IMSLP Forums

hi everyone

i have been playing piano for about 8-9 years. im at the grade 9 level in Royal Conservatory now. I started organ lessons last week and am really enjoying it. i was wondering what you guys know of organ technique, and what and organ student can typically accomplish in a year. I graduate from High School in june, and would love to play Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor by june for graduation. From your guys' experience, do you think this is resonable? if not, what is a fairly well known Bach Toccato/Fugue that would be a reasonable goal.

thanks


ST

I had 2-3 of years of organ lessons in college after having played piano since the age of ten. My professor put me on the Gleason method book -- the pedal exercises especially. Among the hand-and-pedal pieces I learned early were some of the 6 Little Preludes and Fugues.

If I recall correctly, I managed to play Bach's B-minor Prelude and Fugue on student recital back then (each movement on a different recital). That's a fairly difficult work. On another student recital I played Franck's "Piece heroique." Those undergrad recitals must have taken place well after my first year of organ lessons.

Why everyone want to play John's Toccata & fugue in d?
This is the biggest mystery for me

I supose you are quite good at piano, so the manual part will be easy at all (but be prepared to passages with demisemiquavers!).

Toccata is a piece with 'free' rythm, lot of ornaments, but with nearly absent pedal part. This changes in fugue, which has to be played also fast, but with great attention in leading all the voices (fugue is a most strict form). The next difficulty, is more advanced pedal part (maybe not as difficult as in BWV 542 fugue, but not very easy also). The theme is repeated in pedal around three times (excluding these situations, pedal part is rather easy).
First apperance of theme in pedal is connected with 3 voices in manual part, all with value of quaver, what makes it not so difficult.

The problem appear with second apperance of pedal theme - trill in left hand, and theme after diminution in right. In next bar, it changes. Right hand has trill, left not changed theme, and second part of theme in pedal.

Third apperance of theme in pedal is easy to play, because any notes are not played on manual.

Other difficulty comes with fact, that this is a baroque piece, and should be played with correct articulation. Legato playing after learning piano for nearly ten years is deeply inside your head. This have to be changed. Your new "default" articulation is non legato.

Last thing is ornaments execution. You have to be familiar with Bach's table of ornaments, it is your new 'Bible', when playing His organ works.

By this short text i want to show you, that T&F in d is challenging a bit, not only in technique of playing, but also in interpretation aspect.

You can always try something from Boellmann's Suite Gothique, or some chorale preludes of Buxtehude ('Ein feste Burg', 'Vater Unser', 'Es ist das Heil'). And from France, maybe Balbastre These* pieces are all fireworks!
Best regards!

*Only examples. There is *much* more!

I started organ lessons last week and am really enjoying it. i was wondering what you guys know of organ technique, and what and organ student can typically accomplish in a year.

Learn a smooth crescendo, absolutely amazing effect, so powerful.

Bach's "little" preludes and fugues are a good place to start (I just finished working on his E minor one).

If you want some easy-ish toccatas, check out Pachelbel; he wrote some nice ones. For manual work only, try Sweelinck's Echo Fantasias.

Franck wrote some nice organ stuff as well, though it's usually a bit weirder...though not as weird as Vierne, Durufle, or the Poulenc organ concerto.

Best of luck to you!