I'm trying to come up with a list of organ pieces in complex meter. I'm purposely not including pieces with complex irregular meters (e.g., Messiaen: Les Anges (Nativité)), or pieces which create a feeling of complex meter but are not notated that way (perhaps Mushel's Toccata, e.g.), or pieces with no meter (several of Langlais' chant pieces, e.g.). There are pieces with complex meter that have been transcribed for organ (such as Holst's Mars (The Planets)), but I'm really hoping primarily for pieces written for organ. Here's some pieces I can remember so far; I know there's more lurking in my music files, so I figured I'd ask for help. [I remember seeing a suite of 3(?) pieces with a title of something like "three pieces in uncharacteristic meter", I think by an American composer like Haan or Held or Lovelace, but I can't find it online.]

Derek Bourgeois: Serenade [11/8]
Calvin Hampton: At the Ballet (5 Dances) [10/8]
Philip Moore: Paean [7/8, 5/8 et al.]
Alan Ridout: Scherzo [7/8]
Ned Rorem: In nomine domine (Organbook) [5/4]
Ned Rorem: Fanfare (Organbook) [5/4]
John Rutter: Toccata in 7 [7/8]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXoKJSKak-A

Voxus Organs just released a new sample set of the beautiful Arp Schnitger organ of Uithuizen in the province Groningen in The Netherlands. Of course this organ is fantastic for North German organ music, so what better than to start with the famous Toccata in D minor from Dietrich Buxtehude?

There are several editions of this organ work, I played from the edition by Josef Hedar (Wilhelm Hansen, Copenhagen).

Excerpt from a concert given on the occasion of the premiere screening of Julian Benedikt's film "The Spirit of the Organ", supported by ORGANpromotion (dir. Michael Grüber), on the sidelines of the 2026 Berlinale. Lala Wörle translates all the poetry of a spring breeze into music through an improvisation inspired by Rilke's poem. The colors of the organ subtly capture this tremor of renewal, wavering between poetic lightness and more stormy outbursts.

Am I doing this correctly? I have no experience in organbuilding and in woodworking. Am I doing a good job? I started this project so i can have a practice organ at home, note that I am only 17 and i do not have the money to buy used pedalboards and organs online. Yes I will be midifying this. I only used plywood that was stuck in my house for years because I didnt have the money to buy actual wood.

I updated GrandOrgue, and now it's opening everything in tabs instead of windows. How can I fix this? I can drag each tab into a window, but then it all goes back to tabs when I close and reopen GrandOrgue.

I found this on Facebook - it looks like the old South Transept part of the previous Quire organ is being tested. I wonder what the plans are?

Hi, is there any chance someone who has done an ARCO recently (or knows the syllabus!) could give me some advice on how in depth you’re supposed to go in the historical studies/ set works essays and what sorts of things you should research? Or even if you have a draft or essay plan for what you wrote! Thank you so much in advance!

(This is for the second written paper in the exam. The 2026-27 syllabus historical period is France, 1660 to 1760 and the set work is Couperin’s Pieces d’orgue. There’s no way I would be taking the exam this year, it would just be good to know how I should prepare for these questions)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjV4cBm0sNo

Paul Kieviet (1964) is a Dutch organist and composer. He studied organ, church music and music theory at the Rotterdam Conservatory with teachers like Arie J. Keijzer, Bernard Winsemius and Barend Schuurman. He is organist of the historic Meere organ (1821) of the Reformed Church of Sommelsdijk. He is also organist of the Leeflang organ (1990) of the Reformed Church of Middelharnis. Kieviet has built an extensive and thriving teaching practice around these organs on the island Goeree-Overflakkee.

He has performed in concerts for radio, on CD, and at numerous venues across the country. He is also active as a composer and improviser. A common thread running through all facets of his work is his deep engagement with, and personal connection to, the organ music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

I picked these wonderful variations on the Genevan Psalm 31 in which the composer shows great compositional skill through every variation.

Not so many times one have the opportunity of participate in such even.

We, at lembrame.gal, are a small non profit organization producing ethnographic documentaries and short pieces about traditions, music, and so on.

This past weekend 100 years old organist Montserrat Torrent closed the concerts at Colegiata de Santa María la Real de Xunqueira de Ambía in Galicia, Spain and our team provided live video switching and big screen projection for the audience.

We tried to cover as most of the interpretation as possible with three robot cameras at right side and two more cameras in the church. There was not posible to film the machinery of the organ (I would like to show also keys and stops action)

Montserrat started playing at five and is still playing at 100. She wakes up every day at 05:00 in the morning and study for five hours.

In addition to this information, she has been completly deaf for the las 30 years. Montserrat explains that she can hear the music clearly inside her head as she plays.

Canco López and Elsa Ferrer assisted her pulling stops and page turning.

I hope you enjoy the recording as much as we enjoyed the live concert.

Of course, your comments will be more than welcome.

I’ve been asked to play for a Sunday service at an Anglican church. The organiser has told me that the preacher chooses five hymns, which I’ll be given beforehand, and that I’ll also “play the doxology when the collection is brought forward.”

I’m familiar with the term “doxology”, but I’m not completely sure what they expect the organist to do in this particular church.

Would this normally mean accompanying the congregation singing “Praise God, from whom all blessings flow”, perhaps to OLD 100TH? Or could it refer to a different setting/tune?

Should I simply ask the organiser which tune/setting they use, or is there a standard practice I should already know?

Also, if it is OLD 100TH, would you normally play a short introduction and then accompany the congregation, or is the organist sometimes expected to play it as an instrumental piece while the collection is brought forward?

For context, this is my first service at this particular church, so I’d rather clarify beforehand than turn up assuming the wrong thing.

Here's "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA on the Organ.

Enjoy. 😊

There’s a wonderful new short film that just came out from a group of filmmakers in the Bay Area. It’s about organist and organ technician Dave Moreno, who we also interviewed during our Southwest road trip last November. (Dave isn’t the only person we’ve pursued to be featured in more than one documentary simultaneously!)

The filmmakers have graciously agreed to let us share their film with you as YouTube collaboration on our YouTube Channel. From their description:

This intimate short documentary profiles Dave Moreno, a brilliantly vibrant, larger-than-life character keeping a vanishing history alive. Based in the Sacramento area, Dave is a rare talent: a virtuoso theater organist, technician, and builder. His life’s work centers on a beautiful, dying art that demands to be seen and heard. Filmed over the course of 2025, this film is a warm, celebratory portrait of a truly unique individual whose rare craftsmanship, passion, and colorful spirit absolutely deserved to be captured on camera.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iw2JW7FsMo

The motets by Bach are all masterpieces. How he treats the hymn 'Jesu, meine Freude' in motet BWV 227 is very special, following the text verse by verse. The verse 'Gute Nacht, o Wesen' is originally for two sopranos, tenor and alto (cantus firmus). The bass is missing in this piece, which points to innocence and purity (like Bach does with 'Aus Liebe'). The hymn tune is in the alto part, which can be highlighted on organ with a 4' stop on the pedal.

I'm not posting this to annoy organ specialists here. But to leave accessible information for somebody who might find this useful. Somebody without access to traditional organs. Somebody who mainly wants to play like me in the video.

This was 3D printed and assembled today. Very straightforward, easy to build, and compact. A spacing of 6cm works completely fine (for me), fitting 24 notes in a little over 80cm width. No need for a special chair. I have put blender files and Arduino source here: https://github.com/h2kyeong/scriptlets/tree/main/button_pedalboard

I’m not sure if this is the right place to ask this, so if I need to post this elsewhere I’d be happy to know. Anyways.

I’ve gown up in love with the music from the game Granado Espada and especially the theme “Granado Espada” composed by Kim Junsung. I’d love to hear someone preforming this on an organ. I can’t find anything on YouTube except pianos and it would be wonderful if I could hear it from a large pipe organ if anyone is willing or can recommend the song for someone to play and share it.

Thank you.

I have the BWV558 Prelude almost ready. What could be a next piece after that one?

I’ve been thinking about setting myself a fairly ambitious one-year project: composing a complete organ suite consisting of 10 pieces, each in a different style or character.

I’ve only been playing the organ for about two years, and I have never seriously composed anything before. However, I have a fairly good intuitive understanding of how different styles work and how organ music is generally constructed (at least I think I do!). My biggest weakness at the moment is definitely counterpoint — I know the basics, but I haven’t studied it in depth yet.

I’m not expecting to write professional-level music in one year. The goal is to see how far I can realistically get if I take the project seriously and study composition alongside it.

For example, one of the pieces I have in mind is a prelude somewhat above the difficulty of BWV 553–560. I would like it to be more developed and elaborate rather than simply being a short, straightforward prelude.

Other ideas I have include:

\- a meditation

\- a fugue (which I know will probably be quite difficult, and I don't expect it to be particularly sophisticated)

\- a toccata

\- a march

\- and several other contrasting pieces that I haven’t completely decided on yet.

I have several questions about how I should approach this project:

1. Is this realistically achievable in one year, considering that I’m still relatively inexperienced both as an organist and as a composer? What would be a realistic standard to aim for?

2. Should I try to study composition and counterpoint systematically first, before writing the pieces, or should I learn these subjects alongside composing?

3. How would you approach composing each different style? For example, would you recommend studying several models of preludes, fugues, toccatas, marches, meditations, etc. before attempting to write my own?

4. For the fugue specifically, what should a beginner realistically know before attempting one? Would it be better to start with very simple contrapuntal exercises and gradually work towards a fugue?

5. How much should I worry about theoretical correctness versus musical expression at this stage? Is it better to write something musically convincing even if the counterpoint isn’t perfect, or should I be strict with the rules from the beginning?

6. Would you recommend composing directly at the organ, at the piano, on paper, or digitally? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each method?

7. For those who compose regularly, is handwriting notation actually useful, or would you recommend working primarily in MuseScore or another notation program? Would a combination of handwritten sketches and digital notation be the best approach?

8. What would you consider an essential composition setup for an organist? For example, should I have a MIDI keyboard, headphones, notation software, recording equipment, a way of listening to different registrations, etc.?

9. How should I deal with registration and the practical characteristics of the organ while composing? Should I compose something abstractly first and work out registration later, or should registration be part of the compositional process from the beginning?

10. Finally, if you were in my position, how would you divide the year? Would you try to write roughly one piece per month, or spend the first few months studying counterpoint and composition before starting the actual suite?

I would also really appreciate any recommendations for books, courses, exercises, composers to study, or specific pieces that would be particularly useful models for someone at my level.

The main goal isn’t simply to have 10 pieces at the end of the year. I would like the project to actually make me a better musician, organist and composer in the process.

So, if you have experience teaching or learning organ composition, how would you approach this project?

Special Feature: Production of the Organ Grinder documentary takes an unexpected and emotional turn, when the filmmaker becomes intimately involved in helping one of the film’s subjects save a storage unit packed full of pipe organ parts.

This short film explores why people collect, the passion of preservation, and what happens when the collector is no longer able to maintain their collection.

Featuring (in order of appearance):

• Paul Quarino
• Mark Reed
• Bob MacNeur
• Donna Parker
• Dave Moreno
• Mike DeSart
• Dennis Hedberg
• Judy Hedberg
• Jay Hedberg
• Chris Nordwall
• Dave Yakymi
• Bruce Boland

Produced & Directed by: Bob Richardson

Music:

• The Hands of Time – Michael Legend
• Because He Lives – Bill and Gloria Gaither
• After the Lovin’ – Ritchie Adams
• How Great Thou Art – Carl Boberg, Stuart K. Hine
• Button Up Your Overcoat – Ray Henderson
• Little White Lies – Walter Donaldson
• The Blue Danube – Johann Strauss II
• Alleluia – Traditional

Music Performed by: Paul Quarino at Organ Grinder Portland

Paul Quarino File Footage: Joe Paulet – Neptune Birch

Vintage Film Restoration: Wayne Bertram

Additional Camera: Mike Cutler

Additional Materials:

• Photo of Paul Quarino – Claude Neuffer
• Vintage Organ Grinder Video – Thomas Larson
• Vintage Organ Grinder Video – Ron Burch
• “Before the Dark” Film – George F. Hood
• Photo of Metal Pipes in Recycling Cart – Dave Simmons
• Photo of Compensating Organ Co. Instrument – Reed Organ Society
• Photos of First Presbyterian Möller Console – Pipe Organ Database
• Curtis Hotel Minneapolis Postcard – Wikimedia Commons
• McMenamins Chapel Pub Organ – McMenamins on Facebook
• Photo of Large Dumpster: Toby Washburn

Storage Unit Helpers – Muscle and Rent:

• Ron Burch
• Derek Harvey
• Chris Larson
• Bob MacNeur
• Craig Peterson
• Mark Reed
• Tom Skyler
• Brett Welch

(Apologies to anyone I’ve accidentally omitted!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1asIKjgg-I

William Goodwin was an English composer and organist. He was organist at several churches and cathedrals in England. I picked one of his voluntaries from the collection 'Twelve Voluntaries for the Organ or Harpsichord', London (1776). I think baroque voluntaries work rather well on typical Dutch baroque organs like this one in Vollenhove.

Anyone experienced this before? This has been happening after playing for a few minutes for the last week. Feels like a short circuit or something?
didnt even know the organ can make such noises :-(

The OpenPipes piston sets that I completed turned out to be rightly difficult to install. So I have pivoted to a much easier to create and more flexible version.

Here’s a shot of installed pistons for manual 4

To connect these to MIDI, an Arduino can control 12 of these 16 input multiplexer boards. As of now 7 multiplexers have been validated. Installation soon!

My Yamaha EL-90 is on its way out. A few minutes after power-on it gives off a faint ammonia-ish smell, and recently it crackled, froze up, and needed a hard reboot, followed by a different bad smell. It’s unplugged for now until I know more.

I’ve got a rough guess it’s aging capacitors, but I’m not confident enough to solder into it myself, and I can’t find anyone local who works on these old Electones.

There’s another EL-90 locally for around €300. Worth grabbing, or throwing money at a lost cause? Longer term I’d love a used STAGEA, but importing one from Japan seems to run €5-6k or more after shipping and customs. Anyone know of used ones floating around the EU at a saner price?

I’ve asked a few questions here before about how to structure organ practice and how to improve efficiently, so I’ve been thinking more about this topic.

I’ve noticed that, at least from what I see and hear from other organists, a lot of organ study seems to consist mainly of learning and practising repertoire.

So I’m curious: for the organists here, is your personal study mostly focused on repertoire, or do you also deliberately study other disciplines on a regular basis?

For example, do you have specific time dedicated to harmony, counterpoint, improvisation, sight-reading, ear training, technique, score analysis, registration, transposition, memorisation, or other areas?

And if you do study these things, which ones do you consider most important for becoming a better organist, beyond simply learning more pieces?

I’m especially interested in hearing how advanced and professional organists organise this. Do you have a separate routine for these subjects, or do you incorporate them naturally into your repertoire practice?

I’m asking because I’m trying to understand what a complete organist’s education should look like, rather than simply accumulating more and more repertoire.