Organ Music

The first bar of the L’Ascension by Oliver Messiaen was taken by
Terényi as “an ostinato bass”, a modal and a harmonical support that has the
variations of the Chaconne to develop onto them. The play has the mirror
symmetries and palindromic structures as a background: from the palindrome
modal scale to the palindrome of the meters and to the retrograde inversion of the
design between the last three parts and the first three parts. Each variation
describes a dramaturgical action that is graphically revealed and gives a space for
many improvisatory variants. The score, together with other plays of E. Terényi were
included in exhibitions and were received with a special interest by the public.

An anthology of English keyboard music c.1650-1695 containing pieces by Anon, John Blow, Albertus Bryne, John Cobb, Giovanni Battista Draghi, Robert King, Thomas Farmer, Francis Forcer, Orlando Gibbons, Daniel Henstridge, John Hingeston, Nicolas Lebègue, John Lenton, Matthew Locke, Jean-Baptiste Lully, Davis Mell and Robert Smith. The anonymous music includes pieces for organ, harpsichord dances and settings of contemporary theatre airs and ballad tunes. For a detailed review by Alan Brown see https://academic.oup.com/em/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/em/caz089/5643598

<< The French Baroque Organ Art: Musique, Organ building, Performance >> /
<< L’Art d’orgue Baroque français : Musique, Facture, Interprétation >>

[ Аннотация: ] Настоящая монография представляет собой первое в российском музыковедении исследование, в центре которого — французское органное искусство Барокко как комплексное явление, объединяющее музыку, органостроение и исполнительство.
Опираясь на свой разносторонний опыт, автор выступает одновременно в роли учёного, исполнителя и органного эксперта. В книге впервые предлагаются в переводе на русский язык и анализируются основополагающие документы французского органного Барокко, принадлежащие перу композиторов, органных мастеров, музыкальных мыслителей и учёных.
В результате анализа трёх составляющих французского органного искусства Барокко, рассматриваемого в контексте той эпохи — эстетическом, стилистическом и музыкально-теоретическом (гармония и музыкальная форма), — в книге выявляются сущностные критерии французского органного искусства Барокко и определяются его хронологические рамки.
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[ Abstract: ] The present monograph is the first research in the Russian musical science which focuses on the French Baroque Organ Art as a complex phenomenon involving Music, Organ building and Performance.
Drawing on her rich professional experiences, the author acts in triple role: as a musicologist, concert organist and organ expert. In this book, she presents and analyses the fundamental French Baroque organ documents, which belong to composers, organ builders, philosophers and scientists.
As a result of her analysis of three components of French Baroque Organ Art, placed in the context of that time — aesthetic, stylistic, theoretical and musical (harmony and musical form) —, Marina Tchebourkina reveals an essential and unique character of the French Baroque Organ Art, demonstrates its evolution and determines its chronological limits.
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[ Résumé : ] La présente monographie est le premier ouvrage dans la science musicale russe qui concentre son attention sur l’art d’orgue Baroque français en tant que phénomène complexe réunissant musique, facture et interprétation.
Fort de ses expériences professionnelles, l’auteur agit à la fois en tant que musicologue, organiste et expert d’orgue. Dans le livre sont présentés et analysés les documents fondamentaux dans le domaine de l’orgue Baroque français qui appartiennent aux compositeurs, facteurs d’orgue, philosophes et scientifiques.
À l’issue de l’analyse des trois composantes de l’art d’orgue Baroque français, placées dans le contexte de l’époque — esthétique, stylistique, théorique et musical (harmonie et forme) —, Marina Tchebourkina révèle le caractère essentiel et unique de l’art d’orgue Baroque français, démontre son évolution et détermine ses limites chronologiques.

Župnija Stara Loka ima dolgo zgodovino; začetki segajo vsaj že v 10. stoletje, ko je v Selški in Poljanski dolini nastala freisinška zemljiška posest. Njene meje so se skozi čas spreminjale; vse do leta 1804 je imela starološka župnija enajst podružničnih cerkva (Škofja Loka/sv. Jakob, Reteče/sv. Janez Evangelist, Godešič/sv. Nikolaj, Suha/sv. Janez Krstnik, Hojke/sv. Ožbalt, Konec/sv. Andrej, Sveta Barbara/sv. Barbara, Valterski vrh/ sv. Filip in Jakob, Brode/sv. Tomaž, Bodovlje/sv. Peter, Sopotnica/sv. Florijan, Breznica/ sv. Lovrenc), ko pa je tega leta cerkev sv. Jakoba v Škofji Loki postala samostojna župnij-ska cerkev, je starološka župnija dobila le sedem novih podružničnih cerkva (Crngrob/ Marijino oznanjenje, Pevno/sv. Uršula, Sveti Duh/Sv. Duh, Žabnica/sv. Urh, Spodnje Bitnje/sv. Vid, Križna Gora/sv. Križ, Planica/sv. Gabrijel). 1 Stara Loka je imela kot zgodovinsko pomembna in ugledna župnija gotovo razvito tudi bogoslužno glasbo. Le-ta je bila v večji ali manjši meri verjetno prisotna v vseh staroloških cerkvah, vendar pa je bila, kot je mogoče sklepati iz Premrlovih navedb v članku Nekoliko statistike o orgljah v ljubljanski škofiji, v največji meri osredotočena predvsem na župnijsko cerkev sv. Jurija v Stari Loki in podružnično cerkev Marijinega oznanjenja v Crngrobu. Premrl namreč leta 1918 navaja, da so imele vse župnijske cerkve v loški dekaniji z izjemo dražgoške že orgle, kot tudi podružnični cerkvi sv. Frančiška v Železnikih in Marijinega oznanjenja v Crngrobu. 2 Glasbo so v staroloških cerkvah (sv. Jurija in Marijinega oznanjenja) izvajali že v 17. stoletju. Iz tega obdobja so namreč znani najstarejši podatki o obstoju instrumentarija oziroma izvajalcev cerkvene glasbe; cerkev v Crngrobu je leta 1649 dobila prve orgle, ki jih je izdelal orglar Thomas Khrueg, medtem ko je že leta 1626 v starološki župnijski cerkvi deloval organist. Organist svojih obveznosti ni opravljal v današnji župnijski cerkvi, saj je bila zgrajena šele leta 1863, pač pa v njeni predhodnici, romanski cerkvi sv. Jurija. 3 Ta cerkev je bila v 19. stoletju dotrajana, dodatno pa jo je leta 1817 poškodoval še požar, ki je zajel Staro Loko. Ker je bila škoda velika, so se pojavile želje in spodbude za gradnjo nove cerkve. To prizadevanje je obrodilo sadove šele leta 1863, ko stara cerkev sv. Jurija ni več zagotavljala varnosti in je bila poleg tega tudi premajhna. Leta 1863 so zato pričeli z gradnjo nove, večje cerkve sv. Jurija, ki stoji še danes. 4

Plainchant accompaniment was a widely discussed topic in French
musical discourse from the middle of the nineteenth century to the
first decades of the twentieth century. The article discusses important
steps of this debate and possible impacts outside the field of liturgical
music. At a time of robust attempts to restore Gregorian chant within
the French Roman Catholic liturgy, different approaches to the harmonization
and rhythmisation of chant were suggested, and of these,
the treatise of Louis Niedermeyer and Joseph d’Ortigue is one of the
best-known, a strictly diatonic procedure that uses only the notes of
the respective mode. After this attentiveness to the harmonic design
of plainchant settings, somewhat comparable attention was given to
rhythm near the end of the nineteenth century. While Niedermeyer
and d’Ortigue had assigned one chord to each note, authors such as
Antonin Lhoumeau now proposed rhythmically more flexible styles of
accompaniment. This happened against the backdrop of a fierce debate
about the place of Gregorian rhythm in chant performance and
philology. Modality and free rhythm were also used outside of accompaniment,
such as in liturgical organ pieces following the French verset
tradition by Alexandre Guilmant and Eugène Gigout in particular.
Furthermore, the notions of Gregorian harmony and rhythm that were
established in this way may have also influenced non-sacred music:
the beginning of Déodat de Séverac’s piano cycle Le Chant de la terre
(1900), which makes extensive use of modal harmonies and starts with
a passage without barlines, may serve to highlight the relevance of the
debate about accompaniment for French music in general.

"On the night of Tuesday, March 28, 1978, organist Larry Young (Khalid Yasin Abdul Aziz) was due to open a New York club with a new band.[i] His partner had just given birth to his third child, Aziza, and he’d signed a lucrative new deal with Warner Bros. But that afternoon Young was admitted to East Orange General Hospital, New Jersey, complaining of stomach pains: two days later, he passed away at the age of 37, supposedly of pneumonia. The exact circumstances of Young’s death remain unexplained. Over the previous two decades he had, as Tony Williams put it, “reinvented the [Hammond] organ,” his music encompassing several of Black music’s formative shifts, from soul jazz to free jazz to fusion. Yet, caught in a dwindling popular market, he sometimes found it impossible to find gigs towards the end of his life, and much of his work from this period remains obscure or unrecorded. This essay attempts to recover the depth of Young’s career as a whole, adopting the title to his best-known record, Unity, as a model of his musical approach, in order to emphasize the continuity that Young drew between different forms of Black music, and the importance of Newark, New Jersey to his work. “Unity” here is not hierarchical or fixed: rather, Young’s music envisioned a new form of pan-stylistic, collective playing, using the studio and live stage alike as laboratory in which to develop a mutable, improvisatory means of being together, an ever-morphing conception of ensemble."

(Point of Departure, June 2021)

(EN)
Tongeren, a nice little town in the south of Limburg, is the oldest town in Belgium. The original settlement (15 AD) developed from a military camp to a gallo-roman settlement. In later years it became an important pillar in the prince-diocese of Liège. The original basilica of our lady is known as one of the oldest churches in the Christian world. The present gothic basilica was built between 1240 and 1444. It’s tower is recognised by UNESCO as World Heritage. There was at least one organ in this church since the 14th century. For centuries the best organ builders worked hard to maintain this impressive organ heritage. The monumental le Picard organ was built in 1750-1752 and fully restored in its original state by 'la manufacture d'orgues Thomas' between 1997 and 2002. It's renowned as one of the best examples of the typical Liège organ style. When the complete restoration of the churchbuilding ended in 2010, it was time for a new choir organ. The centuries-old musical tradition had need of a new multifunctional organ that could be used during mass and concerts, as a supplement for the historical Le Picard organ. The Thomas Organbuilding Company was selected to build the new organ in tradition of the basilica’s rich organ heritage. This new organ poses as a swallow’s  nest in the south wing of the basilica. Now there is a beautiful balance between the altar-of-our-lady in the north wing and the new organ in the south. That's why it will be named "the organ of our lady", after the Patron Saint of this basilica: Causa Nostrae Laetitiae (cause of our happiness).

(F)
Tongres, une charmante cité de province du sud du Limbourg belge est la plus ancienne ville de Belgique. A partir de l'an 15 avant JC, un camp militaire romain s'est transformé en une véritable colonie gallo-romaine. Plus tard, celle-ci constitua une base importante de la principauté de Liège. L'église Notre Dame initiale est considérée comme une des plus anciennes églises du monde chrétien. L'église actuelle de style gothique (les tours sont reconnues comme patrimoine mondial de l'UNESCO) a été construite entre 1240 et 1444. Déjà à partir du 14ème siècle, on note l'existence d'au moins un orgue dans cet édifice. Siècle après siècle, les meilleurs facteurs d'orgues ont travaillé à la perpétuation d'un impressionnant patrimoine organistique. L'imposant orgue Le Picard (1750-1752) a été récemment intégralement restauré et reconstruit par la Manufacture d'orgues Thomas (1997-2002). Il est considéré comme un modèle de l'école liégeoise de facture d'orgues. Après une restauration complète de l'église (2010), il était opportun, vu l'importante tradition musicale encore bien présente aujourd'hui, de concevoir un nouvel orgue de chœur complet et multi-fonctionnel tant pour la liturgie que pour les concerts. Ce dernier se devait être complémentaire à l'orgue historique Le Picard. La manufacture d'orgues Thomas a été sélectionnée pour la construction de ce nouvel orgue qui, tout en étant dans la lignée historique, ouvre des perspectives vers l'avenir. Cet instrument (2013-2014) est suspendu en nid d'hirondelle dans le transept sud de la basilique. Il forme avec l'autel marial un bel équilibre architectural. C'est pour cette raison qu'il sera aussi appelé ‘l'orgue Notre Dame’ en référence à la Sainte Patronne de la basilique: Causa Nostrae Laetitiae (cause de notre joie).

(D)
Tongeren, ein gemütliches Provinzstädtchen im Süden der belgischen Provinz Limburg, ist die älteste Stadt Belgiens. Ab dem Jahr 15 v. Chr. entwickelte sich die ursprüngliche Siedlung von einem römischen Militärlager zu einer gallo-römischen Siedlung. Später wurde sie zu einem wichtigen Stützpunkt des Fürstbistums Lüttich. Die ursprüngliche Liebfrauenbasilika wird zu den ältesten Kirchen in der christlichen Welt gerechnet. Die heutige gotische Kirche, deren Turm UNESCO Weltkulturerbe ist, wurde zwischen 1240 und 1444 erbaut. Bereits seit dem 14. Jahrhundert gibt es mindestens eine Orgel in dieser Kirche. Jahrhundert für Jahrhundert arbeiteten die besten Orgelbauer an der Erhaltung eines beeindruckenden Orgelerbes. Die monumentale Le-Picard-Orgel (1750-1752) wurde vor kurzem von Grund auf restauriert und rekonstruiert durch ‘La Manufacture d’Orgues Thomas’ (1997-2002). Sie gilt als beispielhaft für die Lütticher Orgelschule. Nach der grundlegenden Restaurierung des Kirchengebäudes (2010) war es an der Zeit für eine neue Chor-Orgel. Die jahrhundertelange und bis zum heutigen Tag andauernde musikalische Tradition bedarf einer vollwertigen Chor-Orgel, die vielseitig einsetzbar ist für die Liturgie und für Konzerte, als Ergänzung zur historischen Le-Picard-Orgel. ‘La Manufacture d’Orgues Thomas’ wurde ausgewählt, um eine neue Transept-Orgel zu bauen, die an die Tradition anknüpft und doch Perspektiven für die Zukunft eröffnet. Diese neue Orgel (2013-2014) hängt wie ein Schwalbennest im südlichen Kirchenschiff der Basilika. Sie bildet ein schönes architektonisches Gleichgewicht mit dem Marien-Altar im nördlichen Kirchenschiff. Darum wird sie auch ‘Liebfrauen-Orgel’ genannt, nach der Schutzheiligen der Basilika: Causa Nostrae Laetitiae (Ursache Unserer Freude).

El presente trabajo muestra la evolución de la interpretación de la obra “Passacalles II de Primer Tono” de Juan Cabanilles a través de un análisis comparativo de registros sonoros de músicos de los siglos XX y XXI. Recogiendo de la tratadística coetánea al compositor valenciano los pasajes que traten de una manera más cercana la praxis musical en el ámbito hispánico en el siglo XVII, así como realizando una aproximación a los instrumentos que el mismo Cabanilles pudiera tener a su alcance. Se advierte una clara evolución en las formas interpretativas que van de la mano con los descubrimientos de la investigación.

Palabras clave: Cabanilles, Passacalles, Estudio de la interpretación, Clave ibérico, Diferencias.

El present treball mostra la evolució de la interpretació de l’obra “Passacalles II de Primer Tono” de Juan Cabanilles mitjançant un anàlisi comparatiu dels registres sonors de músics dels segles XX i XXI. Extraient de la tratadística coetánea al compositor valencià els passatges que tracten d’una manera més propera la praxi musical en l’àmbit hispànic al segle XVII, així com realitzar una aproximació als instruments que el mateix Cabanilles poguera tindre al seu abast. S’adverteix una clara evolució en les formes interpretatives que van de la mà amb els descobriments de la investigació.

Paraules clau: Cabanilles, Passacalles, Estudi de la interpretació, Clave ibèric, Diferencias.

The present work shows the evolution of the performance of the work "Passacalles II of First Tone" by Juan Cabanilles through a comparative analysis of sound records from musicians of the XX and XXI centuries. Collecting information from the contemporary treatise in the times of the Valencian composer the passages that treat in a way closer to the musical praxis in the Hispanic field in the XVII century, as well as making an approximation to the instruments that Cabanilles himself could have at his reach. There is a clear evolution in the performative forms that go hand in hand with the discoveries of the research.

Key Words: Cabanilles, Passacalles, Study about the performance, Iberian Harpsichord, Diferencias.

Olivier Messiaen’s “Méditations sur le mystère de la Sainte Trinité” (Meditations on the mystery of the Holy Trinity) for organ were completed in 1969, following the monumental orchestral work “La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jésus-Christ” (1963-69). A summation of Messiaen’s compositional technique up to this point, the “Méditations” contain a sophisticated semiotic system which includes bird song, modes of limited transposition, deçi-talas, plainsong, passages from the “Summa theologiae” by Saint Thomas Aquinas, and text superscriptions from a variety of sources. They reach a new height in Messiaen’s idiomatic use of the timbral resources of the organ, and they incorporate an innovative feature, which Messiaen termed the “langage communicable” (communicable language). This novel musical language, which he explains in the Preface to the score and in conversations with Claude Samuel and others, is comprised of three elements: (1) a musical alphabet, which assigns a rhythmicized pitch to each letter of the Roman alphabet, (2) a system of grammatical cases based on Latin, and (3) a series of leitmotifs. These three categories are combined to transliterate phrases from the “Summa theologiae” into music. This essay examines the “langage communicable” linguistically and musically, and places it in the broader semiotic system of the “Méditations.”

W artykule podjęta została pierwsza w polskiej literaturze naukowej próba całościowego spojrzenia na działalność organmistrzowską Józefa Cynara, zarówno poprzez rozważanie danych historiograficznych, jak i analizę statystyczną i organologiczną dzieł autorstwa bohatera tekstu. Istotny element treści stanowi dociekanie czy podróż Cynara do Anglii miała wpływ na jego myśl ideową i techniczną, a jeśli tak, to w jakim zakresie. Autor podjął próbę wykazania, że istotnie pewne elementy z działalności wrocławskiego budowniczego możemy z tym faktem łączyć.

For a complete performance recording and video see: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZQWsroyKj0

This is a work for organ based on the open motiv of the medieval chant "Tantum Ergo." The work is in four sections, which may be played as independent pieces or subsets for liturgical use or as the complete set. The first performance was given by organist Matt Gender.

Jonas Lundblad analyses two late cycles of organ music by Franz Liszt, Missa pro Organo and Requiem, both of which were intended exclusively for the Catholic liturgy, more specifically the spoken or Low Mass, and were composed in an introverted, austere and, at least at first glance, simple style. Liszt here eschews the outward drama and technical challenges of his previous organ music as well as much of the expressiveness of his vocal church music. Both works are based on Mass compositions for male choir and organ, but the substantial differences in relation to the original vocal works, while related to the different liturgical contexts of the respective compositions – the sung and the spoken Mass, respectively – are also the fruit of a new conception of the function of (organ) music in the liturgy. Liszt here moves beyond the idea of purely devotional music (intended to express or enhance [the congregation’s] religious feelings), but neither does he wholly subscribe to the total subservience of music to the proclamation of the kerygma that in the Cecilian movement led to the cultivation of an archaic musical style. Instead, according to the author, in these works Liszt intends to support and express the manifold living interaction between the individual believers and the ‘objective’ drama unfolding in the liturgy. He does this through an innovative approach to harmony which avoids traditional cadential resolutions in favour of enharmonic or semitone-based connections and destabilizes the keys of individual movements, subordinating them to the tonality of the cycle as a whole.

Organ tuning and temperament are essential elements of the soundscape of an organ.
It is commonly assumed today that organ temperament practice shifted away from the well-documented standard of meantone temperament toward circulating temperaments (well-tempered or equal) around 1700. Written records and evidence from extant instruments, however, strongly suggest that unmodified meantone temperament remained common practice in North German organs until the 1740s. Even advocates of the new temperament designs such as Andreas Werckmeister had to admit that organ builders did not follow their suggestions. There is no evidence that retunings resulted in well-tempered systems; only meantone and equal temperaments are mentioned in the sources for retunings.
The reason for suggesting new temperament systems was the requirements of ensemble accompaniment. The simultaneous use of instruments tuned at different pitches (Chorton, Kammerton) required extensive transposition, a practice that, due to the development of major-minor tonality, became increasingly difficult if not impossible with organs tuned in meantone temperament. Modifications of this temperament were suggested and sometimes carried out, but were generally not successful.
Re-tempering an existing organ was a time-consuming task: in a large organ it could take months of work even for an experienced builder. The circumstances under which the organs had to be tuned constituted an important impediment to the introduction of new temperaments. An analysis of payments to bellows-treaders as recorded in church account books shows that the organs of St. Marien, Lübeck, were not retuned during the tenures of Franz Tunder and Dieterich Buxtehude. Thus, some of their organ works could not have been played on the organs available to them during their lifetimes. At this time, however, playing from a score was not acceptable for a professional organist, who was expected to extemporize even complex contrapuntal music. Organ music seems to have been written down mainly for study purposes.

An inner turmoil over the use of Christian subjects as a source of artistic inspiration informed Camille Saint-Saens’s professional appointments, compositions, critical essays, and private correspondence. His early life was shaped by religious experiences tying music and Catholicism together, while in later years he rejected the Church altogether. But despite his about-face, Saint-Saëns still occasionally composed music on religious subjects, notably his forgotten setting of Psalm 150, “Praise Ye the Lord!” This motet for double-choir, orchestra, and organ with text in English, was a souvenir of his first US tour in 1906. In the absence of a reception history or Saint-Saëns’s own remarks on this immense composition, the piece constitutes a challenge to the accepted trajectory of the composer’s religious identity. It is a testament to religious inspiration as source of aesthetic conflict chez Saint-Saëns. On the one hand, the composer thought religion distracted society from useful discourse, but on the other, he was inspired by the power of belief and positive thinking.
By considering Saint-Saëns’s attitudes about religious music as an aesthetic debate, one that carried on throughout most of his life, we can gain a new appreciation for the reciprocal influence between the composer’s essays and his music. Religious discourse was tumultuous and uneasy during Saint-Saëns’s lifetime. Although he tried to remain above the fray by aligning himself with scientists and free-thinkers, he was not immune to the religious question. In this paper, I provide a careful reading of newly-published letters between Saint-Saëns and a country priest, Abbé Gabriel Renoud, as well as a stylistic analysis of “Praise ye the Lord!”. I argue that spiritual inspiration and the relationship between music and religion were topics of aesthetic debate for Saint-Saëns. Knowing the stakes of this debate can introduce us more deeply to the man and his music.

A pesar de la importancia de Eduardo Torres (1872-1934) como compositor en el panorama español de principios del siglo XX, su producción musical no ha recibido hasta ahora toda la atención que merece. Acaso la parte más conocida y estudiada de su catálogo sea la obra para órgano, a través de aproximaciones y estudios de diverso género y calado.
En este trabajo, se presenta un catálogo de los manuscritos originales de Eduardo Torres clasificados simplemente como “Apuntes de órgano” o como “Manuscritos sin título” que se conservan en el Fondo Almandoz del archivo Eresbil de Rentería.
El estudio de estos manuscritos ha permitido identificar hasta 26 copias autógrafas de piezas para órgano de Eduardo Torres que aparecieron publicadas principalmente en las colecciones Cantos íntimos y El organista español, así como dos obras inéditas y numerosos apuntes y esbozos para este instrumento.
Así mismo, se han identificado los manuscritos autógrafos de un total de 48 composiciones vocales en latín y castellano, además de una gran cantidad de obras incompletas y apuntes. Un apartado significativo lo constituyen los apuntes para obras orquestales o piezas vocales con orquesta, igualmente representadas en este fondo.
Con todo ello, se pretende hacer una aportación significativa al catálogo de obras musicales de Eduardo Torres, con la aportación de nuevos datos sobre su producción.

Palabras clave: Eduardo Torres, Norberto Almandoz, Eresbil, catalogación, música para órgano, música vocal.


Despite Eduardo Torres (1872-1934) being a relevant composer in the Spanish musical landscape in the early XX century, his musical legacy has not received, so far, the attention it deserves. Perhaps the best known and studied portion of his catalogue are his organ works.
This study presents a catalogue of the original manuscripts written by Eduardo Torres, classified merely as “Apuntes de órgano” (Sketches for organ) or as “Manuscritos sin título” (Untitled manuscripts), which are kept as part of “Fondo Almandoz” (Almandoz’s fund) in the Eresbil archive in Rentería.
The investigation of these manuscripts has allowed the identification of up to 26 autograph copies of organ works by Eduardo Torres that were mainly published in the Cantos íntimos and El organista español collections.
Additionally, it has permitted identifying autograph manuscripts of a total of 48 compositions in Latin and Spanish, including a vast amount of incomplete works and sketches. A significant fragment is constituted by outlines for orchestral works or vocal pieces with orchestra, also represented within this fund.
With all of this, it’s intended to contribute significantly to the catalogue of musical works by Eduardo Torres, with the addition of new data about his production.

Keywords: Eduardo Torres, Norberto Almandoz, Eresbil, cataloguing, organ music, vocal music.

Jakob Adlung’s recently rediscovered manuscript treatise, ‘Anweisung zum Fantasiren’ (‘Instruction in improvisation’, c.1725–7), proves definitively that some 18th-century musicians understood improvisation modularly in terms of stock voice-leading patterns, or schemas. The manuscript is a compendium containing 28 typical voice-leading patterns that are to be memorized, varied and combined in myriad ways. Adlung’s treatise is thus of particular value, not only because of its numerous musical examples and extensive textual commentary, but because it reveals some of the musical and social expectations of the average central German church organist in the early 18th century. This article offers an introduction to the treatise in the context of Adlung’s biography, with an online appendix containing a critical edition of the treatise and an English translation.

All newly built instruments must be examined and tested to ensure their construction fulfills the contract signed by the buyer and builder. Organ-proving, and J.S. Bach's own possible procedure, is examined. It is proposed that his Toccata, Adagio, and Fugue, BWV 564, was composed or improvised as an examination piece for this process.

Having been thoroughly versed in Sweelinck’s novel approach to polyphonic keyboard composition with its emphasis on strict voice leading and integration of “line” and figuration, Scheidemann initally eschewed the (written-out) motet intavolation. However, he rather surprisingly did turn to it in the 1630s, after his own keyboard style had fully matured, and composed a remarkable collection of highly sophisticated examples. It was thus with a measure of historical awareness that he revived this obsolete genre.

This essay is an analysis of the music and theology of the organ piece 'Annum per annum' by Arvo Pärt. 'Annum' (1980) is not a piece that utilizes Pärt's newly developed 'tintinnabuli' technique, instead it updates the medieval techniques of free organum. The piece is a mass for organ and each movement represents one of the movements of the mass, composed in a specific, and mathematical form based on Pärt’s Neo-medieval aesthetic. The essay demonstrates the historical importance of this piece as a significant step in the development of Pärt’s mature style.

Pubblicato sulla rivista "Giornale di Bordo", Terza serie, n. 45-46 - mag.-dic. 2017, LoGisma Editore (Firenze).

Entrare in una chiesa e venire letteralmente investiti dall’organo pieno
che dispiega il Preludio e fuga BWV 552 di Johann Sebastian Bach è indubbiamente un’esperienza che può farci provare una grande ebbrezza artistica e spirituale: il ripieno robusto e luminoso taglia fisicamente l’aria con onde sonore così particolari nella frequenza da penetrarci attraverso l’orecchio per giungere nelle viscere e farle fremere d’emozione, mentre le grandi ance del pedale diffondono tra le navate suoni maestosi quanto e più del ruggito di cento leoni. Una volta recuperata la razionalità e considerando lucidamente quell’esperienza così gratificante, potremmo domandarci se gli organisti che hanno ricevuto in dono il talento di vivere e far vivere una simile esperienza
sanno quali vette teologiche e mistiche impregnano quelle note che il compositore ha così sapientemente disposto. La risposta, purtroppo, nella maggioranza dei casi è che non ne hanno la minima idea. Per lo più si limitano a considerare un brano del genere unicamente come un eccezionale prodotto di artigianato musicale. Eppure Bach, nell’accostare con tanta sapienza quei suoni, prima di tutto e soprattutto vi contemplava la Trinità.

Julius Reubke was born on March 23, 1834 to Adolf Reubke, a prominent German organ builder. He studied piano with Franz Liszt and composed two major works, Organ Sonata on the 94th Psalm and Piano Sonata in B Minor, in 1857. Both show influences from his studies from Liszt, but also convey Reubke’s own unique style, which was highly praised as the next great advancement in music. Reubke died on June 3, 1858 at only 24 years old, with unknown amount of talent left unshared.
My interest in the Sonata on the 94th Psalm stems from my involvement in arranging it for orchestra. Eugene Marquis, a Cincinnati clarinetist, intends to arrange and publish the sonata for performance by the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. As I study the musical text in depth, various themes emerge that seem tightly linked to emotions elicited by the psalm. I am interested in what musical techniques make this so. This is particularly important in light of Reubke’s short life and limited musical output. An understanding of this will give a better appreciation for Reubke’s music and better insight into the arrangement for orchestra and the eventual orchestral performance practice.

During Bach’s lifetime, the history of temperament in Western music took new turns, but his relationship to this development is far from well understood. The article explores a number of relevant questions to help define what we actually can know about this matter:

• Which sources about musical temperament are relevant in regard to Bach’s practice and what can be learned from them?

• How detailed, plausible or credible is the relevant information?

• Do we know whether Bach had any influence on the choice of temperament in organ projects? If so, to what extent and what was his advice?

• To what degree do extant contemporary reports, expert opinions and historical instruments allow us to reconstruct temperaments in the organ building of Bach’s age?

• What role did the temperament of instruments with fixed pitches (like keyboards) play in interaction with free-intonating instruments and singers?


It appears that conclusive evidence for answering these question does not exist, which might be liberating:
In the end, it remains a matter for the individual to decide which temperament seems to be musically apt for the performance of any of Bach’s compositions.

Among the famous Venetians to be honoured by burial in the church of the Frari, one of the last was Giuseppe Volpi di Misurata. His monument, composed of a neo-Renaissance tomb, a wall inscription and a floor slab, is to be found in
the left-hand aisle of the church, among the tombs of the Pesaro family. As one of the richest and most important Venetians of the first half of the twentieth century, he was linked to the Franciscan church from infancy onwards: he was
baptised there, as were his three sons. Moreover, the Volpi family had lived for at least two generations in a palace on the campo dei Frari overlooking the canal. In 1947 Giuseppe Volpi died in Rome, and it was his widow Nathalie who executed
the wish expressed in his testament that he should be buried in the church of the Frari. This was not put into effect until 1954, with the consent of the patriarch Roncalli, the future Pope John XXIII. In the early 1970s Giuseppe’s son Giovanni
Volpi, through the Fondazione Volpi di Misurata, restored the organs of the Frari, established an important festival of organ music, and even commissioned a new organ from Carlo Scarpa, although this was never carried out.

Inspired by new evidence about J. S. Bach’s teaching method, this article offers an historically informed perspective on teaching part writing while striving to achieve the College Music Society’s curricular goals of integration, creativity, and diversity. The key is an emphasis on transferrable skills, which are honed in the simplified context of hymn tune harmonization and then applied to more diverse settings through analysis and model composition. Transferrable skills sharpened in this method range from basic (figured bass, chord spelling, voice-leading, harmonic analysis, and vocal and keyboard experience) to more advanced (formal and cadential analysis, ornamentation, composition with compound melody, and reductive analysis). The resulting method is historically informed, pedagogically appropriate, internally consistent, fundamentally musical, and always contextualized.

The pipe organ, a musical instrument historically, culturally, and conceptually associated with Christian worship, is being negatively affected in terms of condition and continued use in the United States by rising rates of secularity, declining mainline Protestant and Catholic adherents, declining worship attendance, and, most directly, the closure of church buildings. No scholarly research addresses the relationship of secularization and the organ, and no professionals in the field acknowledge its seriousness or have presented plans to counter it.

This paper lays the groundwork for future research while exploring the landscape of the organ’s possible secular uses. The organ’s relationship to secularization is defined through the interdisciplinary lens of secular studies, bolstered through an exploration of its past. This thesis analyzes the use of the organ in secularized churches in the United States through case studies of fourteen organs in thirteen former churches. While these examples reveal some promising adaptive reuses of church buildings and their organs, the prevailing conclusion is that the instrument’s future is severely endangered. There are few paid secular positions and insignificant educational opportunities that stem from secularized churches. The public lacks exposure to the instrument because of the infrequency of organ-related events.

Yet because the organ’s principal aesthetic is not Christian but communal, the instrument has the potential to thrive in secular contexts. This reframing and often literal repositioning requires stronger leadership: organizations and individuals promoting the organ must be proactive in working with the new owners of secularized churches to help them incorporate the instrument in new, revitalized contexts. A dynamic future for the organ requires the creative work of many.

pp. 171–218. – Il nome di Sandro Dalla Libera (1912-1974) è legato a doppio filo a alcuni tra i più importanti progetti editoriali dedicati alla musica d’organo realizzati in Italia dopo la fine del secondo conflitto mondiale.  Il presente studio intende indagare il contesto che ha fatto da cornice all’attività di uno dei protagonisti della riscoperta del repertorio organistico italiano durante il periodo della ricostruzione postbellica. Il punto di partenza è rappresentato dai materiali conservati nell’archivio Sandro Dalla Libera, donato nel 2011 dagli eredi alla Fondazione Giorgio Cini di Venezia.  Lo spoglio e l’analisi delle carte del fondo – in particolare, delle lettere e dei materiali preparatori delle edizioni musicali – hanno permesso di individuare alcune feconde piste di ricerca. Una di esse ha un’importanza centrale per il tema che qui si intende affrontare: il rapporto con Renato Lunelli (1895-1967). L’ampio scambio epistolare ancor oggi conservato con il noto storico musicale di Trento, erudito di fama internazionale in materia di storia dell’organo e del suo repertorio, ha permesso di ricostruire alcuni episodi-chiave dei progetti editoriali ai quali Dalla Libera ha dato vita: prime fra tutti, le edizioni legate alla riscoperta della monumentale intavolatura d’organo in notazione tedesca conservata presso la Biblioteca Nazionale di Torino.

Reviews:
Informazione Organistica, nuova serie 44 (2018), pp. 263–265 (Pier Paolo Donati).
Rivista Italiana di Musicologia 54 (2019), pp. 226–231 (Siel Agugliaro).

Statistically the most performed and listened to contemporary composer
in the world, Arvo Pärt is a musical and cultural phenomenon. This book is an essential resource for anyone interested in his extraordinarily innovative and uniquely appealing music. Andrew Shenton surveys the full scope of Pärt’s oeuvre, providing context and chronological continuity while concentrating in particular on his text-based music, as well as analyzing and describing individual pieces and techniques, including tintinnabulation. The book also explores the spiritual and theological contexts of Pärt’s creativity and the challenges of performing his work. This volume is the definitive guide for readers looking to engage with the form, content, and context of Pärt’s compositions, as Shenton situates Pärt in the narrative of metamodernism and suggests new ways of understanding this unique and
beautiful music.

Since the composer’s death, Max Reger’s music has received much criticism. His compositions tend to be perceived as knotted, dense, and academic. The extreme use of chromaticism coupled with his own unique harmonic language has been said to express the personality of the man behind the music. As a result, his works have primarily been eschewed from the concert hall.
However, I believe that the understanding of the man and his music, since his death, has been led astray because of poor performances, a lack of understanding of Reger’s mindset, his emotional state,  and his use of “difficult” chromaticism and dissonance.
Starting with the latter, music psychology studies show that chromaticism and dissonance can be displeasing to listeners. Studies show correlations between the emotional cognition and musical perception of emotions in music through shared experiences, between the composer, performer, and listener.  Furthermore, Reger’s individuality, personality and sociability were constantly in battle with his fight to make a name for himself - he was his own best propagandist - while facing the German critics. A lack of expressive playing in performance has also, undoubtedly, dampened his musical public image, as audience members had been led to believe his music was dull and boring.
Ultimately, the intent of this project is to provide an outlook into Max Reger and his life; how he was perceived as a person, musician, and composer whilst he was alive; how his music was perceived during his time; and how it is being perceived today (in the English-speaking community).  In doing so, this project will highlight the variability and whims of his reception through history – in other words, “how do some composers become great?”, while others lie in the periphery of the standard repertory - a purgatory, of sorts.
By understanding the man, his music, his personality, and the struggles he dealt with throughout his entire life, the goal is that this project may guide the listener to further comprehending Reger and his musical language.

Juan David Barrera
GREAM, Université de Strasbourg, France

Journees dAnalyse Musicale 2018 - JAM18

"Les messes d’orgue de François Couperin : un véhicule musical des dimensions symbolique et sensible de la messe"

La Messe à l’usage des paroisses et la Messe pour les couvents de religieux et religieuses, composées par François Couperin en 1690, sont sans aucun doute des chefs-d’œuvre de la tradition organistique française de la deuxième moitié du XVIIe siècle, regroupant les recherches stylistiques des organistes de l’époque louis-quatorzienne. En effet, dans l’ensemble de ces messes, on peut observer une volonté de traduire musicalement le sens des textes liturgiques remplacés par chaque verset d’orgue. En ce sens, à l’aide des approches telles que l’herméneutique, la sémiotique et l’esthétique musicales, notre communication cherchera à analyser la manière dont Couperin mobilise divers recours formels et expressifs dans le but de véhiculer des éléments symboliques et sensibles de la messe. Pour ce faire, nous étudierons un élément thématique cyclique présent dans l’ensemble de ces œuvres : il s’agit d’un motif renversé de quatre notes formant une « figure en croix » qui donne à la fois une cohésion formelle et une portée symbolique remarquable (cette figure pouvant être associée au Christ, principal protagoniste de l’eucharistie). Ce motif est transformé en permanence dans une variété de pièces très codifiées, qui permettent de reconnaître une intention sémantique liée à des attitudes essentielles à la vie religieuse (la dévotion, le recueillement, la réjouissance, l’étonnement, la soumission, entre autres), attitudes qui sont la quintessence des célébrations liturgiques.

Juan Barrera a étudié l’histoire de la musique à l’Université Nationale de Colombie, avant de poursuivre des études d’orgue au sein du Conservatoire de Toulon et d’obtenir le Diplôme d’Études Musicales (DEM) en 2009 avec mention très bien à l’unanimité du jury. Par la suite, grâce à un projet de recherche portant sur la forme et la signification de la musique française pour orgue aux XVIIe et XVIIIe siècles, il obtient un contrat doctoral à l’Université de Strasbourg sous la direction d’Alessandro Arbo. Sa thèse, intitulée « La musique pour orgue en France à l’Âge classique : une représentation du sacré », a été soutenue avec succès en mars 2017.

The discovery of a new concordance within the manuscript Chigi Q.VIII.206 of the
Vatican Library provides the starting point of this study. Among the anonymous compositions transmitted in the manuscript, the first Kyrie of the Missa Apostolorum by
Claudio Merulo (1533-1604), published in 1568, can be identified. The presence of a
composition by Merulo in a source closely linked to the environment in which Girolamo
Frescobaldi (1583-1643) worked, allows to advance some considerations concerning
the context in which the manuscript was copied and, more generally, the role
that Merulo’s musical production played as ideal and formal model for Frescobaldi.

Keywords: Claudio Merulo, Girolamo Frescobaldi, Chigi Manuscripts, Organ Masses.