Old Masters of the Organ: Organ Comb Bound Book

Straube's curation reaches across the Baroque spectrum, moving well beyond the familiar Bach canon to include Buxtehude, Muffat, and Pachelbel. The comb binding makes this collection genuinely playable in a real practice or recital setting, not just a reference work that stays closed on the shelf.

The sound world here ranges from intimate and introspective (Buxtehude's meditative passages) to brilliant and ceremonial (Muffat's grand harmonic gestures). Each composer brought distinct fingerprints to the keyboard, and Straube's selections showcase those differences with clarity.

Advanced organists preparing a recital program that honors Baroque depth without relying solely on Bach, and teachers building a comprehensive study collection that students can actually perform from. It works equally well for musicians exploring how different Baroque hands shaped the organ's technical and expressive vocabulary.

• Study the registration notes carefully; Straube's editorial suggestions reflect his understanding of period instruments and how modern organs can approximate their sound.
• Balance the polyphonic voices with clarity rather than weight, especially in the contrapuntal passages where multiple independent lines compete for attention.
• Approach the ornaments with rhythmic confidence; these composers used them structurally, not decoratively.

Structure a recital around national schools of Baroque organ music, using this collection as your primary source material. The variety also makes it ideal for teaching masterclass repertoire across a full academic year, offering students new technical and interpretive challenges with each piece.

• Baroque counterpoint and voice independence across multiple staves
• Registration choices on modern instruments for historically informed sound
• Pedal technique and independence in Baroque contexts
• Ornament interpretation specific to regional Baroque styles
• Score reading and navigation of lay-flat performance format