Method of Organ Playing (8th Edition) (Paperback)

by Harold Gleason (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Thirty-five years of organ teaching and years of research as a musicologist have made Gleason's guide one of the most reputable and well-documented of its kind on the market today, providing future organists with the musical and technical foundation necessary for mastering the fine art of organ playing. Reflecting the latest principles of techniques and interpretation, it offers clear, basic instruction, providing users with a solid foundation and practical start to a lifetime profession in organ playing. Supporting technical practice with important and applicable background musical information, it includes a new section "An Outline of Study for the Beginning Organist" which shows users how to use the book in the most efficient manner to achieve their particular career goal. Also available in Braille for use in schools for the blind. Ideal resource manual for organ faculty and those interested in a background study of organ playing.

From the Publisher
Based on the author's 35 years of organ teaching and years of research as a musicologist, this reputable and well-documented text provides the musical and technical foundation necessary for mastering the art of organ playing.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 369 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 8 edition (October 14, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0132075318
• ISBN-13: 978-0132075312
• Product Dimensions: 11.3 x 8.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #413,379 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Harold Gleason's Method: Still a Classic, August 3, 2000

By	C. Sedgwick (Phoenix, AZ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Since the first appearance of Harold Gleason's Method of Organ Playing in 1937 it has been the most comprehensive and complete tool on the market for training first-class organists. The Gleason method is unique among books of its kind in that it has been in a continual state of evolution throughout its eight editions. The vast practical and pedagogical knowledge of Harold Gleason and his wife, concert organist Catharine Crozier Gleason is presented in the most up-to-date fashion in the current eighth edition. Every page of the book reflects both first-rate and recent scholarship as well as tried and true materials for beginning players. The lists of organ literature, the bibliography and the historical information that supplements the pedagogical portion of the book makes it a worthwhile investment for organists at all performing levels. As a beginning player I was reared at the organ with the fifth and sixth editions of the method and have returned to it often thoughout my career as a performer and teacher. Method of Organ Playing should be a must in the library of every serious organist and is a model for any kind of method or instruction book.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A sound and very helpful guide for organ students and pianists being used as organists, August 5, 2008

By	Craig Matteson (Ann Arbor, MI) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

I am an experienced pianist and have been tapped to play the organ at church for years, but I play it without pedals and while I have learned to choose and combine stops according to my own taste, I wanted to learn more about how stops are put together on organs. And I want to learn how to use pedals more than the occasional dominant and tonic uses I now when the music allows my time to find them.

This book is just what I wanted. Harold and Catharine Crozier Gleason have kept this method relevant through eight editions since it first appeared many decades ago. The book has explanatory text, illustrations, progressive exercises, and a nice selection of graduated pieces. The book assumes that you begin with a level of keyboard skill (piano, they say) of the level where you can handle the Bach 2 and 3 part Inventions.

Part 1 provides text that introduce you to organs, how they work, classes of pipes, mixing stops, and registration. Part 2 is just two pages providing an outline of this method. Part 3 introduces you to playing the organ on just the manuals. It begins with very simple exercises and soon provides a mixture of held and moving notes and combined touch. Finger substitution is an absolute requirement of organ technique and is taught quite well and its cousin, the finger glissando (sliding to neighboring notes). The section on how to play multi-voiced works and articulating the different voices so they are heard clearly is quite helpful. Part 4 introduces some practical issues of technique for playing pieces rather than exercises and provides more than 40 useful short pieces that give you experience in a variety of techniques and require you to use everything you have learned so far. I also enjoyed that the authors provide a few samples of the pieces in original notation along with the modern notation so you can see how different they are.

Part 5 introduces the pedal from how to sit at the console, very simple exercises including step-wise, small intervals, heel and toe, foot substitution, alternate toes, wide intervals, broken cords, harmonic intervals (playing two notes at the same time), and chords. Part 6 provides exercises and pieces for manuals and pedals together and begins very simply.

Part 7 provides some perspectives on performance practice from various periods and places including ornamentation. A table of ornaments is provided. Other issues such embellishment, notes inegales, fingering, touch, phrasing, articulation, the doctrine of affects, rubato, style, and interpretation. Part 8 covers the practical issues of playing for sacred services.

Part 9 provides scales for manuals and pedals. The appendices provide interesting material about organs around the world from various periods, information about composers of organ music of the Renaissance and the Baroque, a bibliography for further reading and a glossary.

The book is bound in a very sturdy way that will stand up to long use. However, you will have to work to get it to lay flat at the organ (at first) or use other books to keep it open to the pages you are working on.

A very useful text for pianists being used as organists, organ students, and anyone interested in developing beginning organ skills.

Reviewed by Craig Matteson, Ann Arbor, MI

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth the Money, April 12, 2005

By	C. Johnson (Orange County, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My organ instructor insisted I find this pricey book for my studies. I reluctantly ordered it, and I'm really glad I did. It is a comprehensive learning tool for any organist, useful exercises and great pieces are included.

I called every music store in my area and no one had this book, but Amazon did! I could have hunted for this book in stores forever. Save yourself the trouble and order it here.

This book is not for pianists who want a quick transition to the organ, but for serious students of the instrument. There are plenty of cheaper organ method books out there, but the Gleason is the best.