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The Pipe Organ: A Composer's Guide

Online ISBN:
9780197645321
Print ISBN:
9780197645284
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Book

The Pipe Organ: A Composer's Guide

James Mitchell
James Mitchell
Sub-Organist, Gloucester Cathedral
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Published online:
22 June 2023
Published in print:
31 July 2023
Online ISBN:
9780197645321
Print ISBN:
9780197645284
Publisher:
Oxford University Press

Abstract

This book is a guide to composing for the pipe organ. Many contemporary music commissions come from organists, orchestras (which often employ an organist part-time), and church, cathedral, and chapel choirs (where the organ is the main accompanying instrument). However, there are currently very few resources available for composers, and so many organ compositions do not explore the instrument’s full potential. This book explains how to write idiomatically for the instrument, both explaining basic notation and demonstrating the extent of organ virtuosity by drawing on organ music from the past 500 years. Through practical analysis of previous repertoire, this composer’s guide for the organ shows not only what the organ was, or what it is, but also what it can be.

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