# Works for organ



## NightHawk

Aside from the formidable achievement of JSBACH, what post-Buxtehude, post-Bach composers of organ music do you feel are the primary artists/composers for this instrument? I presently own a good collection of the organ masters of North Germany in the late 16th and 17th centuries, and of Bach, but would like a more extensive catalog running through the 'moderns' such as Messiaen. I have perused Amazon.com closely, but would very much like some personal opinions. 

Thanks for any input, composers, specific works, and especially specific performers/albums will be much appreciated. nh


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## Ukko

I suspect that both _Krummhorn_ and Mr. Magle might be the best guides. I will just suggest the French composers of the 19th C. Both Franck and his organist successor Fauré composed some good stuff. Alkan's contributions are at least interesting, and not subtly slanted as is much of his piano music.

-In the 'of very little help category- I recently listened to a CD containing Franck & Fauré works performed on 'old French organs' that pleased me greatly. I may even have posted about it. But the CD doesn't 'come to hand', so what the hey, eh?


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## jalex

Yes, I think Franck is generally considered the most significant post-Baroque organ composer. 

There are also the six organ sonatas of Mendelssohn and the ten organ 'symphonies' (for solo organ) of Widor.


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## Ukko

I forgot to mention Mozart's organ sonatas. They are not heavy duty, but they are Melodious Mozart.


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## elgar's ghost

Maurice Durufle - although he lived a long life his actual output was rather meagre and all of his compositions for organ (or, to be precise, those published while he lived) fit onto one disc and are widely available. One piece is based on the name of Alain - another highly-regarded French exponent of organ music who sadly died too young. If you like Franck's organ works then I imagine you'll like Durufle. Organ music from Franck's time through to Messiaen seemed to be a genre that the French excelled in.


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## Philip

*Handel* (concertos), Mendelssohn, *Franck* (chorals), Brahms, *Widor* (symphonies), *Vierne* (symphonies), Dupré, Sorabji, *Messiaen*, many more in between... Mozart, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Reger, Hindemith, Langlais, etc.


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## NightHawk

Thanks! Franck is a composer I know through only two works - the Violin Sonata in A, and the Symphony in D minor. Can also say the same of Faure in terms of knowing but little of his gift for melody and beautiful harmony - I know the Requiem slightly, and have heard a number of his art songs. Will definitely check them out. Thanks again!



Hilltroll72 said:


> I suspect that both _Krummhorn_ and Mr. Magle might be the best guides. I will just suggest the French composers of the 19th C. Both Franck and his organist successor Fauré composed some good stuff. Alkan's contributions are at least interesting, and not subtly slanted as is much of his piano music.
> 
> -In the 'of very little help category- I recently listened to a CD containing Franck & Fauré works performed on 'old French organs' that pleased me greatly. I may even have posted about it. But the CD doesn't 'come to hand', so what the hey, eh?


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## NightHawk

jalex said:


> Yes, I think Franck is generally considered the most significant post-Baroque organ composer.
> 
> There are also the six organ sonatas of Mendelssohn and the ten organ 'symphonies' (for solo organ) of Widor.


Widor is already on my list, and Mendelssohn is a favorite, so thanks for the confirmation and recommendation!


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## NightHawk

Philip said:


> *Handel* (concertos), Mendelssohn, *Franck* (chorals), Brahms, *Widor* (symphonies), *Vierne* (symphonies), Dupré, Sorabji, *Messiaen*, many more in between... Mozart, Liszt, Saint-Saëns, Reger, Hindemith, Langlais, etc.


Great! Plenty of composers little known to me: Vierne, Dupre, Sorabji, Reger, Langlais, and others I know but not their works for organ. Thanks.


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## Krummhorn

Mendelssohn is a favorite of mine, especially Sonata I for organ. I've played that piece many times in concert and it is always a crowd pleaser, in particular the fast and furious pedaling towards the end, along the with final arpeggios in the manuals.

Alexander Guilmant has composed many works for the organ as well. Maurice Durufle was mentioned ... another French organist/composer was Marcel Dupre. 

Cesar Franck Chorale No 3 in A minor (for organ) is a beautiful piece - Vierne's works for organ are also excellent resources ... 
Three Rhapsodies of Saint-Saens are worthy of listening to.

Other not so well known organists/composers would include Paul Manz, G.T. Thalban-Ball, Alexander Schreiner, Randall Runyon, Leon Boellman, Theodore Dubois, Ralph Kinder, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Joseph Jongen, and Percy Fletcher. 

Gosh, there's just an infinite list of post Bach/Buxtehude organ literature.


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## NightHawk

Yes, the French Connection seems strong. Durufle is known to me by name only, and Alain not at all. Thanks so much.



elgars ghost said:


> Maurice Durufle - although he lived a long life his actual output was rather meagre and all of his compositions for organ (or, to be precise, those published while he lived) fit onto one disc and are widely available. One piece is based on the name of Alain - another highly-regarded French exponent of organ music who sadly died too young. If you like Franck's organ works then I imagine you'll like Durufle. Organ music from Franck's time through to Messiaen seemed to be a genre that the French excelled in.


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## NightHawk

Thanks for your post! Especially the 'not so well knowns' - I appreciate the naming of specific works too, and am looking for the Mendelssohn today, along with some of the others that have been mentioned by you and others. What about Bruckner - to me his symphonies sound like they were written by an organist (not a pejorative statement!) - any solo works?



Krummhorn said:


> Mendelssohn is a favorite of mine, especially Sonata I for organ. I've played that piece many times in concert and it is always a crowd pleaser, in particular the fast and furious pedaling towards the end, along the with final arpeggios in the manuals.
> 
> Alexander Guilmant has composed many works for the organ as well. Maurice Durufle was mentioned ... another French organist/composer was Marcel Dupre.
> 
> Cesar Franck Chorale No 3 in A minor (for organ) is a beautiful piece - Vierne's works for organ are also excellent resources ...
> Three Rhapsodies of Saint-Saens are worthy of listening to.
> 
> Other not so well known organists/composers would include Paul Manz, G.T. Thalban-Ball, Alexander Schreiner, Randall Runyon, Leon Boellman, Theodore Dubois, Ralph Kinder, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Joseph Jongen, and Percy Fletcher.
> 
> Gosh, there's just an infinite list of post Bach/Buxtehude organ literature.


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## GoneBaroque

Two American composers who wrote some excellent organ pieces are Ned Rorem and Leo Sowerby. I also greatly enjoy the organ music of England's John Stanley, William Walond, Maurice green, William Boyce and Thomas Tomkins to mention a few. Also some Scandinavian composers like Knut Nystedt, Egil Hovland and Thomas Aberg and of course Frederik Magle.

A story is told of Fernando Germani, who was for many years Organist at the Vatican commissdioning a "difficult pedal Toccata from Leo Sowerby. On its arrival in Rome Germani cabled bact to Sowerby "Not That Difficult"


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## joen_cph

The *Bruckner* organ works are small and rather modest. But there are a couple of good *Liszt*s, especially the Ad Nos Fantasia, lasting 35 mins. Some of the recorded performances never get off the ground musically, but the Chorzempa (philips) does (and, I suspect, Parker-Smith). Likewise *Louis Vierne *has a major oeuvre, including the 24 Fantaisies, admirable by the intriguing titles alone & influenced by the Symbolist movement and Gothic fascination of the day. The Dane *Langgaard* wrote a lot of obscurely visionary pieces as well.


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## NightHawk

Had no idea about Rorem who is a fine composer. Except for Stanley and Boyce all the other names are new to me. Nice to find so many to explore.



GoneBaroque said:


> Two American composers who wrote some excellent organ pieces are Ned Rorem and Leo Sowerby. I also greatly enjoy the organ music of England's John Stanley, William Walond, Maurice green, William Boyce and Thomas Tomkins to mention a few. Also some Scandinavian composers like Knut Nystedt, Egil Hovland and Thomas Aberg and of course Frederik Magle.
> 
> A story is told of Fernando Germani, who was for many years Organist at the Vatican commissdioning a "difficult pedal Toccata from Leo Sowerby. On its arrival in Rome Germani cabled bact to Sowerby "Not That Difficult"


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## NightHawk

The Liszt is very interesting to me, and Vierne, as well. I have Langgaard's symphonies and find him talented but a very odd duck, indeed, and am still smarting for the price! Thank you for posting. Going to search out the Liszt right now.



joen_cph said:


> The *Bruckner* organ works are small and rather modest. But there are a couple of good *Liszt*s, especially the Ad Nos Fantasia, lasting 35 mins. Some of the recorded performances never get off the ground musically, but the Chorzempa (philips) does (and, I suspect, Parker-Smith). Likewise *Louis Vierne *has a major oeuvre, including the 24 Fantaisies, admirable by the intriguing titles alone & influenced by the Symbolist movement and Gothic fascination of the day. The Dane *Langgaard* wrote a lot of obscurely visionary pieces as well.


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## GoneBaroque

Here is a sample of Ned Rorems Organ Music






And two recordings








this is the recording I have which is excellent









I do not know this one but Albany Records are usually good. Both are listed by Amazon


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## NightHawk

Have ordered albums of Durufle, Dupre, Widor, and Franck and all are shipped! Plan to add others such as Liszt, and Ned Rorem.
Many thanks to all you for the suggestions and your time! I've still got my North German album in the car player and am enjoying it thoroughly. Cheers! nh


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## itywltmt

First of three posts for lent featuring the organ - this one is dedicated to C-M Widor:
http://www.talkclassical.com/blogs/itywltmt/943-charles-marie-widor-1844.html


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## Prodromides

Need to put in my 2 cents for Andre Jolivet!

This 1996 CD on the Arion label is recommended by me for Jolivet's 1960's works for solo Organ: Hymne A L'Univers & Mandala.


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## myaskovsky2002

I was triying to find my post, where I mentioned the Op. 40 by Schönberg, variations.

Martin


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## Sid James

I really like French organ composers, most already mentioned, eg. Widor, Durufle, Langlais. Messiaen and Dupre are my big 'blind spots' at the moment. Another I would mention as worth hearing is Leon Boellmann's 'Suite Gothique,' on this Naxos cd of French organ music. It is a fun listen, its pretty popular in the organ repertoire, and sounds like something that would rattle your windows when the organ is going at full tilt in it!

& don't forget many transcriptions for organ of other things not originally written for organ. One I found impressive and more to my liking than the original was Elgar's 'Enigma Variations' for solo organ.


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## Orpheus

I can recommend Vierne quite highly, especailly the organ symphonies (I've only heard bits and peices of his other work, have been meaning to hunt out a full set of fantasias at some point). They can be quite challenging listening due to the density and lushness of his textures (they seemed sometimes a bit murky and uncertain till Igot to know them), but the musical development and working out seem very good: they seem more truly "symphonic" in nature, less episodic than the other organ works I've heard with that title. 

Widor wrote a lot of organ works that he called symphonies as well but I think he was better in shorter pieces that didn't require so much sustained musical development (a lot of his symphonic music for example, like the famous Tocatta, works well as exerpts). I like a great deal of Franck's stuff as well, such as the chorales, though there's plenty I haven't heard.

French organ music from that period seems to be pretty much at the pinnacle of the post-baroque repertoire. Several other names have come up in this thread that I'm not so familiar with, and am intending to check out at some point. I doubt I'll be too disappointed when I do, the standard of French late Romantic organ in general seems extremely high. I hope you enjoyed your purchases anyway! My own favourite organ composer would be Buxtehude, with Bach coming a close second (yes even Bach loses out to Buxtehude on organ, so many of his pieces are just so delightfully fresh and lyrical), but the best French stuff really isn't far behind at all.


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