24 preludes for organ, op. 24 · 24 preludes for organ, op. 24 the first of these preludes to make...

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24 Preludes for organ, op. 24 The first of these Preludes to make it onto paper was the present B major, which I inscribed after improvising it in another key during a church service early in 1980. I had no advance inkling I would be playing this piece that day, but other numbers in this collection were improvised after being worked out mentally to varying degrees. I recall being haunted for days by the present D-flat major (which has always remained in that key). But after all that rehearsal in my inner ear, playing it as a postlude the following Sunday actually felt somewhat anti- climactic! Most of the Preludes fell in the spectrum in between. A motive or group of motives would occur to me and I would save it for that Sunday. I happened to be visiting my twin brother in California in July of 1986 when Flor Peeters died. Although I had no access to a keyboard, I was embroiled in work on my Spanish Rhapsody for clarinet and piano, which alternates between a tango 2/4 and a fandango 3/4. When some elegiac music in 6/8 began occurring to me in D minor, I thought that this music would make an effective clincher for the organ Preludes, one that I could work out after getting back to New York. Meanwhile, however, in Los Angeles, I was having trouble continuing work on the Rhapsody, so I arranged through a friend to get access to a local church. There I cathartically played the Prelude in pretty much its present form. The idea to use double pedal at the end (the final reference to the main, dotted motive) came to me only after I returned to Gotham, however. I knew I wanted to collect all these sketches in some organized way (as I later did with my piano improvisations, opus 63), but found that the material sometimes transmogrified itself into other forms. (The trio of the second Habañera in my 'cello and piano Partita, for example, had begun life one Sunday morning.) So, the opus number 24 was set aside, but its contents were for the most part plastic. I don't do much composing these days, so I feel more comfortable than I have heretofore allowing these works to be fixed into the present format. The most recent Prelude in terms of raw materials is the E-flat minor which my records indicate dates from 1992. Early this year, I made a final selection, transposing as needed and putting all the numbers through a final edit. Some changes were minor, such as the exuberant grace note E leading to the final statement of the main tune in the opening C major Prelude. (It answers the note D at the corresponding point in the march's half cadence.) The B-flat major underwent the biggest alteration. A big pedal solo with doubled hands, suitable for pulling out all the proverbial stops, became a gentle intermezzo with the melody in the left hand, two accompanying voices in the right hand, and no pedal at all! A number of vocal and instrumental works of mine are now available online. I would like to dedicate the current collection, whose complete contents will first be promulgated in this wise, to Dan Long, the gentleman initially responsible for making organ music from my pen available for downloading. He has been

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24 Preludes for organ, op. 24

The first of these Preludes to make it onto paper was the present B major, whichI inscribed after improvising it in another key during a church service early in1980. I had no advance inkling I would be playing this piece that day, but othernumbers in this collection were improvised after being worked out mentally tovarying degrees. I recall being haunted for days by the present D-flat major(which has always remained in that key). But after all that rehearsal in my innerear, playing it as a postlude the following Sunday actually felt somewhat anti-climactic! Most of the Preludes fell in the spectrum in between. A motive orgroup of motives would occur to me and I would save it for that Sunday. Ihappened to be visiting my twin brother in California in July of 1986 when FlorPeeters died. Although I had no access to a keyboard, I was embroiled in workon my Spanish Rhapsody for clarinet and piano, which alternates between atango 2/4 and a fandango 3/4. When some elegiac music in 6/8 beganoccurring to me in D minor, I thought that this music would make an effectiveclincher for the organ Preludes, one that I could work out after getting back toNew York. Meanwhile, however, in Los Angeles, I was having trouble continuingwork on the Rhapsody, so I arranged through a friend to get access to a localchurch. There I cathartically played the Prelude in pretty much its present form.The idea to use double pedal at the end (the final reference to the main, dottedmotive) came to me only after I returned to Gotham, however.

I knew I wanted to collect all these sketches in some organized way (as I laterdid with my piano improvisations, opus 63), but found that the materialsometimes transmogrified itself into other forms. (The trio of the secondHabañera in my 'cello and piano Partita, for example, had begun life one Sundaymorning.) So, the opus number 24 was set aside, but its contents were for themost part plastic. I don't do much composing these days, so I feel morecomfortable than I have heretofore allowing these works to be fixed into thepresent format. The most recent Prelude in terms of raw materials is the E-flatminor which my records indicate dates from 1992. Early this year, I made a finalselection, transposing as needed and putting all the numbers through a finaledit. Some changes were minor, such as the exuberant grace note E leading tothe final statement of the main tune in the opening C major Prelude. (It answersthe note D at the corresponding point in the march's half cadence.) The B-flatmajor underwent the biggest alteration. A big pedal solo with doubled hands,suitable for pulling out all the proverbial stops, became a gentle intermezzo withthe melody in the left hand, two accompanying voices in the right hand, and nopedal at all!

A number of vocal and instrumental works of mine are now available online. Iwould like to dedicate the current collection, whose complete contents will firstbe promulgated in this wise, to Dan Long, the gentleman initially responsible formaking organ music from my pen available for downloading. He has been

putting Preludes that he himself wrote, alternately lovely and stirring, on theWeb, so it seems natural for me to follow suit with all this trunk music of mine.

I do not find that the current generation of organists, for all their technicalfluency, are as well versed in aspects of improvisation (free or chorale driven) aswere the masters I was emulating in my own erstwhile study. (I admit that theemphasis was already shifting then, and I was largely following my ownpredilections in the 70s and 80s. So, I guess that means that the stature ofimprovisation has itself declined.) Another factor in the warehousing I havedone of these morceaux until now is their relative lack of originality. I've madesuch a point of the genesis of these numbers not to call attention to anysupposed improvisatory prowess, but rather by way of apology for theineluctably derivative nature of quite a few passages. When improvising, one isin the here and now exigency of getting the idea occurring to one into audibleform, and making a convincing connection with what has preceded it. There isreally no time to think about being original! It is my hope that players andlisteners will find more to enjoy in the sheer invention and élan of this music, willsimply look elsewhere for the more groundbreaking revelation. Schoenbergsays that composition is slowed-down improvisation. The congregations allthose Sundays (and Wednesday evenings in Christian Science services, too)then were hearing speeded-up composition and, thanks to Dan, now others cantoo.

Victor Frost3 IV 02New York City

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Twenty-four Preludes

Victor Frost

Copyright © 2002 Victor Frost

to Dan Long

for organ, op. 24

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