Bach - Clavier Übung III (German Organ Mass)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 18 ต.ค. 2015
- Johann Sebastian Bach's Clavier Übung III (also known as the German Organ Mass) is arguably - or at least in my opinion - his magnum opus for organ. Bach's majestic and ingenious treatment of the old Lutheran chorales is simply out of this world. There are many great recordings of this landmark cycle on TH-cam, and I am only publishing my set because I'm rather proud of it :) There are quite some places where I fumble but there is also much that goes really well. And hey, this stuff is not easy for a pianist... some of the big chorales drove me near despair. But as they say, all things come those who persevere. I think these can be enjoyed despite the many little fluffs. I only left out the 4 Duettos. I've never found these to fit well in the set, and anyway the old recordings I had of these were too atrocious to include.
I recorded these between 2007 and 2010 on these 4 different organs
(a) Bätz organ, Ludgerus Parochie, Loenen aan de Vecht
(b) Flentrop organ, De Bron, Nieuwegein
(c) Holtgräve organ, Dorpskerk, Nieuwegein
(d) Van Vulpen, Nicolaaskerk, IJsselstein
The latter one (d) is the mighty organ where I took lessons from Gerrit Christiaan the Gier. The three recordings on this organ are live recordings played under his watchful eyes. I am deeply indebted to this great organist and teacher for teaching me how NOT to play the organ like a pianist.
Chris Breemer, organ
buymeacoffee.com/cbreemer
0:00:20 (b) BWV 552-1 Praeludium pro Organo pleno
0:10:10 (a) BWV 669 Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit (Canto fermo in Soprano à 2 Clav. et Ped.)
0:14:00 (a) BWV 670 Christe, aller Welt Trost (Canto fermo in Tenore a 2 Clav. et, Pedal)
0:19:20 (d) BWV 671 Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist (a 5, Canto fermo in Basso Con Organo pleno)
0:24:58 (b) BWV 672 Kyrie, Gott Vater in Ewigkeit (alio modo, manualiter)
0:26:35 (b) BWV 673 Christe, aller Welt Trost
0:28:11 (b) BWV 674 Kyrie, Gott heiliger Geist
0:29:50 (b) BWV 675 Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (a 3, Canto fermo in Alto)
0:33:08 (b) BWV 676 Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr (à 2 Clav. et Pedal)
0:38:14 (b) BWV 677 Fughetta super Allein Gott in der Höh' sei Ehr' (manualiter)
0:39:11 (b) BWV 678 Dies sind die heilgen zehen Gebot (à 2 Clav. et Ped. Canto fermo in Canone)
0:45:32 (b) BWV 679 Dies sind die heilgen zehen Gebot (manualiter)
0:47:30 (b) BWV 680 Wir gläuben all an einem Gott (in Organo pleno con Pedale)
0:50:56 (b) BWV 681 Fughetta super 'Wir glauben all an einem Gott' (manualiter)
0:53:16 (b) BWV 682 Vater unser im Himmelreich (à 2 Clav. et Pedal e Canto fermo in Canone)
1:00:53 (b) BWV 683 Vater unser im Himmelreich (alio modo, manualiter)
1:02:06 (b) BWV 684 Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam (à 2 Clav. et Canto fermo in Pedale)
1:05:56 (b) BWV 685 Christ, unser Herr, zum Jordan kam (alio modo, manualiter)
1:07:30 (d) BWV 686 Aus tiefer Not schrei' ich zu dir (a 6, in Organo pleno con Pedale doppio)
1:14:02 (b) BWV 687 Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zi Dir (a 4, alio modo, manualiter)
1:19:02 (b) BWV 688 Jesus Christus, unser Heiland, der von uns der Zorn Gottes wandt (à 2 Clav. et Canto fermo in Pedale)
1:22:48 (c) BWV 689 Jesus Christus, unser Heiland (a 4, manualiter)
1:27:11 (d) BWV 552-2 Fuga a 5 con pedale pro Organo pleno - เพลง
Fantastic.
It's a song I like very much, and listening to it while looking at the music book is a learning experience. And when I listen to this song, the sunlight shines into the church and makes me feel pious.
Indeed ! If anyone can make you feel pious, it is Bach. Nothing compares to his organ chorales.
My heartfelt congratulations on this great achievement, Chris. Truly amazing! I hope I can play all this wonderful music, too, one day. For now, my organ teacher has called me back when I played to her the first trio sonata... I'm not ready, she says (and she's right) :-/ :-)
+Tobias Sing Thanks Tobias ! I have cut my teeth on the 1st Trio Sonata as well... and I was not ready. And probably still not am. The trio piece in this set (bwv 675) is every bit as hard as the trio sonatas, and indeed it sounds quite rickety in places.
Well done! I loved that you put the score to follow along. Especially the handwritten version. Very helpful for this doctoral student. =) Thanks for posting. Cordially, Cristiano Rizzotto.
+Cristiano Rizzotto (Kris) Thanks for the feedback ! Good to to hear this was helpful.
This is a very good recording and an honour to Bach and his organ work.
Thanks Martin. These recordings are uneven, and none if them are without issues, but mostly they seem to convey Bach's priceless art adequately.
Only a real master can understand and play this music. I first heard it when I was 20 years old in 1974 and I always loved this music, but never understood everything. In east Germany they had an complete recording of Bachs organ works and there was a double album with the "Orgelmesse" played by the East Berlin organist Christoph Albrecht. They should have it on CD today. All these organ recordings were played on "Silbermannorgeln" in East Germany (the saxon Silbermann).
I'm never quite sure what 'understanding' a piece of music means. Although you can clearly tell when someone really does't ;-) Whatever it means, I am sure that this is a goal only achieved (if it is achieved at all) after a lifetime of living with the music.
@Chris Breemer: For the executant it means "to be able to perfect play a piece". Since I am not an "executant" I often ask myself, why Bach composed this or that this special way. And most of the time there is no answer, even after decades of researching. We need at least 100 years of research to find out more about it. And not many people are able to do this job.
This sounds like the hardest literature you have tackled thus far! There is a local music store that I stopped by owned by an elderly husband and wife. I asked about a "how to learn organ book." It was published in the 20th century, but of course, it wasn't obsolete, as the organ hasn't changed much since then... The author described the skill level required, advising a pianist who has good command of 3 part inventions of Bach should consider trying to play the organ. It's certainly not for beginner pianists, unless the one in question is a child or later prodigy!
+R Tucker These (or at least some of these) are certainly the most difficult pieces I have done on organ. Some are mindbogglingly complex making you wish you were three persons. I don't think I will reach this level again... Except for the regular services I am not playing organ at all.
Yes, to start on the organ you must be comfortable with juggling 3 voices. The author is right that Bach's Sinfonias are the ideal starting point. Might be worth checking if there exists an organ arrangement of those.
Do you think the cantus firmus could be registered more loudly in the Kyrie? I think one could add more stops to give the sound a penetrating quality.
You mean the BWV671 Kyrie ? That's the one I recorded on a real good organ, under supervision of my teacher, and I think the pedal stops were adequate. Probably it's the recording that is wanting here. I also like the pedal line to ring out load and deep but it's not always something that can be achieved.
No I mean the first two. The accompaniment feels overpowering at times.
In those cases there simply wasn't more to add in the bass. Maybe I should have toned down the manual stops. But there's not always enough choice there either with the smallish organs I get to play on. I'd love to be able to record there on a real great organ.
A propos ', the Kyrie of BACH , in this OPUS, make me understanding, the sens sacral.
Die Busse , Die Tauffe!
This sens SACRAL of CHRISTIANISME!FORMIDABLE!
BACH know everything!
Is a matematician of music, forever!
This is only , aboat the sens sacral of this HOHE(great,high ) ORGAN MESSE!!!Cannot beleve some gold beauty, like a cathedrale of world!!!
Dorin Oprescu If you speak German it will make me feel more comfortable
For me the most compelling of all Bach's works - not saying the greatest - that may be the Passions, or Kunst der Fuge, whatever - nor my favourite piece of music (later composers are far more engaging, melodic, more emotionally appealing) - but I have listened to it innumerable times, and own half a dozen versions on CD. It is, to use the hackneyed term, unique - utterly unlike any other large-scale work by any other famous composer - only one or two organists of the same era, I think incl. Buxtehude, others now all but forgotten - did anything similar. Bach surpasses them by a country mile, of course. Nowadays, I tend to lose interest after 682. The Kyrie, Gloria and first two catechism chorales flow superbly but then it tends to drag, especially due to the manualiter chorales and the four duets (I agree with you wholeheartedly on that); one wants to jump through to the St Ann Fugue - a staggering piece in itself, perhaps his greatest free work.
It would be a shame to lose interest half way and skip to the final fugue, losing out on the magnificent 684 and 686, to name some. True, this is a bit of an uneven collection, but even the minor chorales are good, and the best chorales are among the very best and most ingenious music that Bach ever produced. I can't agree with the notion that later composers would be more engaging etc. but it is a matter of taste of course.
@@ChrisBreemer Precisely! Each to their own - and differences of opinion are all to the good.