• Welcome to the Pipe Organ Forum! This is a part of the open community Magle International Music Forums focused on pipe organs (also known as "church organs"), organists, organ music and related topics.

    This forum is intended to be a friendly place where technically advanced organists and beginners (or even non-organists) can feel comfortable having discussions and asking questions. We learn by reading and asking questions, and it is hoped that the beginners (or non-organists) will feel free to ask even the simplest questions, and that the more advanced organists will patiently answer these questions. On the other hand, we encourage complex, technical discussions of technique, music, organ-building, etc. The opinions and observations of a diverse group of people from around the world should prove to be interesting and stimulating to all of us.

    As pipe organ discussions can sometimes become lively, it should be pointed out that this is an open forum. Statements made here are the opinion of the poster, and not necessarily that of the forum itself, its administrator, or its moderators.

    In order to post a new topic - or reply to existing ones - you may join and become a member by clicking on Register New User. It's completely free and only requires a working email address (in order to confirm your registration - it will never be given away!). We strive to make this a friendly and informative forum for anyone interested in pipe organs and organ music.

    (Note: If you wish to link to and promote your own website please read this thread first.)

    Many kind regards
    smile.gif

    Frederik Magle
    Administrator

    Krummhorn
    Co-Administrator

Bach Organ Works (non choral preludes)

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
Here's the first installment (BWV 531) Prelude and Fugue in C Major.

I perfectly understand that tempo indications for Bach's music are purely speculative as we have no idea, really what was intended. (The metronome didn't arrive until Beethoven's time). I base my tempo indications loosely on either of two Scandinavian recordings: Hans Fagius (Sweden) or Knud Vad (Danish) both of which I adore, for different reasons.
 

Mat

Sr. Regulator
Staff member
Sr. Regulator
Regulator
David,

How do you create a PDF document like this?
 

Contratrombone64

Admiral of Fugues
I use Finale (notation software) and I own Acrobat Professional. Once I've typset the score, using my iMac, MIDI converter and synthesizer et cetera. I then print to PDF, bingo.
 

Bombard

New member
Well thats true. Hey, isn't that allot like Bachs Pedal exercisium?

P.S. parden me if i spealt something wrong.
 

Tony79

New member
I'm not an organist, but I love the music for pipe organ and have an extensive vinyl an CD organ library of organ from ppp to sforzando! all things organ!
 

dll927

New member
The original posting mentions that the metronome didn't arrive until Beethoven's time.

I have three or four complete sets of Ludwig's symphonies, one of which is by the Chicago Symphony under Sir George Solti. He carries on quite extensively about faster tempi than has been traditional for Beethoven's symphonies, and that B. himself left metronome markings on his manuscripts.

If so, why did it take conductors 150 years after Beethoven's death (1827) to suddenly discover the metronome markings? What I'm asking is, if the markings were there, why were they "traditionally" played slower? Somehow, I suspect a bit of just wanting to be different.
 

rovikered

New member
The original posting mentions that the metronome didn't arrive until Beethoven's time.

I have three or four complete sets of Ludwig's symphonies, one of which is by the Chicago Symphony under Sir George Solti. He carries on quite extensively about faster tempi than has been traditional for Beethoven's symphonies, and that B. himself left metronome markings on his manuscripts.

If so, why did it take conductors 150 years after Beethoven's death (1827) to suddenly discover the metronome markings? What I'm asking is, if the markings were there, why were they "traditionally" played slower? Somehow, I suspect a bit of just wanting to be different.

That 'the metronome didn't arrive until Beethoven's time' is not strictly true.
An apparatus for fixing tempi was first invented by Loulie in 1696 (according to Percy Scholes :'The Oxford Companion to Music' -8th Ed. 1950 p.573) but the one in common use is based on the clockwork principle of Maelzel who was a contemporary of Beethoven.
With reference to Beethoven's metronome markings, it would appear that these are not always reliable. His marking of minim = 138 at the head of the 'Hammerklavier' Sonata is impossibly fast and no pianist plays it at that speed.
Is it, in fact, possible to play it at that tempo and would it be musical ?
No doubt, therefore, conductors and other interpreters have found it musically necessary to re-think Beethoven's tempo indications.
 
Top