The Organ Forum

My answer to this might change from day to day (call me fickle) but I think the Boellmann Priere a Notre Dame and the Reger Benedictus have got to be somewhere near the top of my list. I love the opening of the Reger and then the contrasting middle section which eventually dies away again to nothing. Sheer bliss....

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Trevor Thurston-Smith (Leicester UK)

Schmucke Dich 654 (with Vox Humana)is a tearjerker,

Vox humana for BACH? Well, it would certainly be a tearjerker for the purists!!!

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Trevor Thurston-Smith (Leicester UK)

I'll toss in the "Noëls" from Daquin

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Expert in non-working solutions

I've got a few that I would definitely consider beautiful. The ones that come to mind are:

1. Priere a Notre Dame - Boellmann

2. Aria - Charles Callahan

3. A lot of the pieces by Percy Whitlock such as Folk Tune

4. Communion No.1 - Alexandre Guilmant

I have an LP of Christopher Dearnley at St. Paul's Cathedral doing the Boellman suite. The pure ecstacy of the 32' Contre Violone on the very last pedal beat of the Priere is hard to surpass. The suite has its cheezy moments but that is under the control of the organist!

Here are some of my votes: (btw, beautiful = emotion-generating and attention-holding):

Bach: Chorale Prelude: In Dulci Jubilo (Go Virgil!!)
Franck:  Finale in B Flat (it is just SO exuberant! Milestone recording at Davies Symphony Hall by Michael Murray)
Widor: Andante Sostenuto  from the Symphonie Gothique (Best: John Longhurst, the Mormon Tabernacle Organ. Really smooth and ethereal!)
Charles Callahan: Suite in G, Fourth Movement: The Rejoicing
Louis Lefebure-Wely: Sortie in E Flat (what a slap-happy blast!)

But the all-time winner in my book is Healey Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue. Fred Swann does an incredibly beautiful execution on the newly-reverberated Riverside Church organ.
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I was surprised at how much the Boellman Priere got interest. All but one of my teachers looked down on the suite with distaste.

Cheers!

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John a.k.a FondsEtAnches

FondsEtAnches:

But the all-time winner in my book is Healey Willan's Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue.

Fair enough.  But I think Walter Alcock's Introduction and Passacaglia beats that hands down. 

Whatever, it's hard not to admire Willan's creative ambitions  This British-Canadian wrote in all forms, including opera, symphonic, choral and chamber.  His piano concerto in C minor has been recorded as have three of his 20 settings of the Anglican canticles. 

What do I think is the most beautiful organ piece?  Putting aside anything by Bach, Franck, Liszt, Durufle, and expected British works, perhaps it might be the Andante cantabile from Widor's 4th symphony?  But do you know the 1st mov't of Percy Whitlock's Organ Sonata?    Splendid.

My top 3 most beautiful list!

1- "Prelude" from Vierne's 24 pieces
2- Dupre's Cortege and Litany
3- Franck's Chorale 1

I can't believe no one has mentioned the Prelude yet!

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There are a few pieces I have played recently which I find to be rather beautiful.

Saint-Saens: Benediction Nuptiale
Dupre: Prelude and Fugue in F minor, Op.7 No.2
Lefebure-Wely: Andante in F major
Reger: Melodia (Op.59 Pieces)
Whitlock: Lantana and Salix from 'Plymouth Suite'

But the all-time favourite at the moment is the Berceuse from the Suite Bretonne of Dupre. Wonderful!

I think the most beautiful organ pieces are the toccatas and fugues from J.S.Bach especially the Dorian (D minor), the most knowly (Dminor) and the one on F major.

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"Nicht Bach, sondern Meer" - Mozart

music4ever:

I think the most beautiful organ pieces are the toccatas and fugues from J.S.Bach especially the Dorian (D minor), the most knowly (Dminor) and the one on F major.

Nice to see Bach mentioned again. I think the Adagio from the BWV564 is rather sublime.

tumult_in_the_praetorium:

music4ever:

I think the most beautiful organ pieces are the toccatas and fugues from J.S.Bach especially the Dorian (D minor), the most knowly (Dminor) and the one on F major.

Nice to see Bach mentioned again. I think the Adagio from the BWV564 is rather sublime.

Bach is my favorite composer! And my second one is Couperin. That`s a good idea getting me used to this composers cause next year I`ll have to play their works...

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"Nicht Bach, sondern Meer" - Mozart

I'm not really a 'bachophile' as such - the only things I've played recently are some of the shorter chorale preludes and the 8 Little Preludes and Fugues. I haven't really played any of the larger scale works recently, excepting the G minor BWV542 (my favourite!).

Bach: O Mensch Bewein dein Sunde Gross

Elgar: Sospiri (Transcr. for Organ)

Rachmaninoff: Vocalise (Transcr. for Organ

stentordiaphone64:

Elgar: Sospiri (Transcr. for Organ)

Sospiri works okay, but have you heard the original?  Strings, harp and organ: a wistful combination.  It was written on the eve of the Great War and makes an interesting counterpart to the Adagietto from Mahler's 5th, which Elgar unlikely knew.

Elgar's Imperial March works very well in transcription and there are numerous recordings.