Allein gott in der hoh sei ehr bwv 664

[koos1981]

Great organist but I don't like this recording of his

[harveyfreitas]

What grade is this price? It looks dreadfully hard :L

[algoy001]

Oh nice. Maybe 15 years ago I ve visited this church in Neuenfelde, because a friend whos organplayer, gaved a concert there. I was very impressed by the organ, it has a electric windmachine, but also can run by the airpedals.

Greets

Alexander

[Clarkson007]

OMG read this, Since I posted the previous comment I listened to this very clip uploaded by someone else (counterpoint85) in higher quality>> /watch?v=tN2o4puSF24&feature=r­elated -and that one sounds much lighter, that's how it supposed to sound. Bravo J.S Whiteley!!

[Clarkson007]

Hmm the only criticism I have about the way he played it is that I think it doesnt flow enough -sounds more 'old fashioned' than 'romantic'(i mean emotional) and too much bass for such a happy tune.

[LeipzigKantor]

What a beautiful, articulate performance! This very mature work has always been one of my favorites. Almost as interesting is the idiotic thread of weird, euro-jingoistic comments.

[jarod997]

I haven't read all the comments people have left below, but I'm actually just listening to some good organ music while I work. Can't we just appreciate the music?

Personally I don't understand why he wears the dark glasses while he plays, but I'm sure there's a good reason for it.

[Orgelix]

Die Orgel klingt irgendwie strange! Die hätte einer Restauriereung bzw. Rekonstruktion dringend notwendig (Posaunenbecher aus Holz, Trompete (P) aus Kupfer, Nachthorn eine abgschnittene Streicherstimme usw.)! Auch einige Pfeifen im Prospekt sind im Labienbereich eingesunken. Hoffentlich das bald was unternommen wird!

[samanthacourtney1]

Fantastic Scott Whiteley. One of the best , if not the best, servants of Bach's organ music.

[AML2000]

With the complex counterpoint, the key changes, and burying the chorale melody so well that I couldn't tell you what it was explains why the young Bach was hauled before the church council several times at Arnstadt for "confusing the congregation"! Remember, after this, the congregation had to stand up and sing the hymn!

[mathei07]

Danke schönm, für diese hervorragende Interpretation des schönsten Kirchenliedes überhaupt!

[werderdiablo]

cool sunglases :D

[samanthacourtney1]

Je crois que c'est surtout le commentaire de "musichien91" qui est horrible et ridicule. Incroyable vanite des imbeciles...En Art, l'aplomb va de perd avec la mediocrite.

[melman74b]

Played in a different style than I'm used to hearing; this performance still sounds wonderful! I don't give a lick about how it "should have been played" 300 years ago - how does it sound NOW! Baroque scores contained very little performance instruction anyway, so anything you hear about "correct" performance is pure conjecture anyway, unless somebody has actually perfected the art of time travel to hear the great Mr. Bach perform live!!

[Brandotuomikoski]

That is the most beautiful organ case I have ever seen!!

[musicien91]

Quel horreur! Comment peut on jouer de la sorte?

[GGdialogus]

Que lui reprochez-vous?? Avez vous vu les autres vidéos de cet organiste? Je conçois qu'on lui reproche son interprétation, mais dire qu'elle est horrible, c'est inadmissible.

[musicien91]

simple...imaginez un violoniste ou un flutiste jouer ça.jouerait-il aussi piqué? ca serait vraiment ridicule

[GGdialogus]

Sauf qu'un flutiste ou un violoniste seul ne peuvent pas jouer cela. A l'extrême limite, il en faudrait trois, mais ça ne rendrait rien. Ca s'appelle la musique polyphonique. Or le staccato à des effets de clarification du contrepoint... je veux bien reconnaître qu'il aussi des inconvénients, peut-être y a t-il abus, peut-être n'aimez-vous pas, mais c'est là affaire d'interprétation. Bref, dire que c'est horrible en soi (comme si il y avait une seule façon de jouer!) n'a pas de sens.

[musicien91]

Vous me prenez pour un ignare ou quoi? je me doute bien que ça n'est pas jouable par un flutiste ou un violoniste seul! mais ce genre de choral est sur le principe de la sonate pour 2 instruments solistes et basse continue. le contrepoint ne sera pas plus clair si l'on joue comme il le fait, ou alors tout le monde, y compris des chanteurs, doit faire de la sorte!!! Et vraiment je crois que ce cher organiste ne comprend pas ce qu'est un orgue

[samanthacourtney1]

Vous jouez donc mieux, inconnu ? Je demande a entendre sur-le-champ.

[subwaysleuth]

I don't care a fig about correct performance practice, even if I learned about it. This sounds good (and musical) on this organ, and the work is illumined by our organist. Thanks for posting this. I can still "see it," after hearing it. -Sylvester, Times Square

[Tritimium]

A guide for Baroque articulation on the organ is to imagine it was played by a string trio. In my opinion, JSW's performance was a bit too detache, with little variation in articulation. There are some lovely suspensions and dissonances in this piece which are lost if it's all rigidly detache. Though it depends on the acoustic of the building. Also, the spirit of the piece is important - in this case, it's "All glory be to God on high". Ultimately, it's entirely up to the performer!

[musicien91]

This is abslotulety right

[life4music1982]

this melody is soo beautiful :-) Maximilian.

[Contrappunto]

Detached pedaling is right, but the manual sixteenths should be less staccato, otherwise it holds up the rhythm - too many accents per measure. I liked his Wedge fugue, however.

[contrafagott77]

Queste esecuzioni sono meravigliose! complimenti maestro, pochi suonano bene l'eccelso Kantor!!

[Bachlives2]

He looks satisfied with his performance.

[alra1975]

J.S.Whiteley is very good with Chorales; but he gave the best in His Orgelbuchlein interpretations. His are maybe the best I ever heard in my whole life.

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

The dvd insert says he won awards for the the clavier ubung III and he goes on about he counterpoint etc in the commentaries.

[alra1975]

If we should believe to all the prizes and awards that magazines and competitions' juries give to musicians, we should believe that everybody is a Master. Personally I prefer to use as a meter of judgment just my ears and the deep knowledge that came only from reading, listening as much as possible and studying day by day for an entire life every kind of subjects from Literature to Philosophy, from History to Art, from Music to Religions...

[alra1975]

J.S.Whiteley impressed me a lot because in His interpretations of Orgelbuchlein He gave me the feeling of true Baroque style reflecting in freedom of improvisation and ornamentation. And if no one would have gave prizes to Him, I would have considered Him a Master anyway. I think that there are tons of "mainstream" interpretations and there are the interpretations only for "connoisseurs".

Whiteley is one who belongs to the second category.

[Bachlives2]

One thing I disaprove of aobut John is that some pieces bach wrote so you could alternate toes but Joh n uses the same foot instead of alternating but everything else is glorious I love the registration of this piece!

[alra1975]

Playing consequently some notes with the same toe, was a practice quite famous among the so called "Authentic School" of '70-'80. Actually this practice never found a true historical reason and the "alternating only toes" gives the best articulation and phrasing, like the "airy" bowing of a Baroque cello player.

[vivaletour]

alra- you are obviously not an organist of any repute. to give a broad statement such as this "that only alternating toes gives good articulation" only highlights your ignorance in both philosophy and organ technique. using alternating footwork gives itself, in many instances, incorrect articulation. only a combination of both techniques is possible, and if one ones an "airy" and "open" articulated style, it makes sense to use leg weight and a single foot.

[alra1975]

Your statement proves only that you are a pathetic ignorant kid from the USA that loves to humiliate himself and was trained on two-a-penny thrash USA electric organs with legato technique on radial pedalbords, using the typical USA miserable style of toe-heel that makes everything clumsy, and pathetic.

You are a poor ignorant about all the subjects and especially about early baroque technique of pedalling.

The one to blame is your pathetic master that thaught you to be an ignorant.

[alra1975]

And about alternating toes it is only used on trills and zig-zag passages or even crossed ones (on a probably lost technique, especially with Buxtehude); the "only one leg" is a typical baroque technique used by many baroque experts, and in a magnificent way by Koopman, even playing consecutively many notes with just one leg using only toes (like Koopman does) while the other leg is not used, with wonderful articulated results.

Study, you foolish pretentious kiddo...

[vivaletour]

you, dear friend, and the ignorant pretentious fool. i would fain love to see your credentials that make you such a god of organ literature and technique. please, in this wonderful forum called youtube, tell us once and for all where, and with whom you have studied, then, everyone will believe, without doubt, that you are god of the Organ.

[alra1975]

Dear ignorant, peasant, illiterate, incompetent, foolish pretentious kid from USA (the country of ignorance), please tell us how many time did you played on historical, perfectly restored organs like Schnitger and Silbermann, how many historical essays from ancient times and how many original manuscripts did you studied (are you able to read?).

Kid the best that you can do is to clean the shoes of great organists, like Ton Koopman, you are ridiculous. Go to work at McDonald's, pathetic kid.

[alra1975]

And also tell us how many post doctorate degrees, summa cum laude, do you have, you little uncoltured peasant from USA...

[alra1975]

Dear illiterate kid with peasant taste, go to listen to your charlatan idols Cameron Carpenter and Virgil Fox...

[vivaletour]

Dear ignoramous you still have not answered my question. Where and what have you studied? pray tell, so that i may be come educated and arrogant like thee

[alra1975]

Dear ignorantem phantasticus,

I posted many times my curriculum vitae around YT for intelligent cultured persons, and I cannot understand why I should reply in an intelligent way to a poor insignificant idiot like you that babbles but doesn't say nothing about music.

Why don't you tell us which one is your ideal organist, maybe Fox or Carpenter?

Go to hide pathetic peasant kid from Uncle Sam and McDonald's country...

[vivaletour]

Pray tell, how many do you have? how many organs built by Schnitger, silbermann of contemporaries have you played? How many historical documents have you studied. the mere fact that you have bad grammar highlights the fact that you, Dear Dunce, are the uneducated one in this circle. Furthermore, i have reason to doubt that you have a post graduate degree. or do they even bother with education in europe; it certainly seems they don't, judging by your incompetance.

[alra1975]

Pathetic fool, you would wish to speak as many languages as I can do, as English is not my mother language.

No, actually I have two post doctorate "summa cum laude" degrees and various specializations (and I taught in USA universities so I know its low level of culture) but I obviously also know that an illiterate plebeian like you, doesn't know what they are also because an immigrant peasant should work in the fields, as you must do.

Be a good farmer, kiddo.

[vivaletour]

if you truly were a teacher, you would tell me to strive to be more then a farmer. good teachers, good educators, and those who are truly educated would have me strive for excellence in areas where i have talent. Believe me, farming is not one of these. as for education... i do not claim to have degrees yet. currently i am a freshman in college, studying music theory and literature, along with organ, and pre-medicine. grant me but 7 years, and i will have several letters behind my name

[vivaletour]

not that degrees carry alot of weight outside of academia. Alra, i sincerely say, sans sarcasm, that i actaully respect your opinions on music. one does not need to be an expert to see with a cursory glance that you have very high education. as for what organs i am currently studying on... it would not matter to you, since they are not 300 years old, however, i will say that they were built with historicism as their utmost goal.

[vivaletour]

as for my teachers, one studied with heilier for two years, the other studied at eastman with hans davidsson. although i am but new to organ (playing for two years) i have been taught since day one historical fingering. (yes, it is possible to learn such things in the wonderful US of A) and perhaps my initial comment that i took issue with was based on a misuderstanding of what you said. now, with academic curiosity, and with no sarcasm, where did you study?

[alra1975]

In Italy, I am from Venice. Doctorate degrees summa cum laude in Literature and Philosophy, then Musicology studies, various specializations in Europe, Canada, Mexico, etc. Studies with many historical restorers of cembalos and organs. My fields: Literature, Art, Philosophy, History, Philology, Religions, obviously Music, etc. Everywhere is possible to study historical fingerings from Gothic era, Virginalists, French classic (Baroque) school, Bach circle, together with period pedal technique.

[vivaletour]

interesting. what other areas of study are you involved in? (you mentioned several specializations) besides dear koopman (whom i do adore, especially his recordings of the bach trio sonatas) who else is acceptable in your opinion? are people like Harald Vogel acceptable? who is best for the music of Buxtehude? Thanks, Stephen

[alra1975]

Apart from my previously mentioned academic path (Literature, Visual Art and Architecture, Theoretical Philosophy, Ancient History, Philology, Philosophy of Religions), my main musical interest lies in: historical cembalos, organs, virginal muselar, spinet, clavichord, claviorganum, temperaments, rhetoric, wedge-bellows, pressure, various pitch, period fingering and pedalling, ancient essays and manuscripts, revision of sources, Decoratio, Varietas,Stylus Phantasticus,art of registrations,etc.

[alra1975]

Vogel is an excellent scholar but "so and so" as an organ player, too much slow and predictable on his omnia of Bux on MDG.

For Buxtehude the best is Koopman on his new recordings: he gives life to the rhetoric of Stylus Voluptuos of Styl.Phantasticus as it should be: pure theatrical surprise and virtuosism as if the music was improvised.

Other good organists are Hans Fagius, Gerhard Weinberger, Byne Cathrine Bryndorf, Wolfg. Zerer, B. Foccroulle and some others...

[DiegoMurga]

You're such a pedant. How is this possible? Not that we care about your degrees, but you cannot claim you know something about philosophy, or religions, or anything in fact. You know nothing, that's the fact, and you come here bragging around in youtube videos's comments, you're just sad. I feel nothing but pity for you. You should know something about humility, you philosophy geek, piss off!

[alra1975]

My doctorate degrees are only used for academic path; my culture comes from personal and deep studies on lots of different subjects.

In USA, Taylor and Boody, Pasi, Brombaugh, Fisk, Fritts and few others, build organs respecting the authentic original process like in ancient times.

I respect those builders; I criticize the modern approach like Virgil Fox as it is no Art but just entertainment for people who want to have a break from daily life.

[alra1975]

You only attacked me with no reasons and without telling me the reason why you did it.

This is an uncoltured peasant behaviour and for this reason I replied in an impolite way.

Actually, I love farmers that often are more cultured and educated than other people that live in the cities.

Various people ask me my opinion: I give my replies based on decades of studies on sources, manuscripts, historical instruments.

I force no one to read my comments.

[vivaletour]

Dear Ostentatious tool, im not american, i only have the unfortunate luck of being forced to immigrate to this wretched land. As for being the land of ignorance, this might be true. however, as for being arrogant, your dear country wins.

[alra1975]

You don't know even where I come from, you don't know nothing about me, you only say bullshits out of your ignorant, uncoltured peasant mouth.

Go to worship Fox and Carpenter, you fool...

[ForestChav]

Have you ever tried playing that way? Quite often on the larger German instruments, in large acoustics, then playing legato muddies the playing, and in any case, the toes only pedalling holds some weight, however you manage it - I use both alternate toes and the split pedalboard, depends on what it is, and what i want to achieve. Bouncy pedalling sounds good.

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

It certainly shows in the recording of the Passacaglia in C minor on this DVD that the tuning is quite offensive and blurry. One could take a similar view of Paul Ott's questionable 'restoration' of the Neuenfelde Schnitger instrument. Certainly not as Schnitger specified.

[alra1975]

I totally agree with You, many Schnitger instruments need "real" restorations, I think that the best name to do a great job would be Jurgen Ahrend.

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

The first episode was probably the pilot which they had to make to secure funding from the BBC. You are actually completely wrong, the action is mechanical. The Beckerath instrument still has Dropa pipework but extended the compass with that ghastly console and wobbly metal action added some time in the 1950's.

[alra1975]

Sorry to tell You, but You read incorrectly; I wrote "electro-pneumatic registrations", it is obvious that the action is mechanical from the trackers seen in the camera works. It would be absolutely unacceptable an electric-traction organ.

[alra1975]

About the original material made by M.Dropa, again I know that there are some pipes and a couple of coupler devices from Him, but it remains a "supposed to be" Baroque instrument, raped by the typical old Beckerath sound-style, nothing more than just a beauty Renaissance case filled inside with the product of modern ignorance.

[alra1975]

A true restoration in the Baroque aesthetic sound, must have these characteristics: restoration of the whole mechanics based (if existing) on the original project, restoration or reconstruction of the pipework based on existing original examples, reconstruction of the original temperament and pitch, appropriated wind pressure and wedge bellows and faithful reproduction of every missing part. Only this can be considered a real Baroque organ.

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

Do apologize, you are of course correct. I hate electro pneumatic registrations, so unnecessary.

[alra1975]

Although the 4 DVD set is excellent, BWV 565 is performed on a modern neo-Classical style organ with a lots of electronic devices and (probably looking) electro-pneumatic registration. For sure, not what I would call a Baroque instrument, not in sound, appearance or construction. Also the Lüneburg organ of the first DVD set is just a Beckerath organ in a Renaissance case. All the rest of the organs used are though, well restored true Baroque instruments

[alra1975]

Alfred Hitchcock walking entrance and aplomb, together with a great Baroque performance, very, very good! I hope You record more, more and more DVDs, cool-chubby Mr. Whitely!

[ArpSchnitger]

The hooks? They look like the bolts on old door hinges? badon20: yes, it IS a joy of an instrument to play, isn't it? Two volumes (four DVDs) of "21st Century Bach", films of John Scott Whiteley playing authentic instruments (all widescreen and 5.1 surround-sound, chorale words on optional subtitles, some commentaries too, and alternative angles) made by Associated-Rediffusion for the BBC are available from Amazon and others. The series goes on...

[Paudogi]

What are those hooks on the wall that he walks by at the beginning?

[jtsoundtech]

The sound for this video was better than some that I have heard from other users. I can tell that some effort went into the production. Also, the registration is beautiful. This is, in my opinion, a happy, lilting piece, and the flute-like stops suit it well.

[gjmrs]

I agree Zacharias. I must admit a fondness for Ton Koopman, another "authentic" interpreter.

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

I thought the clarity was unrivalled. As for the "detache" i expect this was a result of the intention to create an 'authentic' performance with non heel pedalling.

[blackberryjuice]

I enjoyed the clarity of his performance, and adore this instrument. However, I felt that his approach was a bit too far on the "detache" end of things. I didn't hear the musical line as much as I would have liked. Anyone have any thoughts?

[martykoll]

Awesome bass on the pedal! Hope listeners/ viewers have a sub-woofer to fully appreciate. Amazing sound, considering the bit data compression . Well played!

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

Lucky Lucky you

[badon20]

Love that organ have had the oppertunity to play it last year!!! Loved it!!!

[ZachariasHildebrandt]

Fugal imitations, contrapuntal episodes, modulations a many, a historical instrument what more can you want.

[Pictagoras]

Thanks so much for putting up these performances of Scott-Whiteley. These are some of the best organ videos I've seen. From what I understand, it's an ongoing BBC project, so I'm assuming there will be much more to come!

[george12354678]

IS IT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?­!?!