Back about 60 years ago, I heard this played by Virgil Fox at Riverside. So I procured the music and sat down at Dad’s spinette and adapted as best I could.... I was not up to the fugue-middle part but I managed the first and third parts
Oh my goodness, I can't imagine hearing Virgil play this live! Especially that ending! I have a news article about him hanging over my organ. (Although, I have a feeling he probably would have taken it far too quick for my tastes haha). But that must have been such a wonderful experience! You were fortunate for that opportunity!
Robert! Sorry that I was a bit misleading.....I was indeed in Riverside and I am sure Virgil was probably playing the service but I was only 11 at the time. Virgil’s album oN Capital Records “THE VIRTUOSO ORGAN” was my inspiration . The spinette was certainly a compromise!!
@@robmcginn4484 Oh, I can relate to some extent. One of my favorite records is Virgil Fox at Wanamakers on LP, given to me by my organ teacher and mentor years ago. I eventually purchased the remastered CD and have stopped using the record so I don't wear it out, but that album is still, hands-down, some of my favorite organ music!
Great performance, I really enjoyed it. I'm learning this, finding it hard to sustain minims whilst playing semiquavers underneath in one hand. Any tips?
Some very minor criticisms: a) the phrasing in the opening section could be marginally sharper b) I really like the relatively dark registration very much but I thought adding some brightness towards the end might be a good idea c) I wish you could stop that keyboard from swaying!! But these are counsels of perfection. Excellent performance. And adding the score really helps the listener. Bravo.
Thanks. The opening actually was something that, upon recording myself initially, I realized that the articulations I thought I was playing didn't come through as cleanly as I thought. So I definitely recognized that a while back as something to work on. As for the registration, I definitely prefer thicker and more reedy registrations. I've always been someone who doesn't use a lot of brightness haha. Definitely a known stylistic preference. And yes, the movement of the manuals is due to my use of a very minimal portable manual stand. The tradeoff of using a portable solution was getting that shake, I definitely would love to find a solution to it, but for now, I've had to accept the shakiness in return for being able to do videos like my LOTR one. Thanks for the thoughts, I definitely see where all those come from! :)
The portable stand is called the "Quik-Lok Z Stand", you can find their website online. I don't recall the exact model, but it looks like their Z-71 is very close, if not identical. The actual black surface is something I made myself, so it's not available online. It's just some plywood on top and a basic wooden frame underneath to keep it rigid. I was able to build it to the exact size of the stand and work the braces around the stand top, so it's just what I needed. The metal clasps are for the latches on a lid that I made so I can box up the manuals and move them easily if needed.
What are you using as a console desk? I've been desperately trying to find an adjustable desk that can match AGO specs but can't find anything that works.
My console isn't AGO spec height-wise, but it's comfortable enough for me. Of course, the manuals and pedals themselves are to spec, just not the height between them. I use a Quik-Lok z71, available here: www.quiklok.com/product/z-71-keyboard-stand/ and I built a small plywood platform that goes between the manuals and the top of the stand that I've painted black to keep it as invisible as possible. The platform is visible numerous times in the video. The benefit of this stand is that it folds completely down and is extremely lightweight so it's mildly portable. However, it's not as stable as a full table, and I often get comments complaining that the manuals move and shake when I play, which is true, but it's a sacrifice I've made so that the organ is as small as possible, given my small living quarters and the ability to move the organ relatively easily. All things considered, I highly recommend this stand. I searched a while and eventually found it was the perfect solution for me personally.
This was recorded on the Mt. Carmel E.M. Skinner (wet) sample set. I've found it's a very capable and moderately-priced sample set for French romantic literature and the wet set has a healthy amount of reverb that really makes it feel like you're playing in a large space.
Is he supposed to change into robes when he's in his own home recording a video to share on RU-vid? Is he supposed to wear a suit and tie? If I saw him perform in public, I would not mind if he wore jeans. If he was playing in a church that explicitly stated that they require more formal attire, I completely understand that it would be the organist's responsibility to wear what is expected of them. I'd say it's completely acceptable for the organist to wear whatever they want as long as the setting doesn't explicitly require formal wear. The music speaks for itself; not focusing solely on the music detracts from the experience.
