Somehow, I missed this, which makes me wonder what else I've been missing, but James Kibbie, organist and University of Michigan professor, recorded all of J. S. Bach's organ works on a variety of German baroque organs, and then posted all the recordings online, for free. Extra nerd nourishment: for each piece, he's also listed the organ registration. That's about a week's worth of procrastination fodder, right there. Fantastic.
I immediately went to my two favorites: the "St. Anne" prelude and fugue, and BWV 679, a sly little show-off fughetta on "Dies sind die heiligen zehen Gebot" ("These are the holy ten commandments"), in which Bach states the fugue subject, yes, ten times, and at the point where the commandments shift from "thou shalt" to "thou shalt not," inverts the subject. I always imagine Johann pouring himself an extra, self-congratulatory glass of beer after dashing off that one.
3 comments:
Thanks for the pointer. Not what I exactly need given a backlog of other stuff to listen to, but I can't resist...
I am envisioning some of the magnificent organs we viewed in European churches and cathedrals as I listen to your beautiful recordings. It's the next best thing to sitting and hearing it in those venues. Thank you!
Got referred here from "Marginal Revolution". Thanks much for the link. During chaotic times the orderliness of Bach's music is a consolation.
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