Virgil Fox Legacy | Bach | Prelude & Fugue in D Major

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Music

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• virgil
• fox
• pipe
• organ
• bach
• bwv
• 532

[Kippsky45]

Virgil Fox had a specific agenda. He brought organ music to a different audience than those who are the know-it-alls/musical snobs who like historical performance practice. Someone not of those two groups likely couldn't even embrace that concept. it was increasing the popularity of the organ for which he truly does have merit.

Having said that: as a trained organist, I think blazing through this piece, I think, glosses over so many fun things that Bach has already created. Why overblow it all?

[jgraif]

sloppy playing... yeah, right. i witnessed that punk, cameron carpenter, get "lost" in this fugue and repeat the same 16 bar section THREE TIMES!!! virgil NEVER used a score and NEVER made a mistake AND his performances were ALWAYS thrilling. i find it so very interesting that the "know-it-alls" continue to defend their baseless claims 30 years after this man's death. they do the same thing with mario lanza, over 60 years down the road. god forbid they should ever admit they were wrong.

[jgraif]

@OrganoAeternam if i may add one additional point to the discussion (which is all this is), i believe the "root" of all of this is that no one can say with certainty how bach performed any of his music. what we do know, however, is that after all the rules of composition were followed and these beautiful works created within those rules (an amazing feat in itself), almost all of the performance "values" were left to the discretion of the performer. please consider.

[jgraif]

@OrganoAeternam thank you for the considered reply. i, too, enjoy historic performance practice. without it, we would still not know how medieval and renaissance music really sounded. thank god for the new york pro musica in the 1950's. my "beef", is that with the organ, it is expected. as a result, so much organ-building talent is wasted on the construction of neo-baroque instruments. tell me, who builds baroque violins or 18th century klaviers today? no one would buy them.

[OrganoAeternam]

@OrganoAeternam Its just silly to me to hear Bach's music played in a way that he would never of played it. Just because the modern instrument is capable of extreme tempi and big full reed choruses does not mean that you should use both in a Bach work. Then again, it all comes down to are you trying to recreate the past or not. I just don't see why everyone gets so defensive over it all. Its all opinions anyway.

[OrganoAeternam]

@jgraif Let me explain where I am coming from. I actually agree with your opinion that the current Brandenburg Concerti are taken at insane tempi today in performance. I don't quite know where you stand Jgraif. I can tell you where I stand. I am a supporter of historical performance. I strive in my interpretations to play as they would during the Baroque period. I agree with you that the instruments should evolve and the organ of all instruments has evolved the most.

[jgraif]

@OrganoAeternam that is why most of bach's organ manuscripts are devoid of "instruction", not because they were to be played exactly as written, but to permit the INTERPRETATION of the player. if you just prefer to recreate the past, do you think that horowitz or rubinstein should have performed the works of chopin on an early 19th century piano? i will bet that your answer is, "no". so, explain why the organ should not be allowed to evolve.

[jgraif]

@OrganoAeternam after the passing of a year, i feel the need to address this once again, because your comments clearly demonstrate a mis-understanding of this music and the period in which it was composed. the "rules" of the baroque period had everything to do with COMPOSITION and nothing to do with INTERPRETATION. this was the era of "figured bass", where a keyboardist was provided ONLY the bass note and a numerical description of the harmony. the rest was up to the performer.

[DavidSnyderLumierist]

@garebear1015 Some of us do. Thanks for being thee and remembering.

[DavidSnyderLumierist]

@jgraif I think you are right,right and right.!

I

[DavidSnyderLumierist]

@ChuckDeFuque .

Super to hear from someone who was actually there.You were a part of history. Thanks for rememebring.

David Snyder,,Lumierist

Creator of Heavy Organ Touring Productions