2 Chorale Preludes: Old and New--at Scorze

One of my Christmas presents this year was this beautiful neoclassical organ sample set of Scorze from Inspired Acoustics. I really enjoy how bright, clean, and clear the sound is. At the same time, it's gentle, round, and full.

I present here two very different chorale preludes that make use of all this organ has to offer. The first, by Pachelbel, is on "Ein feste Burg." I first heard this piece in my Freshman Music History course on Baroque Music at Bowling Green State University. Unlike most other lectures, this one featured a real-life player and performance. I fell in love, instantly, with the piece. Pachelbel gives an extended imitative treatment of the chorale's statement, and then it appears in the pedal as a cantus firmus with an elaborate 16th-note filigree thing going on in the hands.

Performance notes: I recorded this work in a few different ways. I was really excited about a version full of ornamentation, which sounded good to me when I played it. However, a benefit of Hauptwerk is that you can record and hear what just happened. When I played it back over loud speakers, the ornamentation felt excessive and tacky. I wanted to remain tasteful in my performance, as Mattheson says is the requirement. And so I re-recorded this version which isn't straight, but also isn't over-loaded. Of the three, straight, in moderation, and full of ornamentation, I like this one in moderation the most and choose to share it here.

The second piece is a treatment of a traditional Irish tune, "Be Thou My Vision" set by Zsolt Gardonyi, an influential Hungarian composer and organist. It is to be found in the collection of "Jazz Inspirations for Organ" that I own. I think it beautifully illustrates what this organ is also capable of in a modern way as well.