Charles-Valentin Alkan
(1813-1888)
Prière n. 3 (Op. 64) pour orgue

Trascrizione a cura di 
Guido Menestrina

Charles-Valentin Alkan nacque in una famiglia di musicisti e visse quasi tutta la vita a Parigi. Bambino prodigio per quanto riguarda le tastiere, fu compagno in conservatorio tra gli altri di Bizet, Gounod, Franck e venne particolarmente stimato per la sua tecnica e agilità da Cherubini, Liszt e Vincent d'Indy.
Nella seconda metà dell''800 fu anche apprezzato, assieme al figlio illegittimo Elie-Miriam Delaborde, come uno dei più bravi musicisti di pianoforte con pedaliera.
Di famiglia ebraica, fu anche ottimo conoscitore e traduttore dell'Antico e del Nuovo Testamento.

A score for organ or piano-pédalier by Charles-Valentin Alkan, one of the best composers and players of the 19th century, thus aknowledged by Liszt, Cherubini, Vincent d'Indy among others. 
He and his agility with the keyboards were almost a myth in his time, hence a (probably fake) obituary: "Charles-Valentin Alkan has just died. It was necessary for him to die in order to suspect his existence."

Variazioni per organo sul celebre "Adeste Fideles" del compositore e organista statunitense Joseph McGrath, per quarantanni alla consolle dell'organo della cattedrale di Syracuse, NY.

Joseph McGrath variations on "Adeste Fideles". McGrath was for fourty years the organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Syracuse, New York. Transcription by Guido Menestrina

Arrangiamento per organo di Jean Titelouze del primo versetto dell'inno gregoriano "A solis ortus cardine" per il Natale, il cui testo ("Da dove sorge il Sole, fino ai confini della terra cantiamo a Cristo, figlio del Re, nato dalla Vergine Maria.") fu composto da Sedulio nel V secolo. Jean Titelouze fu organista in cattedrale a Rouen per molti anni, ed anche se visse il periodo del primo barocco la sua musica dallo stile rigoroso è considerata come l'apice del tardo rinascimento francese e influenzò notevolmente i compositori francesi successivi fino a Marcel Dupré.

A Christmas hymn for organ by Jean Titelouze, late French Renaissance organist who influenced with his solid style many composers of the later years, until Marcel Dupré. In this case, the first stanza of "A solis ortus carine", gregorian hymn the text of which was composed in the 5th century by Sedulius. Transcription by Guido Menestrina.

Arrangiamento di Jehan Revert (1920-2015) della sequenza gregoriana "Victimae Paschali Laudes" per coro SATB e organo.

Jehan Revert's setting for SATB choir and organ of the gregorian sequenvce "Victimae Paschali Laudes".

Johann Speth (1664-1719) - Toccata Prima oder erstes musikalishes Blumen-Feld

Johann Speth (1664-1719) - Toccata Secunda oder zweytes musikalishes Blumen-Feld

Transcribed by Guido Menestrina - youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8huOtZ9bQak

From Wikipedia: Johann (Johannes) Speth (9 November 1664 – after 1719) was a German organist and composer. He was born in Speinshart, some 150 km from Nuremberg, but spent most of his life in Augsburg, where he worked as cathedral organist for two years. His only surviving music is a 1693 collection, Ars Magna Consoni et Dissoni, which includes toccatas, Magnificat versets and variations in south German style.Speth was born in Speinshart, Bavaria, to teacher Heinrich Speth and his wife Margareta (née Vichtl). Past scholars established that Speth must have received music lessons from the abbot of the Premonstratensian monastery at Speinshart, one Dominikus Lieblein, however, this has recently been disproven. Nothing is known about his life before 1692, when he applied for the position of organist of Augsburg Cathedral. The application, which contained Speth's compositions, was accepted, and he was appointed organist on 4 November 1692. The music he supplied with the application was published the next year in Augsburg as Ars magna Consoni et Dissoni. In the files of the cathedral administration there is a note from 1705 showing that Speth had also to work in the office of the cathedral chapter. The exact date of Speth's death is unknown, but there is a document that shows that in 1719, he still lived with his wife and a maidservant in Augsburg.The composer's only surviving work is the collection published in 1693 in Augsburg, Ars magna Consoni et Dissoni. The title may be a reference to Athanasius Kircher's famous book, Musurgia universalis, sive ars magna consoni et dissoni (1650). An early description of the work was included by Johann Gottfried Walther in his Musikalisches Lexicon; Walther claimed Speth only compiled the pieces but did not compose. This hypothesis is now generally considered false.Ars Magna contains music intended for organ or clavichord: 10 toccatas (subtitled Musicalische Blumen-Felder), 8 Magnificat settings, and three variation sets. The music has clearly traceable Italian influences, with direct borrowings: one of the variation sets is built on a theme by Bernardo Pasquini, there is also a passage from Bernardo Storace in the Spangioletta variation set, and a verset by Alessandro Poglietti (quinti toni no. 3). The influence of contemporary southern organists is also apparent, particularly that of Georg Muffat and Johann Caspar Ferdinand Fischer. The toccatas are unusually short for the genre; most consist of three (toccata-fugue-toccata) sections. There are some interesting features such as dynamic indications in Toccata quarta. The Magnificat settings are, like similar pieces by Johann Kaspar Kerll and others, short versets for alternatim practice.

Responsorio di Domenico Zipoli, musicista pratese allievo, tra gli altri, di Orlandini, Pasquini e Alessandro Scarlatti, nonché missionario gesuita in Argentina, da dove buona parte della sua produzione vocale (oltre che per cembalo) si diffuse in sud e centro America. Questo brano, in particolare, è stato scoperto da Piotr Nawrot nell'Archivio cattedralizio di Chiquita, in Bolivia.

A score for 3 voices, 2 violins and continuo by Domenico Zipoli, who composed music for cembalo (or organ) and for voices and other instruments mainly during his missionary staying in Argentina, where he died very young and from where his music was spread in Bolivia, Mexico, Peru and back to Europe.

L'arrangiamento di Richard Proulx di un brano sacro di Gustav Holst dal sapore vagamente medievale - come del resto buona parte della produzione di Holst degli anni '10. In realtà di Holst è soltanto la melodia principale, dal titolo "Thaxted", come un villaggio nell'Essex, melodia che fa parte del movimento "Jupiter" della sua suite "Planets". L'arrangiamento è di Richard Proulx, apprezzato compositore statunitense di musica religiosa deceduto appena dieci anni fa, mentre il testo è del religioso inglese Michael Perry. E' un brano molto caro al popolo inglese, tanto che la principessa Diana lo richiese al suo matrimonio e fu suonato anche in occasione del suo funerale e nel decennale della morte.

Richard Proulx's arrangement from Gustav Holst's hymn "O God beyond all praising" (text by Michael Perry). This is a much beloved hymn by British people, the original tune preserving its popular middle age atmosphere (as many Holst's compositions from the 10's). It was played for princess Diana's wedding and at her funeral and 10th anniversary observance of her death. Transcription by Guido Menestrina.

Pezzo per organo di Lorenzo Perosi, composto quando era ancora maestro di cappella in San Marco a Venezia, seguito dallo stesso inno a 4 voci. Il Vexilla Regis è un inno antichissimo, attribuito a Venanzio Fortunato, e da sempre legato alle processioni con o in adorazione della croce, in particolare quelle del Venerdì Santo o per le solennità dell'Invenzione e dell'Esaltazione della Croce.

A score by Lorenzo Perosi, for organ and 4-voices choir, on the hymn Vexilla Regis, composed by Venanzio Fortunato in the 6th century and used to accompany processions or adoration of the Holy Cross. Perosi composed this music when he was still maestro di cappella in San Marco, in Venice. Transcription by Guido Menestrina.

11 bagatelle per pianoforte di Simon Sechter, compositore boemo e organista di corte a Vienna tra gli anni '20 e '50 del XIX secolo. Fu maestro tra gli altri di Schubert, Bruckner e Fuchs, ma fu anche un teorico apprezzato e un compositore molto prolifico.

11 "bagatellen" by Simon Sechter,, Austrian-Czech composer from the first half of the 19th century; he was an appreciated organist and a strict teacher, some of the most famous musicians who took lessons from him are Schubert, Fuchs and Bruckner (this last one even by mail, when the teacher could not play anymore).

Un semplice mottetto per la comunione per voce sola e coro a tre voci con accompagnamento d'organo, composto da Gaspare Perosi, compositore lodigiano della prima metà del sec. XX, organista e fabbriciere (amministratore dei beni ecclesiastici) a Gorla, nel Varesotto. Dai molti spartiti ritrovati tra le sue proprietà risulta che fosse un estimatore del più conosciuto e di lui contemporaneo don Lorenzo Perosi, anche se non sembra ne fosse parente.

A simple communion motet for 3 voices by Gaspare Perosi, a composer and organist from the Varese region in northern Italy, from the first half of the 20th century. He was not connected to the famous Lorenzo Perosi, although they lived almost in the same years and he collected a lot of Lorenzo's works. Transcription by Guido Menestrina