The Registration of Baroque Organ Music [Hardcover]

Barbara Owen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1997

Barbara Owen has prepared the first work to present in a single volume the registrational practices of organists from 1550 to 1800. Along with the many stoplists and discussions of performance traditions, the book discusses the religious and political context for each period and region-and how these affected the work of composers and organ builders. "Barbara Owen has compiled and intelligently analyzed all of the available information on registration practices from the late Renaissance to Classical times into a coherently organized and cogently presented text...The depth of research , the thoroughness of approach, and the practical nature of the material make this text unique at the present time." - Christopher Young, Indiana University. "It is rare to find a book that combines such careful scholarship with a practical focus that makes it accessible to performing musicians as well as research specialists." -Sharon L. Gorman, "Notes". Here is the first single book to present registrational practices of organists from c. 1550 to 1800. Each of the four parts of the book "the Renaissance and the Early, High, and Late Baroque" starts with a brief description of the political and religious climate of the period and the way it affected organ building and the music composed at the time. Within each historical period, Owen provides for each country a list of the active composers and information about representative organs, including their locations, dates, builders, and stoplists. She then discusses the registrational practices in each area in relation to contemporary musical styles and forms, referring to sources such as scores and treatises. In light of the historical evidence, Owen advises organists on adapting the earlier principles and practices to modern instruments in order to perform Baroque organ works in a style appropriate to their period and region. With its comprehensive geographic, historical, and musicological approach, "The Registration of Baroque Organ Music" will long remain an invaluable source book for teachers and performers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"In this book, Barbara Owen has created a rich resource of historical information coupled with strategies for interpreting that information on today's instruments." oJournal of the American Musical Instrument Society "... Barbara Owen has succeeded admirably in distilling three centuries of organ registration practice into a volume less than three hundred pages long... Anyone with an interest in the history of the organ and its music ... will not want to ignore this book." oSixteenth Century Journal "It is rare to find a book that combines such careful scholarship with a practical focus that makes it accessible to performing musicians as well as research specialists." oNotes "An excellent volume from historical, musical style and interpretive standpoints. Highly recommended for all large academic and professional music collections." Choice " ... recommend this book to all serious organists." oThe American Organist Magazine --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

About the Author

Barbara Owen, an active lecturer, teacher,recitalist, and organ consultant, is Librarian of the Organ Library at Boston University and author of The Organ in New England, E. Power Biggs: Concert Organist, and articles in the New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians and many organ journals. She is also co-author (with Peter Williams) of The Organ.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 296 pages
• Publisher: Indiana University Press (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0253332400
• ISBN-13: 978-0253332400
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 6.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,935,519 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Practical Guide with Historical Background, October 17, 2005

By 

Mark Thomas (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Registration of Baroque Organ Music (Paperback)

Barbara Owen succeeds in condensing more than 200 years of registration practice in a working volume. The book is organized by time period and nationality, allowing the reader to assimilate the trends of each of the organ "schools." Each chapter is prefaced by a list of the relevant composers, as well as stop lists of representative organs. Perhaps Owen's signal accomplishment is a combination of historical awareness with the practical needs of the performance. For instance, after giving the background on the Italian voce umana stop, she suggests that one can replicate the sound on a mechanical action organ by coupling two 8' principals, with one detuned (half drawn). Overall, a practical reference for the performance of 16th, 17th, and 18th-century organ music.