The Final C: COLOR!

While I did not plan for the series to end this way, it seems appropriate that on this day when American are waving their red, white and blue to celebrate Memorial Day, the topic of the newsletter is color. Whether you are from the USA or somewhere else, I hope you will take a moment to express gratitude to those who gave their lives to enjoy the freedom that you are able to enjoy today.

Registration

While registration is an issue of competency, it also is an aspect of color. In the first issue on Competency, I expressed the need for an organist to be familiar with the registrations and combinations of organ stops available to him or her. Even a small organ of 12 stops offers 220 combinations of three stops! (You can check the math or try other numbers here.) While not all of these would project a sense of competency, I believe we fall into registrational habits and often fail to exploit all the colors an instrument may offer us. Instead of simply pulling out the 8′ Flute as a solo, why not try using a 4′ down one octave or a 2′ down two octaves? That 16′ reed in the swell might make a lovely 8′ solo stop if you play an octave higher. Using “non-traditional” registrations like this can also increase your mental dexterity and make it easier for you to play a melody or theme with the left hand or pedal.

Melody

Speaking of melody, a layer of color can come from melody notes that are non-chord tones and the contour of the melody itself. Every style (see The 3rd C: Coherent) has a set of rules for the relationship of melody to harmony with guidelines for how to treat non-chord tones. One simple exercise that was given to me by Philippe Lefebvre for finding colorful melodies was to hold a chord with the left hand and only play notes not in the chord with the right hand. It will take trial and error to discover which notes of the scale work best with what sort of chords, but let your ear be your guide. Perhaps the simplest rule I ever heard for non-chord tones came from Gerre Hancock in his admonition “Salvation is always a half-step away.” If you play something that sounds a little off, chances are there is a note right next to it that will sound better, and if you can repeat yourself and play it again, you become convincing and colorful at the same time!

Harmony

A lot of my instruction in improvisation has focused on building and creating my own harmonic language. One of the ways to do this is to take a colorful harmonic progression from a written composition, memorize it, and then transpose it into all possible keys. Here’s a sample from the first movement of Louis Vierne‘s Symphonie no. 3:

VierneHarmonySequenceSm2
The pedal part is an ornamented pedal point. (We could consider it a melodic way to add color to a static note!) The manuals could be simplified by only playing beats one and three of the chords. With these adjustments, we have a progression ready to transpose into all other keys and will be adding a new way to color a pedal point to our harmonic vocabulary.

What passages from repertoire do you find colorful? Examine them closely, simply if necessary and transpose them to make them part of your improvisational vocabulary. I’d love to know which composers and pieces you find inspirational.

Happy Memorial Day!

May all your improvs be colorful!

Glenn Osborne


 
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Newsletter Issue 5 – 2014 05 26
See the complete list of past newsletter issues here.
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Franz Josef Stoiber

StoiberWebsite:
http://www.domorganist-stoiber.de/

Franz Josef Stoiber is a renowned organist and teacher of improvisation. He has been organist of St. Peter’s Cathedral in Regensburg since 1996, and was appointed as full-time professor for organ and improvisation at Regensburg University in 2003. He studied with Jon Laukvik in Stuttgart and Peter Planyavsky in Vienna. He is very active as a concert organist and lecturer, and has made many CDs. He was recently involved in the design of the ground-breaking new organ in Regensburg Cathedral.

He will teach courses in improvisation in London and Regensburg during the summer of 2014.


Book:

Gehörbildung, Tonsatz, Improvisation
This book is in German.

Recordings:

  • Orgelmusik aus dem Regensburger Dom – Works by Reger, Renner and Improvisations (1999), IFO-records, Mainz
  • Glocken und Orgelimprovisationen im Hohen Dom zu Regensburg – (2002). Motette CD 12561
  • Orgelimprovisationen – Weihnachten. Göckel-Orgel in St. Peter zu Düsseldorf (2005). ORGANpromotion, Sulz am Neckar
  • Die Regensburger Domorgel – Works by Bach, Renner, Dupré and Improvisations – Rieger organ (2010). Motette 13791
  • Die Orgeln der Hochschule für katholische Kirchenmusik und Musikpädagogik Regensburg – Improvisation on “Lobe den Herren” and the Gregorian Antiphon “Cantantibus organis Caecilia Domino decantabat” (2010). HfKM, Regensburg
  • “Alles meinem Gott zu Ehren” – Works by Bach, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Improvisations – Kögler organ in the Stadtpfarrkirche St. Laurentius in Neustadt a.d. Donau (2013). Ambiente Audio
  • Glocken- und Orgelklänge aus dem Regensburger Dom – Improvisations on the Rieger organ (2013). Motette 50931

Videos:
Franz Josef Stoiber – Suite francaise – Regensburger Domorgel
Hommage à Nicolas de Grigny (Plain jeu – Duo – Trio – Basse de Crommorne – Recit de Nazard – Grands Jeux) on Nun lobet Gott im hohen Thron

2014 Summer Courses

In addition to the offerings at the AGO National Convention in Boston, there are several other courses around the world offering improvisation instruction during the summer of 2014. Please feel free to share information about other courses in the comments. I will try to add to the list as I find out about other offerings.

London Organ Improvisation Course
http://www.loic.org.uk
15-18 July 2014
The London Organ Improvisation Course is intended to help organists of all standards to improve their improvising skills for personal musical development, service-playing, concerts and for the examinations of the Royal College of Organists. One day of the course will take place in St. Albans and will include a concert by the guest teacher, Franz Josef Stoiber, Organist of Regensberg Cathedral, Germany. Other teachers for the course include: Ronny Krippner, Duncan Middleton, and Gerard Brooks, Course Director.

Masterclass: Masters Of Ste Clotilde
http://steclotilde-organ.tk/
Monday June 30 to Wednesday July 2 2014
Monday to Wednesday, morning: (9h-12h):
Franck, Tournemire, Pierne, Duruflé, Bonnal, Langlais, Cogen,…
Monday and Tuesday Afternoon (14h-17h): Improvisation
with Olivier Penin and Nicolas Pichon

Classical Music On The Spot:
Eighteenth-Century Keyboard Improvisation

Eastman School of Music • 26 Gibbs St. • Rochester, NY 14604
Workshop I: June 30-July 4 / Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Workshop II: July 7-11 / Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m.
Gilad Rabinovitch & Johnandrew Slominski, directors
Two weeklong 18th-century keyboard improvisation workshops in which students will hone their improvisation skills and deepen their understanding of the galant and high classical styles. There will be a special emphasis on the Italian tradition of partimenti and on Robert Gjerdingen’s galant schemata as a basis for keyboard improvisation. Analysis and listening will complement practical improvisation activities. The first workshop will be an introduction to style improvisation; the second workshop will examine advanced topics (including ornamentation and performance practice) and treatises (Quantz, C.P.E. Bach, Niedt, and the Langloz Manuscript).

Haarlem International Summer Academy for Organists
http://www.organfestival.nl
12 – 26 July 2014
Improvisation for advanced students: an extended, 11-day course for advanced improvisers directed by Jürgen Essl (Stuttgart) and Peter Planyavsky (Vienna).
Improvisation for beginners: A 5-day course with the Haarlem Stadsorganist Jos van der Kooy, well-known for his sympathetic and encouraging approach to professional organists lacking improvisation skills.

International Summer Organ Conservatoire
http://organconservatoire.org/
July 12th – 28th 2014
Directed by Nigel Allcoat with guests, Prof. Erwin Wiersinga (Berlin University of Arts and the Martinikerk, Groningen), and Prof. William Whitehead (London). The first week is in Saint-Antoine l’Abbaye (12-19 July) and the second week is in Poligny (20-28 July).

The Saessolsheim Organ Academy 2014
http://www.asamos.org/
23-30 July 2014
Saessolsheim, Alsace, France
Improvisation instruction will be offered during this course by Francis Jacob.

Smarano Organ and Clavichord Academy
The 18th Century Fantasia and C.P.E. Bach
29 Jul – 8 Aug, Venice-Smarano, Italy
Will include sessions on improvisation: “Free Fantasia” and “Stylus Fantasticus” at the keyboards by William Porter and Edoardo Bellotti.

South German Organ Academy OAO 2014
31 July – 3 August 2014
Organ class on the 1784 Holzhey Organ in Obermarchtal Monastery with a visit to the ISAM (International Summer Academy of Music) Organ Class in Ochsenhausen with Jürgen Essl.
Johannes Mayr will teach a participant’s free choice of repertoire from early Baroque to early Romantic and/or improvisation.

Organ course with Ansgar Wallenhorst
Glenstal Abbey
County Limerick, Ireland
August 11th-13th 2014
Taught by Ansgar Wallenhorst, this workshop is open to organists at every level of ability who wish to develop their own creativity in improvisation either in the context of liturgical services or in concert performance. With a combination of group work in the mornings (9.00-12.00) and individual lessons in the afternoon (15.00-17.45), the workshop will be adapted to the abilities, tastes and preferences of the individual participants. Participants are invited to bring music which they already play or are learning as an indication and basis for developing according to their own level and stylistic preferences. Evening sessions will include, on Monday, an exploration of improvisational style in Irish traditional music Cas Amhrán Cráifeach – a poetics of religious and secular song from the Irish sean-nós tradition with Nóirín Ní Riain PhD, and a short recital on Tuesday.

International Organ Academy Improvisation Course
1-5 September 2014
Improvisation course by Thierry Escaich on the Schwenkedel organ of the St Donat Church (France)

Faszination Orgelimprovisation
3–6 September 2014, Waldsassen, Germany
Course for Organists by Franz Josef Stoiber