Come, sweet death

Our member, and my good friend, Aida (Ida as in Idaho) has recently promised to upload this same work.

Thinking about this has reawakened my obsession with the piece and the major influence that it played in my own life. I had the absolute need to play this again, probably the last time for me, after not having played, heard it, or thought of it for many years.

The name of Virgil Fox (1912-1980) needs no introduction. Love him or hate him, he forever changed the organ world. His performances were controversial, impassioned, virtuosic, and different from all others. At one time, I though he was god. Now, my opinions have largely changed in terms of tastes and preferences, but not in my respect for him, or what he accomplished.

I met and played for him twice, and was invited by him to be his student, but my family really wanted me to stick with "playing the organ as a hobby," so, for better or worse, my studies with him never took place.

In the 2 hours that I spent with him, back in the days when I knew nothing and was self-taught, I still recall his words about "registration," and that using the stops is like an artist painting a picture. That image has NEVER left me...

The famous arrangement of Bach's chorale, "Komm, Süsser Tod", BWV 478, was originally conceived as a "chorale prelude" to be played at an AGO recital on the great Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia.
The very idea of playing a "Bach chorale" on this organ was laughed at as being folly, but the "Bach chorale" that he produced is one of the most shattering musical moments of all time.

There are many recordings of it on youtube, most of them being THE famous Wanamaker recording, lasting about 9 1/2 minutes. His earliest recording of it lasts about 6 1/2 minutes, but the "usual" time is between 7 and 7 1/2 minutes.

The dynamic range is wide, so you may have to adjust your levels. I'm sorry for the vibrating pedal notes in spots.

I have including a MIDI file of this upload, which is below.