Customer Reviews

A Treasury of Organ Music for Manuals Only: 46 Works by Bach, Mozart, Franck, Saint-Saens and Others (Dover Music for Organ)

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I am a pianist-turned-organist that happened to land an organist position at a church. It's a weird transition because I know I'm good to go with my hands, it's just that my feet are the problem. I've had a hard time figuring out pieces to play; playing piano repertoire on the manuals never sounds/feels right without some pedal. They don't always translate well and I end up missing bass notes since I can't sustain them. In terms of organ music, if I can play the pedals, it's extremely basic and feels more like an etude than a piece. If the manuals are intricate enough, the pedals are near impossible for me to play and leaving them out leaves holes in the music. I'm also still getting used to picking registrations and it's hard to find ones that sound good with the pieces I try to adapt to organ.

This book is great for someone like me; I can sound more like an organist since they're actually written for manuals only and give some registration suggestions. I don't feel like I have to play incredibly basic things just to accommodate my slow feet; these pieces are up to par with my keyboard skill and, best yet, as I get more comfortable, I can slowly add some pedals to the bass line on my own. The repertoire even spans a good couple centuries of music so you hit a lot of the major composers. It's a great selection.

Overall, I think this book is stellar and especially useful for other pianists looking to make the transition to organ.

I am the organist for a couple of Catholic churches and this collection of organ music provides many pieces that are perfect preludes and postludes, as well as a few pieces for special occasions. Playing just two manuals without the bass manual (pedals) is a nice change of pace for both me and the congregation. Highly recommended!

This is a must to perform book. Brilliant arrengements for the Organ in an easy to read printing style!