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Organist Composers


Justadad

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You can also simply live in Germany and have a German keyboard. Then it's what you get when you type a question mark without the caps.

 

You also have to get used to having the "y" where real people have the "z" though. So that whenever I'm "at home" (meaning, where I come from) and write an e-Mail I end up signing myself

 

Barrz

Vielen Dank Barrz! :rolleyes:

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Can anyone tell me how you get the double ss symbol in the middle of the term "Grosse Fuge"? And umlauts too? Thanks! :rolleyes:

There is another way (I'm sure there are probably several, but this is the one I find easiest, and you only have to do it once):

In MS Word, go to Insert | Symbol; choose the character you want; click "Shortcut Key", then "Press New Shortcut Key"; create whatever key-stroke combination you want; "Assign", "Close".

I use Alt+A for ä, Alt+Shift+A for Ä, likewise for ö and ü, and Alt+S for ß.

 

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There is another way (I'm sure there are probably several, but this is the one I find easiest, and you only have to do it once):

In MS Word, go to Insert | Symbol; choose the character you want; click "Shortcut Key", then "Press New Shortcut Key"; create whatever key-stroke combination you want; "Assign", "Close".

I use Alt+A for ä, Alt+Shift+A for Ä, likewise for ö and ü, and Alt+S for ß.

 

 

Thanks. Crumbs, all these methods. My brain hurts! :rolleyes:

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Incidentally, in my ignorance, can anyone tell me how you get the double ss symbol in the middle of the term "Grosse Fuge"? And umlauts too? Thanks! :rolleyes:

 

...or you could just get a Mac. 'Alt + s' gives you ß, 'Alt + u, u' gives you ü, 'Alt + u, o' gives you ö - and then it gets really good: 'Alt + e, e' gives é, 'Alt + `, e' gives you è.

 

I could go on - all very simple and logical. Shouldn't all computers work like this? :)

 

Gary Cole

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Zsigmond Szathmary incidentally German, not American.

 

He may well have been 'incidentally German', however Barry, we're both wrong, he's Hungarian, born 1939 in Budapest. The US web site listed him and other possible Europeans (Wojciech Katamarz and René Uijlenhoet) along with many American organ composers and it was rash of me to have inferred they were all the same nationality. As far as answering the original post, a composer's nationality would, in my opinion, be of little importance.

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He may well have been 'incidentally German', however Barry, we're both wrong, he's Hungarian, born 1939 in Budapest. The US web site listed him and other possible Europeans (Wojciech Katamarz and René Uijlenhoet) along with many American organ composers and it was rash of me to have inferred they were all the same nationality. As far as answering the original post, a composer's nationality would, in my opinion, be of little importance.

 

 

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There are quite a number of active Hungarian composers for organ; a country with its own quite remarkable organ-scene and some of the largest instruments in Europe.

 

The Czech Republic is also active: Petr Eben being the most obvious. I suspect that a full list would be quite extensive.

 

There are also organist/composers at work in Lithuania and Latvia.

 

Since the death of Marian Sawa in Poland, I don't know if any other comparable name has yet emerged.

 

With a predominantly stable catholicism, and some unusually fine organs, Eastern/Central Europe is certainly the "happening" place at the present time, whereas the near-death of religion elsewhere can only have had a bad effect.

 

As for the lately deceased, the Czech Republic alone could fill several volumes. The 400 unpublished works of Bedrich Antonin Widermann would certainly be a considerable start; to which one could add the remarkable works of Klement Slavicky.

 

MM

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=============================

The 400 unpublished works of Bedrich Antonin Widermann would certainly be a considerable start; to which one could add the remarkable works of Klement Slavicky.

 

MM

 

Do you think these are likely to be published?

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He may well have been 'incidentally German', however Barry, we're both wrong, he's Hungarian, born 1939 in Budapest. The US web site listed him and other possible Europeans (Wojciech Katamarz and René Uijlenhoet) along with many American organ composers and it was rash of me to have inferred they were all the same nationality. As far as answering the original post, a composer's nationality would, in my opinion, be of little importance.

 

Well, yes of course he is. But he studied in Frankfurt (with Walcha), and after a tenure as organist at a church in Hamburg he was cathedral organist in Bremen, taught at Lübeck and Hanover before becoming Professor in Freiburg in 1978, which was ages ago. He stayed there until he retired, which must have been 2004.

 

So I'm claiming him as a sort of German. Lest this be construed as jingoism, let me add that I am not one. I just live here.

 

B

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Do you think these are likely to be published?

 

 

=========================

 

I heard that there were plans to publish at least some of Widermann's works this next year. I try to keep my ear close the ground, so if I learn of anything, I will let people know.

 

Some of it has been recorded by Iva Bublova, I believe.

 

However, the best things I have personally heard are Widermann's astonishing religious-songs for organ and mezzo. Not many pieces of music just stop you dead in your tracks, but the harmonies and the lyrcial beauty were just absolutely ravishing....fantastic!

 

Klement Slavicky is something of an unknown quantity, because there is no doubt but that he wrote in a very virtuosic style. One only has to hear the thrilling piano Toccata to realise this.....actually quite well known and often recorded.

 

His organ music I find very moving, and so too his life-story, which saw he and his wife survive the most awful privation and hardship, simply because he was something of a musical dissenter and maverick. He was never allowed to work in professional music because of it, but composed throughout his life.

 

I think, as an organ composer, he is well up with the best of the 20th century best, but whether that means that his music will ever be re-printed, I cannot say. Certainly it WAS printed some years ago, but not very well promoted, and possibly even discouraged.

 

I hear that certain people have copies.......such as Dr Spedding at Beverley. Perhaps I should go and burgle his house or something.

 

MM

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Since the death of Marian Sawa in Poland, I don't know if any other comparable name has yet emerged.

MM, do you know if Sawa's music is available in the UK? I located one publisher, but their website is only in Polish, and (with the aid of a dictionary) I managed to determine that the only payment is by Polish bank cheque or cash on delivery, said delivery within Poland only. I'm particularly keen to get hold of a copy of Sekwens, which IMHO is wonderful stuff.

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MM, do you know if Sawa's music is available in the UK? I located one publisher, but their website is only in Polish, and (with the aid of a dictionary) I managed to determine that the only payment is by Polish bank cheque or cash on delivery, said delivery within Poland only. I'm particularly keen to get hold of a copy of Sekwens, which IMHO is wonderful stuff.

 

 

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There is a "Marian Sawa" society, which I think includes the brilliant American trained Polish organist Jan Bokszczanin. http://www.organy.net/jan/

 

The above web site has some very fine organ-playing on it in mp3 format....and what an organ! (S.Jan, Warsaw)

 

I think he has recorded and even published some of the music, but whether the project ran out of steam/funds, I am not sure. He will almost certainly be very fluent in English, and on the above web-site are his personal contact details.

 

I was hoping to get hold of a copy of "Sekwens" for myself.

 

Now if anyone can get hold of copies of organ-music by Klement Slavicky, they would be onto truly great music.

 

MM

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