Vincent Dubois

VincentDuboisDirector of the Conservatoire and the Académie supérieure de musique de Strasbourg, and titulaire of the grand-orgue of the Cathedral in Soissons, Vincent Dubois won the 2002 Royal Bank Calgary International Organ Competition and is now represented by Karen MacFarlane Artists.


Recordings:

Vincent Dubois Plays the Cavaille-Coll at Saint-Sulpice in Paris, France
Includes a free improvisation and repertoire by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff and Maurice Duruflé.

Videos:
Vincent Dubois – Improvisation – Reims Cathedral
Olivier Latry, Vincent Dubois, Paolo Oreni and Michael Bottenhorn – Happy Birthday – St. Joseph, Bonn Beuel
Olivier Latry, Philippe Lefèbvre, Vincent Dubois, Paolo Oreni and Kalevi Kiviniemi – Improvisation-à-cinque – St. Joseph, Bonn Beuel

Sietze de Vries

sietze_de_vries


Official website:
http://www.sietzedevries.nl/

Sietze de Vries received his professional training from, among others, Wim van Beek, Jan Jongepier and Jos van der Kooy. He was awarded his undergraduate degree at the Groningen Conservatoire; at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague he completed his post-graduate studies with an endorsement for improvisation. In addition, he graduated from the Alkmaar school for church music with the Dutch church music diploma.

Between 1987 and 2002 he won fifteen prizes at various national and international competitions for both repertoire and improvisation. The pinnacle, and also the conclusion, of that period was his triumph at the International Improvisation competition in Haarlem in 2002. On two previous occasions he had been a finalist.

He has many recordings available here:
http://sietze-devries.magix.net/
Many of these recordings have been shared on YouTube by the user Henk van den Brink.

DeVriesHarmonizingHe has written a book- Harmonizing: A Method to Encourage the Art of Improvising which covers basic theory while gradually moving toward improvising using I, IV, and V in easier keys. As the book advances, he includes harmonizing and improvisation on ii, iii, and vi as well as in minor keys and even church modes. Published by Boeijenga Music Publications. Available from the OHS Catalog here.


Videos:
Sietze de Vries – Improvisation on Psalm 130 – Grote kerk, Brouwershaven
Sietze de Vries – Improvisation on’The Old Hundredth’ – Martinikerk, Groningen

Lionel Rogg

LionelRoggOfficial website:
http://www.lionelrogg.ch/

Professor of Organ at the Geneva Conservatory until 2001, Lionel Rogg has welcomed students from all over the world. He frequently gives master-classes and is now professor of organ and improvisation at the Royal Academy of Music in London.


RoggImprovCourseVol1He has written an Improvisation Course for organists, published in French and English by Editions Musicales de la Schola Cantorum. Volume 1 is practical harmony, ornamental counterpoint and chorale. Volume 2 is modal and free style. See a complete review of volume 1 here.


Recordings:

Organ Improvisations on Bach Toccata & Fugue in D Minor
This recording features many performers, including Lionel Rogg, Barbara Dennetlein, Frederic Blanc, Holm Vogel, Johannes Mayr, Vincent Thevenaz, and David Franke. There is a video below that is likely made from this recording, but until I get a copy of the recording this is an unverified claim.

Audio:
Lionel Rogg – Variations and Fugue on a theme of Albert de Klerk – 15th Haarlem Improvisation Competition

Videos:
Improvisation sur la Toccata en ré mineur
Lionel Rogg – Interlude improvisé – Hofkirche, Lucerne

Marcel Dupré

Marcel_DupréIn 1926, Marcel Dupré was appointed professor of organ performance and improvisation at the Paris Conservatoire, a position he held until 1954. In 1934, he succeeded Charles-Marie Widor as titular organist at St. Sulpice in Paris, a post he held until his death in 1971. He taught two generations of well-known organists such as Jehan Alain and Marie-Claire Alain, Jean-Marie Beaudet, Pierre Cochereau, Jeanne Demessieux, Rolande Falcinelli, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, Jean Guillou, Jean Langlais, Carl Weinrich and Olivier Messiaen.

Full bio. You can hear him on Spotify.



Books:

Cours Complet D’improvisation a L’orgue/vol 1: French and English
Cours Complet D’improvisation a L’orgue/vol 2 English
Manuel d’Accompagnement du Plain-chant Grégorien

Recordings:

Organ Masterpieces: Marcel Dupré Recital (Live, 1953)
Includes and improvised symphony and other written compositions performed by Dupré.


Norbert Moret – Marcel Dupré – Guy Bovet: Les orgues de la collégiale de Neuchâtel
GALLO CD 943 1996
Includes: Norbert Moret- Premier concerto pour orgue et orchestre
Marcel Dupré- Improvisation sur des thèmes de Samuel Ducommun
Guy Bovet– Improvisation sur un thème de S. Ducommun à l’orgue de 1952 & Improvisation sur un thème de S. Ducommun à l’orgue de 1996

Audio:
Marcel Dupré – Improvisation on ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ – St. Sulpice

Videos:
I have yet to see a video of Dupré improvising, but there are several audio recordings that have made their way on to YouTube here.
Marcel Dupré – Improvised Double Fugue on Kyrie XI ‘Orbis Factor – Recorded 1957
Marcel Dupré – Veni Creator – St. Sulpice, Paris

YouTube Channels

YouTube is a great place to visit in order to see and hear many different organists improvise. Some even have their own channels. Listed below are artists and other YouTube channels that include improvisation videos as a significant portion of their content.

Artists

Other Users

Playlists

Wolfgang Seifen

Wolfgang SeifenIn 2000 Wolfgang Seifen was appointed professor of improvisation at the Universität der Künste in Berlin, and in 2004 he was appointed the organist of the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin.

Official Website:
http://www.wolfgangseifen.de/

Full bio. You can hear him on Spotify.

He has his own channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWI8vAAevvH99Vaht8a_cxw


Videos:
Suite in French Style – Marienbasilika – Kevelaer

Recordings:
Wolfgang Seifen and Ensemble “Virga Strata”
Gregorian Chant and Organ Improvisation

ohscatalog_2270_67269471Wolfgang Seifen Improvises, Live Concert
UM-20341
Wolfgang Seifen improvises in a live concert at Holy Ghost Church in Mannheim, Germany.

Vidas Pinkevicius

PinkeviciusVidas Pinkevicius graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre in Vilnius with Bachelor‘s and Master’s degree in Organ Performance. He also holds Master’s degree from the Eastern Michigan University (USA) under Pamela Ruiter-Feenstra. He graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (USA) with the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance. At UNL, he defended his DMA dissertation on Improvisation of Keyboard Preludes in the Style of J.S. Bach.

Vidas Pinkevicius has his own channel on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/user/vidpinkus

He also offers a free keyboard prelude improvisation course via email here.

Videos:
Vidas Pinkevicius – Painting: Pieta
Vidas Pinkevicius – Painting: Sleeping Beauty

Olivier Latry

Festival Musica: Olivier Latry, concert d'orgue Messiaen aÃÄ l'eglise ST PaulProfessor of Organ in the Conservatoire de Paris.
In 1985, at 23 years of age, Latry was awarded the post of one of four titulaires des grands orgue of Notre-Dame, Paris alongside Yves Devernay, Philippe Lefèbvre and Jean-Pierre Leguay, following the death of Pierre Cochereau.
Full bio.


Recordings:

Olivier Latry: On A Sunday Afternoon at Washington National Cathedral
This recording features Olivier Latry’s 2007 recital on the pipe organ in Washington National Cathedral and includes works of Louis Vierne, Felix-Alexandre Guilmant and two improvisations by Latry.

Videos:
Sortie – 18.09.2011 – Notre Dame
Sortie – 10-09-2011 – Notre Dame
À la Bach – Notre Dame
Communion – 29.03.2008 – Notre Dame
Olivier Latry – Organ Blessing Versets – Our Lady of Refuge, Brooklyn, NY
Olivier Latry – Improvisation on The Simpsons Theme – Toronto
Olivier Latry with Vincent Dubois, Paolo Oreni and Michael Bottenhorn – Happy Birthday – St. Joseph, Bonn Beuel
Olivier Latry & Philippe Lefebvre – Variations Pt. 1
Olivier Latry & Philippe Lefebvre – Variations Pt. 2
Olivier Latry, Philippe Lefèbvre, Vincent Dubois, Paolo Oreni and Kalevi Kiviniemi – Improvisation-à-cinque – St. Joseph, Bonn Beuel

Thierry Escaich

Thierry Escaich © François GibelliOfficial website:
http://www.escaich.org/en/

YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/user/escaichthierry
You can also hear him on Spotify.
Thierry Escaich has been organist at Saint-Étienne-du-Mont in Paris since 1997, having succeeded Maurice Duruflé.


Recordings:

Thierry Escaich: Organ Spectacular (Improvisations)


Souvenirs de l’opus 26 Live
Includes repertoire and improvisations


Thierry Escaich : Esquisses (feat. Eric Aubier, Ensemble Vocal Soli Tutti)
Includes compositions by Escaich for organ, choir, and trumpet with organ. The recording begins and concludes with improvisations.


Escaich: Le Dernier Evangile
This recording contains a work for chorus, organ and orchestra by Escaich and four improvisations.


Escaich: Live Improvisations
Thierry Escaich: Improvisations
Only available as used through Amazon.com. This recording contains fur suites of improvisations for Chirstmas, Holy Week, Pentecost and Assumption. Recorded on the Daniel Birouste organ at St. Pierre de Chaillot in Paris.
There is an earlier release on the same record label where Escaich improvises and plays some of his own compositions at St. Germain-des-Prés in Paris.

escaich_cd05

Thierry Escaich
Le Chemin de la Croix, improvisations.
Thierry Escaich, organ. Georges Wilson, récitant (textes de Paul Claudel). Recorded at the Cathedral of Laon, 16 – 17 March 2000. Disque Caliope, 2000, CAL 9523.


Hommage à Pierre Cochereau
Improvisations by George Baker, David Briggs, Thierry Escaich and Loïc Mallié.


Duruflé: Works for Organ & Choir
This recording contains choral works of Maurice Duruflé, along with the Suite, op 5, and improvisations by Thierry Escaich.


Unlimited! (Music for Trumpet and Organ)
While both discs contain music for trumpet and organ, the second also includes several improvisations by Escaich alone.
Videos:
Improvisation sur un texte de saint Paul
Thierry Escaich Improv sur le “Chemin de la Croix” de Claudel – Notre Dame de Paris