Gigue Fugue, by J. S. Bach

The great Virgil Fox used to introduce this piece on all his tours by assuring the audience that the tune comes "first in the tenor, then the alto, then the soprano, and when the tune hits my feet, I dance the jig." 

This clip is from a pre-recital sound and camera check. 

Fughetta on ITSY BITSY SPIDER

Arranged by Malcolm Kogut (a work in progress)
The church is St. Anne's in Amsterdam, NY.

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Carillon, by Louis Victor Jules Vierne

While giving his 1750th organ recital, Virene suffered a heart attack, fell off the bench and his foot hit the low "E" pedal of the organ.  Listeners thought it was part of an improvisation he was performing at the time.   It took them about a minute to realize that
something was wrong. 

Spread the Word

A local priest is experimenting with website and twitter teasers about his homily each week and has asked me to create these little promos he calls "Bible Blasts."  Here is next Sunday's theme:  GOSSIP. 

Humoresque "L'organo primitivo," by Pietro Yon

I played this piece on an eight foot flute through the Choir division's antiphonal speakers.  Since they were far away I couldn't hear them so I coupled them to the Great and added this little marimba so that I could play to that.  The people in the pews heard the flute and some thought they heard a chiff coming from the front.  This recording pretty much only picked up the marimba since the camera microphone was closer to the MIDI speaker. 

This is a great piece for working on forearm rotation, relaxing the hand, not playing from the fingers and playing from the elbow.

Toccata from Widor's Fifth Symphony

I am going to catch flack for this rendition but let me 'splain.  When I was 16 and had been playing for only two years, I was asked to play this piece for a wedding.  I didn't have time to learn it as my reading skills were poor and it was over 16 pages long.  I reduced it to a lead sheet and faked it.  I call it my "Widor's 4.5."  I've been playing off the same lead sheet ever since and because I only do this piece for postludes and recessionals, I never took the time to look again at the real music.  Every time I play this piece, people get up and walk out.  Hey, where's everybody going?