SKU: UT.HS-335

ISBN 9790215328532. 9 x 12 inches.

Walter Battison Haynes (1859-1900): Sonata in D minor
Hugh Blair (1864-1932): Short Sonata in G major

The organ sonatas of Walter Battison Haynes and Hugh Blair demonstrate a notable peak in the development of the English organ sonata as a work that is musically cohesive. As discussed in The Genesis and Development of an English Organ Sonata (2017), the portfolio approach towards compositions under one title, a sonata, that included sometimes significantly contrasting movements of varying technical difficulty was common during the second half of the nineteenth century not least as a published example of the compositional skill of composers. Whereas these two sonatas join the tradition of works that could be convincingly played on both medium and large instruments and allow for creativity in registration they are also cohesive pieces that could serve in a concert programme. These works join the legacy of English organ sonatas that had an important pedagogical role jointly inherited from Mendelssohn’s very practical and popular approach to the instrument and the continued European legacy of the lesson-sonata tradition whereby in learning a piece you also learned the instrument and vice versa. They are both idiomatically written and musically rewarding pieces that are imbued with the undeniably English harmonic language of the era that was to remain popular for several decades to come.

SKU: CA.5011900

ISBN 9790007188153. Key: E flat minor. Language: all languages.

The 6th Organ Sonata, composed in 1880 in E flat minor, was the first of a series of sonatas in Rheinberger's output which are more strongly symphonic. One of the features they display is the expansion of the previous three movements to a four-movement form. The grand introductory movement is followed by an Intermezzo, a gentle programmatic Marcia religiosa, and a highly effective tightly-constructed fugal Finale.

SKU: SU.80101523

The title Ten Orphic Vignettes, which alludes to Orpheus, is a conceptual metaphor that represents the idea behind this set of pieces. Orpheus the legendary figure from Greek mythology was venerated for being endowed with superhuman musical skills. He was a poet and mystic whose poems set out many philosophical principles and dogmas of Ancient Greece. These pieces were written in 2021 and some of them are derived from compositional sketches from earlier years. The subject matter of these works are quite eclectic, encompassing Joy, death, aesthetic beauty, nostalgia, the mystical and the esoteric. They are designed to be played as solo pieces on their own or in groups chosen by the performer.Organ Duration: 32’ Composed: 2021 Published by: Zimbel Press.

SKU: SU.80101519

The five pieces in this collection were all originally written for churches/organs on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. Nantucket and its landscape have been one of the most prominent themes across my entire musical output. Each of the two sets of sketches can be used on its own as a diptych for concert or service (prelude/postlude.) The first set is extremely easy; the second set moderately easy. Any of the four pieces may be played individually. If all four are used together it is suggested that they be kept in the given order. Old North Musings is a separate, slightly longer work. Contents: Two Nantucket Sketches (Idyll & Danza rustica); Two Nantucket Sketches (Set 2: Prelude & Shanty), and Old North Musings.Organ Duration: 18’ Composed: 2018/21 Published by: Zimbel Press.

SKU: HL.14021071

UPC: 884088489700. 8.25x11.75x0.148 inches.

These Carol-Preludes were written in 2008, but the idea was in the composer's mind for many years before this. Essentially, they revive the old style of the Chorale- Prelude, but using carol tunes instead of hymns or chorales. They are derived from German, French and English melodies - some of the German tunes were found in my mother's old school songbook from her schooldays in Germany after the First World War.