News about my paper...

[Izabella]

Hi there...

Well here are the news...I talked to my mentor a few weeks ago and we changed the whole concept of my paper...Now the main part is comparing French and German organ music in romanticism...(Ofcourse I'll mention other countryes as well)

I have to admit I'm a little bit discuraged right now....
but...that's all a part of research,music...

I have the first part wich is about romanticism ingeneral and the last part which are biographys and works...now the main part is missing...

Well if anyone has any suggestions how to start...please feel free to coment,suggest...

Yours respectfully

[acc]

One thing you might want to do is to describe the differences between French vs. German instruments in the 19th century.

If you can understand German, a good starting point would be Paul Peeters' essay Zwei Wegbereiter der Romantik, which appeared in issue 2/03 of the journal organ. It gives quite a detailed account on the differences between the designs of E.F. Walcker in Germany and A. Cavaillé-Coll in France.

[Thomas Dressler]

I agree with acc. The differences in organ design have an important influence on the way music was written for the instruments. I'd also study the differences in musical form in general (not just organ music) during this time. As a very general rule, some Germans were more strict and traditional with form, others followed Wagner's ideas. Bruckner, who we mentioned before as a very influential improviser on the organ, was a follower of Wagner, while Mendelssohn, Rheinberger, Brahms, etc were more conservative. Franck, as a French-style musician but with German genes, was a lover of both Bach and Wagner. . .the French, in general, were more free with forms. Even Widor did not follow traditional forms in his "Symphonies."

Also, consider the liturgical uses for the music. The French organ composers were generally writing music for the Roman Catholic Mass, while many Germans were writing for Lutheran services, and the use of organ in these circumstances was often different. However, there was a lot of music written that could be used either in church or in concerts.

These are just a few suggestions off the top of my head. Ask more, and more specific questions, and maybe we can help you.

Good luck with it, and don't be discouraged. Organ music is a fascinating topic, so it will be enjoyable to learn about it!