New Organ Improvisation Videos (and One Composition-in-the-Making Video!)

Hello all; I hope you all are doing well!

During the last few days I've posted some new videos on YouTube. Of the four I will share with you today three are organ improvisations and one is a recording of a composition-in-the-making.

The first video is the aforementioned "composition-in-the-making."

The title Watchers and Holy Ones is not a reference to the famous hymn "Ye Watchers and Ye Holy Ones." Rather it is a reference to the KJV translation of a passage in the cryptic Book of Daniel from the Hebrew Bible (specifically, the fourth chapter of Daniel).

In Watchers and Holy Ones I wanted to musically portray the ominous tone both of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, as recounted in the fourth chapter of the Book of Daniel, as well as that of the prophetic passages found in the concluding chapters of the book.

I started work on this piece a few days ago. The screen shot below (from Finale) shows the beginning of the score prior to the recorded video.

This ominous improvisation is registered as follows:

Swell: Full (boxed closed)
Great: Chimes
Choir: Flute 8', Tremulant
Pedal: Bourdon 16', Gemshorn 16', Lieblich Gedackt 16'

Ishmael is a mysterious-sounding, virtuosic improvisation for the manuals.

The pedal part is minimal. It is basically a drone, the function of which is to provide a bit of timbral contrast.

The registration for Ishmael:

Choir: Chrysoglott (MIDI), Flute Harmonique 8'
Pedal: Gemshorn 16', Lieblich Gedackt 16'

As the title suggests, this improvisation was inspired by Psalm 23 ("The LORD is my shepherd"). I recorded this improvisation both to provide some musical comfort for the congregation I serve - and to comfort myself - during these difficult times.

As in the twenty-third psalm the music here is gentle and serene despite an occasional undercurrent of unease and uncertainty. The sense of uncertainty is a result, in part, of the key/mode alternating between C Lydian and G Major. Like the twenty-third psalm, the improvisation concludes peacefully.

The registration for this improvisation was:

Swell: Gedackt 8', Viola 8', Viola Celeste 8', Arco Strings (MIDI), Sw. to Ped. 8'
Great: Flute 8'
Choir: Flute Harmonique 8', Erzähler Celeste 8', Chrysoglott (MIDI), Ch.to Gt. 8', Ch. to Ped. 8'
Pedal: Gemshorn 16', Lieblich Gedackt 16'

Ballad is a sad, gentle improvisation in the key of E major. Originally this improvisation had a different title. Like much of my music this improvisation was inspired by matters of the heart, and the title reflected this inspiration a bit too frankly. Thus, I chose the simpler title Ballad.

The registration for this improvisation was:

Swell: Gedackt 8', Viola 8', Viola Celeste 8', Sw. to Ch. 8'
Choir: Flute 8', Flute Harmonique 8', Erzähler Celeste 8', Ch. to Ped. 8'
Pedal: Bourdon 16'

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