Hi all,

Would like to know if anyone has played any Organ Toccatas? If you have, and you have a favourite, could you please share it?

Cheerio mates

I like the piece colloquially known as Monster Noises. That is, the toccata which closes Léon Boëllman's Suite gothique. I'm also into Lefébure-Wély, and the two Sorties (in E flat and B flat) from L'Organiste moderne are popular and distinctive. Vierne 3 is superb but I was never able to play it (haven't played for years now).

QUOTE (chateauferret @ Aug 26 2004, 08:26 AM)

I like the piece colloquially known as Monster Noises. That is, the toccata which closes Léon Boëllman's Suite gothique. I'm also into Lefébure-Wély, and the two Sorties (in E flat and B flat) from L'Organiste moderne are popular and distinctive. Vierne 3 is superb but I was never able to play it (haven't played for years now).

A day without learning is a day you haven't grown. Thank you my friend - I never knew Boellmann's Toccata had a nickname LOL

Cheerio

nope...not yet...i'm still focusing on Bach's prelude and fuga....

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Aug 26 2004, 09:06 AM)

nope...not yet...i'm still focusing on Bach's prelude and fuga....

which one?

i'm working with Book 2 at the moment... but i can't remember....

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Aug 26 2004, 09:14 AM)

i'm working with Book 2 at the moment... but i can't remember....

It should have a BWV number - although i have a Schirmer edition of his Concertos and Sonatas without!! (ed. Widor & Schweitzer, 1941) Since I am more into Buxtehude, if i must play Bach (please stop your groaning already) I use the Barenreiter. Last year I ordered a 9 volume set of Bach's recognised works, and Buxtehude, and they give the BWV for their compositions.

Cheerio

Schirmer editions are to be avoided at all costs. Their editions are way to anicent and many of them are heavily edited in the 19th century. Compare the Prelude no.1 in C major, BWV846/1. There should only be 35 bars in a modern edition, whereas in the Schirmer edition, an extra bar was add to the piece. Such editing practices are not acceptable in today's standards.

QUOTE (grand choeur @ Aug 26 2004, 02:27 PM)

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Aug 26 2004, 09:14 AM) i'm working with Book 2 at the moment... but i can't remember.... It should have a BWV number

i haven't got the book with me at the moment... i'm not in the country and there aren't any organ available... for me to play....

QUOTE (Yogesh @ Aug 26 2004, 10:41 AM)

Schirmer editions are to be avoided at all costs.  Their editions are way to anicent and many of them are heavily edited in the 19th century.  Compare the Prelude no.1 in C major, BWV846/1.  There should only be 35 bars in a modern edition, whereas in the Schirmer edition, an extra bar was add to the piece.  Such editing practices are not acceptable in today's standards.

This BWV 846 is for pianoforte eh?

QUOTE (liebe_klavier @ Aug 26 2004, 10:47 AM)

[/QUOTE] i haven't got the book with me at the moment... i'm not in the country and there aren't any organ available... for me to play....

you wouldnt happen to be in the Caribbean now, would you?

nope... but u just can't rent a place to play...places do have organs are not accessable...

Do you know the Toccata by Dubois? Also, the one by Gigout?

Oh yes! the Gigout Toccata is great fun, although I like his Scherzo from the same book even more - sheer joy.

Favourite toccata is maybe Tu es Petra by Henri Mulet

Maggie

QUOTE (maggiemay @ Aug 26 2004, 02:15 PM)

Oh yes! the Gigout Toccata is great fun, although I like his Scherzo from the same book even more - sheer joy. Favourite toccata is maybe Tu es Petra by Henri Mulet Maggie

umm did i hear the Widor - Sym. V??

-

I love the Dubois and also the Rutter Toccata in 7
David

Hi
I havent heard the Rutter in 7 for a long time - methinks I'll order a copy eh

i did the rutter for my grade 6 exam, its not a great piece of music, plus metronomes dont go fast enough for you to have a quaver beat going throughout, so you just have to estimate. to do it justice you really need pre-set stop changes or someone to do the changes for you.

its in a book called "A second easy album for Organ" published by OUP. It'll set you back £9.25 because its six pieces by living (contemporary British) composers. the other pieces in there really arent that great.

on my fav organ toccata, im doing one in F major by Buxtehude, but my hansen edition (the first one i coulkd find at short notice) doesnt have any caterlogue numbers.

anyone know any other good stuff by Buxtehude? my organ teacher is mad about Bach, but i've done nothing but bach and a few modern pieces since i started third years ago! am trying to compromise with him and stick to baroque, but Buxtehude instead.

hey hornplayer... i'm slightly off the topic.... is grade 6 organ hard... as i'm going to do it...

all depends on your teacher really. if they're a perfectionist you'll be fine and get distinction. the pieces i did were the

Buxtehude Prelude in G (fanastic piece, lots of places to stick in some ornaments and only 25 bars long!)

Sibelius Funeral Music (not depressing, very folk like and really gorgeous harmonies)

Toccata in seven by Rutter (yuk, awful, annoying piece)

the programme was a good contrast and the examiner LOVED the buxtehude, but i really hated the rutter. i dont mind 7/8 it was the constant ninth chords that drove me crazy!!!!!!!! well, you'll see what i mean if you have the music...........

the pedal study is easy if you're used to bach novello book 2 and scales are scales.

hope that helps

hornplayer (and an organist)

Toccata And fugue in dminor, J.S.Bach

QUOTE (Antony @ Aug 29 2004, 02:38 PM)

Toccata And fugue in dminor, J.S.Bach

would this be the BWV 565?

Did they play that on 1st night of the proms?

thanks hornplayer...i'm currently focusing on the Bach's novello book 2, also some other things for bach.... as well as that... i'm also learning the Oxford Organ Method by Trevor.... hope that helps..

my organ teacher started me on that organ method...............havent used since the first month of starting! novello book 2 is quite different to book 1, less predictable and different forms other than prelude and fugue (the canzona's quite unusual).

i reckonmend the Prelude in E minor as its a really good example of bach following buxtehude's improv style. the fugue's really dull tho

some other stuff i'd suggest is novello book 15, the chorale preludes, short and sweet but quite complex and challenging!

i sound like i actually enjoy doing bach...............dont tell my teacher, i spent a lot of lessons begging to do something different!

QUOTE (hornplayer @ Aug 31 2004, 08:54 AM)

i sound like i actually enjoy doing bach...............dont tell my teacher, i spent a lot of lessons begging to do something different!

thanks for the advise..hornplayer... i have the same situation here... i do enjoy back and i often ask for something else from my teacher...hehe

Leon Boellman's Toccata from Suite Gothique. I'm playing it as an orchestra arrangement it's really good! i think the organ one is on the Grade 8 syllabus
jess

I like the toccata from the 'Plymouth suite' by Percy Whitlock. Did that for mt grade 8 and it ROCKED. It starts off like a distant swirling tornado (i.e. the semiquavers), concealing something within (i.e. the pedal tune) and on it goes. Not a particularly hard choice I must say, but I only had two months to learn it having had fluency problems with the Dupre fugue in g mino (which I love and can now play).

J.S Bach's Toccata in E minor. BWV 914.
I find deep forceful emotions in it.

Pat Le Facteur...

Me too. The fugue is very uplifting.

I guess my top toccatas would be:

Dupre:Toccata from Symphony no.2
Esquisse in Bflat minor

Durufle:Toccata from Suite,op.5

Bonnal:Cloches dans le Ciel

Vierne:Final from Symphony 5 or 6

Messiaen:Dieu Parmi Nous

Prokofiev arr.Guillou:Toccata ,op.11

Fernando Germani:Toccata,op.12

Eben:Moto Ostinato or Final from Sunday Music


In case you all thought that I'd suddenly signed up for the Les Dawson Organ School, I should point out that the above post was made by Him Indoors!!!