Bach Arrangements

[MusingMuso]

I came across an interesting fact some time ago, and have wondered ever since if anyone is aware of Bach re-arrangements contemporary to Bach himself, by the Czech composer Seger.

 

Apparently, some of the big works were re-arranged to suit short-octave pedal boards and presumably, would require some re-working of the manual notes also.

 

As I understand it, some of the old Czech pedal-boards consisted of the following notes:-

 

C (pedal) F (in the place of D pedal) D (where F# would normally be)

G (in normal position) E (where G# would normally be) A (in normal position)

then A#, B, C, C#,D,D#,E, F, F#,G, G# and finally A.

 

Other pedal-boards of the period apparently had some sort of short-octave pedal, but were fitted with chromatic "buttons" rather than toe-pedals.

 

It's all a bit confusing, and my knowledge of old-pedal-boards and short-octaves is a bit....actually quite a lot....limited.

 

Two questions arise from this.

 

a) Has anyone ever dabbled with short-octave pedal-boards?

 

Has anyone ever come across the Seger re-arrangements, or know if they are published?

 

I know it's a bit of a long-shot to expect anyone to know in detail, but I have really struggled to find what must be fascinating re-workings of Bach's organ-works. It's also interesting to think that Bach's music was played, in his own time, in Czechoslovakia.

 

 

MM

[MusingMuso]

Just a brief footnote to the music of Josef Seger, Czechoslovakia.

 

He was born in 1716, which means that he was not playing Bach's music as a contemporary, but actually continuing the baroque tradition well into the next era; the baroque style a late finisher in Czech musical history.

 

MM