Kodaly Missa Brevis

[Jonathan Dods]

I'm accompanying a performance of the Kodaly Missa Brevis soon and I wondered whether anyone had any thoughts about the pedal part. On occasion it doesn't seem very idiomatic - manual parts which go beneath the pedal part, which might sound like second inversion chords on a small instrument withonly a few pedal stops and seem to produce a gritty texture. The way he prefers the middle of the pedal register (plus the balletic nature of the part in the Gloria!) makes me think he might have been thinking of orchestral basses, which would only sound an octave down, without the organ's problem of being mostly coupled through from the manuals at written pitch. However I have a vague idea that the first version of the Mass was organ alone and that he spent some time in Paris with Widor.

Any ideas how to remedy the problems (if indeed they are problems) without losing the undoubtedly interesting textures you sometimes get from his use of the organ?

[pwhodges]

On 27/09/2017 at 13:24, Jonathan Dods said:

However I have a vague idea that the first version of the Mass was organ alone

This is certainly true: http://www.boosey.com/shop/prod/Kod-ly-Zoltan-Organoedia/620933.  I have two recordings of this version (an old Hungarian LP and a 2006 CD from a church in Massachusetts).

Paul

[wolsey]

On 27/09/2017 at 13:24, Jonathan Dods said:

I...(plus the balletic nature of the part in the Gloria!) ...

A tip passed on to me which I've always used: the bar/s at the very end before the 'Amen' is/are best played by having manual doubles (16') drawn and playing it on manuals.