comparing apples to oranges?


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## Artran (Sep 16, 2016)

My additions would be:

Fa-Si by Lucian Berio





Under Hamelin Hill, Op. 6 by Thomas Adès





And of course Petr Eben! I would name two of my favorite compositions:

Job (I link only first movement)





Windows (imo his best work). It was inspired by windows painted by Marc Chagall.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

premont said:


> In what respect? Isn't a statement like this like comparing apples to oranges?


It just means that messiaen was the dominant composer for organ in his era like Bach was in his. I am absolutely not comparing them as i have stated ad nauseam that different eras can not be compared.


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

*Pēteris Vasks: Organ Works (Tuomas Pyrhönen, Alba)*

This may be the complete output for organ by Vasks, as a CD with organ works on Wergo has the same five compositions: Te Deum, Viatore (transcribed from the work for string orchestra), Canto di forza (originally for 12 cellos), Musica seria, Cantus ad pacem. Pyrhönen plays them on the Walcker organ of the Riga Cathedral, at one time the largest church organ in the world. The music is as one would expect from Vasks, not too exuberant, more pensive.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Le Maraviglie d'Arcimboldo (2017) by Carlotta Ferrari (1975) ( one of the outstanding organ composers of our time) played by Carson Cooman


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## eljr (Aug 8, 2015)

justekaia said:


> Great piece by Russian phenomenon Marina Khorkova.


I am really glad I happened to listen to this on my system with the rather powerful subwoofers. They really did the piece justice. 
I suggest others consider the low end demands of such organ music to fully appreciate.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

eljr said:


> I am really glad I happened to listen to this on my system with the rather powerful subwoofers. They really did the piece justice.
> I suggest others consider the low end demands of such organ music to fully appreciate.


And I saw you did a listening to the former side owner.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Luca Massaglia plays Arvo Pärt's '1935) Pari Intervallo (1980) on a Cavaillé-Coll organ from St-Etienne.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Horatiu Radulescu (1942-2008) great piece for organ "Amen" (1993-1994). Radulescu belongs to my favourite composers of all time and I deeply regret that his pieces have not been recorded more widely. Where are you Jack Quartet, Diotima, Jasper Qt for not talking on the task to record some of the finest string quartets in history.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Rautavaara's (1928-2016) Toccata (1971) played by Kevin Bowyer.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

Gmeeorh (1974) by Iannis Xenakis (1922-2001) a radical, extraordinary work by my favourite composer played by Susteck.


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## justekaia (Jan 2, 2022)

premont said:


> You forgot one of the greatest: Petr Eben.


I apologize for being late with my reply. If you analyse my threads you will notice i always leave some loopholes which give the members the opportunity to intervene and defend their favourite composers. It is also my habit to post only one work per composer although in many instances i could post a lot more. You will also notice that my initial post with the list of organ composers and performers generated nearly zero replies. So I decided to post videos and the ball started rolling. 
Of course i have always known Petr Eben and appreciate his music. One of the caveats is that some of his masterpieces (Job and his piece for trumpet and organ) are technically not solo organ pieces which is the purpose of my thread. That being said i am very grateful to Artran for posting them because the organ is very dominant in these masterpieces. My purpose in TC is to share music that i like and to encourage our members to do the same. So plse share your favorite Eben organ piece with us. It will be much appreciated.


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