(from BCB, July 2022)
In the past couple of years, I have been trying to figure out how to be an ally to my fellow music makers that need better representation in the repertoire we organists use for our services and performances. To be clear here at the beginning, this is not to suggest that the “canon” is to be replaced, but that there are wonderful composers that are not just white European men that take the forefront of our attention. If you know my works, you will know that I adore J.S. Bach (I could write fugues for eternity)! But I would also add that I have recently become an utter fan of Elizabeth Stirling – if you don’t know her name, you MUST get to know her music. She is so fantastic!
My hope is that I can create arrangements and editions of pieces from the historical canon. Meaning, composers who should be known and added to the canon of great organ works, even if they were not an organist. There is a grand tradition of transcriptions of works for the organ, particularly at the end of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Heck, that tradition is still strong today! Head over to YouTube and look video game or film score transcriptions and it is not hard to find organists who are playing the music of today (I highly recommend Aaron Shows – he’s a friend and excellent musician).
All that being said above, I am endeavoring to connect our modern need to diversify our repertoire with not new works, but works from historical figures. That is a fancy way of saying: here are some folks who were breaking the mold in their time and allow their music to be brought to the organ and its needs. What you will find below is a series of links to works that I and others have edited or arranged for the needs of the modern organist. This is an on-going list and I will try to update it as often as I am able. Thank you for you attention and go play this great music!
SMALL NOTE ABOUT IMSLP: be sure to click on the “As Arranger” tab to find the arrangements. Editions/edited version will be found on the main page under my name and Baetz Editions.
Louise Ferrenc (1804-1875):
She studied initially with Anton Reicha and was by all apparent accounts a fantastic pianist. She was so good that she was appointed as a piano instructor to the Paris Conservatory in 1842! There is a lot more to that story and her music is fantastic (including much of her chamber music, most well known is her Nonet).
- 30 Etudes for piano; Etude 19 “Presto“: this piece was easier to arrange due to the rhythmic nature of the accompaniment. That led to an easy process in creating the arrangement but an easy piece at the end of it. With all arrangements, the ending has a little liberty taken to be more idiomatic of the organ.
MORE TO COME SOON!