SKU: A0.964505

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring is a popular piece of choral music. It was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach. It is the 10th movement of the cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben. It was written during Bach's first year in Leipzig, Germany. Bach did not compose the melody. That was written by Johann Schop. Bach only harmonized and orchestrated Schop's melody. A transcription of Jesu was done by English pianist Myra Hess (1890-1965), and was published in 1926 for solo piano.
In 1934, Hess' version was adapted for piano duet. British organist Peter Hurford made a transcription of Jesu for organ. Today, Bach's piece is often performed at weddings and funerals. Bach wrote the piece for voices with trumpet, oboes, strings and continuo. Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring is one of Bach's most enduring pieces of music.
The present version is a facilitated reduction of the theme where it is soloed by Organ and chords. Ideal for young music students in the area, if you don't have a teacher to play along, search for item number: S0.1006121, here is an audio playback so you can play and study with ease and fluidity.

SKU: A0.534661

Over the years 1908–16, Debussy had produced a viable scenario for Usher on his third attempt. But
when he came to making a complete draft of the music, he seems to have lost interest during Roderick
Usher’s long monologue, even though he was setting his own text. As in No-ja-li he jumped to the next
passage that interested him, in this case the exciting final melodrama and the collapse of the Usher house itself.

In the process of completing the missing half of the score, I discovered that by reusing Debussy’s material for similar psychological situations across the opera, and by metamorphosing existing ideas (as Debussy does with Mélisande’s theme in his opera Pelléas et Mélisande), the only things I really needed to add were linking material and any passages where fast music was required. So the ‘nightmare scherzo’, and Lady Madeline’s escape from her coffin and her final bloody revenge on her brother are all mine, but most of the rest is existing Debussy in changing contexts (in which the Russian technique of ‘changing backgrounds’, both harmonic and textural, proved extremely useful, as it did to Debussy in his Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune). Eventually, both my completed ballet No-ja-li and the House of Usher were successfully premiered in 2006 and the latter soon began to find its way into the established repertoire in Europe and the US. To further support this, I transcribed some of the highlights of Debussy’s score as A Night in the House of Usher for organ, and subsequently piano—with a focus on Scene 2 and the final, horrific and maca-bre melodrama. This climaxes in the double deaths of Roderick Usher and his Sister Madeline, together with the disintegration of the ill-fated House of Usher into the stagnant lake-all beneath a blood-red moon.In this form it was first performed by Ian Buckle in the Howard Assembly Rooms, Leeds in 2010.

SKU: A0.828708

Transcription by Guido Menestrina, follow the score on youtube: https://youtu.be/A0riyf_X3P4 Jan Zach, called in German Johann Zach (baptized 13 November 1699 – 24 May 1773) was a Czech composer, violinist and organist. Although he was a gifted and versatile composer capable of writing both in Baroque and Classical idioms, his eccentric personality led to numerous conflicts and lack of steady employment from about 1756 onwards. Zach was born in Čelákovice, Bohemia into a wheelwright's family. In 1724 he moved to Prague and started working as violinist at St Gallus and at St Martín. According to Dlabacž, he studied organ under Bohuslav Matěj Černohorský, who lived in Prague from 1720 to 1727. Zach's career as organist started at St Martín, and by 1737 he was also playing the organ at the monastic church of the Merciful Brethren and the Minorite chapel of St Ann. In 1737 he competed for the position of organist at St. Vitus Cathedral, but was not successful. Details of what happened next are unknown: he was reported to have left Bohemia, but apparently remained in Prague at least until 1740. By early 1745 he was living in Augsburg and then on 24 April 1745 he was appointed Kapellmeister of the Electoral orchestra at the court of Johann Friedrich Karl von Ostein, Prince-Elector of Mainz. He visited Italy in 1746 and, briefly, Bohemia in 1747.[1] Zach evidently had a complex and eccentric personality, which led to numerous conflicts that plagued his life at Mainz. He was suspended from his position in 1750 and finally dismissed in 1756. From that point on it appears that Zach never again had steady employment. He traveled through Europe and supported himself financially by performing and selling copies of his works, teaching, dedicating his compositions, and so on. He visited numerous courts and monasteries in Germany and Austria, stayed in Italy in 1767 and between 1771and 1772, and may have worked as choirmaster at the Pairis Abbey in Alsace. He stayed several times at the Stams Abbey at Stams, Tyrol, where he may have had connections, and served as music teacher at the Jesuit school in Munich, for several brief periods of time. The last mentions of Zach in contemporary sources indicate that in January 1773 he was at the Wallerstein court, and according to the Frankfurt Kayserliche Reichs-Ober-Post-Amts-Zeitung of 5 June 1773 he died on a journey, at Ellwangen. Zach was buried in the local church of St Wolfgang. Zach's surviving oeuvre comprises a wealth of both instrumental and sacred music: some 30 masses, 28 string sinfonias, a dozen keyboard works and other pieces. Due to the nature of Zach's life it is difficult to establish a precise chronology. His work reflects the transition from the old Baroque style to the emerging Classical music era ideals. Zach was equally adept at strict counterpoint and the style galant, and was also influenced by Czech folk music. Zach was fond of chromatic modulations. Scholar Johann Branberger, writing in the early 20th century, noted Zach's preference for chromatic, and often exotic, themes. Only a few of Zach's pieces were published during his lifetime: a harpsichord sonata (in Oeuvres mêlées, v/6 (Nuremberg, 1759)), a harpsichord concerto (Nuremberg, 1766; GS C13), and the collection Sei sonate for harpsichord and violin or flute (Paris, 1767).

SKU: HL.310635

ISBN 9781934596265. UPC: 073999106350. 9.0x12.0x0.172 inches.

This organ collection commemorates musical great Fred Bock. It is appropriately named not only for Fred's accomplishments and contributions to the sacred organ world, but also because Fred's own organ collection was named Encore. Featuring many of Fred's closest friends, this unprecedented memorial includes original organ compositions in tribute to Fred by Fred Swann, Diane Bish, Mark Thallender and many others, plus stories and personal remembrances.

SKU: A0.1315319

Over the past couple of years I have written a number of film music transcriptions on and for the organ of the Royal Albert Hall in London. While the transcriptions are written with this organ in mind, often calling for specific colours such as the bass drum, carillons or tubular bells, they are adaptable on a number of different instruments and I’ve loved tweaking them in order to play them on organs all across the world. I hope you enjoy playing them as much as I’ve enjoyed writing them! 

One of the soundtracks that I get asked to perform most regularly is Test Drive by John Powell. This is one of the earlier transcriptions I wrote, and I often use it as a piece to illustrate the difference between different organs. It’s quite useful to have one piece to use as a comparison point, so I post little videos of this wherever I’m playing to demonstrate how radically different the same piece of music can sound depending on the kind of instrument. For me, this piece feels like an instant serotonin boost. There is a great crescendo where you get to take the organ from relatively quiet to earth-shatteringly loud over the course of about 30 seconds, and I always say that playing that part feels a bit like flying a dragon!

 - Anna Lapwood

SKU: S9.Q52740

Key: E flat major.

The American musical patrons Mildred and Robert Wood Bliss were considering which distinguished composer to commission to create a work in celebration of their 30th wedding anniversary in 1938. The couple had made the acquaintance of Igor Stravinsky in April the preceding year at the première of his ballet Jeu de Cartes in New York and had subsequently invited the composer to their country home ’Dumbarton Oaks’ in Washington D.C. to talk about a new composition. Stravinsky only just managed to complete the work in time for the anniversary celebrations: its date of completion was also the date of its first performance. For his classically styled three-movement work, he selected the title Concerto in E flat, adding the subtitle Dumbarton Oaks as a dedication. The structure of the work references the concerto grosso: it features a soloist ensemble which unites in the tutti sequences but also plays in concertino groups during the solo episodes. Broken chordal structures characterise the central movement whereas the outer movements are distinguished through their use of fugato. Dumbarton Oaks went on to become one of Stravinsky’s most successful works, performed widely and delighting Mildred Bliss so much that she immediately issued another commission, for the Symphony in C. Its composer’s very public commitment to American cultural life helped pave the way for Stravinsky’s emigration to the USA in 1945. As early as 1952 Leif Thybo created an arrangement for organ which Stravinsky probably did not know at the time of his life.

Inspired by Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos, Igor Stravinsky’s three-movement concerto ‘Dumbarton Oaks’ is a musical monument to two major American patrons: Mildred and Robert Woods Bliss commissioned this work to mark the 30th anniversary of their wedding. It was performed for the first time at a private celebration at their country house Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C. under the direction of Nadia Boulanger in 1938. As early as 1952 Leif Thybo created an arrangement for organ which Stravinsky probably did not know at the time of his life.

SKU: A0.1472149

While the study score edition preserves the cross-voicing of the original four-voice score, the performance edition streamlines the cross-voicing to produce a far more accessible version for the organ. 

1. Kyrie 2. Gloria 3. Credo 4. Sanctus 5. Agnus dei 6. Ite missa est Guillaume de Machaut composed the Messe de Nostre Dame, also known as the Mass of Our Lady, in the early 1360s. He wrote the mass for the Cathedral at Reims, where he served as a canon and a permanent clergy member. According to a rubric at the Cathedral, it would have likely been performed for the Saturday Lady Mass. Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame is significant in the history of music for several reasons: It is the first complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by a single composer that has survived. It is a unified mass, meaning the composer selected relevant chants for each section as the borrowed tenor. It was composed in four voices, which was unusual at the time. The texts of both Gloria and Credo are pretty lengthy. Therefore, Machaut set these movements in a style reminiscent of the earlier discant style, having short phrases, similar rhythmic motion in all parts, and a low ratio of notes per syllable of text, ending with long, rhapsodic sections for the final word, Amen. Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame is a landmark in musical history, but it is far from being avant-garde merely for its uniqueness. It is considered to be a culmination of the musical style of the Ars Nova period, which was characterized by complex polyphonic textures and rhythmic innovations. The mass is also significant because it was composed during a time of great political and social upheaval in Europe, and it reflects the changing attitudes towards religion and music during this period. Overall, Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame is a significant work that represents a culmination of the musical style of the Ars Nova period and reflects the changing attitudes towards religion and music during the 14th century. The mass consists of five movements: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, followed by the dismissal Ite, missa est. The tenor of the Kyrie is based on Vatican Kyrie IV, the Sanctus, and Agnus correspond to Vatican Mass XVII, and the Ite is on Sanctus VIII. Although the Gloria and Credo have no apparent chant basis, they are stylistically related. The mass is unified, meaning the composer selected relevant chants as the borrowed tenor for each section. The Messe de Nostre Dame is significant in the history of music because it is the first complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by a single composer that has survived. It is also significant because it was composed during a time of great political and social upheaval in Europe, and it reflects the changing attitudes towards religion and music during this period. Overall, the Messe de Nostre Dame was a vital part of the liturgical practices of the time, and it is still regarded as a masterpiece of medieval and religious music.

SKU: A0.1471905

1. Kyrie 2. Gloria 3. Credo 4. Sanctus 5. Agnus dei 6. Ite missa est Guillaume de Machaut composed the Messe de Nostre Dame, also known as the Mass of Our Lady, in the early 1360s. He wrote the mass for the Cathedral at Reims, where he served as a canon and a permanent clergy member. According to a rubric at the Cathedral, it would have likely been performed for the Saturday Lady Mass. Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame is significant in the history of music for several reasons: It is the first complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by a single composer that has survived. It is a unified mass, meaning the composer selected relevant chants for each section as the borrowed tenor. It was composed in four voices, which was unusual at the time. The texts of both Gloria and Credo are pretty lengthy. Therefore, Machaut set these movements in a style reminiscent of the earlier discant style, having short phrases, similar rhythmic motion in all parts, and a low ratio of notes per syllable of text, ending with long, rhapsodic sections for the final word, Amen. Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame is a landmark in musical history, but it is far from being avant-garde merely for its uniqueness. It is considered to be a culmination of the musical style of the Ars Nova period, which was characterized by complex polyphonic textures and rhythmic innovations. The mass is also significant because it was composed during a time of great political and social upheaval in Europe, and it reflects the changing attitudes towards religion and music during this period. Overall, Machaut's Messe de Nostre Dame is a significant work that represents a culmination of the musical style of the Ars Nova period and reflects the changing attitudes towards religion and music during the 14th century. The mass consists of five movements: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei, followed by the dismissal Ite, missa est. The tenor of the Kyrie is based on Vatican Kyrie IV, the Sanctus, and Agnus correspond to Vatican Mass XVII, and the Ite is on Sanctus VIII. Although the Gloria and Credo have no apparent chant basis, they are stylistically related. The mass is unified, meaning the composer selected relevant chants as the borrowed tenor for each section. The Messe de Nostre Dame is significant in the history of music because it is the first complete setting of the Ordinary of the Mass by a single composer that has survived. It is also significant because it was composed during a time of great political and social upheaval in Europe, and it reflects the changing attitudes towards religion and music during this period. Overall, the Messe de Nostre Dame was a vital part of the liturgical practices of the time, and it is still regarded as a masterpiece of medieval and religious music.

SKU: A0.1398405

Imagine diving into the soulful melodies of “Now Let Us Rejoice� with my easy-breezy arrangement. It’s like a musical playground where you can explore different styles and voicings, adding your own flair to the classic hymn.

Don’t worry if you’re just starting out – this arrangement is tailor-made for beginners. It’s like a gentle breeze that guides you through the keys, making it perfect for preludes, postludes, or even your next recital.

I’m Jacob Hershberger, and I cooked up this arrangement just for you under Jasberger Music. It’s not just about playing notes; it’s about sharing joy through music.

You’ll find this gem on sheet music and your favorite digital platforms. So, let’s spread some musical cheer together!

SKU: A0.909290

Today I improvised this piece which is based on the Gregorian chant introit Gaudete in Domino semper. The chant is taken from the 3rd Sunday in Advent.

It is dedicated to my friend organist Colin Mark Andrews.

It's a free paraphrase for the organ where the tune can be heard in the upper voice. Other voices sometimes echos fragments of the chant.

I tried to change the mode a few times to make it colorful. Even the whole-tone mode seemed appropriate.

It's an intermediate level piece.

I hope you'll create something and share it with the world today.

SKU: A0.890713

Passacaglia (2000-2012) for Organ - 6 minutes

 This piece exists in versions for organ (this one - the original version in 2000) and orchestra (performed by Bristol University Symphony Orchestra under the baton of John Pickard in 2001), and finally a piano duet version completed in 2012. 

 The theme is based on the ground bass from Bach’s stonking Passacaglia in C minor for organ. However, the implied harmonies of Bach’s original ground bass are treated to some twisted harmonies – where each chord is altered using a system of harmonic substitution - swapping each chord implication for a newly chosen one (Cm=C, Fm=F#, G=A, Dm=A¨, Eb=F and on it goes around the 12 chromatic notes). 

Each key therefore has a ‘dominant’ and ‘subdominant’ that are not the actual chords V and IV in that key, so the traditional cadences and chord relationships are supplanted by 12 individual 3-chord relationships – one set of three chords for each of the 12 (now almost exclusively major) keys. In an attempt to recreate the pulls of the traditional tonic-dominant-subdominant relationships, each key then also has a particular mode/scale with particular added notes that are designed to recreate the sense of moving away from and back towards the home chord of that key. This results in a lot of rich added harmonies and some idiomatic voice-leading.

Bach’s original theme in Cm is:

C G - E¨ F - G A¨  - F G - D E¨ - B C -   F G   - C,

and in the opening statement of the ground bass this has become:

C A - E F# - A B¨ - F# A - D# E - C# C - F# A - C.

There are then 21 variations which modulate through a range of keys, during which the ground bass is constantly re-adjusted to fit the new harmonic areas. It starts in C major, then goes through ‘closely’ related keys (eg A major and A¨ major), and then back to C in variations 6, 9 and 11. This kind of arch then happens again but going through more distant keys before returning to C in variations 18, 19 and the final climactic variation 21.

Leaving aside the structural and tonal nuts and bolts, my aim was to compose a piece that attempts to recapture some of the nobility and beauty of Bach's Passacaglia, with rich added note harmonies, and exuding an exuberant joy.

SKU: A0.1039842

TUNES & APPROPRIATE HYMNS Pater Omnium O God, what offering shall I give, Contemplation When all Thy mercies, O my God, Maidstone Pleasant are Thy court above, Dublin See Israel's gentle Shepherd stand, St Luke O Thou, whom once they flocked to hear, Abridge O for heart to praise my God, Celeste This is the God we adore, Everton They who tread the path of labour, All souls Lead us, O Father, in the paths of peace, Beautitudo Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God, Antwerp Forth in Thy name, O Lord, I go, Something for Thee Saviour, Thy dying love, Dundee(French) I to the hills will lift my eyes, St. Cyril O King of mercy, from Thy throne on high, Ruth Summer sure are glowing, Wiltshire Through all the changing scenes of life, Darwall's 148th Lord of the worlds above, Morecambe O God of our Father, who dost make us one, Vigilate Christian, seek not yet repose, Northampton Hark, my soul! It is the Lord, My Jesus, I love Thee My Jesus, I love Thee, Kensington new Lead us, heavenly Father, lead us, Ramsey Lord, it belongs not my care, Warrington Now that the day light fills the sky, Hopeville Give me the wings of faith to rise, Wonderful love Come let sing of the wonderful love, Prince of peace Come, Holy Ghost, our hearts inspire, Harrow All people that on earth do well, Franconia Our day of praise is done, Aurelia The Church's one foundation, Ellers Saviour, again Thy dear name we raise, Cloisters Lord of our life and God of our salvation Barton Light of the world, Ely Lord, I was blind! I could not see, Gainsworth Just as I am, Misericordia Just as l am, Monks gate Who would true valour see, Old 23rd Where shall my wondering soul begin?, Spetisbury Be gone, unbelief; Stamford Father of everlasting grace.

SKU: A0.1082641

Toccata corta is a short and concise toccata composed for pipe organ, lasting about two and a half minutes. It's the perfect fit for preludes and postludes where a nice, flashy piece is required for a punctuation or as an attention getter, but time constraints prevent a longer work from being programmed. The music is a somewhat challenging, but lies well under the fingers. It's a piece that has a bit of harmonic interest that should please the organist, yet should be a crowd pleaser for the more casual listener. Good things sometimes come in small packages.

SKU: A0.1012922

COME WITH JOY is a wedding suite containing a bridesmaids' processional (REGENCY), bridal fanfare and march (SONG OF JOY), and a bright, quickly paced recessional (FESTIVE PSALM), which incorporates the melodies of the first two processionals in the B section.  

The bridal fanfare and bridal march was written for our daughter's wedding and later the other two were written in complimentary keys to complete the suite.  Each piece may also be used separately, however, and do not have to be used together.  

This suite answers the need of brides who wish to have new music to use for her special day.   With this suite, even though it was written as a cohesive group, the bride may choose to use as many or as few as she wishes and the bridal march with fanfare is certainly worth a consideration!

An audio file of Song of Joy is included here to give you an idea of the flavor of the suite.  It is the bridal march with fanfare.  

The recessional, FESTIVE PSALM, is lengthy and can accommodate large wedding parties without continuous repetition of the main theme.  There are several sections in the work, keeping the interest level high because there's no continuous repetition of one main theme.  For smaller wedding parties, where less exit music is needed, there are markings of suggested jump spots so that an entire section, or sections, can be omitted. The fact that two of the themes are taken from the previous two processionals ties the music together into an exciting cohesive unit.

The music in this suite can  also be used for church or school graduations, anniversaries, service music in church settings and other occasions.

Regarding difficulty, the manuals require intermediate skills, but the pedals are fairly easy.  Most organists who have experience in playing for weddings will be able to handle the techniques required for this suite.