Over the many years since its inception, The Diapason has devoted
a special section of each monthly issue to the publication of organ recital
programs offered in the United States and elsewhere. These timely reports tell
organists what their colleagues are playing and also provide musicologists with
information on performed repertoire that enables them to discern program
patterns. This article is intended to reveal trends in organ recital repertoire
in three selected reporting periods spanning over a hundred years, beginning
with the most recent and then moving to comparisons with earlier times. The
data used are derived from analyses of the number and content of organ recital
programs published in The Diapason and another major source. Some
generalizations may emerge from an inspection of this information.
Recent period: 2000-2001
During the one-year period from May 2000 to April 2001, The
Diapason printed the programs of 334 organ recitals in which 240 players
performed the works of 469 composers; 2,561 pieces in all. The names of many of
the players were listed in the advertisements of concert organist management
agencies that appear regularly in The Diapason. The geographical distribution
of these recitals was as follows: USA, 251 (75%); Canada, 51--all but three in
Montréal--(15%); Europe, 27 (8%); United Kingdom, 5 (2%). Of the 2,458
original compositions, ten of the most frequently performed composers, with the
numbers of their works played, are given in this table:
Number style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Percent
Bach 855 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 35
Franck 64 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Vierne 53 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Widor 40 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Dupré 38 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Mendelssohn 38 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Langlais 32 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1
Messiaen 32 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1
Reger 29 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1
Mozart 28 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1
There were 55 all-Bach programs consisting of large-scale
pieces, shorter preludes and fugues, and chorale preludes. Of the major and well-known
composers for organ, the most frequently performed works included: Alain
(Litanies), Boëllmann (Suite Gothique), Franck (Pièce
Héroïque, various Chorales), Hindemith (various Sonatas), Ives
(Variations on 'America'), Liszt (Prelude and Fugue on BACH), Mendelssohn
(various Preludes and Fugues, Sonatas), Reger (various Fantasies), Schumann
(Fugues on BACH), Vierne (Carillon, movements from the Symphonies), and Widor
(movements from the Symphonies). Pieces of the whimsical variety included
several works on animal subjects: Leavitt (The Cow), Utterback (The Ewe's
Blues), Weaver (The Squirrel), Ogden (White Rabbit, Penguins at Play), and
Roberts (Pastorale Aviary).
Of the total number of 2,561 pieces played, 103 (4%) were
transcriptions or arrangements. The frequency of the top ten composers within
this category is given in this table:
Number style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Percent
Bach 8 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 8
Handel 8 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 8
Beethoven 4 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 4
Elgar 4 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 4
Bolcom 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Copland 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Sullivan 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Tchaikovsky 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Walton 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Wagner 2 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Examples of transcriptions or arrangements included works by
Bach (Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring; Sleepers Awake), Copland (Fanfare for the
Common Man), Elgar (Nimrod, Pomp and Circumstance March), Handel (Water Music,
Royal Fireworks), Sullivan (The Lost Chord), Tchaikovsky (Nutcracker Suite),
Wagner (Ride of the Valkyries), and Walton (Orb and Sceptre March).
Middle period: 1955
During the period from January to June 1955, The Diapason
printed the programs of 222 organ recitals in which 187 players performed the
works of 312 composers; 1,846 pieces in all. The geographical distribution of
these recitals was as follows: USA, 214 (96%); Canada, 5 (Montréal,
Toronto, Gananoque) (2%); United Kingdom, 1 (less than 1%); Mexico, 1 (less
than 1%); Nassau, 1 (less than 1%). Of the 1,759 original compositions, ten of
the most frequently performed composers, with the numbers of their works
played, are given in this table:
Number style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Percent
Bach 367 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 21
Franck 68 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 4
Vierne 49 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Langlais 43 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Dupré 37 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Handel 35 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Buxtehude 34 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Karg-Elert 33 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Brahms 30 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Bingham 25 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 1
There were two all-Bach programs consisting of large-scale
pieces, shorter preludes and fugues, and chorale preludes. Of the major and
well-known composers for organ, the most frequently performed works included:
Bonnet (Romance), Brahms (various Chorale Preludes), Clérambault (Basse
et dessus de trompette), Daquin (various Noëls), Handel (movements from
the Concertos), Hindemith (various Sonatas), Liszt (Prelude and Fugue on BACH),
Messiaen (Dieu parmi nous), Mozart (Fantasia in F Minor), Mulet (Tu es petra),
Reger (Benedictus), Reubke (Psalm 94), Schumann (various Canons, Sketches),
Vierne (Carillon), and Widor (movements from the Symphonies).
Of the total number of 1,846 pieces played, 87 (5%) were
transcriptions or arrangements. The frequency of the top ten composers within
this category is given in this table:
Number style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Percent
Bach 27 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 31
Corelli 6 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 7
Wagner 6 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 7
Handel 5 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 6
Debussy 4 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 5
Beethoven 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Haydn 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Mozart 2 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Schubert 2 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Tchaikovsky 2 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 2
Examples of transcriptions or arrangements included works by
Corelli (Christmas Concerto), Debussy (Girl with the Flaxen Hair), Gounod (Ave
Maria), Handel (Hallelujah Chorus), Mascagni (Prelude, Cavalleria Rusticana),
Mendelssohn (On Wings of Song), Rimsky-Korsakov (Flight of the Bumble Bee),
Rossini (Overture, William Tell), Schubert (Moment Musicale), Tchaikovsky (None
But the Lonely Heart), and Wagner (Prelude, Lohengrin).
Early period: 1892-1894
The Organ, a short-lived journal of two volumes (24 issues)
was published by Everett E. Truette, one of the leading figures on the musical
scene in the United States in the later years of the nineteenth century.1 A
regular practice was the printing of organ recital programs by players in North
America, Australia, and elsewhere in the world. During the two years of its
publication, The Organ published the programs of 136 organ recitals, consisting
of 956 pieces in all. About one-half of the recitals were played by only six
performers, several of whom toured extensively; only two recitals were played
by women organists. Of the 692 original compositions, ten of the most
frequently performed composers, with the numbers of their original compositions
played, are given in this table:
Number style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Percent
Guilmant 78 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 11
Bach 55 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 8
Salomé 38 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 6
Dubois 3 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 5 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 5
Handel 34 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 5
Batiste 31 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 5
Buck 28 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 4
Mendelssohn 24 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Lemmens 21 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Rheinberger 21 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Among the most frequently performed works by major composers
were: Bach (Toccata and Fugue in D minor, various Preludes and Fugues),
Guilmant (Marche funèbre et chant séraphique and several of his
Sonatas), Handel (various Concertos), and Mendelssohn (various Sonatas,
Preludes and Fugues). Works by composers of the day included such favorites as:
Batiste (Communion in G, various Offertoires), Buck (Variations on the Last
Rose of Summer), Dubois (March of the Magi Kings, Toccata in G), Lemmens (Storm
Fantasia), and Spinney (Harvest Home, Vesper Bells). Some short pieces by
George E. Whiting, a member of the organ department of The New England
Conservatory of Music, were played as frequently as Widor's Symphonies.
Of the total number of 956 pieces played, 264 (28%) were
transcriptions or arrangements. The frequency of the top ten composers within
this category is given in this table:
Number style="mso-spacerun: yes"> Percent
Wagner 36 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 14
Handel 27 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 10
Mendelssohn 19 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 7
Gounod 14 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 5
Rossini 11 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 4
Schubert 10 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 4
Weber 9 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Beethoven 8 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Chopin 8 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Meyerbeer 7 style='mso-tab-count:1'> 3
Examples of transcriptions or arrangements included works by
Chopin (Funeral March), Flotow (Overtures: Stradella, Martha), Handel (Largo;
Overtures: Samson, Occasional Oratorio), Mendelssohn (Wedding March), Meyerbeer
(Schiller Festival March, Le Prophète), Rossini (Overture, William
Tell), Schubert (Marche militaire), Wagner (pieces from Lohengrin,
Tannhäuser), and Weber (Overture, Oberon).
Commentary: Original compositions
In general, the content of organ recital programs depends on
a variety of factors:
* the performers' backgrounds, training, musical interests,
and technical abilities;
* reverence for musical tradition and the attraction of new
material;
* the perceived preferences of audiences; and
* the tonal resources of the organs.
The music of J. S. Bach was a strong favorite of both
players and audiences throughout the three historical periods; his works are
high on the top ten list in each case. Bach's temporary eclipse by Alexandre
Guilmant in the early period may have been related to Guilmant's North American
tour in late 1893, when the virtuoso played thirty concerts in less than eight
weeks, including four at the Chicago World's Fair. These performances were
reported in detail in The Organ in the same year, along with a biographical
article. Organists undoubtedly took advantage of the publicity surrounding this
event to feature the French virtuoso's works in their recital programs in
homage to the composer and as a means of educating the musical public.
Moreover, Guilmant was by now quite prominent on account of his published
compositions from the 1860s onward. On the other hand, although Guilmant's
organ works were played in recitals in the middle and recent periods, they
amounted to only about half a dozen in each period.
Works by Franck, Vierne, and Dupré were played often
in both the middle and recent periods, indicating a certain continuity of favor
for the French masters. Mendelssohn's works were enduring preferences in all
three periods, although not quite as strongly in the middle period as in the
preceding and following periods. Handel was strongly represented in both the
middle and earlier periods.
With the exception of Guilmant, Bach, Handel, and
Mendelssohn, the other composers on the top ten list for the early period
(Salomé, Dubois, Batiste, Buck, Lemmens, and Rheinberger) seem
relatively isolated in terms of player preference in the two later periods. Although
their works were played occasionally, they did not receive the strong exposure
they had in the early period when they probably were considered more
adventuresome and appealing, and therefore "modern" within that
musical context. For example, the compositions of Rheinberger (1839-1901) were
much less frequently played in the middle period (only 5 times) and in the
recent period (9 times) than in the early period (21 times), his own day.
Commentary: Transcriptions
The adaptation of musical works for mediums other than their
original has been practised in western music since the fourteenth century. The
terms "transcription" and "arrangement" are often used
interchangeably, but the former implies greater fidelity to the original.2
Bach's arrangements of his own compositions, along with those of Vivaldi, are
among the most celebrated Baroque examples. Bach's own works, in turn, were
arranged by Mozart, Schumann, Liszt, Busoni, and others. The inclusion of
transcriptions and arrangements of operatic, choral, or instrumental works in
organ recitals was widespread in the nineteenth century, particularly in
England where town halls, often equipped with splendid "symphonic"
pipe organs, were the centers of musical entertainment in most cities. Although
the practice attracted much criticism (although not from devoted players and
their audiences), it was justified on two grounds: first, to provide the
general public with opportunities to hear works that would otherwise remain unknown,
and second, to increase the popularity of organ recitals that were sometimes
considered dull and boring. The transcriptions of military marches or operatic
overtures that were included in recital programs provided the performer with an
opportunity for a brilliant display of the high-pressure reed ranks of the
organ, thus beginning or ending the recital on a high-spirited emotional level.
The numbers of transcriptions decreased consistently from
the earliest years, as indicated in this table, which includes data (*) from
another study:3
Period Percent
1875-1919 35*
1892-1894 28
1920-1939 17*
1940-1949 11*
1950-1959 14*
1955 style='mso-tab-count:2'> style="mso-spacerun: yes"> style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 5
2000-2001 style="mso-spacerun: yes"> 4
Transcriptions of works by Wagner, Handel, and Beethoven
remained in the top ten categories in all three periods. An extenuating factor
in the reduced number of transcriptions in the middle period was the inclusion
of thirteen recitals by students preparing for advanced certification. The fact
that only two transcriptions were played by members of this group no doubt
reflects the influence of their teachers and examiners who may have discouraged
them from playing transcriptions. Nevertheless, most recitalists in the middle
and recent periods probably included them because of their appealing tunefulness,
melodic familiarity, and positive audience response.
The future
Unqualified predictions about the future are always risky,
but several cautious generalizations are possible, based on recent trends.
Bach, the Prince of Composers for the King of Instruments,
is ensured a continuing place in the repertoire of original compositions for
organ on account of his prolific and wide-ranging musical creativity, as well
as his established contributions to the genre. Is this a case of Bach for all
time?4
American composers of original music for organ may be
represented in coming years, too, if the present trend continues. The 42
American composers whose works were performed in the recent period are listed
in a comprehensive directory of 324 composers for organ born after 1900.5 The
works of contemporary composers may appear in future programs as recitalists
become more familiar with them and as new works are published.
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
Transcriptions will likely be included in many recitals,
except those constructed on purist principles.6 Peter Richard Conte, Grand
Court Organist of the famous Wanamaker Organ in Lord & Taylor,
Philadelphia, is one of the few organists in the world today who specializes in
this genre. He comments: "Orchestral transcriptions are much like translations.
They are successful only when the listener forgets that it is a translation;
the work sounds as natural as if it were written in this 'new' language. The
transcription artist not only 'translates' the composer's original score, but
melds together the inherent character and beauty of the 'new' instrument's
resources."7 n
Notes
1.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> For
a comprephensive account of this publication, see James B. Hartman, "The
Organ: An American Journal, 1892-1894," The Diapason 86 (December 1995):
14-16. Statistical data and commentary on organ recital repertoire are derived
from this source.
2.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> The
New Harvard Dictionary of Music, s.v. "Arrangement,"
"Transcription." The topic also arises in discussions of authenticity
in music; for a detailed account see James B. Hartman, "The Search for
Authenticity in Music: An Elusive Ideal?" The Diapason 84 (June 1993):
11-13.
3.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> James
B. Hartman, The Organ in Manitoba (Winnipeg: The University of Manitoba Press,
1997).
style="mso-spacerun: yes">
4.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> The
Calgary Bach Festival Society and the Calgary International Organ Foundation
adopted this phrase as the title of a major event celebrating the music of J.
S. Bach, held in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 15-18, 2000.
5.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Sharon
L. Hettinger, American Organ Music of the Twentieth Century (Warren, MI: Harmonie
Park Press, 1997)
6.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> The
trend is also reflected in some recent CD recordings that consist mainly of
transcriptions: Thomas Murray, "The Transcriber's Art" (Sibelius,
Delius, Rachmaninoff, Handel, Elgar, Liszt, Ravel, Kreisler); Gothic Records,
1992, G49054. Frederick Hohmann, "The Nutcracker" (Tchaikovsky); Pro
Organo, 1991, CD7012. Malcolm Archer, "Colston Hall Organ Classics"
(Mascagni, Wagner, Saint-Saëns, J. Strauss, Holtzmann, along with original
pieces); Priory Records, 1989, PRCD305. Patrick Wedd, "Strike Up the
Band!" (Fucik, Gounod, De Falla, Tchaikovsky, Von Suppé,
Rimsky-Korsakov, MacDowell, Wagner, Saint-Saëns, Ketèlby, and
Gershwin); CBC Musica Viva, 1987, MVCD1019 (Orpheum Grand Wurlitzer Organ).
Thomas Trotter, "The Grand Organ of Birmingham Town Hall" (Wagner,
Liszt, Mendelssohn, Weber, Saint-Saëns, Prokofiev); Hyperion Records,
1987, CDA66216.
7.
style='mso-tab-count:1'> Recital
program notes, Westminster Concert Organ Series, Winnipeg, February 6,
2000.
James B. Hartman is Senior Academic Editor for publications
of the Distance Education Program, Continuing Education Division, The
University of Manitoba. He is a frequent contributor of book reviews and
articles to The Diapason.
