SKU: HL.49046723

UPC: 842819115625.

These variations are based on the choral Freu dich sehr, o meine Seele. Variation I, Maestoso, presents a solemn, canonic statement of the theme enveloped by dense, closely-knit harmonies. Variation II, Allegro, is clothed in polyphonic lines reminiscentof Bach's Orgelbuchlein chorales. Variation III, Vivace, is a playful bicinium with the cantus firmus featured in the soprano line, as the bass bounces along in a staccato duet. Variation IV, Adagio, displays rich chromatic harmonies which form a lush backdrop for the pedal solo. Variation V, Vivace, features the chorale in detached left hand notes while the right hand and pedal provide a playful accompaniment. In Variation VI, Andante, the melody vacillates between minor and major keys as syncopated left hand chords and pizzicato bass accompany the cantilena. In the concluding Variation VII, Presto, the left hand proclaims the theme in block chords as the right hand provides an exuberant garland of sixteenth notes while the pedal provides rhythmic drive with tympanic accents.

SKU: CA.1808800

ISBN 9790007188658. Language: all languages.

Sunrise was composed in August 2016 from a concert improvisation. The work is structured as a great crescendo. Although the title refers to the image of a sunrise, the music was not primarily conceived as program music. In one layer of the composition, motoric groups of motifs increasingly condense, beginning in a high register and constantly changing, whilst in a second layer a calm thematic idea is intensified and expanded in barely noticeable alterations. As well as the seamless crescendo from pianissimo to fortissimo, the work uses precisely-notated registrations of color, especially for parts where the chorale-like theme is written in chords in the middle and low registers. The resulting moments of luminescence are emphasized even more through a harmony with bitonally layered major chords. This work is also available on CD (Carus 83.485).

SKU: CA.5014200

ISBN 9790007140816. Key: B flat minor. Language: all languages.

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger dedicated his 9th Organ Sonata (composed in May 1885) to Alexandre Guilmant, the indefatigable concertizing virtuoso who had already given the first Paris performance of Rheinberger's 1st Organ Concerto (in F major, op. 137). With opulent harmonies, conspicuously frequent tempo changes, and chords which are a true delight when played on a Cavaille-Coll organ, the rhapsodic Fantasie at the beginning of the 3rd movement certainly lives up to its name. The separate edition is taken from the Rheinberger Complete Edition.

SKU: SU.80101410

Fantasy-Variations on Two Themes (2017) for organ was written for Heinrich Christensen in celebration of his significant 2017 birthday. The musical material for the work comprises two different themes. The first is a short melody by the Danish composer Carl Nielsen (1865-1931). (It was a sketch originally intended for inclusion in, but ultimately left out of, Nielsen's late organ work 29 Little Preludes.) This theme represents Heinrich's native Denmark. The second theme is the American folk-gospel hymn Angel Band. This theme represents Heinrich's adopted American homeland. It serves also as a remembrance of our dear mutual friend Harry Lyn Huff (1952-2016), for whom the tune was a particular favorite. Both these themes are developed freely in a set of alternating fantasy-variations. The opening variation begins with a dramatic pedal solo before quoting both themes. The second variation is a lyric setting based on the Nielsen melody. The third is a jubilant hornpipe on Angel Band. The fourth is an aria on a transformation of the Nielsen melody. The fifth is a gigue-toccata on Angel Band. The sixth is an atmospheric contemplation: lush chords in the manuals move slowly and hint at Angel Band while the Nielsen melody is heard for the first time in its complete original form on a high pedal stop. The seventh and final variation begins with a brief evocation of the harmonies of the late Daniel Pinkham (a mentor to both Heinrich and me) before going on to return dramatically and jubilantly to the opening music, bringing together both themes again in a bold conclusion. Instrumentation: Organ Duration: 15' Composed: 2017 Published by: Zimbel Press.

SKU: HL.48184724

UPC: 888680841614. 9.0x12.0x0.264 inches.

Six studies, Op. 5 is a set of studies for Organ by Jeanne Demessieux, with a preface by Marcel Dupre. For upper-intermediate and above players, these studies were conceived to help the progression of the player, to enable them to acquire the necessary skills and to maintain their high level. Each study focuses on a special aspect and uses both hands and feet : 1. E minor: Alternating toes-tend 2. B major: Alternating thirds 3. F sharp major: Alternating sixths 4. F major: Alternating chords 5. E major: Repeated notes 6. C sharp minor: octaves Jeanne Demessieux (1921-1968) was a French organist, pianist, composer and pedagogue. She studied Organ with Marcel Dupre and was the main organist at La Madeleine in Paris..

SKU: HL.49005319

ISBN 9790001057295. UPC: 073999804775. 9.0x12.0x0.105 inches.

Hermann Schroeder (1904-1984) ranks among the major German organ composers of the 20th century, being an excellent organist himself. Many of his more than 100 organ works deal with themes of the Gregorian chorale. The chorale's modal diatonicism which is freer and different than the later major-minor tonality establishes a perfect symbiosis with the free tonality of the contemporary composer. In the five-movement chorale partita, the more than 1,000 years old Mixolydian Whitsun Sequence of Hrabanus Maurus (9th century) is used in an imaginative and formally varied way: as a virtuoso toccata, in the second movement 'ostinato' as a strict trio setting over a seven-bar ostinato in the pedal, as a capriciously playful 'bicinium', and as a meditative, harmonically appealing 'arioso'. The fifth movement (fantasia ricercare) displays brilliant full-handed chords and virtuoso passages as well as a fugato in the middle section. A rewarding concert piece for Whitsun, with an excellent possibility of virtuoso interpretation and colourful registration.

SKU: HL.49008149

ISBN 9790001121934. UPC: 073999696240. 8.75x12.0x0.074 inches.

Norbert J. Schneider (born in 1950) teaches composition at the Musikhochschule in Munich. He specialised in church music during his training and now writes predominantly for the organ. His organ toccata for the film 'Schlafes Bruder' has gained him a wider public. 'De profundis' was composed in 1980 for an Amnesty International church service. The chorale melody 'Aus tiefer Not' (Out of the deep) is hidden in the upper parts of the introductory chords and in the top notes of the 'Blues'.

SKU: HL.48180296

UPC: 888680907563. 9.0x12.0x0.097 inches.

Marcel Lanquetuit (1894-1985) studied at the Paris Conservatoire before becoming the organist at the church of Saint-Godard in Rouen. As well as being a prominent organist of his time, Lanquetuit was a renowned composer, but chose to improvise rather than write. A few of his notated compositions remain, however, including the grand and mighty Toccata in D Major, published in 1927. Toccata in D Major is typical of the French style and is dedicated to Lanquetuit's first teacher, Albert Dupre. The incessant, staccato chords and memorable melody create a toccata for organ like no other, making for an essential addition to the advanced organist's repertoire.