Moto Ostinato from Sunday Music

Learning this piece became my accidental summertime project this year. For many, many years I had convinced myself that this was out of reach for me on a technical level. Following a recital I attended in May where this piece was performed, a colleague of mine helped me convince myself that this wasn't beyond my skill level. Four months of hard work later, it's time for me to move on to other projects, but I'm really happy with where I got with this fascinating piece.

Some additional notes borrowed from Janette Fishell's recording of this work: "Moto Ostinato remains the composer’s most popular organ work. Although effective as a
stand-alone work, here we appreciate not only its function as the scherzo of this “symphony,” but its role in setting the stage for a spiritual battle. It was inspired by one of the New Testament’s most terrifying scenes – the story of Christ’s encounter with demons who possessed an innocent man. “My name is Legion, for we are many.” (Mark 5:9) A menacing theme grows increasingly sinister until the entire texture is engulfed by the frenzied ostinato. Electrifying stereophonic effects on the final page are achieved by rapid manual changes, perhaps depicting
the swine tumbling off a cliff, as the scripture states in subsequent verses."