Tell us your favourite Bach organ works!

[Corno Dolce]

Ah yes, I have neglected to mention *O Mensch Bewein Dein Sunde Gross*, the Gigue Fugue, Prelude and Fugue (The Wedge) in E-minor, Fantaisie in C-minor, Fantaisie and Fugue in C-minor, Prelude and Fugue in B-minor, Toccata and Fugue in F-major, Toccata and Fugue (Dorian) in D-minor, and Toccata-Adagio & Fugue in C-major. And for the really weepy times, the Stokowski adaptation of *Komm, Susser Tod* transcribed fo organ by Virgil Fox. That one will have them reaching for bundles of Kleenex tissues.

[Krummhorn]

. . . . . *Komm, Susser Tod* transcribed for organ by Virgil Fox. That one will have them reaching for bundles of Kleenex tissues.

Yes it does - that is my standard piece that I play for Good Friday services every year. There isn't a dry eye in the house at the conclusion of the piece, including mine!! It is one of the few pieces that totally drains me whenever I play it - even in my practice sessions long before the service - It takes every ounce of energy I have to get through this very moving piece.

This piece is a fine example that clearly illustrates that really slow pieces are just as technically challenging as the fastest ones, perhaps more so.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Krummhorn,

Yep, even a slow piece can be technically difficult - no doubt about that! I take it that you have played the Albinoni *weeper*? I played that one a few weeks ago. There is a really ravishing slow movement almost in the beginning of the second half of JSBach's St. Matthew Passion which is assigned to the Soprano solist. The flute has a dialogue with the Soprano - Oh Wow - I cry just thinking about it.

Corno Dolce

[NEB]

Sadly the great seasonal oratorios don't seem to be performed so much these days.

Time was, they were on the calendar as an annual event.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi NEB,

Yes, it is too true that the seasonal oratorios are not being performed so often these days, unless one lives in New York City and spend an afternoon at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church where every Sunday there is a Bach Vesper with a Cantata or an Oratorio. The same goes for if you live in Leipzig, Germany and attend the myriad of concerts there where JSBach rests. There you WILL get your fill.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[NEB]

Even many of the choral societies that were regularly doing the Messiah/Matthew Passion plus a.n.other like Creation or Mozart Requ or the verdi//// etc in the third quarter 20 odd years ago seem to have either dwindled or disappeared completely.

I find it amazing that in only 10-15 years, so many choral societies that ran since the early twentieth century (or longer) have just simply gone!!!

I guess they just couldn't compete with the easy option that modern electronic entertainment supplies.

[Corno Dolce]

Hi NEB,

Yes, it is lamentable how the state of affairs is for major choral works. If my memory serves me, Germantown, Pennsylvania has a thriving choral arts scene. A cursory search on the 'net for cities that have good choral arts representation would reveal some hidden gems. Paul Salamunovich and the Los Angeles Master Chorale are a great group.

*Modern electronic entertainment* and it's packed-to-the-gills following of consumers and connoisseurs of fine choral music are quite disparate groups. Few are those who listen to fine choral music and modern pop music. Those two categories of listeners, consumers, and practitioners are about as miscible as oil and water. I am a classical musician through and through who also loves choral music and also Jazz. I can listen to and entertain *modern electronic musical entertainment* but I can only tolerate it so much before it grates on my nervous system.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[NEB]

Hi Corno Dolce. Yes - Been a musician all my life too.

There are a couple of really huge societies here in UK as well. Things like the Philharmonic Chorus in London and so forth. Same sort of thing you are talking about. But not all the myriad of smaller regional/town affairs that used to abound.

It really is just a different world in which we live and I must be getting old when I start to wonder whether 'progress' is really progress at all...

[Corno Dolce]

Hi NEB,

Yes, one does tend to wax philosophical as one matures like a fine single malt scotch whiskey

We should remember that we as the preceding generation have or have not laid the groundwork for the success or failure of the upcoming generation.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[methodistgirl]

Is there a piece Bach composed for the holiday season. I know that
Beethoven wrote obe to joy in his 9th symphonie.
judy tooley

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Judy,

JSBach wrote the "Christmas Oratorio" which I shall listen to later on today. His organ chorals: Ein Neugeborene Kindlein, Vom Himmel Hoch da Komm ich her, In Dulci Jubilo, Nun Komm, der Heiden Heiland, Wie schön leuchtet der Morgenstern, Der tag, der ist so freudenreich, Ich freue mich in dir.......There lots out there, Ms. Judy.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[musicalis]

one of my favorite Bach's organ work (I have several) is the choral "Oh homme pleure sur tes lourds péches". I don't know the name in English, but I remember a little the title in German (I don't speak German but I enjoy so much this song that I never forget the german name for about 40 years). It is something like "Oh Mench Bewein dass sunde gross".
J-Paul

[Corno Dolce]

Hi Jean-Paul,

You probably meant to say "O Mensch, Bewein Dein Sünde Groß". Yes, it is one of my alltime favorite of JSBach's chorals. It expresses, in an existential way, the predicament we humans find ourselves in whether we like it or not.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

[Argoth]

Hi Jean-Paul,

You probably meant to say "O Mensch, Bewein Dein Sünde Groß". Yes, it is one of my alltime favorite of JSBach's chorals. It expresses, in an existential way, the predicament we humans find ourselves in whether we like it or not.

Cheers,

Corno Dolce

Corno, would you care to elaborate on how this piece achieves this? It's the kind of thing I'm very interested in

[giwro]

Hmmm....

I'll weigh in here -

P+F in a-minor.... especially the Fugue

Toccata, Adagio and Fugue in C

*****

Like everyone else, what I'm partial to changes from day to day... right now these 2 come to mind. The a-minor was one of the first Bach organ fugues I ever heard... I loved the wonderful dancing 6/8 feel (didn't hurt that the performer was Hector Olivera... )

I also love the Sinfonia to Cantata #29, transcribed for organ by a number of different folks. I actually arranged it for string 4tet to be used as the postlude (recessional) to be used at my wedding.

Cheers,

- G