Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1956-06-10

the chapel at Princeton.
BY apparent coincidence,
Messrs. Biggs and Weinrich
have come forth simultane-
ously with performances OF
the same music-that COM
prising the "Orgelbuechlein'
or Little Organ Book"
Highly Regarded by Scholars
The "Orgelbuechlein," like
practically everything Bach left
to us, is highly regarded by
Bach scholars. 1t was writ
ten when Bach was a young
man and court organist, and
it was intended to embrace
164 individual pieces. The
pieces are chorale preludes-or
in effect variations-based on
hymn tunes. Only As were
actually written. but even that
number makes quite an earful.
Some of the tunes are ia
nous. One is the Christmas
carol In dulci jubilo." Some
were used by Bach in other
compositions.
All of the As pieces take
only a few minutes apiece.
theoretically Bach wrote them
for the instruction of "incipi-
ent" organists. But they are
not academic. And there is
nothing tentative OF unfin-
ished about them, though they
have much the character of
improvisations, of which Bach
was a master. They are really
little gems.
Playing Is Individualistic
A comparison of the two
new recordings demonstrates
an interesting fact about or
gan playing. especially where
it involves the music of Bach.
This is that it is a very indi-
vidual art.
For one thing, Bach did not
leave ironclad rules about the
performing of his music. An
organist is free to choose his
own registrations, and he has
some interpretive latitude. He
can play little slower, or a
little faster, than the next
man. And, of course. he can
choose his instrument. Mr..
Biggs, in recordings made in
his European tours, has DEM
onStrated how individual the
sound of a particular organ
can be. The acoustics of the
building it is in are always
individual, too.
1t is not surprising, then,
that the "Orgelbuechlein" of
Mr.. Biggs and that of Mr..
Weinrich sound often quite
different-almost, indeed, like
different music.
Mr.. Biggs uses the new or
gan in Symphony Hall, Boston.
an instrument rich and mellow
in tone, and as efficient as
modern technology will allow.
Mr.. Weinrich's instrument was
found by Westminster in a
stone church in Skaenninge,
Sweden, a town of 2,400 some
40 miles south of Stockholm.
Parts of the Skaenninge organ
date back $50 years or more,
although it was enlarged and
rebuilt in 1899.
Sparkling Effect Achieved
Some of the pipes in the
Skaennlnge organ testify
audibly to their years. The
sound of the organ as a whole,
as reproduced, is leaner and
more penetrating than Bos-
tons. This isn't necessarily a
drawback. In In dulci jubilo, -
where Mr.. Biggs employs the
cymbalstern, or chimes, for in
stance, Mr.. Weinrich achieves
almost as sparkling an effect
without them. The penetrat-
ing character of the Skaen-
hinge sound often adds to its
clarity, too. With the Boston
organ the contrapuntal line
sometimes becomes enveloped
in business.
On the other hand, the Biggs
playing is often somewhat
more deliberate, which allows
the ear to focus on the coun-
terpoint more surely. And lis
teners with hi-fi systems are
likely to be enchanted with
the Boston Columbia bass,
which grumbles along reso-
nantly in fine style.
There is one clear distinction
between the two sets. Column
bias introduces each of Bach's
preludeS with the hymn on
which it is based. This ac-
counts for the fact that the
Blggs set has three discs, COM
pared to Westminster's two.
Columbia also includes the
score of the music and de-
tailed analytical notes, which
should be appreciated by list
ener and amateur organist
alike.
Neither Columbia nor West
minister has been as careful
as 1t might be in the stamp
ing of these discs, 10 Judge
from the review copies. Off,
center stamping shows UP no.
where more treacherously than
on organ records
Volume II of the Weinrich
series is devoted to four single
works-the Toccata in E, ALE
breve in d, Canzona in D
minor, and the Toccata and
Fugue in d minor known as
the Dorian These impos-
ing pieces are played with
suitable brilliance.
Columbia has recently is
sued another BiggS disc en-