All
of the pieces contained in this recording are, to some extent, one of a
kind. Certainly all would agree that there is no other piece in the
repertoire that is quite like the Toccata and Fugue in d-minor, although
focusing upon its obvious oddities can obscure the ways in which the piece
is actually quite traditional. The point behind the title of this CD is
not that every piece included is an unicum, but rather that it was part of
Bach's habit to experiment with traditional understandings of the
relationship between style and genre, so that a piece which represents a
particular genre may show characteristics traditionally found in another
genre. While several of the works contained here may be seen as unique, it
is Bach himself who is “one of a kind,” in the extent of his
experiments with the limitations of genre.
This
particular selection of pieces, ranging from the over-familiar (Toccata
and Fugue in d) to the obscure (O Lamm Gottes), was chosen for the variety
of styles and textures that they represent within their respective genres,
and - perhaps more importantly - to reveal the ways in which the
remarkable instrument Paul Fritts has built for Pacific Lutheran
University can bring this music to life. While this organ has a distinctly
North German accent, its wide array of cantabile registers is especially
well-suited to the chorale preludes on this disc, and its various plenum
capabilities serve equally well the demands of massed homophonic sound and
of intricate counterpoint.
Whether
or not one believes, as some do, that the Toccata and Fugue in d-minor (BWV
565) was originally a piece for solo violin, one can hardly escape
noticing the elements typical of string writing in this piece: the broken
chords, arpeggiated figurations, and extended passagi. Such elements of
course exist in quite a number of Bach's keyboard works, and the
exposition of the fugue in particular recalls similar passages in the
The
decision to play the Prelude in e-minor (BWV 548) on a single Principal
stop in the manual is not based on any conviction that the piece must be
so registered, but
The
chorale prelude on Erbarm’ dich mein is indeed a unicum among Bach's
organ works: no other chorale prelude by Bach makes use of the homophonic
accompaniment of repeated chords found here. A similar effect is found in
one of the movements in the first of Kuhnau's Biblical Sonatas, where the
repeated chords accompany the chorale Aus tiefer Not schrei' ich zu dir,
although an even closer resemblance is found in Busbetzky's cantata on
Erbarm’ dich mein. The accompaniment in Bach's work clearly imitates
typical string ensemble writing, and is an ideal showcase for the
Salicional register of the PLU organ, augmented by the Spielflöte. A
further augmentation to this manualiter piece is provided by a little
trick of registration: the chorale melody is doubled by the Nachthorn in
the Pedal division, in order to bring the chorale more clearly into
relief.
A
similar accompanimental registration, the Spielflöte and Rohrflöte, is
used for the flowing inner voices of the five-part chorale prelude upon An
Wasserflüssen Babylon. The subtle contrast between this sound and that of
the eight-foot Octave in the Pedal, which plays the lowest two parts,
allows the complex polyphony to be heard clearly underneath the Rückpositive
Principal and Dulcian, drawn together for the chorale melody in the
soprano voice.
The
preludes on Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend’ and Herzlich thut mich
verlangen both employ registrations using a quint-flute, or nasard. The
"nasard" registration of the Rückpositive is the Rohrflöte,
Waldflöte, and Nasat. It is heard in Herzlich thut, accompanied by the
Spielflöte of the Great and the Subbass and Principal of the Pedal. Of
course it is necessary to play the Rückpositive one octave lower to
obtain the correct pitches; this is a traditional practice that is
documented in the eighteenth century by original registration indications
as well as being suggested by the mixture compositions of certain organs
of that time. In this way the capabilities of the Rückpositive for
producing a sound rich in Gravität are greatly expanded. In Herr Jesu
Christ, dich zu uns wend is heard the "nasard" registration of
the Swell, the Bourdon and the Nasard, accompanied by the Spielflöte of
the Great and the Pedal Prestant. Thus the two registrations have
different characters: plaintive in the Rückpositive, and darker and more
mysterious in the more remotely located Swell division. As a result, the
more declamatory setting, Herzlich thut, very much in the style of
Buxtehude, focuses upon the soprano voice, while the registration for Herr
Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend’ allows the movement of the inner voices
to be heard without the soprano voice dominating the sound.
The
combination of flutes at eight and four foot pitch in the Rückpositive
was
The
agile and energetic sound of the combined 8’ plena of the Great and Rückpositive,
heard only briefly elsewhere on this disk (in the middle of the Fugue in d
minor) is heard above the Pedal reeds in Valet will ich dir geben,
although such a registration is by no means necessary for this piece; a
very similar work based upon the chorale Komm, Heiliger Geist, by Bach's
contemporary, Georg Friederich Kauffmann, was published in his Harmonische
Seelenlust of 1733 with indications for a registration using a Vox Humana
together with flutes above a pedal registration including a Trumpet stop.
Such a registration would also serve well for the Bach chorale prelude; as
is often the case for Bach's chorale preludes for a single manual, with or
without pedal, the plenum is only one option among many.
In
this “Bach year” of 2000, there will no doubt be much continuing
discussion concerning the quest for the “ideal” Bach organ. In recent
years the increased accessibility of well preserved old instruments in the
former East Germany, and their subsequent restoration, has allowed
organists to experience a wide array of organ styles having legitimate
claim to being “Bach” organs. We are now learning that no one organ
type can adequately represent the entire Bach organ repertoire, but rather
that the experience of various local organ styles can contribute much to
our understanding of how to register and play this repertoire. To these
organ types must also be added the North German organ of the early
eighteenth century; it is well known that Bach admired the large
instruments that he encountered during his trips to the north, and that
Bach was a great devotee of reed stops, to be found in abundance in North
German instruments, but less frequently encountered in instruments closer
to where Bach lived. The
builder of the PLU organ, Paul Fritts, finds his aesthetic and technical
grounding in the North German tradition, and his instruments may rightly
be seen as a continuation, not a copying, of that tradition for modern
needs. The continuing development of this now ancient tradition is
justified by the compelling beauty of the instruments themselves; through
the organ at PLU, Bach - and everything else - sings with spirit and life.
-William Porter