Organ Works, Volume III: Organ Book

Name: Organ Works, Volume III: Organ Book
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 00-K03279
Price: 14.95 USD
Availability: InStock

By Dietrich Buxtehude

Item: 00-K03279

$14.95

Shipped

One moment…

Chorale Transcriptions

Don't just read it, hear it, play along with it, and watch your students grow with it. In MakeMusic Cloud, Organ Works, Volume III: Organ Book comes alive with professional accompaniment, adjustable tempo, and built-in practice tools that turn solo practice into real progress.

Open in the Player

Jump straight in and assign it today.

Start Your Free Trial

Open this title and explore the full library in minutes.

No sample audio found.

No sample videos found.

Series: Kalmus Edition

Publisher: Alfred Music

Page Count: 80

ISBN10: 0-7692-5439-X

ISBN13: 978-0-7692-5439-5

UPC: 029156687446

SKU: 00-K03279

More about this title

About the Composer: Dietrich Buxtehude

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637, 1707) was the most influential German organist of the Baroque era, serving as the Kapellmeister at the Marienkirche in Lübeck for nearly forty years. His mastery of the organ shaped an entire generation of composers, including the young J.S. Bach, who famously traveled over 250 miles on foot to study Buxtehude's technique and compositional practice.

Buxtehude's organ works synthesize German chorale tradition with Italian and French musical idioms, creating a sophisticated harmonic language that bridges Renaissance polyphony and galant elegance. His chorale transcriptions are essential documents of liturgical organ music, demonstrating how to transform congregational melodies into virtuosic and spiritually profound keyboard compositions.

Show moreShow less

Why we love this

Buxtehude's chorale transcriptions offer organists immediate access to repertoire that sounds complex but remains physically manageable at intermediate levels. The writing balances technical interest with singable melodic material, making these pieces gratifying both to practice and to perform in worship settings or recitals.

What to expect

These transcriptions marry the intimacy of congregational singing with the grandeur of the organ's palette. Each piece unfolds with architectural clarity, its harmonic language both warm and intellectually precise, inviting sustained contemplation rather than surface virtuosity.

Who it's for

Organists moving beyond beginner method books who want to engage with genuine Baroque liturgical repertoire. This collection suits church musicians, serious students, and performers building a recital program rooted in the Northern European organ tradition.

How to get the most out of it

Approach the harmonic rhythm deliberately; Buxtehude's suspensions and voice-leading often move more slowly than the surface rhythm suggests, and patience with each chord change pays enormous dividends.
Differentiate the chorale melody from its surrounding voices by using registrational clarity rather than dynamic exaggeration; let the instrument's natural tonal hierarchy do the work.
Shape phrases around the harmonic cadences rather than merely the melodic line, since Buxtehude frequently builds tension across several measures before resolving.

How to use it

Ideal for liturgical settings where the chorale text and congregation are known to the audience, allowing listeners to recognize the familiar melody within Buxtehude's elaboration. These also work beautifully in organ recitals paired with works by Bach or Pachelbel, grounding the program in authentic seventeenth-century practice.