# Brahms Chorale Preludes for Organ



## Guest

My attention was drawn to these works when I heard a transcription of these works for piano in a recent Wigmore Hall recital. Have enjoyed listening to them and reading along the score. I saw a tenor clef in one section and fired off an email to a friend of mine who is Organist and Master of Choristers at our Anglican cathedral and this is what he wrote:

_Glad you're enjoying the Brahms preludes. There is some beautiful music in there. I suspect the tenor clef appearing is more to do with the age of the score that they use on the YouTube video. They have to use an older score so that it is out of copyright, and the tenor clef used to be used much more frequently. There are loads of organ publications I've seen that use it (a practice that I'm glad no longer occurs!). It will just be to avoid the proliferation of leger lines at the bottom of the stave if they stayed with the treble clef._






One thing though; I find it generally far harder identifying the composer when it comes to organ works!


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## Winterreisender

Brahms is one of my favourite composers - but I do find this music rather impenetrable (I don't doubt that the fault is mine rather than Brahms's). 

Given that the melodies are fixed, it then becomes a case of how interesting one can make the accompaniment. My favourite thing about Brahms normally is how he develops small motifs into beautiful melodies, but I don't hear that here

To my ears (that are admittedly inexperienced in this type of music), I also find it difficult to discern between this and other composers of organ music, Bach being the obvious point of reference. 

Do you have any tips on how to enjoy these works?


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## Guest

Winterreisender said:


> Brahms is one of my favourite composers - but I do find this music rather impenetrable (I don't doubt that the fault is mine rather than Brahms's).
> 
> Given that the melodies are fixed, it then becomes a case of how interesting one can make the accompaniment. My favourite thing about Brahms normally is how he develops small motifs into beautiful melodies, but I don't hear that here
> 
> To my ears (that are admittedly inexperienced in this type of music), I also find it difficult to discern between this and other composers of organ music, Bach being the obvious point of reference.
> 
> Do you have any tips on how to enjoy these works?


Turn up quite loudly on home sound system - to emulate the volume in a church. Follow the music with a score to see what's going on and how the composer develops those motifs. This also provides a window into the polyphonic complexity of the works.


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## Mandryka

Christabel said:


> My attention was drawn to these works when I heard a transcription of these works for piano in a recent Wigmore Hall recital. Have enjoyed listening to them and reading along the score. I saw a tenor clef in one section and fired off an email to a friend of mine who is Organist and Master of Choristers at our Anglican cathedral and this is what he wrote:
> 
> _Glad you're enjoying the Brahms preludes. There is some beautiful music in there. I suspect the tenor clef appearing is more to do with the age of the score that they use on the YouTube video. They have to use an older score so that it is out of copyright, and the tenor clef used to be used much more frequently. There are loads of organ publications I've seen that use it (a practice that I'm glad no longer occurs!). It will just be to avoid the proliferation of leger lines at the bottom of the stave if they stayed with the treble clef._
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> One thing though; I find it generally far harder identifying the composer when it comes to organ works!


Busoni's piano transcriptions are reputedly extremely difficult to play. I don't like them much, but I do quite like the originals on organ. I think Brahms wrote them for amateur players in his local church, not sure.


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