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Theorgan repertoire is considered to be the largest and oldest repertory of all musical instruments.[1] Because of theorgan's (orpipe organ's) prominence in worship inWestern Europe from theMiddle Ages on, a significant portion of organ repertoire issacred in nature. The organ's suitability forimprovisation by a single performer is well adapted to thisliturgical role and has allowed manyblind organists to achieve fame; it also accounts for the relatively late emergence of written compositions for the instrument in theRenaissance. Although instruments are still disallowed in mostEastern churches, organs have found their way into a few synagogues as well as secular venues whereorgan recitals take place.
The earliest surviving keyboard compositions (keyboard music was not instrument-specific until the sixteenth century) are from England (Robertsbridge Codex c. 1365) and Italy (Faenza Codex, 15th century). The organ is specified inMarco Antonio Cavazzoni'sRecerchari, motetti, canzoni [...] libro primo, printed in Venice in 1523.
The English virginal style was a manner of composition and performance prevalent in the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries; some manuscripts are preserved in theFitzwilliam Virginal Book.Sweelinck was strongly influenced by this style. Organ music was almost exclusively based on learnedcontrapuntal, exemplified by the Fantasia ("Fancy"), as well as works based on contrapuntal treatment of chant. Composers well known for their choral works wrote organ music, for exampleTallis,Byrd and Gibbons.
In France, baroque organ music (referred to as French classical music, despite being from the Baroque period) was almost exclusively liturgical in nature and composed and performed in a very systemized manner. In addition, the organs were built along standardized lines. The compositions were smaller scale compared with those in other countries. Some of the forms (the Plein jeu, the Récit de Cromorne, and the Tierce en Taille, for example) utilized almost no counterpoint, while others (the Duo, the Trio, and the Fugue) were contrapuntal in nature (though the counterpoint was not generally as complex as in Germany).[citation needed]
Handel contributed significantly to the organ repertoire through hisnumerous organ concertos.
In Germany and Austria, baroque organ music utilized increasing amounts of counterpoint. Organ music in the baroque can be divided into works based onLutheran chorales (e.g. chorale preludes and chorale fantasias) and those not (e.g. toccatas, fantasias and free preludes). There are marked stylistic differences between the composers of North, South and Central Germany such that further generalisation is inaccurate. The North German Praeludium (an important form consisting of alternating sections of free material written in the largely misunderstoodstylus phantasticus and fugal material) reached its zenith inDieterich Buxtehude, informed by Matthias Weckmann and Heinrich Scheidemann (influenced most strongly by Jan Peeterszoon Sweelinck and by the Italian school transported to North Germany by Heinrich Schütz and Samuel Scheidt).Georg Böhm remained firmly representative of the South German School, thoughJohann Pachelbel's influence as a teacher extended across North, South and Central Germany. Baroque organ music arguably reached its height in theworks ofJohann Sebastian Bach. Many of Bach's earlier free works are heavily influenced by Buxtehude's style, but much more importantly, Bach developed a style essentially separate from the predominant styles of North, South and Central Germany. The majority of his free works consisted of two parts: a prelude, toccata or fantasia, and a fugue. Bach also wrote a large number of chorale preludes.
The great composers of the classical era wrote sparingly if at all for the organ:Haydn wrote forclockwork organs, and wrote several concerti for organ and orchestra.Beethoven andMozart wrote only a handful of works.František Brixi andGeorg Christoph Wagenseil also wrote organ concerti. All works are restricted to a single manual.
English composersJohn Stanley andWilliam Boyce wrote a number of important works at this time but should be considered composers of the baroque, not classical era.
During the Romantic era, technological advances allowed new features to be added to the organ, increasing its potential for expression. The work of the French organ builderAristide Cavaillé-Coll in particular represented a great leap in organ building. Cavaillé-Coll refined the Englishswell box by devising a spring-loaded (later balanced) pedal with which the organist could operate the swell shutters. He invented an ingenious pneumaticcombination action system for his five-manual organ atSaint-Sulpice. He adjustedpipemaking andvoicing (final regulation of the pitch and tone) techniques, thus creating a whole family of stops imitating orchestral instruments such as thebassoon, theoboe, and theflute. He introduced dividedwindchests which were controlled byventils, allowing for the use of higher wind pressures. For a mechanicaltracker action to operate under these higher wind pressures, pneumatic assistance provided by theBarker lever was required, which Cavaillé-Coll included in his larger instruments. This pneumatic assist made it possible to couple all the manuals together and play on the full organ without expending a great deal of effort. All these innovations allowed the organist to execute a seamless crescendo frompianissimo all the way tofortissimo: something that had never before been possible by the organ. Composers were now able to write music for the organ which mirrored that played by thesymphony orchestra. For this reason, both the organs and the literature of this time period are consideredsymphonic.
César Franck,Charles-Marie Widor, andFélix-Alexandre Guilmant were important organist-composers who were inspired by the sounds made possible through Cavaillé-Coll's advances in organ building. They wrote extensively for the organ, and their works have endured. A particularly important form of organ composition in the Romantic era was theorgan symphony, first seen in César Franck'sGrand pièce symphonique and refined in the ten symphonies of Widor and the six ofLouis Vierne. The organ symphony, comprising several movements, paralleled symphonies written for the orchestra. Guilmant wrote several compositions similar to organ symphonies; however, preferring to remain in the classical mold, he called themsonatas. In addition to organ symphonies, composers of the day wrote in other forms: Franck wrote eleven other major organ works, including thePrélude, Fugue et Variation and theTrois Chorals; Widor wrote aSuite Latine on variousplainsong tunes; Vierne composed24 pièces de fantaisie, of which theCarillon de Westminster is perhaps the best-known. The influence of these composers has persisted through generations of composers for the organ through history, all the way to the modern-day composers likeOlivier Messiaen andNaji Hakim, and modern-day improvisers likePierre Cochereau andPierre Pincemaille.
In Germany, a revival of interest in organ music began withFelix Mendelssohn who wrote sixSonatas, threePreludes and Fugues, and several smaller works for the organ.Josef Rheinberger wrote 20 sonatas for the organ and numerous smaller works, all of which blend the romantic style with the contrapuntal complexity of the old German masters.Johannes Brahms andRobert Schumann did not leave any large-scale works for the organ, but both left behind some smaller works which have attracted considerable attention. During the mid-19th century, composers such asFranz Liszt andJulius Reubke wrote works for the organ of immense scale. Organs being built during this time were larger and had greater dynamic range than organs of the Baroque period, and Romantic composers were determined to exploit the capabilities of these instruments. One of Liszt's most famous organ works is hisFantasy and Fugue on the chorale Ad nos ad salutarem undam. The entire 30-minute work is based on a single theme byGiacomo Meyerbeer and it shows the influence of Liszt's Sonata in B minor for piano. Liszt's student, Reubke, wrote a programmaticSonata on the 94th Psalm in C minor based on selected verses from Psalm 94. The work, while original in its own right, is heavily influenced by the work of Liszt. These two works are the most monumental compositions for the organ from the mid-19th century.
Organ music in Germany at the end of the 19th century is dominated by the towering figure ofMax Reger. Reger's works represent extreme Romanticism; extremely dense harmonies, sudden dynamic contrasts, and extensive forms are all present in Reger's organ works.
In the 20th-century, German organ music was strongly influenced by the neo-Baroque movement. A revival of interest in Baroque forms and performance practices led to a rejection of the complexity and Romanticism of Liszt and Reger. Important composers of this period areHugo Distler andPaul Hindemith. Hindemith is widely known for his three organ sonatas. Distler's organ music is not as well-known, and Distler is remembered primarily as a choral composer. His most popular work is the Partita on "Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland", a work which treats the old Lutheran chorale in a clearly modern idiom.
In the United States,Dudley Buck was a prominent composer, although his work has remained largely unknown outside of the U.S.
During this time,transcriptions of other music (usuallyorchestral music orpiano solos) for organ became popular. Often the transcriptions would utilize only an excerpt of the original piece. The most famous transcriber for the organ isEdwin Lemare. He transcribed hundreds of works for the organ, the most memorable being his transcriptions of Wagner works.
During the 20th century, there were a number of independent trends in organ repertoire:
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