Healey Willan - Introduction, Passacaglia and Fugue for Organ (1916)

[@warywolfen]

In the 1980's I read a book which described numerous techniques for experiencing “peak experiences” and expanding the consciousness. It included everything from meditation to Sufi dancing to bungi-cord jumping. And there was a section on music. It stated, “Nothing, NOTHING compares to an organ!”

[@Elhombresombra]

Do you remember the title of that book?... :o)

[@kneza96BG]

Well, given that Bach wrote over 200 pieces for Organ, that's not very surprising.

[@douglasgorney]

YES!!!

[@georgemurphy2579]

This work was introduced to me before hearing it. It was listed as a required composition for the Fellowship requirements (FAGO). I first heard it as recorded (c1941) by the great one himself - Virgil Fox! Definitive!!! I have a half dozen other renditions and they're all marvelous, but Virgil's on the Girard College Chapel E.M. Skinner? One can only imagine 💪🙏👼

[@Samphire112]

My God! Utterly awesome as a composition - so dramatic and such a superb sense of musical structure. The performance brings out the massive architecture of the music. Makes the hairs on the back of your head stand on end!

[@stevewallschlaeger4574]

Samphire112 is that a good thing. ha ha ha. it wonderfully complex and really promotes active listening. i love it as well

[@Orgeljonas]

The passacaglia is incredible!

[@raulreyesortiz1732]

Ein interessantes und wunderbares Werk, dass mir in meinem Repertoire nicht fehlen kann. Das Werk hat eine Macht genau wie Reger, Widor usw. Es ist etwas neu zu experimentieren. Danke dafür.

[@chrisgreenwood1020]

why do these idiots who don't like what is on offer just turn the computer to something else. This is superb playing and does not deserve the thumbs down

[@johnrobinson9465]

I have heard this piece played by Mr. Wedd on CD, but to follow the score as well has been an enlightening experience. In my years as organist, I have played several of Willan's smaller hymn-based pieces and found them accessible and satisfying. The piece at hand here is overwhelming in its breadth and scale. Who can think of such things!? Thanks to all who made possible hearing -- and seeing -- this magnificent work of art.

[@daniel.courville]

As sound engineer and co-producer for the album: you're welcome!

[@sarolta41]

John Robinson f

[@sarolta41]

John Robinson t

[@heroldschopfer9231]

Who can think of such things ? Reger ! ;-)

[@giulio_organist]

It is an amazing piece of an incredibile compositor. I listened to it a hundred times!!!

[@Quintaton]

For the past 51 years, ever since I was 14, I thought that the only true master of this work was Dr.Francis Jackson, but what a joy to hear another performance which I think does this mighty work similar justice. The ultimate challenge of this work is not just to get all the notes right, (difficult enough), but to allow the beauty of the lyrical legato lines to shine, while the accompaniment is flying all over the place. How many people know that Willan only composed this, because someone said that no English composer could ever write something comparable to the works of Reger? I think he made the point!! :)

[@rowanlidbury]

Absolutely! Any if anyone isn't convinced, have a go yourself and see how far you get with it. It's great to able to follow the music, a fiendishly difficult piece of music but a complete work of art.

[@ewelinazawislak3486]

Speaking of the goal (composing a piece as good as Reger's) - Willan failed miserably because his work is not as good as Reger's, it's actually MUCH BETTER and AMAZINGLY INGENIOUS!

[@Ken_Weber_organist]

you want to hear an even more amazing performance of this? Try watch/listen to Wayne Marshall play it - chicken skin!!!!

[@DIYerGuy]

A utterly stupefying composition of grand proportions and impact that leaves one in utter awe - or more to the point, turns you into a quivering mass of jelly. And the the performance by organist Patric Wedd is equally staggering and simply awesome! Wow... and Yikes! Holy Cow... or Holy Cat's.. which ever you prefer! And did I say Sheesh and Whew !!!!!!!!!!

[@plummlet]

Healey Willan- a discovery for me....likewise this fabulous Casavant instrument ! Thank you for uploading this piece !

[@robertgift]

Thank you, musicanth, for sharing this wonderful performance by organist Patrick Wedd and also for displaying the score.

[@HowardEllisonUKVoice]

There's a further thrilling performance of this by Dame Gillian Weir on Priory Records. But it is great to listen to this fine performance and follow the score scrolling here, as best one may! This is an example of organ music that really gains from a live hearing or a very good hifi, as so much depends on the pedal ground. It really does reward a frequent listen. Thankyou musicanth for bringing this here.

[@marktilley7222]

I wandered into the Toronto Reference Library today and serendipitously picked up the book “The Well Tempered Listener”, a memoir by the composer’s daughter of her life growing up in the Willan house. Hilarious at times and an insight well worth reading.

[@georgemurphy2579]

It was Willan himself who said, "What we need is fewer organists, and more musicians who play the organ."

[@ericnk58]

Incredible. That Animato section a minute and a half before the end must be terribly difficult to play and the whole work requires a black belt in Organ technique! Bravissimo!

[@pierre-mariedeletombe9114]

Merci pour ce merveilleux moment

[@mikedc2020]

Willan was inspired by the 1914 Casavant at St. Paul's Toronto, therefore one shouldn't be surprised that the piece sounds fantastic on another large Casavant produced at about the same time.

[@charlesdavis7087]

Never heard this composition before. Wonderful work. Thanks for sharing. CVD

[@edoardobighin5003]

Wow! I hear an intriguing mix'n'match of Franck and Reger with their common love for Bach.

[@bobh5087]

Love Willan's music! Bravo!

[@vascodeglinnocenti5114]

Bravissimo Patirck wedd altrettanto il tecnico del SUONO GRAZIE

[@madamzzaj]

When the Catholic Church decided to do away with the Trident (Latin) Masses, it put a lot of organists out of work, like me. We continued to play piano, but I enjoyed practicing the organ and achieving every sound imaginable. It was so uplifting, and I was in high school!!! I had one up though, my mom was a concert pianist that also knew how to play the organ. When she started to teach full time and concertize, I became the organist for our church and another church. I really miss that.

[@jonathangandara109]

There’s a very big push to allow the Latin Mass to rejoin the standard Catholic Mass circulation. While the vernacular Mass is important, having the high solemnity of the Tridentine service is especially attractive for a growing number of young people like myself. I think both should be an accepted option, plus it’ll help me improve my Latin!

[@cornwall59]

I like his organ music very much & would love to learn this one day, makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up !

[@mr.booker9263]

Superbly played...on a very impressive instrument! Thanks.

[@juanpedrocicchetti7811]

AMAZING, THANK YOU FOR SHARING!

[@ThePrime125]

The form is so much inspired on bach's passacaglia and fugue.. ^^

[@MusicSmith2]

To be honest, the first time I listened to this piece I found it somewhat disgusting. But I listened to it again, and again, and the more I listen to it the more I understand and enjoy it. Now I keep coming back to it!! The passacaglia is especially good. Thanks for posting this great composition.

[@johnsayers295]

Thank you for the detailed information. It is in marked contrast to the many who provide little or no details about the music they are presenting .

[@johanneswolfgangkolbneuhau5231]

¡ qué extraordinariamente bella y sentimental pieza ! musicanth gracias por compartir ! AMDG

[@ralphpetrin8695]

JOHANNES WOLFGANG KOLB NEUHAUS

[@johanneswolfgangkolbneuhau5231]

Ralph, beautiful passacaglia indeed; thank you for sharing !

[@MrDavidRatelle]

Les variations de la passacaille à partir de 9m 55 sont d'une profondeur artistique incomparable.

[@MrClaudeholmes]

Magnificent ! The composition and the illustration of the sheet music notes being displayed , while actually being performed. What a very clever idea *****

[@arihall]

A wonderful composition and in my opinion Wedd's performance is the definitive version. The foreboding and almost unbearable tension in the piece reflect so well Willan's obvious concern about what was happening in Europe and his home country, at a time when the outcome of the war was far from certain. It's chilling, but not without ultimate hope.

[@rafjuven]

Excellent!!

[@miroslavjencek8967]

Fantastic composition!

[@allenspencer6434]

AWESOME

[@harryandruschak2843]

"Like" on 15 February 2017. A wonderful work.

[@WMAlbers1]

A rather ingenious piece, indeed!

[@ColinHarvey78]

Wow! Fabulous performance of this magnificent piece! Great organ too. I’m interested to hear the comments about Francis Jackson playing this at York - I was just thinking how epic it must have been on the York Minster Organ before the Walker rebuild, especially in Francis’s hands!

[@ullrichherz7053]

Wonderful Passacaglia! I'm sure he studied Reger's Passacaglias intensely, especially op. 33, 63/6 and 127, of course.

[@nelsonwhaley6348]

For some reason, I only discovered this a year ago. It is a truly extraordinary work...definitely Reger'ish. I could never hope to play it. Hairs on the back of the neck stuff.

[@johnstag1391]

This is something else.

[@Mixture1922]

For drama, it's also worth searching out the performance by Francis Jackson on York Minster's organ (included on the Great Cathedral Organ series of LPs/CDs)...

[@rogerbarnwell514]

Mixture1922 intro_passàccaglia &fugue Henry will an -Francis jackson

[@joespeciale5875]

This is indeed a great passacaglia and fugue, ranking close behind Bach’s, and in the class of Max Reger’s and Rheinberger’s works. Bach’s Passacaglia and fugue according to Mary Claire Alain and Oliver Larry, has a total of 33 variations to represent the 33 years of the life of Christ (21 in the Passacaglia, 12 in the fugue). There are many quotations of Lutheran chorales representing the stages of the Life of Christ from birth to crucifixion and resurrection in Bach’s rendition. I don’t know the exact structure and meaning of Healey William’s opus, but it carries the same gravity and solemnity.

[@Arjunai]

Great!

[@scottw6704]

I'm a new organ student - I'm fascinated with this beginning here. Can someone hazard a guess as to which stops might have been used in this opening passage?

[@14reger]

Voix celeste 8'

[@scottw6704]

@@14reger Thanks a lot! I have viole celeste but its only TC so I might tinker around with it.

[@kempedkemp]

Awesome! I've played some Willan but not familiar with this beauty!

[@davidgriffiths7215]

Healey Willan "English by birth, Canadian by adoption, Scotch by absorption" as he described himself, deserves to be much better known even among organists. This fantastic performance is exactly the sort of advocacy he needs.

[@KPO6859]

Each key has a different dramatic idiom. Six flats has a richer sound than, say, the key of E, which is quite bright. D-flat is to me the richest key, where G tends to be strident. Each half-note is the twelfth root of two from its neighbor. The relationship of each key in cycles per second changes with each note. While each key aligns with the octave, the tempered scale modulates the tones. A perfect fifth is 3:2. You can't do that in the tempered scale, but a cappella singers can sing with just intonation, like a barbershop quartet. This piece is quite nice. I should think more organists would perform it. Bravo!

[@montefullmer1018]

Db Major is my favorite key to play. Gb isn't that much different. Now, on the other side of the spectrum, E major is about the highest I can go for B and F# Major is where I really struggle with.

[@risvegliato]

an organ cannot change its temperament.

[@risvegliato]

play it in six flats or five sharps on your organ it will sound the same. If you do it with singers it will sound different.

[@halloerde]

You mean 6 flats or 6 sharps. The keys of Gb major and F# major are enharmonic equivalents, and meet at 180 degrees rotation both clockwise and counterclockwise in the circle of fifths. Bach made the point in the relative minor, where the prelude is in eb minor (6 flats) and the fugue in d# minor (6 sharps). You could switch the key signatures and not lose a beat.

[@karlrovey]

A lot of organ builders prefer to use an unequal temperament. Not so unequal that a specific key sounds unpleasant, but unequal enough that the most used keys sound better.

[@erdavis7]

Wow.

[@PrinceOberon87]

wow

[@wolf-g.leidel258]

herrlich! herrliche Harmonik!

[@misterm2590]

0:35 2:01 9:34 10:36 17:39 18:18

[@thedream1025]

Agreed.

[@MrDavidRatelle]

Man...

[@Steinbach1984]

The final cadence was my than my poor computer speakers could have.

[@Ryrzu222]

sounds like Scriabin for organ

[@reubenbance2085]

Reminds me of poulenc

[@roycezaro1998]

It's thriller time

[@nmp0627]

The notes were there, but I don't hear the enotion behind the written notes.

[@ygx0zan3nikita11]

Nathaniel Powell Well, what emotion do you want to "hear" in this piece?

[@nmp0627]

Nikitotter SAS a basic understanding of romanticism. The performer needed to slide into beats 1 and 3 from the and of 2 and 4. Imagine the energy that could be communicated if the performer crescendoed into the accents on the first page.

[@ygx0zan3nikita11]

Nathaniel Powell Well, from my point of view the performer did everything perfect. Also, i couldn't quite understand what point you were trying to make, maybe bad grammar on your side or my bad English skills :P

[@luispiano1129]

every piece music has its own nature.the composer emphasizes how their feel about.their piece therefore you have to find out what he is trying to convey because we have different taste and we obviously don't do things the same way!!!just enjoy this.piece of art the way it is!!!!I'm loving this!!!

[@karlrovey]

The pedal line doesn't really allow for crescendo and diminuendo the way you describe.

[@techtte]

Is this record copyrighted?

[@karlrovey]

techtte I don't think any sound recordings have entered Public Domain. Even then, this recording is fairly recent, so I don't think it is public domain.

[@renan1033zinho]

Diabólico

[@bombeuszek]

reger :D

[@rowanlidbury]

Nathan Laube had a good go at this.. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i3rah4OXm8aKoZI

[@robertgift]

Why SIX flats? Just to be difficult?

[@Orgeljonas]

You could transpose it in e or d minor, but in e flat minor it sounds more dramatic. Actually the Introduction is quite simple (I can say it because I play it). The only slightly heavy part is the polyrythm at the end of it.

[@robertgift]

Orgeljonas Thank you. How does it sound any more dramatic in Eb minor than another key? Transposing takes much time. I'd rather use that time learning Reger.

[@Orgeljonas]

Sorry, I don't now but you can google "characteristics of the keys". Reger is very interesting and difficult too!

[@robertgift]

Orgeljonas I also have tuned organs. In Equal Temperament, to which we tune today, there is no difference between keys other than one key being lower or higher than another.

[@allenspencer6434]

Orgeljonas

[@rrkdudas6848]

When you order Reger from AliExpress

[@ronwalker4849]

THIS IS WHAT ORGANISTS DO WHEN THEY ARE NOT UP TO PLAYING A PIECE OF BACH OR WIDOR. JUST CREEPY.

[@karlrovey]

Ron Walker I would consider this more difficult than Bach and Widor.

[@charlesdavis7087]

I heard better organ music on "Inner Sanctum" and that was about a 60 years ago. Don't you organ snobs remember when music meant something other than looking for it's on tail. Wow? He could empty entire auditoriums with a "thriller" like this. Puke for puke's sake. Gone and passigagila. RIP