The organ works of Johannes Brahms are a beautifully-crafted and much-cherished component of the repertoire of church and concert organists across the world. A central and long renowned figure in the organ field, Barbara Owen is proposing the first in-depth study of this corpus, consideringBrahms's organ works in relation to his background, methods, and overall artistic development. Precisely because the collection of organ works is not extensive, the pieces--composed periodically throughout Brahms's lifetime--map his path as a composer, pinpointing various stages in his artisticdevelopment. Brahms's early preludes and fugues for the organ, for example, foreshadow his fascination with, and developing skills in, counterpoint, which surface notably in later motets, chamber works, and larger compositions such as the piano variations, Deutsches Requiem, and Fourth Symphony.The chorale preludes not only display a mastery of counterpoint, but a wealth of signature "Brahmsian" characteristics in miniature--carefully sculpted melodic lines, chained thirds, inversions, polyrhythms, hidden symbolism, and occasional hints of atonality. The Organ Music of Johannes Brahms offers a detailed examination of Brahms's contacts with organs and organists, and analyses of each specific work and its place in Brahms's career. The body of the manuscript is devoted to the history and analysis of Brahms's individual organ works and theirinterpretation, focusing on the importance of his predecessors and contemporaries in the composition and performance of these pieces. Blending unique insights into composition and performance practice, this book targets the large, intellectually-minded community of organists (20,000 members in theAmerican Guild of Organists), and will be appreciated by performers, students, and scholars of the organ, Brahms, and Nineteenth Century music.
來源: Google Book