One to vote on

[dll927]

Hands down, we all know what the most famous organ piece ever written is. And Widor's little diddy would probably be a good candidate for second. Can we make up a duly justifiable list of what follows?

[Krummhorn]

Bach's "St. Anne" Praeludium and Fuge should be on the famous list. An enjoyable piece to listen to and even greater enjoyment playing it in performance.

I would also add Sonata I of Mendelssohn to that list.

[Corno Dolce]

JSBach's great C-minor prelude should also find itself on the list of the most famous:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYBTg3CV3DQ&fmt=18

[musicalis]

Bach's Toccata & fugue in F major BWV 540/1 is also a great piece.

[Bach>Meer]

Whether rightly or wrongly it's got to be BWV 565.

'Nuff said!

[sunwaiter]

i thought of bringing something lighter by proposing "why can't we live together" by timmy thomas, or maybe "louie louie" by the mothers at the royal albert hall but people would say i'm not serious about music!

[acc]

Whether rightly or wrongly it's got to be BWV 565.

Well, I guess that that is precisely the “most famous” one referred to by dll927. So his question is: which ones to include in the list besides BWV565 and the Widor.

Given that the question is not about personal favourites, but about (general) fame, I'd say BWV645. If you look for fame among the organ lovers' community, works like Mendelssohn's 6th Sonata, Liszt's B.A.C.H. and Ad nos, or Boëllmann's Suite Gothique may be pretty high up the list.

Unless you count transcriptions, of course, in which case Mendelssohn's Wedding March and Wagner's Bridal Chorus will be hard to beat. Runner-up might then be the Chorale from BWV 147.

[Bach>Meer]

you're right there acc sorry about that.

How about The Prelude and Wedge Fugue in E Minor BWV 548?

[acc]

Yes, BWV 548 has indeed a good deal of fame among organ lovers. One could then also add 538, 582 and 622.