Famous Organists: Dieterich Buxtehude
Welcome back to the Viscount Organs blog series where we look into the lives and legacies of amazing pipe organists who have influenced the culture of pipe organ music. Today, we’ll be travelling back to the amazing Baroque period to take a look at the life of organist, Dieterich Buxtehude. The Mysterious Life And Times […]
Famous Organists: Louis Vierne
Famous Organists: Louis Vierne This edition of our Famous Organists blog series is going to take a look at the life, interesting death, and influence of Louis Vierne, titulaire, or lead organist, at the Notre Dame Cathedral from 1900-1937. A Determined Youth Vierne was born into challenges on October 8, 1870, in Poitiers, France. Upon […]
Famous Organists: Jehan Alain
Jehan Alain is the focus of this Famous Organists blog. Although his life wasn’t long, he achieved many a musical accomplishment, and died a heroic death in World War II. Keep reading to learn more! A Family of Organists Born into the Alain family on February 11, 1911, Jehan Alain was the son of the […]
The Life of Pierre Cochereau: A Legendary French Organist
Pierre Cochereau | orgues-chartres.org Pierre Cochereau transformed 20th-century organ music with his exceptional improvisational skills and influential tenure at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He captivated audiences with his spontaneous compositions, blending classical tradition with bold innovation. His groundbreaking techniques and imaginative interpretations redefined organ performance, setting a new standard for musicians around the world. […]
Famous Organists: César Franck
Our next blog on the famous organists of history is about César Franck, a Beligian born organist and composer with quite the interesting life story. Franck was an extremely talented organist who composed many pieces that are still staples in organist repertoires today. An Intensive Early Life Born in Liège, Belgium, on December 10, 1822 […]
Pulling Out All Of The Stops
After a particularly impressive effort at work or on the playing field, or at the most climactic point in a film, you might have heard someone mention that “they pulled out all of the stops.” In common use, it’s considered high praise, but for church organ players, the phrase has a very different meaning. Viscount […]
The World’s Oldest Playable Pipe Organ
Sthullen | CC BY-SA 3.0 Church organs have been an essential part of sacred music for centuries, providing powerful and inspiring sounds for worship. But did you know that the oldest playable church organ still used today dates back to the 15th century? Nestled in the small town of Sion, Switzerland, the organ at Valère […]
Famous Organists: Charles-Marie Widor
The church organ has a long and storied history, going back for hundreds of years. During that time, countless accomplished musicians have sat at the bench and played stirring music of all kinds for innumerable audiences. But during the tenure of this King of Instruments, there have been some musicians that have stood out as […]
Organs At The Front Lines
When we think about the music of the Second World War, often we think of ragtime, and big band jazz, and of course, thumping marching band music. It’s hard not to have Glenn Miller’s “American Patrol” playing along in your head when you think about the service members of WWII. But for many soldiers and […]
Overcoming Your Nerves Before Performance
Right before you go on stage, you are probably going through what you will do once you are finally in front of everyone. Hopefully, you are imagining things going well! We know that there can be a lot of pressure when playing the church organ in front of a large group, especially if there are […]