Praeludium für Orgel (2017)
I wrote this organ prelude while learning German in Munich during the summer of 2017. Although the organ was an instrument I had been studying for several years, this was my first composition for the instrument. I drew on the rich German tradition of organ composition especially that of Buxtehude. The structure is similar to his Preludia – sectional. The first section draws on the baroque French overture affekt, with its typical scales and dotted rhythms, to which I add overlapping suspensions. This is followed by a freely played recitative and a solemn fugue in the parallel minor. There is no return to the loud pomposity of the opening; the final section is quiet and lyrical – a brief minuet for manuals alone. The ending, with its delicate imitations, should seem to evaporate into silence.
Praeludium für Orgel - Full Score