News & Views Thursday, November 21, 2024

A Gentle Advent: Organ Music from The Lorenz Corporation Tuesday, November 12, 2024

recommended by Christopher B., Organ Music Specialist

A Gentle Advent: Organ Reflections of the Season arr. J. William Greene
The gentle anticipation of the Advent season often warrants a distinct and introspective style of music. Recognizing that the busy days of Christmas succeed Advent, these settings by J. William Greene are designed to be learned quickly. This collection features six gentle preludes and two vibrant postludes for the season of preparation for the Birth. Titles include: “Comfort, Comfort Now My People,” “Hark! a Thrilling Voice Is Sounding (Variation Prelude),” “Hark! a Thrilling Voice Is Sounding with Creator of the Stars of Night (Quodlibet),” “He Comes to Us as One Unknown,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Prelude),” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel (Toccatina),” “Prepare the Royal Highway,” and “Wake, Awake, for Night Is Flying (Fanfare and Toccatina).”

The Tide Is Nigh: Advent and Christmas Music for Organ arr. Lynn Arthur Koch
Lynn Arthur Koch has chosen a mix of both familiar and lesser-known Advent and Christmas hymns for the settings in this book. Several tunes are folk melodies drawn from the famous Oxford Book of Carols. With a duration of two minutes or less per piece, they can be seamlessly combined into suites, providing an ideal solution for occasions when longer preludes are needed. Titles include: “A Virgin Most Pure,” “And Now the Tide Is Nigh at Hand,” “Bring a Torch, Jeanette, Isabella,” “Come, Thou Long-Expected Jesus,” “Creator of the Stars at Night,” “I Saw Three Ships,” “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence,” “Watchman, Tell Us of the Night,” and ‘The Sussex Carol.”

Sing We Now of Christmas: Easy Carols for Organ arr. James Michael Stevens
James Michael Stevens presents a captivating collection of ten well-known Christmas carols arranged for organ. Featuring each melody prominently and with a mix of moods across the settings, these accessible pieces serve as ideal choices for preludes, offertories, and postludes during the Christmas season. Titles include: “Away in a Manger,” “Angels, from the Realms of Glory,” “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing with Angels We Have Heard on High,” “In the Bleak Midwinter,” “It Came Upon the Midnight Clear,” “O Come, All Ye Faithful,” “Silent Night, Holy Night,” “Sing We Now of Christmas,” “Still, Still, Still,” and “What Child Is This.”

Shop Stanton’s for all your sheet music needs!

About the Author:
Christopher B. grew up in eastern Kentucky in a musically diverse family, and began playing organ at the age of 12. He majored in vocal performance with minors in keyboards and conducting at Marshall University and later received a Master of Theological Studies in congregational ministry from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. Christopher has served as a church music director and organist for more than 20 years, presently serving as Director of Music and Worship Arts/Organist at Church of the Master United Methodist in Westerville, OH.

< Previous|Next >