I say without shame that I have, in my early days, used this: http://www.lorenz.com/product.aspx?id=kk416

Usually Lorenz publishes some horrible music, but this collection has some gems well worth having. Ideally, you should move past that, but I even still use the occasional piece from such collections!

This is a constant stand-by: http://www.jwpepper.com/991521.item Preludes and postludes, but each one a great piece of literature and well worth playing.

Finally, a great Dutch organist once said to me when I asked about postludes, "Why not play a Prelude and Fugue of J.S. Bach?" I said that if I did so, I'd be out of postludes within a month! He told me that I shouldn't be afraid to repeat them - they are great music and it's a service to the congregation to hear it again and become familiar with it. So if you have one or two of those, don't be ashamed to repeat it every couple of months.

I would love to get my hands on the Twelve Gregorian Preludes by Kevin Allen, but I can't find them anywhere.

Here are some relatively simple pieces with little or no pedal that I've used for postludes, all available at IMSLP.org:

• John Stanley's organ voluntaries
• Pachelbel's Magnificat fugues
• Albrechtsberger's fugues
• Music of the French classical organ school (Boyvin, Chaumont, Couperin, Dandrieu, de Grigny, Lebegue, Marchand, Raison), especially the pieces designated Plein jeu, Grand jeu, Dialogue, and Basse de Trompette. I will sometimes play two or three of these short pieces for a postlude, starting with the loudest and getting quieter as the church empties out, maybe ending with a Récit or Tierce en taille. (You really need to understand the proper registration to play this literature, though.)

In addition to the Liber organi, you might also want to check out Cantantibus organis.

wow
allan

great collection! thnx for the link!

I agree with canadash, take your time, and do them right. Everyone starts somewhere. None of us just woke up one day, and immediately became Bach prodigies. The fact that your trying to become a great organist, makes you a professional one, verses the same ole bar and chorders, that don't want learn anything past Here I Am Lord.

Thanks to all for those very nice links! I might not have to buy any more postlude books for a while. :O)

Rev. Fr. Carlo Rossini compiled 7 volumes of the Liturgical Organist.
These books each contain many preludes, interludes, and postludes in a variety of keys by a wide variety of composers; and, each volume is graded as to difficulty.

I purchased all 7 volumes when I was just beginning to play the organ and still consider them one of the best investments I have ever made.

Deo gratias!

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/Diane-Bish-Wedding-Book-Organ/3080223

Even Bach's easier works can be a technical challenge!

Look at John Alcock's 8 organ voluntaries. Voluntary IV in C major is quite a lovely piece of music. It has a stately slow movement for diapason chorus and then a quicker section for trumpet/echo.

I also like to use the second half (quicker section) of Corrente Italiana by Cabanilles (Spanish, manuals only).

Take a look into English and Spanish Organ music. They are often for manuals only and are quite tuneful and beautiful.

I was surprised at the amount of Walther available on IMSLP. I like him, too.

My standbys are The Church Organist (multiple volumes) published by Concordia, and Pachelbel's Organ Works published by Dover. The Pachelbel also available on IMSLP.
Many of the anthologies from Oxford University Press are very useful as well, like the Old English Organ Music for Manuals series. They are not cheap, but well worth the price.

Accurate enough to play from for church, but I wouldn't use them for an academic recital!

I would love to hear Dr. Mahrt play the organ.

I have two books from Rollin Smith. Just picked up the Christmas book from that same series--for next year.

Glorious Epiphany!!

Les Maitres Contemporains De L'Orgue, an 8 volume collection
by L'Abbe Jos. Joubert, published beginning in 1912

http://quilisma-publications.info/Organ Music.html

Deo gratias!

I would also recommend the "Thirty-Five Miniatures", Op. 55 by Flor Peeters. Many can be used with or without pedal. I can think of 5 of them that make good postludes. All are modal in style, not difficult and 1-2 pages in length with "salt & pepper harmonies". Others from the collection are great for prelude, offertory or communion. They were originally published in 1945 by McLaughlin & Reilly and dedicated to Theodore Marier. When Summy-Birchard purchased M&R in 1969, they omitted the dedication. But if you happen to come across an old M&R edition, you'll find the dedication. Hope this is helpful.

I wish my church organist would play some songs by Fredrik Sixten, Emma Lou Diemer, and Carl Rütti. Their songs are absolutely gorgeous. ~~kl

You could also try "A Treasury of Organ Music for Manuals Only." This has some very approachable music in it and does not involve pedals. You can, of course add pedals if you want by playing the bass line if you think you can do it. One particular example of that is the first partita on "O Gott Du Frommer Gott," from the "Various Partitas on O Gott Du Frommer Gott" by J.S. Bach, which is in the collection I mentioned above. There are a couple of voluntaries in there, as well as one of the Italian elevations. One of my personal favorites in the collection is the "Recit Tendre Pour le Nasard" by Gaspard Corrette.

We all started where you are, so you've come to the right place for advice: I had personally never touched an organ until I was hired to teach music for a Catholic school...and play for the school Mass three times a week! The book mentioned above has helped me a lot with becoming more familiar with the instrument. I don't know how familiar you are with registration techniques, although I will assume you have at least a basic understanding. The book will give suggestions for some of the pieces, and no indication at all for others. You just have to experiment sometimes and know the characteristics of the national styles (French, German, etc.).

You can also try some of the chorales and magnificats of Buxtehude. The chorales in particular are not difficult to put together, although many of them involve alto clef in the left hand. One good one that isn't too difficult is "Danket Dem Herrn." I use this one from time to time at my church as well. In general, Buxtehude is probably the best composer for approachable yet engaging music.