Complete Organ Method

A classic text on Organ technique.

Edited by F. Flaxington Harker.

Sir John Stainer is remembered today as a pioneer of English musicology. Beyond his duties as organist of London's St. Paul's Cathedral, he was a founder and president of the Musical Association, professor of music at Oxford, vicepresident of the Royal College of Organists, and later president of both the Plainsong and Medieval Society and the London Gregorian Association.

In this highly readable volume, Stainer's objective was "to place the true principles of organ playing before the beginner", so that the student would "face at once the special difficulties of the instrument and persevere until they are surmounted". He begins with a brief history of the instrument followed by an explanation of organ construction, a thorough discussion of the various stops and their management, and a major section devoted to practical study -including detailed pedal technique, precision in manual touch, hand-foot independence, pedal scales, trios, and finger substitution to achieve a perfect legato. With the author's meticulous explanations and accompanying illustrations, students can actually teach themselves to play.

Sir John's book, first published in 1877, quickly became the classic for beginners- so popular that publishers Schirmer, Ditson, and Presser each issued its own "Americanized" edition in the early twentieth century. In addition to the seven Organ pieces of the original edition, including five of Stainer's own works and two pieces by Guilmant, three additional works round of this Dover edition.

Dover (2003) slightly expanded republication of the edition first published by G. Schirmer, New York in 1909.

CONTENIDO:

Introduction to the Dover Edition (Rollin Smith)
Preface to the original edition
Editor's preface

Part I. A short sketch of the history of the organ
-Ancient flutes
-Flutes on a box of wind
-Primitive bellows
-Reed- and flue-pipes
-Keys for the hands
-Keys for the feet
-Sliders
-Two or more rows of keys
-Portatif and Positif organs
-Swell shutters
-Horizontal bellows
-Concussion bellows
-Composition pedals and combination pistons
-Pneumatic lever
-Improvements in organ-pipes
-Harmonic stops

Addenda to Part I
-Pneumatic and electric actions
-Tubular pneumatic action
-Electric action
-Adjustable combination action
-Reversible pedals or pistons
-Tremulant
-Automatic suitable bass
-Universal air-chest
-Stop-switch
-Crescendo pedal
-Double touch
-Stop-keys, or tilting tablets
-Melodic coupler
-Duplex chest action
-Inclined manuals
-Spherical pedal-board

Part II. Short explanation of the construction of an organ
-Tracker action from key to pallet
-Sticker, backfall, tracker
-Arrangement of pipes
-From bellows to pipes
-Trunk, wind-chest, pallet, groove, slider
-Couplers
-Tubular pneumatic action
-Electric action

Part III. Stops and their management
-Tone-quality
-Lenght of pipes
-Classification of stops: double, foundation, mutation, compound
-List of chief manual stops, flue and reed, with character of tone
-List of chief pedal stops
-Combination of stops on each of the manuals from pp to ff
-Combination of pedal stops
-Use of solo organ
-Manual couplers
-Special stops invented by Hope-Jones
-Care of the swell pedal
-Balanced swell pedal
-General remarks
-Use of the swell pedal
-Management of stops

Part IV. Practical study
-Difficulties peculiar to organ-playing
-Position on bench
-Straight and radiationg pedal-boards
-Principles of pedalling
-Free Ankle-joint: exercises
-Method of pedalling without looking at feet: exercises
-Manual touch: its characteristics
-Position of hand: exercises
-Independence of hands and feet: exercises
-Toe and heel: exercises
-Each hand separately with feet: exercises
-Scale-passages
-Easy trios
-The legato style
-Exercises for shifting the fingers
-Exercises on the legato touch
-Supplementary pedal studies
-Double pedal
-Sliding foot from one key to another
-Hints on organ-accompaniments: hymn-tunes, chanting, gregorian chant
-Chorales and hymn-tunes
-Extended passages for the feet
-Expression on the organ
-Conclusion
-Allegreto in F (Stainer)
-Andante in A (Stainer)
-Fantasia in E minor (Stainer)
-Adagio in Eb (Stainer)
-Prelude and fughetta in C (Stainer)
-Cantilène pastorale (Guilmant): Playing on two manuals with one hand
-Caprice in Bb (Guilmant): Rapid change of manuals
-Savior of the nations, come (Nun komm, der heiden Heiland, Bach)
-Andante religioso, from Sonata in A, op. 65, No. 4 (Mendelssohn)
-Prelude and fugue in C (Bach)