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Organ concerto
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Organ concerto
An organ concerto is a type of classical music composition in which a pipe organ soloist is accompanied by an orchestra, although some works exist with the name "concerto" which are for organ alone.
The orchestral form first evolved in the 18th century, when composers including Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel wrote organ concertos with small orchestras; these organ parts rarely if ever call for the organ pedal board. During the Classical period the organ concerto became popular in many places, especially in Bavaria, Austria and Bohemia (whether called there a concerto, pastorella, or sonata), reaching a position of being almost an integral part of the church music tradition of jubilus character. From the Romantic era fewer works are known. Finally, there are some 20th- and 21st-century examples, of which the concerto by Francis Poulenc has entered the basic repertoire, and is quite frequently played.
Some works for organ and orchestra which clearly feature the organ in a solo, virtuoso role are not given the name concerto, e.g. the Symphonie concertante of Joseph Jongen.
However, the organ concerto form does not include certain orchestral works that call for the pipe organ to be used as an extra orchestral section, such as the Third Symphony of Camille Saint-Saëns, Gustav Holst's The Planets and Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra.
In general, the term organ symphony is reserved for works for solo organ without orchestra, although the nickname "Organ Symphony" for the Saint-Saëns Third Symphony persists, though it is neither a concerto nor a true organ symphony.
Handel wrote organ concertos as interludes for his oratorios—playing the organ part himself while directing the orchestra. Some are arrangements of his earlier works, or of works by other composers. For more details see the list of Handel's concertos. Many alternatives exist, so it is difficult to precisely number his organ concertos, however it is generally accepted that he wrote 16:
There are no true organ concerti (i.e., for organ and orchestral ensemble) by Bach, but several cantata movements contain extensive obbligato organ parts. Versions of six of these cantata movements had a later incarnation in the two harpsichord concertos BWV 1052 and 1053. Cantata 35 contains two instrumental Sinfonias with organ solo, the first of which agrees with the fragmentary keyboard concerto BWV 1059. A recording of a reconstruction of this as an organ concerto was made by Ton Koopman.
Bach's admiration for Antonio Vivaldi and the Italian style led to several transcriptions of instrumental concertos for solo organ, without an orchestra.
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Organ concerto AI simulator
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Organ concerto
An organ concerto is a type of classical music composition in which a pipe organ soloist is accompanied by an orchestra, although some works exist with the name "concerto" which are for organ alone.
The orchestral form first evolved in the 18th century, when composers including Antonio Vivaldi and George Frideric Handel wrote organ concertos with small orchestras; these organ parts rarely if ever call for the organ pedal board. During the Classical period the organ concerto became popular in many places, especially in Bavaria, Austria and Bohemia (whether called there a concerto, pastorella, or sonata), reaching a position of being almost an integral part of the church music tradition of jubilus character. From the Romantic era fewer works are known. Finally, there are some 20th- and 21st-century examples, of which the concerto by Francis Poulenc has entered the basic repertoire, and is quite frequently played.
Some works for organ and orchestra which clearly feature the organ in a solo, virtuoso role are not given the name concerto, e.g. the Symphonie concertante of Joseph Jongen.
However, the organ concerto form does not include certain orchestral works that call for the pipe organ to be used as an extra orchestral section, such as the Third Symphony of Camille Saint-Saëns, Gustav Holst's The Planets and Richard Strauss's Also sprach Zarathustra.
In general, the term organ symphony is reserved for works for solo organ without orchestra, although the nickname "Organ Symphony" for the Saint-Saëns Third Symphony persists, though it is neither a concerto nor a true organ symphony.
Handel wrote organ concertos as interludes for his oratorios—playing the organ part himself while directing the orchestra. Some are arrangements of his earlier works, or of works by other composers. For more details see the list of Handel's concertos. Many alternatives exist, so it is difficult to precisely number his organ concertos, however it is generally accepted that he wrote 16:
There are no true organ concerti (i.e., for organ and orchestral ensemble) by Bach, but several cantata movements contain extensive obbligato organ parts. Versions of six of these cantata movements had a later incarnation in the two harpsichord concertos BWV 1052 and 1053. Cantata 35 contains two instrumental Sinfonias with organ solo, the first of which agrees with the fragmentary keyboard concerto BWV 1059. A recording of a reconstruction of this as an organ concerto was made by Ton Koopman.
Bach's admiration for Antonio Vivaldi and the Italian style led to several transcriptions of instrumental concertos for solo organ, without an orchestra.