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AGO CAGO EXAMINATION REPERTOIRE

Johannes Brahms’s Herzlich tut mich erfreuen Louis Vierne’s Matines

Andrew Scanlon

Johannes Brahms: Herzlich tut mich er- of an early Breitkopf & Härtel edition. work well, and the pedal, with 16' stop, freuen, No. 4 from Elf Choralvorspiele, While it is useful to become fluent in must balance with the louder of the two Op. posth. 122 (any edition). reading C clefs, if you are uncomfortable manual combinations. Some combination with reading the alto clef (used in No. 4), of flutes and/or principals at 8', 8', and T IS COMMONLY KNOWN that Jo- know that the Edward B. Marks, Peters, 4'—or even as much as a subtle 2' stop— hannes Brahms wrote relatively little and G. Henle Verlag editions have elimi- could work, depending on the instru- Imusic for the organ, especially with re- nated the alto clef and rewritten the music ment. A choice as simple as two contrast- spect to his overall compositional output. in the usual G and F clefs. Occasional ing 8' principals would be a viable option; Despite this, there is little doubt that he publications of the 11 Preludes while something modestly brighter, such respected this instrument and, from the have also reworked several of the preludes as Principals 8' and 4' on the main key- time of his initial learning to play the or- in order to allow for soloing out of the board, and Flute 8' with principal 4' on gan in his early 20s, remained interested melody. Herzlich tut mich erfreuen is not the secondary (softer) keyboard, would in it. In correspondence with his friend one of the affected , but it is worth also be acceptable. Combining principals , Brahms describes his or- noting this when purchasing an edition. and flutes at these pitches is acceptable. gan practice sessions and muses about a The effect achieved by, for example, play- Barbara Owen points out that all of the possible tour as a concert organist. Several ing the melody on a solo stop in the pedal organs that Brahms knew were built after choral works, including the great Re- can be beautiful and should not be ruled the death of Bach—some well into the quiem, include organ accompaniment or out completely; but it should not be con- 19th century—and therefore a neo- indications. The early organ works by sidered authentic to the composer’s origi- Baroque approach to registration, such as Brahms, dating from the 1850s, include nal intent. that suggested in the Peters edition, would the preludes and fugues in A minor and be ill-advised. G minor, the chorale prelude and fugue Registration on “O traurigkeit,” and the Fugue in A- Depending on the edition being used, Interpretation flat Minor. various suggestions may be offered by the An initial glance at chorale No. 4 im- The publication dates of Brahms’s or- editors. Brahms does not give specific di- mediately reveals the pianistic, arpeggi a t e d gan works are scattered and do not corre- rections for registration, but he does pro- texture. Arpeggiation not being immedi- spond to the composition dates. A late vide dynamic indications. The player ately idiomatic to the organ, the first in- contribution to the repertoire, the Elf should change manuals, using the dynam- terpretational challenge will be arriving at Choralvorspiele (11 Chorale Preludes) were ic markings as the indication of where to a touch that sounds natural. Lean in the written as a tribute to Clara Schumann do so. Begin on a softer manual, changing direction of legato, but a slightly brighter following her death. Often included in a to a second, louder sound at the fourth legato that allows the type of clarity that a beginning organ student’s “shopping list” beat of m. 4, where the cantus firmus is piano’s percussive attack would provide. of repertoire to be covered during the stated in the soprano, and the pedal en- The constant eighth-note motion should course of study, the pieces are certainly ters. Remain there until the fourth beat of be clean and precise, but not deliberately worth more than a cursory examination. m. 8; from there, alternate keyboards ac- detached or articulate. (This texture is The author strongly recommends reading cording to the dynamic markings. In oth- reminiscent of some organ music by Men- The Organ Music of Johannes Brahms by er words, play on the louder keyboard delssohn—such as the opening of Sonata Barbara Owen (Oxford University Press, whenever the pedal is required, the last IV of Op. 65 or the Prelude in C Minor 2007) as a supplement to your prepara- entrance of the pedal being anticipated by of Op. 37, for which a similar key touch tions. Owen’s writing is superb, and the one quarter-note value. (A third keyboard works well.) A further peculiarity of the book includes extensive commentary on or a still softer registration might be con- opening texture is the use of double-stems the issues discussed in this article. sidered for the phrases marked piano.) (such as on the very first A-natural). Bar- The text of the chorale Herzlich tut mich bara Owen states, with regard to these On Editions erfreuen is joyful and optimistic in charac- double-note-value pitches, that they Various editions of the organ works of ter, yet at the same time demonstrates re- “must be brought out with care, suffi- Brahms are currently available. The origi- straint, longing, and even uncertainty. ciently to make them noticeable, but not nal Simrock edition of the 11 Chorale Pre- An overly exuberant registration such as at the expense of the free-flowing move- ludes is available in its entirety at Imslp. organo pleno would be too aggressive for ment that underlies them.” Select a tempo org, and the engraving is still legible. The this piece. Two combinations of similar that allows the music to proceed with Kalmus and Dover editions are reprints timbre but contrasting volume would ease, while still allowing for flexibility.

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A metronome marking of around = 96 combination. Realizing the limitations rendition of the notes, taking care to is a good place to start; yet the use of of some organs, it may be necessary to maintain a very consistent legato touch hemiola in this piece means the player use whatever flute stop is available. The throughout, will allow the uncluttered must take care to place emphasis correct- mood of the piece, however, requires one gracefulness of the work to reveal itself. ly, without overaccenting. to find a flute combination that is sweet In several places, a rest in the right hand The manual changes described above and free of excessive chiff. It’s also inter- allows for a breath in the musical line also present a challenge, both in terms esting that, although the score indicates (e.g., m. 9, beat 3). Lift the soprano voice of tempo and fluency. Avoid a “leaping” both hands should play on the Positive, precisely, while connecting the remainder or “stabbing” approach to the manual expressive dynamic markings are includ- of the voices in hands and feet. In the changes. Carefully consider the arrange- ed. Most French organs do not have an first and second systems of page 2, it is ment of Manuals I and II as upper/lower, enclosed Positive division. This strength- helpful to play the occasional alto voice to facilitate ease of manual changes. ens a case for playing the first section on in the left hand, allowing for more ease Many organs have a manual transfer the Swell if adapting to a two-manual of legato without awkward substitutions. switch, the use of which could be advan- organ. In mm. 43–46, note the stem direction/ tageous. Take extra care to work out the As always, any and all dynamic indica- voice leading challenges, and be sure to fingering at manual changes, and allow a tions in French are to keep the alto voice legato. Between mm. subtle give-and-take in your tempo at the be interpreted as directions to manipu- 78 and 79, even though a slur might sug- point of transition. late the swell box. When the indication is gest a lift in the soprano voice, it makes piano, the box should be closed; con- more sense to play through without a Louis Vierne, Matines from Triptyque, versely, when the dynamic states forte, breath at that point, to avoid an unmusi- Op. 58 (Editions Lemoine, Masters the box should be open. Beginning at the cal accent on the G-sharp. Music Publications, or Imslp.org). third system of page 2, where the texture Vierne’s Triptyque is somewhat of an changes from chordal to contrapuntal, overlooked jewel among the smaller play on two manuals: the left hand on Andrew Scanlon, FAGO, is the organ profes- works of 20th-century French com- the oboe with flute 4', and the right hand sor at East Carolina University, and organist- posers. Not as frequently performed as on a flute. Adjust the pedal balance, if choirmaster at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in the smaller 24 Pieces in Free-Style, the needed. Greenville, N.C. He is a member of the three movements of this set are roughly At the second section of page 3, the AGO’s Committee on Professional Certifica- tion and an active recitalist. the same level of technical difficulty, and indication “GR” indicates to play on the are composed with the typical evocative Great with the swell coupled. The three- flair that we expect of Vierne’s music. measure sequence at the bottom of page The CAGO exam options recommend 3 can either be played on the Positive, or the first, Matines (dedicated to Maurice on another keyboard, by using a divi- Duruflé), as one of the Group B possibil- sional piston; but make sure the sound is ities. The title is an obvious allusion to a flute, as called for in the composer’s in- the morning; given the following move- structions. At the turn to page 4, play on ment’s title of Communion, the other ob- the Swell, using the strings only (you vious connection is to the monastic of- should take off the oboe and flute 4' ). fice of Morning Prayer. Peaceful and Maintain this registration until the end, mesmerizing, Matines is equally useful using the box to shape the phrases as in- for concert or church services. dicated in the score. Save the tightly closed box position for the last chord, Registration closing it fully before playing the pedal In contrast to the Brahms work dis- F-sharp. cussed above, Vierne gives very specific registration directions. This is typical of Interpretation French composers going back as far as With a few exceptions, the notes in the French Classic period. While the in- Matines lay under the fingers naturally. structions call for three manuals, the I would recommend beginning your piece can be easily adapted for a two- preparation of the work with a study of manual organ by playing the first section the chromatic and enharmonic portions, on either the Great or the Swell, which - to build in a comfort level with reading ever has the more beautiful flutes. Of the myriad accidentals. The two portions note here is the difference between open that will require a bit of dissecting are and stopped flutes. Vierne asks for both mm. 15–19, and mm. 75–80. The short a Cor de nuit and a Flûte, as he clearly has scope and poignant character of the work, in mind a color that combines that of a with its gentle rocking motion, does not stopped and an open flute. Insofar as is require that the player emote a great deal possible, it would be ideal to recreate this or use excessive rubato. A straightforward

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