Organ Prelude on Lent IV
  • For those of you who play organ preludes on Lent IV, what piece(s) do you play? It seems inappropriate to play regular preludes or fugues, but on the other hand, for a Sunday that is all about rejoicing, I'm not sure I want to play a piece such as Guilmont's Lamentation. Suggestions?
  • PeterG
    Posts: 36
    I would tend to look at the Lenten / Passiontide choral preludes in Bach's Little Organ Book. Wonderful music.
    And for a postlude, how about #22 "Christus, der uns selig macht". The dissonances look forward to Passiontide.
    PeterG
  • I thought there weren't supposed to be any instrumental preludes at all during Lent....

    ...but then I read the original post more carefully and noticed that you were talking about Laetare Sunday. My bad. :-(
  • I agree with Peter - there are some beautiful chorale preludes by Bach and even Buxtehude that we organists never get to play except on Laetare Sunday...
  • I learned the Bach Chorale Prelude "O Mensch, bewein dein Sunde gross" and it makes a wonderful prelude for this Sunday. It is from the Orgelbuchlein. It is a wonderful and an example of Bach's wonderful ornamentation.
  • PeterG
    Posts: 36
    AndrewK
    "O Mensch, bewein" is just about my all time favorite. It just feels a little too heart wrenching for a sunday when we are supposed to be getting a little break from the rigors of Lent.
    For me, it would be my pick for Good Friday if I were able to play preludes then. So maybe I will pull it out for Laetare Sunday after all.
  • Lawrence
    Posts: 123
    On this particular Sunday, I often use Bach's Wir danken dir, Herr Jesu Christ, dass fuer uns gestorben bist. It's in the Orgelbuechlein. I also use O Mensch bewein, just because I think it's a pity that it would go unheard otherwise. It is just too beautiful to be ignored.
  • How about Palestrina's Missa Spem in alium?

    Mandee
  • PeterG
    Posts: 36
    Spem in alium on the organ, Mandee??
  • Forgive me, I'm a hopeless Tallis fan.

    For solo organ prelude, how about Adoro te Devote?

    Mandee
  • Of course there is always the tried and true Bach Prelude in G Minor!

    Mandee