Organ Music for Manuals Only: 33 Works by Berlioz, Bizet, Franck, Saint-Saens and Others

Unlike the vast majority of classical music for organ — which requires both manual and pedal dexterity — this unique collection of 33 works is devoted solely to organ music originally written on two staves and intended for manuals alone. Some was conceived for the 19th-century free-reed instrument, for the harmonium or reed organ, for performance in the home, as well as for organists of small churches who may not have had sufficient technique to perform with their feet as well as their hands.
This unique volume consists almost exclusively of rare, out-of-print editions selected from the private library of author-performer Rollin Smith. Contents include Berlioz’s Rustic Serenade to the Madonna, Saint-Saëns’ Barcarolle and Prayer, Three Musical Sketches by Bizet, Liszt’s The Shepherds at the Manger: In dulci jubilo, plus organ classics by Beethoven, Brahms, Bruckner, Franck, Reger, and other great composers, including movements from organ sonatas by Mendelssohn and Widor’s Third Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, and the complete Third Sonata by Guilmant. This very special compilation is certain to delight performers at every level of ability.

Dover Edition
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A Treasury of Organ Music for Manuals Only: 46 Works by Bach, Mozart, Franck, Saint-Saëns and Others

For organists who prefer to play manuals without pedals, this extensive collection provides a wealth of works. Highlights include J. S. Bach’s Partite Diverse, “O Gott, du frommer Gott!”; Best’s Prelude on a Chorale by Thomas Tallis; Buxtehude’s Fugue in C; the charming Four Pieces for Flute Clocks, written by Haydn for his era’s popular musical clocks; Mozart’s “Fantasie de Salon,” based on four themes from The Magic Flute; and Pachelbel’s beloved Canon in D. Other featured composers include Elgar, Dupré, Beethoven, Frescobaldi, Handel, Liszt, Couperin, and Franck. An informative selection of Notes on the Music provides background for each piece.

Dover Edition
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Works for Organ and Keyboard: Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck

Jan Pieterszoon Sweelinck (1562–1621) was among the most famous organists of seventeenth-century Europe and an influential composer in the Dutch and North German tradition. He composed over 300 choral and instrumental pieces that bridged Renaissance and Baroque styles and helped prepare the way for the music of Buxtehude, Scheidt, and J. S. Bach. Today, the Dutch composer is best remembered for the inventive, sparkling music he wrote for organ and other keyboard instruments.
This remarkable treasury includes nearly all of Sweelinck’s brilliant keyboard works, most of which have survived only in widely scattered seventeenth-century manuscripts. Reproduced from a clearly printed, thoroughly edited, and reliable 1943 critical edition, this volume contains important and innovative compositions heretofore difficult to find in a reasonably priced edition. The selections are divided into four principal sections (pieces playable on either organ or other keyboard; pieces for organ; pieces for keyboard; supplementary section) and include chorale variations notable for their double and triple counterpoint; toccatas and fantasias showing the influence of the Venetian organ school; and sets of variations on secular and dance tunes. Moreover, the supplement contains three incomplete and/or modified works and a fascinating, authentic fantasia by the great English composer John Bull. The fantasia was written in memoriam shortly after Sweelinck’s death and was based on a now-lost fugue by the Netherlandish master. It remains the only testament to one of Sweelinck’s finest works.

In Sweelinck’s day, the 73 classic compositions presented here were among Europe’s most popular pieces for organ and keyboard. In our own time, these lovely instrumental works retain every bit of their original intensity and vigor. Reproduced in this authoritative complete-resource edition, they will be welcomed by serious keyboard artists, who will find them as praiseworthy today as they were when first known and played in Europe over 300 years ago.

Format: 2 staves (manuals only)

Dover Edition
260 pages
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