Simple organ music for a pianist
  • jazz_man
    Posts: 10
    Hello,

    I'm interested in playing some simple organ postludes, offertory and communion music at a traditional Latin Mass. I'm a pianist with little experience using organ pedals. Could anyone recommend anything suitable?

    Thank you in advance.
  • davido
    Posts: 873
    https://smlmusicshelf.space/
    Thanked by 2jazz_man noel jones, aago
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,045
    Guilmant's Organist practique (see IMSLP)
    Also, tons of harmonium music, of varying degrees of musicality.
    Thanked by 1jazz_man
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,295
    There are lots of possibilities, though what I list here are worthy, reliable, and the pedal parts are almost always optional:

    --Any of the volumes of Rossini's "The Liturgical Organist"
    --Either of the volumes of Rossini's "The Ecclesiastical Organist"
    --Rossini's "The Gregorian Organist"
    --148 Interludes for Organ (published by Kevin Mayhew)
    --John Stanley voluntaries (found on IMSLP)
    --Pachelbel Magnificat fugues (found on IMSLP)

    If you want to start trying simple things with pedals, Lorenz publishes a lot of two-staff organ music that is categorized as "easy" or "moderately easy." A decent pianist could probably figure out how to play pieces they categorize that way. Not all of their published music is of terrific quality, to be sure, so you'll have to separate the wheat from the chaff. https://lorenz.com/shop/keyboard/organ-solo
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,767
    I think the true summit of pedal-less organ music is Frescobaldi's Fiori musicali. Allegra Chapman gives a remarkable piano rendition of Toccata 2nda from Book 1, another worthwhile collection.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,933
    I would get a copy of the Little Organ Book by Flor Peeters. Solidly Catholic and a good starting place for someone wanting to learn organ. Cheap, too. $13.45 on Amazon. Good beginner pedal exercises incorporated into playable pieces.
    Thanked by 2bhcordova Paul F. Ford
  • m_r_taylor
    Posts: 314
    Oxford Service Music for Organ - manuals only vols 1-3
    The manual+pedal volumes 1-3 scale in difficulty so those would be great to learn on as well.
    Thanked by 2rich_enough M. Jackson Osborn
  • GerardH
    Posts: 411
    C H Trevor edited a host of books of manuals-only or simpler organ music. If you can get a hold of them, they're immensely useful when making the switch from piano. The pieces are varied, and all come with suggested registrations.
    Thanked by 1rich_enough
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 684
    Check out Sacred Music Library Noel Jones, forum member here has a nice collection of organ material for beginner organist.
    Thanked by 1noel jones, aago
  • Schönbergian
    Posts: 1,063
    Assuming you're a decently-skilled pianist, the works of Stanley, Frescobaldi, Sweelinck, Pachelbel, and some Buxtehude are the cream of the crop. Much French literature is also playable without the pedals. I would avoid the Rossini books if you have serious piano expertise, since most of the compositions are fairly banal and the best manuals-only repertoire is very doable for an intermediate player anyways.
    Thanked by 3rich_enough M. Jackson Osborn Skladach
  • francis
    Posts: 10,668
    I constantly recommend this series

    Liber organi

    Found on IMSLP

    https://imslp.org/wiki/Liber_organi_(Dalla_Libera%2C_Sandro)

    The link never transfers into our forum correctly
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,148
    @Francis: A parenthesis always breaks a link in the forum software. You have to use the link tab in the edit window (or ctrl-l). Eg. something like this:
    <a href="https://imslp.org/wiki/Liber_organi_(Dalla_Libera%2C_Sandro)">https://imslp.org/wiki/Liber_organi_(Dalla_Libera%2C_Sandro)</a>
    produces:
    https://imslp.org/wiki/Liber_organi_(Dalla_Libera%2C_Sandro)

    Or:
    <a href="https://imslp.org/wiki/Liber_organi_(Dalla_Libera%2C_Sandro)">your text</a>
    produces:
    your text

    (These both yield the same link to the Liber organi at IMSLP)


    Thanked by 1francis
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,366
    Much Spanish and Portuguese literature of the renaissance-baroque would make very fine voluntaries. Cabezon, Carvalho, Cabinilles, and others. And you might consider some selections from the Buxheimer Orgelbuch. Too, you might look into some of the manuals only pieces in Bach's Clavierubung, Part III. Also, you could look into the chorale partitas and variations by J G Walther, who, as you may know, was Bach's cousin. Ditto Georg Bohm and others.
    (Definitely avoid anything that Schonbergian rather politely refers to as ...fairly banal...)
    Thanked by 2Schönbergian rich_enough
  • LarsLars
    Posts: 116
    All I can say is that you can get overwhelmed by the amount of organ music on IMSLP and everyone has their own tastes and own views on what is appropriate etc..
    I too would recommend Noel Jones' collections to begin with.

    It's a shame that mentorship in the Catholic church is not a thing anymore. Or at least thats how it is where I am. Small protestant church near me is training 5 organists at the moment.
    Thanked by 3francis MarkS noel jones, aago
  • JesJes
    Posts: 574
    Imslp is your friend.
    Pachelbel's Hexachordum Appollinaris is easy and no pedals.
    Frescobaldi's Toccatas are a bit more grand and use simple pedalling (long time holding one note)
    Those are my favourite I can easily sight read and bring out for occasions.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen sdtalley3
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