This is the second in a series of “organ lessons” by Jan-Piet Knijff. The first, “Bruhns’s ‘Little’ E-minor,” appeared in the January 2006 issue of The Diapason, pp. 22–24.
Introduction
Like it or not, almost all organ music of any significance (and a lot that has no significance at all) was written by composers who were also organists. One of the major exceptions (along with Brahms, who was no organist either) is Paul Hindemith (1895–1963), arguably one of the giants of twentieth-century music. Hindemith wrote a handful of excellent works for organ: three sonatas (1937–40), the Kammermusik No. 7 (Concerto for Organ and Chamber Orchestra, 1927), and finally the Organ Concerto (1962). The three sonatas have long been an essential part of the organ repertoire, although probably more so in some cultures than in others.1 The Kammermusik, a very appealing work, has been recorded by a number of organists, but is not often heard in concert, undoubtedly for practical reasons. The 1962 Organ Concerto is very rarely heard.
An outstanding violinist, Hindemith became concertmaster in Frankfurt at age 20, working with conductors such as Mengelberg, Furtwängler, and Scherchen. He soon had enough of orchestra life and, as a performer, concentrated on the viola and the viola d’amore, making a career both in chamber music and as a soloist. His real vocation, however, was composition. Hindemith wrote in every conceivable genre: opera, oratorio, choral (both sacred and secular), solo vocal (including the cycle Das Marienleben [The Life of Mary]), orchestral, concerto, chamber music—often for instruments that had previously been treated in a stepmotherly fashion—and piano solo. Hindemith taught composition in Berlin and, after his emigration to the United States in 1940, theory at Yale University. He retired from the concert stage as a violist in 1939 upon hearing some of his own recordings; after World War II, he was increasingly active as a conductor, not only of his own works. The subject of this article is the second movement of Sonata No. 2 for organ, probably the most accessible of all of Hindemith’s organ music, both to the performer and to the listener. The work is available from Schott (ED 2559), Hindemith’s publisher; the second movement is found on pp. 10–12.
Overview
The movement has a very clear and simple structure, which, however, may not be terribly obvious at first sight. And once they get “stuck” in “learning the notes,” many musicians have a tendency to overlook the large structure of the work: they can’t see the forest for the trees, so to speak. In this particular movement, Hindemith’s manual indications (Oberwerk and Hauptwerk—Swell and Great, if you like) are the key. Why not take a look (don’t start playing right away) at the beginnings of each section where the hands are playing on a new manual: mm. 1, 10–11, 20–21, 38–39 (page turns don’t help in getting an overview of a piece!), 57, 60, 63, 64–65. The first thing that may catch your eye is that the pedals don’t play when your hands are on the Oberwerk; this, of course, is handy, because it saves you from having to adjust the pedal registration in performance. Next—and perhaps you want to play the first four to six notes of the soprano of each section—you will notice that the soprano in each Hauptwerk section simply repeats that of the Oberwerk section preceding it. In other words:
mm. 1–10 Oberwerk A
10–20 Hauptwerk A'
20–38 Oberwerk B
38–56 Hauptwerk B'
57–60 Oberwerk C
60–63 Hauptwerk C'
63–64 Oberwerk D
64–66 Hauptwerk D'
The Hauptwerk sections can be considered varied repeats of the preceding Oberwerk sections. But, though the harmonization and inner voices may be quite different, you’ll find that—with the exception of a pick-up note or two and an octave transposition once—the soprano of the Hauptwerk section is exactly identical with that of the preceding Oberwerk section. In fact, it may not be a bad idea to play through the soprano only of the piece (just the top notes in the right hand) to realize this for yourself and find out where those little changes are made: two pick-up notes are added in m. 10; the last three notes of the first section (mm. 9–10) are transposed up an octave at the repeat in mm. 19–20; and the pick-up notes are changed from b - g# in m. 20 to f# - g# in m. 38. Finally, Hindemith wrote out a rallentando at the end: the dotted-quarter ending in m. 64 is stretched out to dotted-half notes in m. 65–66.
Of course, the end of the B section above (mm. 32–38) is a shortened and varied reprise of section A, this time finishing on the tonic E. The overall form of the movement, then, is something that’s often referred to as a “rounded binary,” in this case followed by a little coda, and could be summarized as follows:
||: X :|||: Y X' :|| Coda.
Tempo and Character
Hindemith wrote another short keyboard piece very similar to the second movement of Sonata No. 2: the second “Interludium” from Ludus Tonalis (Hindemith’s equivalent of Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier).2 The time signature here is also 6/8 with the characteristic dotted-eighth rhythm appearing frequently, particularly in the first half of a measure. The metronome mark is the same (50 to the dotted quarter); the tempo indication is “Pastorale, moderate.” I think we can safely consider the sonata movement as a little “pastoral” (literally: “shepherd’s song”) as well.
The German tempo indication ruhig bewegt means “quietly moving” (literally “quietly moved”); if you wanted an Italian equivalent, it would probably be andante. The character of both the “Interludium” from Ludus Tonalis and the organ sonata movement is very reminiscent of the siciliano, the slow dance in 6/8 (or 12/8) with the dotted-eighth-note pattern in the first half of the measure, found in so many Baroque pieces. A good example from the organ repertoire is the first movement from John Stanley’s Voluntary in D minor, op. 6 no. 1. It’s almost impossible to miss the right tempo for the Stanley movement; and approximately the same speed will work well for either Hindemith piece. (The indications langsamer and noch langsamer, found towards the end of the organ movement, mean “slower” and “even slower” respectively.)
The metronome mark for the sonata movement tells you to play 50 dotted quarters per minute; and when you think about it, that means that the dotted quarter is something like a very slow second. But of course, this does not mean that Hindemith expected you to take out your metronome, put it on 50, and play the whole piece with the blessed machine ticking away. Use the metronome to get an idea of what the tempo is like; hum the tune along for a measure or two, get the feeling, and put the machine away. If you want to make sure that you know “how the piece goes,” listen to a recording (perhaps one of those listed below). To make sure that you play the whole piece in (approximately) the same tempo, jump from fragment-here to fragment-there maintaining the same “flow.” But nobody’s heartbeat is perfectly regular, and no musical performance should be either: “The metronome mark is only valid for the first measure of a piece.”3
Registration
Hindemith did not indicate any registration beyond the manual indications and a simple piano and mezzoforte. If one stays with the manual indications (playing with hands on the same keyboard, alternating between Swell and Great), I think one would in all likelihood want to avoid reeds. Often a registration with flutes 8 and 4 on the Swell and foundation stops 8 and 4 on the Great works well. In an ideal world it may be nice not to couple the manuals; in practice, coupling often works well on organs with electric action. On a tracker, you will probably want to avoid the coupler, as it may make the action heavier than you might like for this movement. In the pedal, use a registration with 16 and 8, strong enough to make the “theme” in mm. 54–56 clearly heard; but not so loud that the pedalpoints in mm. 39–53 become overpowering.
Although the manual indications Oberwerk and Hauptwerk seem to refer to a Baroque or “Baroque-ish” type of organ, the movement works well on pretty much any organ with at least two manuals. As long as you have pedals, it can also be played effectively on a one-manual organ by simply adding a stop for the mezzoforte sections.
Beginning to Play
Whether I am learning a keyboard piece or teaching a new piece to my choir, I often like to begin with getting an idea of the end of the piece (or movement): this is the goal of the journey, and it’s usually a good thing to bear that in mind from the start. In this case, take the last four measures. Take the time for the grace notes (with the beautiful g-natural!); they are best played before the beat, which means that, in the penultimate measure, the c#' in the alto still sounds during both grace notes! In the same measure, notice Hindemith’s written-out rallentando (a dotted half note instead of a dotted quarter). Also, notice how the left hand on the Great brings the first three notes of the little melody in augmentation (in this case, three times as slow); something you would like to point out in a paper for your music theory class, I think!
I see two possibilities for fingering in the last two measures [Example 1]. If you choose the second option, pay attention that the tied-over b in the left hand does not stick around after playing the c# in the right; and make sure that the thumb moves as smoothly as possible from the c#¢' to the d . As for the pedal in this measure, the important thing is to get your right foot on the A; to me, the easiest way to do that is by alternating toes, starting with your right foot on the e.
Now that you have an idea of where the piece is going, take a look at the beginning, mm. 1–5. I love how the right hand begins on its own, then is joined by the left hand in a little duet; Hindemith adds an alto and tenor only for the “cadence” in mm. 4–5. Make sure to play nicely legato in both hands; but of course, the b¢ in the middle of m. 2 (not the grace note) must be clearly separated from the note before (by shortening that note) and from the grace note following (by shortening the note itself) at the same time. Think of it this way [Example 2]. But don’t allow the left hand to go along with the articulation of the right! Here is my fingering for the chords in mm. 4–5 [Example 3]. Of course, frequent finger substitution helps to obtain a nice legato; but if an index finger on the b in the left hand produces too much tension in your hand, use your thumb instead. In that case, you try to make the thumb’s “journey” from c#' to b (quite a trip!) as smooth and short as possible; try to avoid “hurried” movements, however.
Now that you have learned both the end and the beginning of the movement, why not put the two together to create a kind of “summary” of the piece: glue the beginning of m. 5 to the middle of m. 63; or, even more concisely, glue the beginning of m. 2 to the end of m. 64. During your work on the piece, you want to come back to your little summary from time to time; it helps you to avoid “getting lost” in the notes.
Section A
After the long opening phrase discussed above, the movement continues with a number of shorter gestures: the beautiful unison passage in mm. 5–7 (a nice contrast with the four-part harmony in mm. 4–5) is followed by the motif with the repeated c#¢¢ in the soprano, and the sentence concludes with the Phrygian cadence on f# in m. 10. It is important to bring out Hindemith’s phrasing well; in practice, that means shortening the last note under a slur. Effective fingering can also help; here’s my suggestion for the unison passage [Example 4]. In m. 7, omit the c#¢ in the left hand, as you’re playing it with the right hand anyway. In the right hand, you want to nicely separate the soprano c#’s while playing legato in the alto [Example 5]. In the left hand, a “natural” way to get the right phrasing can be to use the same little pinky on the e and the A in m. 8 (the left hand starts with a thumb on the b in m. 7).
Section A'
The beautiful varied repeat of section A starts with five-part harmony; make sure to keep track of the sustained e in the left hand (mm. 11–12) and the sustained a¢ in the right (mm. 13–14). A few crucial fingers in the left hand: a middle finger on the last a in m. 12; silent substitution (2–1) on the a in m. 14, followed by a middle finger on the d; and index finger and ring finger on the chord in m. 18. Think of the pedal part as the double basses in your orchestra; isn’t that a beautiful line in mm. 11–15? The easier and smoother your feet move on the pedals, the better. Here are my suggestions for pedaling this and the next pedal passage [Example 6]. For smooth crossing-over of the feet, it’s usually best to put one foot further back when you’re crossing over in front, and vice versa. (In the music examples, this is indicated with a line underneath or over the toe-symbol.)
Very beautiful is the end of this section with the soprano transposed up an octave: take the opportunity to let those notes really sing. Notice, by the way, the only six-part chord in the movement, supporting the high a'' in m. 19; I recommend shortening the low a¢ in the right hand in order to move your thumb up to the c''.
Section B
As in section A, the right hand begins on its own, but is soon joined by the left hand in a little duet which seems to begin as a canon (twice: compare mm. 21 and 23–24). By sustaining the tenor note f in m. 25, Hindemith allows the texture to expand to three-part harmony, leading to the four-part “unison” A in m. 27. The right-hand descent that follows needs careful finger substitution [Example 7]. Mm. 32–38 can be considered a kind of recapitulation of the opening theme (in the “home key” E). After the “attempts” at a canon in mm. 21 and 24, Hindemith now brings the opening melody in canon, first in the alto (m. 34), then in the tenor (m. 36). Try singing along with the canon when working on this fragment! A fingering suggestion in the left hand: put your index finger on the e in mm. 32 and 34.
Here’s what I recommend for the right hand in mm. 36–38 [Example 8]. Linger on the pick-up for m. 36 as long as you can, as if you have glue on your fingers; and—using the same glue perhaps—glue the f#'-e'-f#' (all played with your right thumb) together as much as you can (in other words, make the journey as short and smooth as possible).
Section B'
This section is a very nice example of the use of pedalpoint: sustained bass notes, creating a kind of “envelope” of sound. Notice that the pedal F is released and then played again in m. 41 (in order to help clarify the phrasing in the right hand). Although the basic ideas from section B are all present in section B¢, the attempts at canon are now a tone lower: see mm. 39 and 42–43. In addition to the pedal part, Hindemith adds extra voices in the hands as well, creating a four-to-five-part texture in mm. 39–49; again, be careful with the sustained notes in the inner voices (the b' in m. 43–44 and the d in mm. 45–48); it’s easy to lose sight of them. Very beautiful is the open fifth d–a in m. 45 as opposed to the unison a in m. 27! The canons at the end of the section are given to different voices from before: first the tenor (m. 52), then the pedal (m. 54). I think there’s really only one option for the pedaling [Example 9]. It is a possibility to play legato from the pedalpoint D in m. 49 to the E in m. 50 while “taking a breath” in the hands; or, you can lift both in the hands and in the pedal—this to me is a matter of taste. Whatever you do, make a clear comma in the pedal before the entry of the canon in m. 54—this probably means inserting an eighth rest at the end of the long E in m. 53.
Discography
If you enjoy listening to CDs and you are interested in hearing some real-life approaches to Hindemith’s organ music, here are some recordings you might like to consider:
• Piet Kee Plays Hindemith and Reger. All three sonatas; Grote of St. Bavokerk, Haarlem (Netherlands); Chandos.
• The Art of Peter Hurford. Includes Sonata No. 2; Dom, Ratzeburg (Germany); Decca Argo.
• Hindemith: Organ Concerto, 3 Organ Sonatas. Anton Heiller, Elisabeth Ullmann; Brucknerhaus, Linz (Austria); Warner Classics.
Conclusion
The second movement from Organ Sonata No. 2 is probably the most accessible organ piece of Paul Hindemith. Though not exactly easy, it is not terribly hard to learn and though mildly spiced with the usual Hindemithian dissonances, the piece sounds friendly enough to appeal to an “average” audience, either in church or in the concert hall. On Sunday mornings, the piece could serve as prelude or as (part of) the music during the offering or communion. For young organists preparing for college auditions, the movement could be an excellent choice from the twentieth-century repertoire (provided that you have some more upbeat pieces from other style periods). Finally, for those whom I got “Hooked on Hindemith,” I would recommend the last movement (also Ruhig bewegt) from Sonata No. 1 as your next piece to consider. Perhaps we’ll talk about that one another time.
