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English Organ Improvisation
in the 20th and 21st Centuries
PhD research project, Birmingham Conservatoire.
Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Peter Johnson
Abstract
For the organist, improvisation is a necessary skill, yet in comparison with continental practices, it has often been said to be underdeveloped in the UK, not least by a lack of systematic teaching. In the first part of my research I interrogate this criticism, by examining the current practices of organ improvisation in the UK and how it has developed since 1900 in comparison with two Continental schools of improvisation (France and Germany), using recordings and interviews. There seems to have been a major change during the twentieth century regarding the importance of improvisation in the UK: in 1900, it was merely seen as a device for covering gaps in church services whereas, today, improvisation is becoming a more respected art form, perhaps a measure of the influence from French and Dutch practices.
A second aspect of my research is to develop stylistic improvisation for UK organists by analysing key stylistic traits from organ compositions from the Tudor period to the present day. So far, I was able to identify the following English improvisation styles:
• Tudor Versets (Mulliner Book)
• Englis Baroque Voluntary (Stanley)
• English Baroque Concerto (Handel)
• Early English Orchestral School (Elgar, Stanford)
• Late English Orchestral School (Howells, Whitlock)
• English Neoclassical School (Leighton, Mathias)
Practical Example:
Improvising in the style of Handel
On 1st April 2009 I improvised a Voluntary in the style of Handel at the end of the BBC Choral Evensong broadcast from St George´s Church, Hanover Square, London.
The following pages suggest a methodical approach to practising improvisations in a Handelian manner.
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Different European traditions in Organ Improvisation
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Organ Improvisation as a form of art has always flourished in Continental Europe. The French School of organ playing regards the teaching of improvisation as an absolute vital part of each organists' training - as does the German / Dutch school. During my years of study, it became clear that each country has developed a particular style of improvisation focussing on particular musical aspects. French organists tend to use a huge variety of harmonic colours which emerges naturally with formal structures. However, the use and therefore study of harmonies remains the main focus.
German / Dutch organist are also using a broad range of harmonic devices in their improvisations, but are more interested in the structural side of their playing - fugues, imitations, trios etc just to name few of the disciplines which are covered in the curriculum of a Germanic organist's training. But what about the English?
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English Organ Improvisation
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During the 1990s, I attended on various occasions the annual Organ Improvisation Master Classes in Ingolstadt (Germany) which featured a representative of both the French and the Germanic School of Organ Improvisation. Having studied improvisational techniques from both cultural backgrounds, I was asking one of the lecturers - a very famous Dutch organist - if there's anything like an English School / Style of Organ Improvisation. "Yes", he said. "Just pull out lots of soft 8' stops, choose the key of C Major and play consecutive sixths for about 5 minutes!"
This sarcastic statement was obviously not satisfying at all - but there was actually some truth in it. The art of Organ Improvisation in Britain is not very refined - there is no set curriculum in teaching improvisation like there is in France or Germany. Therefore, many good organists in the UK try to imitate the Continental style. Pierre Cochereau comes to mind.
My research aims for:-
- Identifying the present state of Organ Improvisation in Britain (secular and sacred)
- Identifying the present state of teaching of Organ Improvisation in Britain
- Identifying / developing a typical British style of Organ Improvisation, using British Organ Compositions as role models.
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Sound samples of my own improvisations
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The following recordings were made over a period of eight years (1999-present).
Listening to them, I was amazed how much my style of improvising on the organ was depending on the kind of instrument available. The most obvious difference between German and English instruments seems to be that due to the English thumb pistons, I tend to change the colours more often during an improvisation on an English organ. This very fact gives scope for an entirely different approach to the use of stops during the course of an improvisation - crescendos and diminuendos become natural ingredients of the overall improvisation structure.
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Four Improvisations
on the German Chorale "Allein Gott in der Höh’ sei Ehr"
(recorded July 1999 on the Mathis organ at St Josef, Marktredwitz, Germany)
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1. Fantasy
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Holy Week
two liturgical Improvisations recorded during Holy Week 2004
at St Albertus Magnus, Regensburg, Germany.
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1. Processional (Maundy Thursday Mass)
on the German Chorale "Beim Letzten Abendmahle"
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(Easter Vigil, before the Gloria: the organ sounds for the first time after
being silent since Good Friday, heralding the Resurrection of Christ.)
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Modern Partita
Recorded during an organ recital I gave at the Collegiate Church of the
Holy Cross, Crediton (Devon) on 25th May 2005.
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Modern Partita
(Introduction - Meditation - Fughetta - Scherzando - March/Paean)
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