Powerful pipe organ music

MommaTune44 · Post by **MommaTune44** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 7:13 pm

Okay, I'm looking for powerful pipe organ music. It's hard to explain what "powerful" is. Not sad, not spooky, just strong and full of emphasis, but also clear. I've heard several songs, and most aren't classical pieces. The closest thing I can think of to describe it was on an episode of the Simpson's during the closing credits on one of their Halloween specials. It's kinda like remorseful, but invigorating. Any thoughts?

BoneQuint · Post by **BoneQuint** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:03 pm

Maybe "The All Mighty Almighty" from Rick Wakeman's At Lincoln Cathedral album? From the review:

the All Music Guide wrote:"The All Mighty Almighty" -- very heavy in the bass range, as one could expect from the title -- is the undisputed highlight of the set: thundering, imposing, and simply downright loud, the piece will have you shaking in your seat.

djm · Post by **djm** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 8:50 pm

Are you thinking rock organ stuff, like Steppenwolf's "Born To Be Wild", or are you looking for classical horror movie stuff? I don't know who wrote it, or what its called, but it goes something like this:

X:1
T:Horror Show Organ
R:classical stuff
M:4/4
L:1/8
K: Dm
A2 | _A2 =A6 |(3A_AG (3GFE (3E_ED ^C2 | D4

That would be cool to learn on organ. You could practise your Vincent Price accent at the same time.

djm

cowtime · Post by **cowtime** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 9:18 pm

Here's a neat video showing how the ultimate whistle works

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nx8FQju0SXk

how about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jRqyissa ... ed&search=

or this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4kFI3CVh ... ed&search=

how about some Handel?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TojdOYh3 ... ed&search=

I just wish I could play even a fraction as well as these folks.

Oh, I found one more that's wonderful-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HJZjiaq3 ... ed&search=

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Wed Jan 03, 2007 10:57 pm

Well, there's Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, BWV 565.

You can go here and click on Track 13 to hear it:
http://classical.music.ru/e/Audio/Parsh ... index.html

brewerpaul · Post by **brewerpaul** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:26 am

Lucas · Post by **Lucas** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 6:47 am

I've always liked Charles-Marie Widor - Symphony No 5 In F Minor Op 42-1: Toccata (Allegro)
(availbale at Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Widor-Complete-Or ... B0000021G1)

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 7:43 am

Yup! Cynth nailed the one I was thinking of. The Widor toccata sounds like an ice skating rink during public skating hour.

djm

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:33 am

Several years ago a friend and I drove to San Diego, California for her to attend a professional meeting. Not wanting to spend my days stuck in stuffy hotel conference rooms listening to lectures on micro-economics, I had several days to room around the San Diego area, seeing what I might discover. One afternoon I spent walking around in Balboa Park, one of the most attractive municiplal parks in the country and also home of the San Diego Zoo. Little did I suspect that I was about to come upon the largest outdoor pipe organ in the world. It so happens that there was soon to be an organ recital, so the artistic director and the visiting French organist had set aside this time to practice on the organ. I was drawn to the sounds of the organ, and soon I was sitting in the afternoon sun listening to the music of Bach and others on this powerful organ. It was an afternoon in my life that I remember vividly, an experience of serendipity, a blessing that I had not sought.
Spreckels Organ

Time goes by so quickly, and I see that the Speckles Organ Society has a new artisitic director, Dr. Carol Williams. One thing that I dislike about attending organ recitals is that you most often only get to see the backside of the performing musician. However, it seems to me that watching Carol Williams perform would not be all that bad.
Carol Williams Website

Listen to "The Cats of Kilkenny" Listen

Cynth · Post by **Cynth** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 8:48 am

djm wrote:Yup! Cynth nailed the one I was thinking of. ......djm

Oh! I can't read abc notation so I didn't realize we were thinking of the same thing. I don't think of it as horror show music though

, probably because I haven't seen many of those old horror movies. It does seem to be a piece that comes to mind when someone says "organ", especially "powerful organ"! I have never heard it in person, but I am sure it would just make my hair stand on end.

djm · Post by **djm** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 9:20 am

Cynth, you haven't lived until you've seen one of the many b&w iterations of the mad and ever so evil doctor/scientist/genius at the organ keyboard belting out the Bach thingy, letting loose with a maniacal laugh, "Bwa-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha."

Truly an archtype of the film genre.

djm

Chiffed · Post by **Chiffed** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 11:57 am

Powerful? Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. Yeah, that's the theme from Babe...

Majestic? I don't know where I heard it, but there's an arr. of Great Gate of Kiev for organ. Goose-bumps stuff.

Really powerful organ music? Hows about the B3 in Santana's Oye Como Va? Balls to spare.

oleorezinator · Post by **oleorezinator** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:22 pm

Chiffed wrote:
Majestic? I don't know where I heard it, but there's an arr. of Great Gate of Kiev for organ. Goose-bumps stuff.

enerson, lake and palmer, pictures at an exhibition is one of them.
http://tarkus.hyperlink.cz/elp/html/pictures.htm

gonzo914 · Post by **gonzo914** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:32 pm

Chiffed wrote:Powerful? Saint-Saens Organ Symphony. Yeah, that's the theme from Babe...

Majestic? I don't know where I heard it, but there's an arr. of Great Gate of Kiev for organ. Goose-bumps stuff.

Really powerful organ music? Hows about the B3 in Santana's Oye Como Va? Balls to spare.

I would concur with all of these, but especially the Saint-Saens Organ Symphony (I think it's Symphony #3). Turn it up really loud for that last movement. I'm partial to this recording of it --

There is an organ factory in my town -- Reuter Organ Company. They hold periodic open houses in which you can tour thrugh and see how they make all of the pieces parts. Fascinating stuff. The best part is the concerts. They always schedule these open houses when they have a completed organ all put together in the assembly room, and they let their staff give recitals. You have not lived until you have experienced the Toccata 10 feet away from those honkin' big bass pipes.

Doug_Tipple · Post by **Doug_Tipple** » Thu Jan 04, 2007 12:42 pm

London organist, Donald MacKenzie, wearing a kilt, plays the Spreckels organ. Bagpipes, anyone? Listen