# Favorite, inspiring and profound organ works in your opinion



## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

The thread is inspired by a recent conversation with my friend who used to be a very dedicated organ player. Now circumstances have changed and he can't practice any more. Anyway we started to talk about organ works , etc and it inspired me to bring about this topic on this forum. Well, I know there are threads about instruments, but I wanted to ask our members what are their favorite works.

PS If there is a similar thread , please let me know :tiphat:


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I like Liszt´s Ad Nos-fantasia, 35 minutes, especially in the lively Chorzempa recording. It is in the scale of a symphonic poem, varied and expressive, but whether it´s "deep" is a question of definition, I guess; rather, it has a cinematic, Gothic quality ...


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## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Hi Helenora,

There is the wonderful "Grande Piece Symphonique" by Cesar Franck - Jeanne Demessieux played it a few decades ago and I became transfixed by the work. Charles Tournemire's "Sept Chorales Poemes sur les Sept Paroles du Christ" is a profound and soul-searching suite. Messiaen's "La Nativite du Seigneur" and "Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle" will cause the open-minded listener to re-examine their "weltanschauung". Then there is Max Reger's "Fantaisie und Fuge uber Wachet Auf" which will drag you through Sturm und Drang to exaltation.


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

_Franckly_, the organ pieces that move me the most are all by Bach:

Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C Major. BWV 564.

Trio Sonata No. 1 in E-Flat Major. BWV 525.

Passacaglia in C minor. BWV 582.

All magnificent works, in my opinion.


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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Ilarion said:


> Hi Helenora,
> 
> There is the wonderful "Grande Piece Symphonique" by Cesar Franck - Jeanne Demessieux played it a few decades ago and I became transfixed by the work. Charles Tournemire's "Sept Chorales Poemes sur les Sept Paroles du Christ" is a profound and soul-searching suite. Messiaen's "La Nativite du Seigneur" and "Apparition de l'Eglise Eternelle" will cause the open-minded listener to re-examine their "weltanschauung". Then there is Max Reger's "Fantaisie und Fuge uber Wachet Auf" which will drag you through Sturm und Drang to exaltation.


yeah, Franck is great! But I still can't really understand Reger. His works are difficult for me even though another friend of mine was totally fascinated by his works. Probably I'll have to dig into his works. Surprisingly not many members of this forum are into organ music since it's such an amazing instrument and can be called a king of instruments.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

*The Great Organ of Saint Eustache, Paris*

Bach, J S:Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV565
Grigny:Récit de tierce en taille
Guillou:Hyperion, or The Rhetoric of Fire
Lisztrelude & Fugue on B-A-C-H, S260
Mozart:Fantasia in F minor for a mechanical organ, K608
Widor:Organ Symphony No. 5 in F minor, Op. 42 No. 1: Allegro vivace

Jean Victor Arthur Guillou (organ)

I am not a "fanatic"organ listener but this one from time to time.
Excellent recorded also .:tiphat:


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

Anything by Bach.

Mendelssohn's organ sonatas.

Widor's organ symphonies (start with #5).


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

helenora said:


> The thread is inspired by a recent conversation with my friend who used to be a very dedicated organ player. Now circumstances have changed and he can't practice any more. Anyway we started to talk about organ works , etc and it inspired me to bring about this topic on this forum. Well, I know there are threads about instruments, but I wanted to ask our members what are their favorite works.
> 
> PS If there is a similar thread , please let me know :tiphat:


I don't know about deep, but one organ composer who for me seems to evoke "mystical" ideas, something au-delà, is Correa Arauxo.

But you know so much depends on the organ used and registrations chosen. Even Art of Fugue sounds deep and mystical to me when Jens Christensen plays it!

As far as favourites go, well that changes all the time, every month. Just lately my favourite has been some Pachelbel, a couple of CDs played by Joseph Payne, it's just very relaxing, undemanding, easy to listen to.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

Carl Nielsen - Commotio


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## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

Bach Dorian Fugue played by Karl Richter:






Of course the very best organ piece of all time is the Passacaglia by Bach:






Let me share a pretty piece with you:

Piston Prelude And Allegro For Organ And Strings:


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I can't I've got all that much music for organ in my collection compared to other categories but these are probably my favourites:

Bach's Passacaglia in C-minor
Reger's seven Chorale Fantasias
Franck's three Chorals and the Grande Piece Symphonique
Messiaen's Livre du Saint Sacrement
Liszt's Fantasy & Fugue on the chorale _Ad nos, ad salutarem undam_
Elgar's Sonata no.1
Duruflé's Prélude et fugue sur le nom d'Alain


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## Orfeo (Nov 14, 2013)

Guilmant's organ works are well worth trying:



















And Glazunov's


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## Xaltotun (Sep 3, 2010)

Liszt - Via Crucis


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## ArtMusic (Jan 5, 2013)

I love Bach's six trio sonatas played on the organ (and they are often arranged for other instruments).


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## Klassic (Dec 19, 2015)

I think these are very enjoyable. I also think some of these pieces would be very accessible to kids:

*Simon Preston Plays Bach and Vivaldi:*


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

Can anyone recommend atonal organ music, or something like Messiaen but more contrapuntal? 

It's weird there are so few great organ composers in history, it's almost like you have one for each era, Bach for Baroque, actually no one for Classical, Franck for Romantic, and Messiaen for modernist.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Chordalrock said:


> Can anyone recommend atonal organ music, or something like Messiaen but more contrapuntal?


Schoenberg op 44; Ligeti Volumina; Cage ASLAP, Harmonies of Maine.; Berio; Jehan Alain.



Chordalrock said:


> it's almost like you have one for each era, Bach for Baroque, actually no one for Classical, Franck for Romantic, and Messiaen for modernist.


That's clearly not true for Baroque! I'm not a great fan of Franck, but I like Brahms' op 122 much more. I don't know much about classical style and I'm not a great Mendelssohnian, but there are some tremendous contrapuntal things by Mozart. I know nothing about classical and romantic organ music really.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Xaltotun said:


> Liszt - Via Crucis


Is not for organ


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Mandryka said:


> Schoenberg op 44;


You mean the Variations on a Recitative in D minor?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Mahlerian said:


> You mean the Variations on a Recitative in D minor?


Yes, is it not op 44?


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## Mahlerian (Nov 27, 2012)

Mandryka said:


> Yes, is it not op 44?


I'm just wondering why one would bring it up in a list of atonal organ works, when even by the loose standards of the term, it doesn't fit.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Mahlerian said:


> I'm just wondering why one would bring it up in a list of atonal organ works, when even by the loose standards of the term, it doesn't fit.


Contrapuntal?

X chdj


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Mandryka said:


> Is not for organ


Yes it is, my mistake. In fact I've only ever heard it arranged for piano, I don't know if that's Liszt's arrangement.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

_Jehan Alain _doesn´t really strike me as particularly modern - quite on the contrary, and it´s rarely works on a very ambitious scale.

_Claude Ballif _has a reputation for advanced organ sonatas etc., unfortunately recordings are scarce and rare.

_Bent Lorentzen _is another example of a modern organ composer - short mp3 samples here http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-organ-music_1.aspx
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Lorentzen-The-Planets-Bent/dp/B000026BUV
http://www.dacapo-records.dk/en/recording-bent-lorentzen--erotiske-salmer--erotic-hymns.aspx

And there´s _Petr Eben _too, generally considered important.


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## pjang23 (Oct 8, 2009)

Introduction, Passacaglia & Fugue by Canadian composer Healey Willan is an obscure gem. It is an homage to similar works by Bach and Reger.


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## Chordalrock (Jan 21, 2014)

joen_cph said:


> _Jehan Alain _doesn´t really strike me as particularly modern - quite on the contrary, and it´s rarely works on a very ambitious scale.
> 
> _Claude Ballif _has a reputation for advanced organ sonatas etc., unfortunately recordings are scarce and rare.
> 
> ...


I agree about Alain, I didn't remember it but I had already explored him and he's not really what I am looking for.

Thanks for the recommendations, I'll be checking them out.


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## Woodduck (Mar 17, 2014)

The organ works of Charles Tournemire, admired by Messiaen (who knew a thing or two about writing for organ), will transport you to an alternative reality.


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## Ilarion (May 22, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> The organ works of Charles Tournemire, admired by Messiaen (who knew a thing or two about writing for organ), will transport you to an alternative reality.


Next to Bach, Tournemire is, imo, the most important composer for organ - and then comes Max Reger...


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## tortkis (Jul 13, 2013)

Chordalrock said:


> It's weird there are so few great organ composers in history, it's almost like you have one for each era, Bach for Baroque, actually no one for Classical, Franck for Romantic, and Messiaen for modernist.


There are many good organ works in Baroque era, but probably organ was not so popular during Classical period. I heard some organ works of lesser known Classical composers (Ciri, Brixi, Alberti, ...) and found them rather plain and simplistic.

I think Romantic period is better. I like Shumann's organ works, though there are not so many.

Six Studies For Organ Op. 56


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## Guest (Mar 2, 2016)

Chordalrock said:


> Can anyone recommend atonal organ music, or something like Messiaen but more contrapuntal?
> 
> It's weird there are so few great organ composers in history, it's almost like you have one for each era, Bach for Baroque, actually no one for Classical, Franck for Romantic, and Messiaen for modernist.


Frescobaldi, Buxtehude, and Bach for Baroque, at the least. Franck, Liszt, Widor, Vierne, and Reger for Romantic, at the least 

As for these "atonal organ works" - I'm not sure about "atonal", but if you want contemporary organ music, I would echo works by Ligeti and Cage, and add discs by Wolfgang Rihm, Wolfgang Mitterer, Jakob Ullmann, Klaus Lang, Ernst Helmuth Flammer, and Martin Herchenröder. There are also occasional organ works by composers, who don't normally write for the instrument, that should not be ignored. For instance, a great disc of works by Ferneyhough, Feldman, Scelsi, and Xenakis comes to mind.


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## Krummhorn (Feb 18, 2007)

Marcel Dupre is another to check out.

Messiaen's organ works are very enjoyable to me - especially in a darkened room so that nothing can distract from the sound.

Max Reger wrote a few quieter and much less energetic pieces as well. I've played his _Benedictus _on occasion.

Of course, my boss here (Frederik Magle) is a very accomplished organist and composer. Here is an excerpt from one of the tracks on his double CD album, Like a Flame: Awakening.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Do you think it's true that people writing serious modern classical music have avoided organ? I noticed a similar thing about masses. Maybe best composers are repelled by Church.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I love the works of J.S. Bach first and foremost.

Some nice stuff off the beaten path:

Jean Langlais





Naji Hakim (studied under Messaien)


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## regenmusic (Oct 23, 2014)

Francis Poulenc Concerto in G minor for Organ Strings and Timpani

Poulenc was a strong Catholic, as was Messiaen, and there was another
modern French composer, I believe one whose name began with V?
who was also Catholic and wrote organ music.


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## TxllxT (Mar 2, 2011)




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## helenora (Sep 13, 2015)

Woodduck said:


> The organ works of Charles Tournemire, admired by Messiaen (who knew a thing or two about writing for organ), will transport you to an alternative reality.


this Charles Tournemire is a new discovery of mine. Great works! Thanks Woodduck!


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