Famous organists of the world and their works. Organ music

Who has been to famous Parisian cathedrals, certainly felt that special spirit, unique atmosphere present there.

“On this bench on June 2, 1937, during his 1750th concert, Louis Vierne died”,

- written on a plaque attached to an old organ bench, moved up to the organ in Notre Dame Cathedral. Vierne, a famous organist and composer blind from birth, was the organist of Notre Dame for 37 years.

Vierne was a student of the brilliant César Franck, the patriarch of the French organ school, according to R. Rolland, “this saint of music.”

For more than thirty years, Franck was the organist of the Church of St. Clotilde. Until the end of his days, he regularly performed there with inspired organ improvisations, which gathered numerous listeners, among whom were famous musicians. Once among them was F. Liszt, who was shocked by the game of Frank.

Franck's younger contemporary, Camille Saint-Saens, worked for 20 years as an organist in another Parisian church, the Madeleine, and Alexander Gilman worked for more than 30 years in the Church of the Holy Trinity.

Organist of Holy Trinity Church long years there was also the great Olivier Messiaen. Leaving this post in 1992, he appointed Naji Hakim, a remarkable living virtuoso organist and composer, as his successor.

The organist of the church of St. Clotilde was also Jean Lenglet, a blind organist and composer, contemporary and friend of O. Messiaen and teacher of N. Hakim.

And the legendary Marcel Dupré was for 37 years the organist of Saint-Sulpice Cathedral, which houses one of the finest romantic organs in France.

A feature of the creativity of all these musicians is the combination in one person of the composer-creator and performer. They enthusiastically performed both their own and other people's compositions. As a performer of other people's compositions, M. Dupre became especially famous. In his triumphant tours of Europe and America, he performed all of Bach's organ works by heart.

Another feature of these musicians is their interest not only in solo organ playing, but also in various kinds of ensemble music-making. Unlike the masters of previous eras, they are much more likely to include the organ in a variety of ensembles: from duets with various tools before the competition of the organ with a symphony orchestra (for example, the famous “Symphony with Organ” by Saint-Saens.)

February 3, 2016 in the Small Hall of the Moscow Conservatory. P. I. Tchaikovsky will perform compositions for such ensembles. The concert starts at 19.00.

Program:

I department
L. Vierne - Triumphal march in memory of Napoleon Bonaparte op.46 for three trumpets, three trombones, timpani and organ;
C. Saint-Saens - "Prayer" op.158 for cello and organ;
S. Frank - Prelude, Fugue and Variation op.18 for piano and organ;
N. Hakim - Sonata for trumpet and organ.

II branch
A. Gilman - Symphonic piece op.88 for trombone and organ;
J. Lenglet - Three chorales for oboe and organ, Diptych for piano and organ;
M. Dupre - Heroic poem op.33 (dedicated to the Battle of Verdun) for three trumpets, three trombones, percussion and organ.

Artists:

• Honored Artist of Russia Lyudmila Golub (organ),
• People's Artist of Russia Alexander Rudin (cello),
• Honored Artist of Russia Olga Tomilova (oboe),
• Yakov Katsnelson (piano)
• Vladislav Lavrik (trumpet)
• Arkady Starkov (trombone),
• Ensemble of Soloists of the National Philharmonic Orchestra Russia.

Ludmila Golub

ingenious German composer Johann Sebastian Bach was born in Eeyenach (Germany) on March 31, 1685. in the family of a hereditary musician I. A. Bach. From an early age, the boy sang in the choir, studied violin with his father, after whose death he moved to his brother in Ohrdruf, then to Lüneburg.

While studying at school, the young man entered the choir and orchestra, studied musical works, rewriting them for himself, traveled to Hamburg to listen to the famous organist I.A. Reinken. But also starting at the end of school (1703) independent work violinist in Weimar and then organist in Arnstadt, Bach continued to study. Having received leave, he went on foot to Lübeck to listen to the play of the most prominent composer and organist D. Buxtehude.

Improving in organ performance, Bach reached unsurpassed artistic heights, became widely known as an organist and connoisseur of the organ - he was invited to perform music and receive new and updated organs. In 1717, Bach agreed to come to Dresden to participate in a competition with the French organist L. Marchand, who, however, avoided the competition, secretly leaving the city. Bach played music alone in front of the king and his courtiers, delighting the audience.

In Arnstadt, Mühlhausen (1707-1708) and Weimar (1708-1717) the musical creativity Bach, the first experiments in which were made back in Ohrdruf. Over the years, many compositions have been written for organ, clavier, and for vocal performance (cantata). At the end of 1717, Bach moved to Köthen, taking the position of bandmaster of the princely orchestra.

The Köthen period of Bach's life (1717-1723) is characterized by the widest scope in the composition instrumental music. Preludes, fugues, toccatas, fantasies, sonatas, partitas, suites, inventions for harpsichord, for violin (solo), cello (solo), for the same instruments with clavier, for orchestra, the famous collection "The Well-Tempered Clavier" (first volume - 24 preludes and fugues), violin concertos, 6 Brandenburg concertos for orchestra, cantatas, John Passion written in Köthen - about 170 pieces.

In 1722, Bach took the place of cantor (regent and teacher) at the church of St.. Thomas in Leipzig. Here the "Passion according to John" was performed - one of the greatest creatures Bach.

In the Leipzig years, about 250 cantatas were written (more than 180 have survived), motets, High Mass, Matthew Passion, Mark Passion (lost), Christmas, Easter oratorios, overtures for orchestra, preludes and fugues, including the second volume of the Well-Tempered Clavier, an organ sonata, clavier concertos and much more. Bach led the choir, orchestra, played the organ, did a lot of pedagogical work at the Thomaskirche School. His sons also studied with him, later becoming famous composers, organists and harpsichordists, who temporarily overshadowed the glory of their father.

During the life of Bach and in the second half of the XVIII century. few of his works were known. The revival of Bach's legacy is associated with the name of F. Mendelssohn, who performed The St. Matthew Passion in 1829, 100 years after their first performance. Bach's works began to be published, performed and gained worldwide fame.

Bach's music is imbued with the ideas of humanism, the deepest sympathy for the suffering person, the hope for a better future. Nationality, following the high classical traditions of German, Italian, french art inspired Bach, created the soil on which his amazingly rich creativity flourished. Jubilation and sorrow, joy and sorrow, sublime and confused - all this is inherent in Bach's music. Soul feelings the composer found in it such a truthful embodiment that it does not age, new generations find in it something consonant with their feelings and aspirations. In Bach's music, the art of polyphony (polyphonic warehouse of music) has reached the highest perfection.

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Most place of honor V musical life XVII century occupied the organ with its repertoire. The time will come - and organ art will recede into the background (already in the era of the Viennese classics). In the 17th century, it enjoyed the greatest reverence. Then the organ was considered the "king of all instruments" and it really justified this characterization:

• with its impressive polyphonic sound of a large range, which exceeded the range of all instruments in the orchestra;
• the brightest dynamic contrasts;
• huge timbre possibilities (the number of registers in large organs reaches 200, but the main thing is that the combination of several registers generates a new timbre that is completely different from the original one.

IN the latest tools a “memory” device is used, thanks to which you can pre-select a certain combination of registers and make them sound at the right time). In the sound of the organ, you can hear both the choir and all the instruments of the symphony orchestra, which is why they say that the organ is “a big Symphony Orchestra played by one person. All this put the organ in first place among Instruments XVII century, and even the orchestra of that time could not compete with him.

The organ is a keyboard and wind instrument with a very long history. Already in Ancient Egypt and in ancient Greece there was a so-called hydraulics- a water organ, the pipes of which sounded with the help of a water press. Gradually, the structure of the organ improved more and more. In a modern organ:

• from 800 to 30 thousand pipes different sizes and each has its own timbre;
• several keyboards, which are arranged in steps one above the other and are called manuals;
• many pedals that form a kind of foot keyboard - the organist plays with both hands and feet, so notes for the organ are written on three rulers;
• air blower mechanism bellows and air ducts;
• department where the management system is concentrated.

Organs have always been built for specific rooms and organ masters provided for all their features, sizes, acoustics. Therefore, there are no two absolutely identical organs in the world, each is a unique creation of the master. One of the best organs in Europe is located in Riga, in the Dome Cathedral.

The organs of the 17th century no longer differed sharply in sound from modern organs, although their technical improvement continued. They were indispensable participants in the church service, and sounded outside the church - in private homes. Was several varieties organs:

• in large cathedrals there were the most perfect, majestic organs of gigantic size with two or three manuals;
• in home life, in small churches have become widespread positives(room) and portables(portable) organs; in theaters, small chapels, on the streets one could hear regal - a small organ with a shrill, somewhat nasal sound.

Dutch organ school

In one way or another, composers of various European countries. Almost everywhere in Western Europe in large cathedrals, churches, first-class organists worked - composers and performers in one person, which was the norm for that time. For example, in Holland, in Amsterdam, the activity of a brilliant performer-improviser on the organ proceeded Jan Pietersa Sweelinka- representative Dutch school. His name is associated with the first public organ concerts in the history of music, which Sweelinck arranged right in the church where he worked. He willingly passed on his experience and knowledge to numerous students who came from different countries. Among them is the subsequently famous German organist Samuel Scheidt.

Italian organ school

Italy at that time put forward a great Girolamo Frescobaldi. "Italian Bach", "the father of the original organ style" - that's what he was called later. Frescobaldi's activities took place in Rome, where he was the organist of the Cathedral of St. Peter. Frescobaldi's works were born in close connection with his performing activities. Rumors of a brilliant organist attracted a large public to Rome, which flocked to the cathedral in droves, as if in concert hall to listen to him play.

German organ school

However, the most important role in the development of organ music was played by the Germans. IN Germany organ art reached unprecedented proportions. A whole galaxy of large and original masters who held the lead in the development of organ music until the time of Bach.

The first German organists were students of the great Venetians - Andrea and Giovanni Gabrieli, organists of the 16th century. Many of them studied with Frescobaldi and Sweelinck. Thus, the German organ school adopted all the best that the composers of other countries had, synthesizing the achievements of both the Italian and the Dutch schools. Of the many organists in Germany, the most famous are Samuel Scheidt,Jan Adam Reinken, Dietrich Buxtehude(representatives of the North German school), Johann Pachelbel.

With the development of organ music is associated the flourishing instrumental polyphony. The creative efforts of the German organists were directed, first of all, to the genre fugues- the highest polyphonic form. The fugue in the works of the German polyphonists took shape in its "pre-Bachian" form, not yet reaching its highest maturity. It will acquire a classically perfect form a little later, in the work of Bach.

Another favorite genre of German organ music is choral prelude. This is an arrangement for the organ of the tunes of the Protestant chant, that is, the spiritual chants of the Lutheran Church. They originated during the Reformation era and were based on German folk melodies. This is a primordially German national genre. The duties of the German organist included accompaniment to the singing of the community chorale and "prelude" on choral themes during the service (alternating with the singing of parishioners). Choral arrangements have many varieties, from the simplest harmonizations of choral melodies to extended choral fantasies.

In five concerts of the festival, five proven, established, quite successful and well-known (including Russian) organists from different countries will perform at the Mariinsky stage: Günther Rost (Germany), Lada Labzina (Russia), Maxim Patel (France), David Briggs ( Great Britain), Thierry Eskesh (France). The festival will be dedicated to the memory of the outstanding Russian organist, former chief organist (since 2008) Mariinsky Theater And artistic director Organ Festival of the Mariinsky - Oleg Kinyaev, who died suddenly in the summer of 2014. Works by composers of the 18th-20th centuries, their own transcriptions and original compositions by performing organists and improvisations will be performed.

October 24th. Günther Rost

Günter Rost is an organist who has been actively giving concerts since his early youth. From his biography published on the website of the Mariinsky Theatre, you can learn that Günther performed all J.-S. Bach’s organ works at the age of sixteen – a good start for an organist. Then there were years of study, victories in competitions and the first steps as a teacher. Now Rost is a sought-after teacher, specialist in the field of organ construction, concert and recording organist (among his achievements is the recording of all organ works by the great Czech organ composer Petr Eben).

The concert program will include works by Johann Sebastian Bach (Prelude and Fugue in e-moll, BWV 548, French Suite No. 6, BWV 817), Felix Mendelssohn (organ sonatas No. 3 in A major and No. 5 in D major from the cycle "Six Organ Sonatas" op 65), Louis Vierne (Organ Symphony No. 6, Op. 59). If everything is more or less clear with Bach's compositions, then something can be said about the rest of the plays. Sonatas by Mendelssohn, for example (1844-1845), is one of the later works of the composer, who was not only a talented pianist, but also a skilled organist. These sonatas reflected Mendelssohn's experience as an organist, improviser and organ composer. Sonata No. 3 is based on Martin Luther's chorale "Aus tiefer Not schrei ich zu dir" ("From the depths I cry to Thee").

The last of the organ symphonies, the Sixth (op. 1930) by Louis Vierne, an outstanding organist, composer and teacher who made a significant contribution to organ performance and organ literature of the 20th century, is one of the master's pinnacle works. Mature, full-sounding, rich in harmonies, inventive in rhythm and texture, imaginative and virtuoso, the Sixth Organ Symphony promises to become the center and decoration of Günter Rost's program.

the 25th of October. Lada Labzina

An organist from Tatarstan, Lada Labzina, who has been working (since 1996) at the Department of Organ and Harpsichord of the Kazan State Conservatory, often gives concerts in Russia and abroad, including at various festivals and competitions ( international competitions them. F. List; M. Tariverdiev; festivals "Prestigious organ", "Jazz on a large organ", etc.). The musician's repertoire is extensive and includes the music of the most different eras- ranging from works of the Baroque era, ending with adaptations of jazz standards.

At the concert of the Mariinsky Festival, Lada Labzina will demonstrate a palette of works of different styles, many of which are widely known. Organ works and transcriptions by I.-S. Bach (Choral Prelude BWV 662, Prelude and Fugue in C Major, BWV 547), F. Liszt (Prelude and Fugue on a Theme of VACH), S. Franck (Prelude, Fugue and Variation), N. Rimsky-Korsakov (The Sea and Sinbadov ship", I part from the symphonic suite "Scheherazade", Op. 35; organ transcription by L. Labzina), M. Tariverdiev (Concerto for Organ No. 1, "Cassandra"; by the way, with two parts from this work performed by L. Labzina can be found on the YouTube video service), Volker Brautigam (Volker Brautigam, German composer, organist and conductor born in 1939 - “Three choral arrangements in jazz style”), Krzysztof Sadowski (b.1936, Polish jazz pianist, organist and composer - Two Jazz Pieces), Dave Brubeck (famous American jazz pianist, one of the leaders of the cool jazz direction - Prelude from the suite "Jazz on pointe" ["Points on jazz"], transcription by L. Labzina), Dezhe Antalffy-Zsiross (1885-1945, Dezső Antalffy-Zsiross, Hungarian composer and organist - "Sketches for Negro Spiritual Chants"). The variegated program will allow the organist to lay out the entire performing "arsenal" and show her talent from different angles.

October 26th. Maxim Patel

Maxime Patel - French organist, pianist, improviser, author musical compositions, a graduate of the Lyon and Grenoble conservatories. Patel's collection includes recordings (including premieres) of a number of interesting organ music by not-so-popular French composers (Jeanne Demessier, Naji Hakim, and others).

The St. Petersburg concert will feature three etudes from the cycle “Six Etudes” op.5 by Jeanne Demessieux (“Thirds”, “Sextes”, “Octaves”), which are among the best performing achievements of Patel (not so artistic, but virtuosic, these concert etudes require remarkable performing technique from the organist), as well as Domenico Scarlatti (three sonatas - K96, K113, K461 and the famous "Cat's Fugue" g-moll K30), J.-S. Bach (Trio-Sonata for Organ No. 6 BWV 530), F. Liszt (Funérailles [Funeral Procession from the cycle Poetic and Religious Harmonies]; transcription by Jeanne Demesieux), Marcel Dupré (The World Waiting for the Savior, I part of the "Passion Symphony", op. 23), Roland Falcinelli (1920-2006, French organist, teacher, composer, winner of the Rome Prize - "Scaramuccia", etude-poem), Pierre Labric (b.1921, French organist, teacher , composer, student of J. Demesieux - “Allegro”).

28 of October. David Briggs

A versatile organist who plays music from a wide variety of eras and genres (the musician is known as the author of numerous organ transcriptions), Briton David Briggs (b. 1962) is one of the best English organists today, and certainly the most sociable of them. Briggs is also famous as an excellent improviser - a quality that not all organists possess now (we recall that the ability to improvise was a necessary skill for an organist earlier) and is often performed as a composer (Briggs is the author of a number of musical compositions mainly for the organ, but not only).

The concert program of the organ festival includes "The Appearance of the Eternal Church", a relatively early (1932) piece by the largest French composer Olivier Messiaen, Three Choral Preludes (BWV 654, BWV 686, BWV 671) J.-S. Bach (without Bach's works at the festival, only T. Eskesh will manage in the final concert), the famous "Pavane" by M. Ravel (transcription for organ) and almost half an hour symphonic poem"Death and Enlightenment" by Richard Strauss (organ transcription by David Briggs, and this may sound quite interesting, given Briggs' wide experience in terms of all sorts of arrangements, including from symphonic music).

October 30. Thierry Escaes

The most titled of the musicians of the festival, Thierry Escais (b.1965), seems to need no introduction: this musician is included in the pantheon of the best organists in the world, is known not only as a performer, but also as a composer, author of several dozen works (it is alleged that more 100, including at least ten of the concert genre, one ballet, one mass and one symphony). As an organist, Eskesh has performed at the most prestigious venues in the world and already has a fairly large discography that continues to grow; Eskesh the organist recorded works by such composers as P. Eben, J. Brahms, C. Gounod, J.-S. Bach, V.-A. Mozart, S. Franck, Ch. Tournemire, M. Dyurufle, K. Saint-Saens, J. Guillou, M. Dupre, A. Jolivet, and, of course, the works of Escais himself.

However, none of these compositions was brought to the concert in St. Petersburg: the performance will feature improvisations to The Phantom of the Opera (1925), an American silent horror film based on famous novel Gaston Leroux and popular actor of his time by Lon Chaney in leading role. Musical re-sounding (or primary sounding) of old films by means of modern academic music is a fairly common phenomenon today, and this genre may not have exhausted itself yet. By the way, the fashion for this type of activity reached Russia a few years ago (Russian listeners could get acquainted with the music of domestic authors for the old films “The Andalusian Dog”, “The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari”, etc.). We know that an organ can sound “terrible” at least from the organ works of O. Messiaen, K. Sorabji or J. Xenakis (we can refer the curious to the very colorful piece of the last “Gmeeoorh”, 1974): any sharp polyphonic dissonance, taken on the "forte" at the organ can reach universal dimensions and make the listener run away from the hall, headlong and jumping over the ranks, which means that Eskesh will only need to pick up the necessary "ingredients" so that all the "cardboard horrors" of the old silent film are not laughed at, but blossomed with new colors and frightened, and sound pictures of massive organ harmonies enveloped the listener and penetrated him right under the skin, causing the heartbeat to quicken, with which Eskesh, an experienced organist and improviser, must cope perfectly; however, in this regard, the labeling of the concert “6+” does not seem quite appropriate: perhaps Eskesh’s concert is not the best place to visit with children, although who knows…