Easy Organ Pieces of the 19th Century 3

Volume III of the series Leichte Orgelstücke des 19. Jahrhunderts offers part-time organists a further collection of short, non-choral organ pieces for one- and two-manual instruments, arranged according to the most common keys.

The editor and organist Martin Weyer, who is considered an expert in 19th century organ music, has only included works in which solid compositional ability is combined with playability.

The third volume basically follows the selection and editing principles of its two predecessors. An attempt has been made to increase the range of really easy pieces. The composers include, for example, the Dutch composer Johannes Barend Litzau (1822-1893), whose Preludes op. 13 and 17 are simple, solid works for beginners.

For the Czech composer Johann Beranek (1813-1885), on the other hand, contrapuntal interest was in the foreground. The X Fugues are accompanied by detailed analyses in the first edition, which underline the scholarly tendency of the collection.

Carl Gottlieb Umbreit (1763-1829), like his colleague Michael Gotthard Fischer (1773-1829), stands on the border between a sensitive, gallant organ style originating from Kittel and early organ romanticism. Johann Christian Heinrich Rinck also played his part in this almost imperceptible development. The shorter playing time of the individual compositions makes them suitable for unrestricted use as preludes and postludes in church services of all denominations. The edition contains detailed practical performance notes and a list of sources.