Four Duets for Organ

SKU: CY.CC3181

ISBN 9790530119099. 8.5 x 11 in inches.

The Four Duets, BWV 802-805 are part of a larger collection, the Clavier-ubung III sometimes called the German Organ Mass. They were first published in 1739, mostly likely intended to be performed on the organ, as they have a range from C2 to C6; playable on almost any organ from that era. However, they could have been performed on any keyboard of the time. Musically they are more complex than the Two Part Inventions, and their purpose was most likely to take two-part counterpoint to the max. * Fugue 1 is a double fugue in E minor * Fugue 2 is a fugue in F major written as a da capo aria (ABA) * Fugue 3 in G major is light and dance-like * Fugue 4 in A minor is a fugue in strict counterpoint Ralph Sauer has once again done an extraordinary job of finding great music for our instrument and transcribing it in the most beautiful way possible. Appropriate for advanced performers. Each player has their own part as well as a study score. The 2nd part may be performed on a tenor with f-attachment or a bass trombone.

SKU: HL.8770498

UPC: 649325005101. 8.5x11 inches.

SKU: UT.HS-282

ISBN 9790215326446. 9 x 12 inches.

The two-part composition has always been an essential stage in didactic treatises for teaching counterpoint; the Duo has been of fundamental importance, since the early decades of the sixteenth century, in the teaching of singing and in instrumental practice.
The interpretation and performance of Scarlatti’s Fughe a Due require on the one hand a correct and prompt interpretation of the chords which are the basis of the movement and the relationship between the two parts, and on the other an indispensable invention of a third or even a fourth part (to ensure, above all, full and significant harmony).
An indication of this practice of filling in is offered by the same ms. source containing Scarlatti’s Fughe a Due. In Fugue II in D minor, in the first eleven bars, we find indicated above the Bass a series of numbers showing the interval in relation to the respective upper line. These indications should not be confused with the numerical marking typical of the basso continuo and of the partimento, for they establish a clear sign of the usual practice exercised in the teaching of counterpoint in order to guide the student visually to pass safely and speedily from two to three or more parts; this type of numbering is often found in the counterpoint methods of the time, in particular in the section illustrating the Contrapunto semplice e Diminuito.
These fifteen Fughe a Due, unlike the many Duos and Duets which figure in the counterpoint methods, are not a simple display of formulas, but they assert themselves as a calculated sample of characterized styles and genres, a series of pieces conceived with an exquisite sense of form.

SKU: HL.14023265

ISBN 9788759810866. Danish.

From the preface:

The aim of the publication of these four-handed piano compositions is to fill a void within the sphere of sight-reading
(and almost sight-reading) at the beginner and intermediate level. These three volumes together contain 36 Nordic folk songs from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the
Faroe Islands. The selection is based first and foremost on their being well suited to the instrumental expressive
possibilities of the piano, and being good representatives of the rich and atmospheric Nordic musical heritage.
When one practises sight-reading on one’s own it is tempting to stop as onegoes along, because the desire to play
the correct notes is often given priority at the expense of the rhythm and expression.
Music without an organic pulse will leave the player with an unsatisfactory feeling of stress and failure, and the
stream of thought will not form part of a natural flow. Good sight-reading training is therefore ensemble playing,
where the teacher supports the pulse and rhythm.
In many other publications of four-handed duets the secundo part is written in two bass clefs, and the primo part in two
treble clefs. Reading this untrained combination of clefs, along with the stressful fact that the music has never been
seen nor heard before, can confuse the pupil.
In volumes 1 and 2 the secundo part, which is intended for the pupil, is therefore notated in a treble clef and bass
clef, as piano music for two hands is usually notated. In volume 3 the degree of difficulty is more varied, but in most
of the pieces improvisation is an interposed element in the primo part, being therefore a good challenge for the pupil.
In the improvisatory sections a chord or a scale is notated. These can form the tonal starting point, but here too the
pupil is encouraged to experiment with, for example, the shift between major and minor thirds, and between the high and
low sixth and seventh.