u/RalphL1989

Bach - Fuge in D-Dur / D Major, BWV 580 - Schnitger organ, Martinikerk, Groningen, Hauptwerk

Although this fugue has been attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach in the past, Bach's authorship of this work is uncertain. It has some nice moments, but also has some odd parts. I used a registration in which the reeds of this organ are most dominant.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YwQbLMvHe-I

Johann Christoph Oley (1738–1789) was a German organist and composer. Nothing is known about Oley's early life, except that he was a son of Joachim Ernst Oley, a slater and brick-maker. In 1755 Johann Christoph became organist of the church of Bernburg, his home town, but in 1762 he moved to the church of St Stephan, Aschersleben, because of its more important organ. In order to improve his salary, he also took on the duties of assistant teacher at the church school. He remained at St Stephan until the end of his life. Contrary to earlier assumptions, it seems unlikely that Oley met Johann Sebastian Bach or was his pupil, but he was a copyist of Bach's keyboard works and a collector of Bach copies and prints (he owned one of the four extant copies of the Schübler Chorales).
(source: Wikipedia)

I recorded a chorale prelude of Oley's collection 'Variirte Choräle' (Quedlinburg, 1773). It's a highly interesting piece, I don't know many late baroque chorale preludes that start with an extensive pedal solo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fSoccr9TNos

Johann Georg Albrechtsberger (1736 - 1809) was an Austrian composer, organist, music theorist and one of the teachers of Ludwig van Beethoven. He was also a friend of Haydn and Mozart. Beethoven had arrived in Vienna in 1792 to study with Joseph Haydn, but quickly became infuriated when his work was not being given attention or corrected. Haydn recommended his friend Albrechtsberger, with whom Beethoven then studied harmony and counterpoint. (source: Wikipedia)

I recorded a fugue from the collection '6 Fughe per l'Organo o Clavicembalo, Op. 7'. I particularly liked this fugue, only 3 voices, but there are some ingenious parts in it, I think.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYTRuj0xIsE

Another small prelude of Johann Sebastian Bach from the Johann Peter Kellner collection. Listening back the acoustics are maybe too wet for this small keyboard piece, but anyway, the nice flutes of this organ are hard to resist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZgih1nDYKk

Adriano Banchieri (Bologna: 1568–1634) was an Italian composer, music theorist, organist and poet of the late Renaissance.

I picked a fantasia from the collection 'Fantasie overo Canzoni alla Francese (Venezia, 1603). This music works very well on the sample set of the Stellwagen organ of Stralsund, with its meantone temperament and its wonderful reeds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-tfHyiGd8s

Johann Krieger (1651 – 1735) was a German composer and organist, younger brother of Johann Philipp Krieger. Born in Nürnberg, he worked at Bayreuth, Zeit, and Greiz before settling in Zittau. He was one of the most important keyboard composers of his day, highly esteemed by, among others, George Frideric Handel. A prolific composer of church and secular music, he published several dozen of his works, and others survive in manuscript. However, hundreds more were lost when Zittau was destroyed by fire in 1757 during the Seven Years' War.
(source: Wikipedia)

The published collection Anmuthige Clavier-übung (1698) contains preludes, fugues, ricercars, toccatas and other works. I picked a prelude in G minor from this collection.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oChuA_8rbCg

The second appendix of Schmieder’s catalog of works by Bach contains the works of which Bach’s authorship is uncertain. The choral prelude to “Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr” is number 48 in this second appendix. There is some evidence that is might be composed by Johann Gottfried Walther. It is a lively piece, with a toccata like introduction, after which the choral melody is played in the pedals. (source: Partitura Organum)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4aiYpedhPo

Dietrich Buxtehude (1637 – 1707) was a Danish/German organist and composer of the Baroque period. He is one of the most important composers of the so called North German organ school. As a composer who worked in various vocal and instrumental idioms, Buxtehude's style greatly influenced other composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and others.

I recorded one of the two settings by Buxtehude on the hymn 'Von Gott will ich nicht lassen', using the beautiful Sesquialter of this organ in the cantus firmus.

Krebs - Fantasie in F-Dur / F Major - Metzler organ, Poblet, Hauptwerk

Not much information could be found on Ehrenfried Christian Traugott Krebs (1753 - 1804). But if I'm correct, E.C.T. Krebs was one of the sons of the famous Johann Ludwig Krebs. After J.L. Krebs died, E.C.T. Krebs took over his position as court organist in Altenburg.

An interesting fantasia on the hymn 'Mir nach, spricht Christus, unser Held'. The piece reminds me a bit of J.S. Bach's Toccata in F-Dur, BWV 540 and J.L. Krebs Toccata in A-moll. It's certainly not as ingenious as Bach's masterpiece, but interesting for sure, especially the combination with this hymn in which Christ is depicted as victorious leader.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diXjEyQ8Tn0

Scheidemann was a German composer and organist. He studied with Sweelinck in Amsterdam and became organist of the Katharinenkirche in Hamburg. Reincken was his student. He is considered as one of the first composers of the North German organ school (with composers like Buxtehude and Böhm).

I played this chorale prelude from an edition by Schott Musikverlag. Due to copyright the score can't be presented in the video, so I used the score, based on the edition by Bärenreiter. Which is slightly different compared to the edition I played from.