Fantasie in freiem Style (op. 133)

This Fantasy, pp. 133, by Gustav Adolf Merkel (1827–1885) is a contrast to op. 5, which I presented recently. While the latter is based on baroque models in its outer movements, op. 133 is consistently romantic in style. The melancholic E minor at the beginning soon dissolves into E major, followed by an emotional and eruptive middle section which then returns to a romantic beatitude.
The entire dynamic range of the organ is explored in this piece. Op. 133 was published in 1884 – the very year the Walcker organ at Annaberg was built.