So where does a musician find resources to sift through all the choices?  I have usually received the best advice from my mentors and friends who are Lutheran musicians.  (Organists and Choir Directors: The Good Shepherd Institute’s bi-annual newsletter His Voice normally has music recommendations from Kantor Kevin Hildebrand).

To that end, I would like to share with you a recent acquisition to my organ music library which I think will be quite valuable: the six volume series “Choralvorspiele Zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch.”  The journey to this collection began in the summer of 2007 while I was at an Organist Workshop at Concordia Theological Seminary with Kantor Resch.  He had a volume of this series on the organ console and this gave me a hint to consider adding it to the library.  I recently inquired with Kantor Resch about the series and he highly recommended it.

Don’t expect to find this series in your local music store.  I worked with the Organ Historical Society to import the series from Germany and they now carry it as an in-stock item ($36.95/volume).  This is frankly a bargain – each volume is 100-160 pages with between 70-140 pieces.

I suspect the Choralvorspiele Zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch is virtually unknown in the United States.  If you Google it, you will find lots of German retail sites, but only a handful of items in English — one of which is a review by Daniel Zager (Associate Professor/Dean at the Eastman School of Music).  If you have any inkling of interest, you should read Zager’s review.

The series is published by Barenreiter, the text is completely in German, and is intended as an organ prelude supplement to the German hymnal “Evangelischen Gesangbuch.”  In certain respects it is similar to the Concordia Hymn Prelude Series from CPH (now slowly going out of print) – it provides chorale preludes (and sometimes an intonation) on many, but not all, of the hymns in the German hymnal.

Since the text is all in German, you either need to know German, know your chorale tunes via name, or be willing to do some sight reading to determine the tune.  Just as a disclaimer: not all of the tunes in this series will be familiar and some will not be in our American hymnals (like Lutheran Service Book).  You can get a feel for the tunes used by looking at the “table of contents” at the Organ Historical Society site.  However, even though you might not find all the tunes in the LSB tune index, some of these tunes are still familiar.  “Den die Hirten lobeten sehre” AND “Kommt und laßt uns Christus ehren”?  We know them as Quem Pastores.  “Nun singet und seid froh”?  We know it as “In dulci jubilo”.  Why the difference?  My guess is that the text at the top of each prelude is the hymnal number and hymn name — and like our own hymnals, multiple hymns can use the same tune.  The particular prelude/intonation may be written/associated with the given text.  The volumes are ordered based on the hymn numbers in the German hymnal and are generally divided seasonally/topically.

The contents of these volumes are not “new” in the strictest sense of the term.  Barenreiter has previously published most all of the pieces in other books.  This series could then be thought of as an anthology.  The pieces represent a broad spectrum of primarily German composers from 1600′s – mid/late 1900′s.  Walther, Kauffmann, Reger, and Jan Bender (to name a few).  J.S. Bach and Buxtehude appear occasionally, but certainly don’t predominate (I assume the editor believed these works are already in the organist’s library).  There is some redundancy in pieces that overlap Keller’s 80 Chorales & Preludes, Reger preludes, the Organist’s Golden Treasury, etc.  But there is plenty of content that will be “new” to the American organist.

The preludes vary in difficulty from moderately easy to medium difficulty.  There are a wide variety of presentations — manuals only, cantus firmus in the pedal or tenor line, bicinium, 4-part settings, toccata, etc..  Each tune will have at least one, but often more, preludes and/or intonations (Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott has 10 pieces).  Most are short (one or two pages long) and don’t require any page turning.  Some of the preludes have been transposed into a different key to match the German hymnal — which many times will also match those of modern Lutheran hymnals.  However, as I have lamented in the past, these books, like many others, do not lie flat on the music rack and I have had them rebound with coil binding at the local Office Depot ($3/volume).

Just a brief anecdote:  If you have either of the Concordia Theological Seminary Kantorei CD’s – “Infant Holy” or “With Angels and Archangels”, the prelude to Jesus Has Come and Brings Pleasure Eternal is written by Jan Bender and is in volume 1.

Part of the appeal of this series is that it “fits” with the recent resurgence in the interest in the Lutheran music heritage.  CPH has released two comprehensive CD sets – Luther’s hymns and Heirs of the Reformation.  The Good Shepherd Institute has released the excellent Singing the Faith DVD.  Musicians can help to encourage and reinforce this heritage by the music we play.

Choralvorspiele Zum Evangelischen Gesangbuch is a practical and valuable collection for the average Lutheran organist of tried and tested chorale preludes.  It is a collection that can grow with you — whether you are a newbie or experienced organist.  While this series doesn’t have strictly “new” content, I think it will still be convenient to have so many chorale preludes under one “roof.”  Definitely consider it.

Have questions?  Ask away.  I’m still exploring it and finding new treasures.

Thanks for reading Organ Music: Chorale Preludes.

So what did I learn from the video? That I should pull out the ladder to the organ chamber and go blow on some pipes! (The video did not explicitly suggest this, but I extrapolated it as a reasonable experience to get to know my organ better.)

Thanks for reading Pipe Organs: Q&A with Grime and Hildebrand.

CPH is continuing its series “Musica Sacra” with Volume 7 by Donald Busarow. The Musica Sacra series is a great way to get some easier and quick pieces to prepare that are interesting. I have all 7 volumes and I consistently use all of them, but especially the volumes by Hildebrand, Kosche, and Culli. Just to be aware, I’d guess that roughly half of the compositions in Volume 7 are reprints of previously published pieces. I’m thinking that by the copyright date they are from the Concordia Hymn Prelude series which CPH is now slowly retiring.

The other selection I ordered was Kevin Hildebrand’s “Five Easy Easter Hymn Settings for Organ” . I know Easter is over and I won’t be able to use this set for another year — BUT it has a lovely setting of Duke Street which is appropriate for funerals throughout the year.

If you’re in the market for some sacred music, give the folks at CPH a try. They have an abundance of resources — especially for the Lutheran musician. But if you want Paul Manz, Michael Burkhardt, or some of Robert Hobby’s pieces, you’ll need to head over to MorningStar Music.

Thanks for reading New Music from CPH.

As this was happening, someone walked by and jokingly said, “Chris, it looks like you might have some competition on the organ bench.”  Those words have been with me the last few days.  Not the competition part, but the part of nurturing our young people to consider pursuing church music vocations.

Several young girls have become “regulars” at the organ bench after the services to watch and ask questions about how the organ works.  You should see the thrill of one young girl when she played “Joy to the World” on the manuals for me after the service one Sunday.  Who knows, I may have a few budding organists in my midst.

I think children are drawn to the uniqueness of the sound, the physical dexterity to play it, and all the buttons, keys, and pedals.  Much like the Divine Service and its liturgies, the organ is foreign to popular culture.  But at the same time people, especially younger adults, are increasingly drawn toward worship opportunities not typically associated with popular and contemporary culture.

Watch out for those young organ enthusiasts.  Embrace and encourage their interest.  You might be helping to nurture a gift to the church at large.

Thanks for reading Children and the Organ.

While listening to my Christmas iPod playlist, I came across a recording of a delightful hymn setting of O Sing of Christ that I discovered a few years back.  After a little bit of Internet research I found the source of it — Outer Rim Territories.  The setting is by Kevin Hildebrand and is a rehearsal recording of one of the seminary choral groups.  You can even sing along if you like.

As a hint to the organists out there, Hildebrand’s instrumental introduction has been set for organ in his volume of Christmas music — Bethlehem’s Rose.  Though, I’m not sure how many “average” organs have a Flute 2′ in the pedal division (unless you couple a 3rd manual with a 2′ stop to the pedal or you are playing the Kramer Chapel organ).

Todd Wilken with Issues Etc interviewed Stephen Starke about this hymn on December 21, 2006.  The interview is archived here — just ignore all the references to supporting Issues Etc. via KFUO and the Reformation Club — to support Issues Etc., go here.

Thanks for reading O Sing of Christ.

Jan Bender, in his book “Organ Improvisation for Beginners” offers the following on the benefits of learning how to improvise:

What is improvisation good for? There are many answers, and I will try to name some of them. The first one is very practical: One does not need to handle so many books. . . . Second: Improvisation is an outstanding discipline to develop and train memory as well as intelligence. . . Third, again a very practical reason: It is fun and very satisfying. Last but not least: When it is done well, improvisation contributes to the dignity of the worship service and to the praise of God.

Bender’s book, while good, requires a working understanding of music theory and harmony.

A resource I received as a Christmas present is “Off the Page: Tips & Techniques for Creating Hymn-Based Organ Settings” ($38.00) by Donald Rotermund and published by MorningStar Music Publishers. If you can play a hymn from the hymnal, you can improvise. Rotermund shows you step by step a number of different techniques (e.g., Echo Phrases) that you can practice and use together to create things like a hymn introduction, prelude, or partita. There is even a CD that gives an audio demonstration of each technique. This is an extremely accessible and useful resource for the church organist.

What I find particularly satisfying about this book is how the musician is just using the music in front of them in the hymnal. The book assumes the reader has a limited background in music theory and keyboard harmony and little improvisational background, BUT the willingness and desire to spend some time practicing and becoming comfortable with the techniques. Rotermund also shows you how to mark your hymnal so you can recall your plan of action while at the organ console.

If you are really interested in learning to improvise, another resource is the Improvisation Organist Workshop at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, by Kantor Kevin Hildebrand. His workshop covers many of the same techniques as in “Off the Page” — some of the material from “Off the Page” was field tested in Hildebrand’s workshops. If you have the opportunity to attend the Improvisation or another workshop, take advantage of it. You will learn a lot and meet some great people. Each summer has a different selection of workshops – you will need to check with the Seminary to see what workshops will be offered in 2008. You can read my “testimonial” here.

Best wishes as you serve God’s people through your service playing.

Thanks for reading Improvisation for Organists.