Thank you, Dave. I grew up listening to organ music because my dad absolutely loved it. I was living in Boston when E Power Biggs died and the classical radio stations (yes, plural!) gave tributes galore to Biggs. I also bought many of the Marie Claire Alain LPs when I was a member of the Musical Heritage Society. I don't listen to organ music as often as I used to, but still enjoy it.

I actually really enjoy Handel's organ concertos, Op. 4 & 7. They're very pleasing to the ear, and are typical of Handel's orchestral music. The Concerto in B flat major, Op. 4 No. 6 was actually originally written for harp, making it one of music's first harp concertos. Of course, you're more likely to find the harp version outside of complete organ concerto cycles, but it is truly magnificent.

Dave, I’ve been an Insider subscriber from the beginning (everyone: subscribe, it’s worth every penny!) and have been really enjoying your video reviews, but this one in particular brings out the joy, humour, honesty, and (dare I say) “snarkiness” that I love so much about Classics Today generally (and about you in particular as the editorial voice). I’ve loved organ music forever, and my wife and kids think I’m a psycho because of it (dropping in and hearing Messiaen’s “Dieu parmi nous” at Montreal’s Notre Dame during a “casual” Sunday afternoon recital is one of the most transcendental experiences of my musical life thus far, which gives you an idea of how far off the rails I am). I have to say that I’m impressed with (but not surprised by) your ability in this review to capture the upsides (of which there are plenty) and downsides (of which there are plenty more) to listening to organ music generally, and to Bach organ music specifically (for you amateurs out there: get a subwoofer, you have to physically feel this stuff). I also think you’re spot-on in recommending this set as a starting point in the slow (and wonderful) journey to Bedlam. But the fact that you drew several out-loud guffaws from me with this one (in a good way) is why you’re awesome.Thank you, keep ‘em coming!

Robert Noehren on Delos. He built his own organs and achieved clean sounding articulations between the notes - no smearing.

I'm a non-organist (and non-musician) who very much like organ music- and I'm not totally nuts! What draws me to it is the timbre, the dynamics, scale, and overall 'vibe' of it- but certainly not all of the repertoire, just some of it. And Bach's organ works are some of my favorites. But of course I don't know anyone else who likes organ music; nice to hear from others here who obviously do.

Beginners and non-musicians like myself might find a KZfaq channel like Gerubach useful. This site scrolls visually through Bach's organ music as it's played. Easy to follow, the score helps give insight into a part of Bach's genius and originality as to "how the notes go."

I'm a huge organ fan!

Hi Dave! Completely agree on the Trio Sonatas, those are the pieces I keep returning to... FWIW, I'm quite taken by the Benjamin Alard performances on Alpha.

The first piece of Bach I've heard was the Toccata and Fugue in D minor for organ. I was a child and I was mesmerized :D

When i first started collecting records i bought a couple Vox boxes. The sound was interesting since these were reconstructed old Northern Germany organs but Walter Kraft (who died later in a famous hotel fire) was so dull. But then i got the Chapuis on Telefunken. What s difference!!! Exciting and dramatic and it came with the score!! I have it on cd now and still my favorite. And one of the organs is the tremendous Arp Schnitger at Zwolle!!

It’s not fashionable to mention this organist, but I’m going to do it anyway-E Power Biggs -I love his recordings made on the Harvard Flentrop organ, it is clean as a whistle and although Biggs was not a romanticist, he’s playing was not wooden as many have accused him of being. My other comment is that the organ works of Duruflé sre all gems of the literature.

Thank you for your advise, Dave! Thank you!

Piet Kee made 3 excellent Bach organ CDs for Chandos back in the 90s. These are also a fine introduction to the important large works with a smattering of chorale preludes mixed in. Excellent sonics, superb instruments, exciting playing on all three. I occasionally suggest this as a good survey for beginning listeners.

Im an organist, (as you can see on my profile photo,) and i understand if people dont really like to listen to organ music. I also dont really listen to recordings, because even more than other instruments, (in my opinion) you have to experience it, (and i also dont listen really often because i have to listen myself mutiple hours every day😅). But i really love the sound of the organ. Especially the soft flutes or prestants. I prefer the soft sound above the huge organsound everyone know. But you are right that the organ itself are really important to make a piece sound good. For example, the organ im playing on the profile photo(the most famous organ in the world, the organ of the st Bavo in Haarlem) you can play every thing on it, Bach, Franck, Howells,(only problem is you dont have a swell on this organ) but to really enjoy Bach, you have to go to an organ like te one in Groningen, but there you can absolute not play francks music. And to hear Franck on it best, you have to go to a france organ, where it sound marvelous, but playing bach, nah. The exerpts you let us hear, are by the way, musically not correct.... The proportions of the tempos do not match what is written. I cannot really explain it in English.

A very helpful feature, and definitely agreed regards the Trio Sonatas. I’ve been doing quite a bit of comparing and Robert Quinney has the kind of clarity which I like, and nicely judged tempi.

have to make two separate comments about this subject First of all, keep up the valuable work you're doing. Informed, honest criticism is a must for intelligent listening. I feel the need however to comment on Helmut Walcha's contributions. Apparently a hard core no compromise s.o.b. personally (also blind) (One of my neighbors received the "secret handshake" full diploma after study with him--the first woman who ever earned it: according to her, his opinion of women was that they should stay in the kitchen and have babies.), Walcha's two sets of Bach (mono and stereo) seem to me to represent the best of what you espouse: absolute clarity of registration, technique, and depth of interpretation. For non-organ people, you may dive into this guy's work (and he did record other keyboard Bach besides organ music) to experience what I feel is his unique ability with the music: absolute faith in the composer's vision and an ability to project hair raising steady pulse through tempo--steadier than anybody I've ever heard (easily mistaken through casual listening as "stodgy"). I've listened to his recordings for almost 6 decades now, and I still listen to them and love 'em.

Great Video! I don't believe that the repertoire is that small besides from Bach considering that it's just one instrument that's rarely used in combination with an orchestra. You have tons of great works by Krebs, Karg-Elert, Reger, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, Jongen, Lübeck, etc not to mention the composers you already named but yes Bach outshines all of them by quality and quantity. I don't think I've ever seen an organ concert without Bach.

FYI: Marie-Claire Alain did make 3 Bach integrals… well... some of the works she did record even 4 times, iirc. Let's just say she kinda loved these works. Her first one was recorded in 1959-1967, in Denmark, Germany and Sweden. It was reissued in 2018 on Erato. The 2nd one was the one you showed, a very solid integral indeed. The 3rd was was recorded in the late 1980s and early 1990s, on gorgeous historic organs in Europe. Pity she left out the Neumeister chorales in that one though (they were labelled as genuine Bach works in 1985). I prefer Alain to Richter quite a lot, I find him way too stiff and mechanical. But, as we all know, that's personal.

For complete (or near complete) sets, my favorites are Andre Isoir and Helmuth Walcha (which you mentioned and I have). I believe Marie-Claire Alain recorded the Bach works 3 times (an analog set and 2 digital). Karl RIchter! He's one of my musical heroes for sure. I'm really tempted to get Peter Hurford's set...maybe.

Listeners wishing to delve farther into organ sound might want to check out the organ offerings on the Dabringhaus und Grimm label ("DG"): lots of newly renovated east German organs represented that were left in disrepair by the Soviets--Germans consider these instruments part of their national identity, and spent lots of money on them for the latest updates after 1989 for this purpose (for example: BIG spending on the beautiful sounding, BIG Arp Schnitger organ in Hamburg's St. Jacobi church). lots of not Bach on this label also Also check out the video organ Bach on "All of Bach" online from Holland for free streaming.

David: Maybe at some point you could do video reviews of Bach's Cello Suites and/or the Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin.

Hurford, my go to Bach man !

Attack of the mud creatures! LOL

It is possible to like organ music more perhaps than other kinds of music. Perhaps like the harpsichord which might be an acquired taste as well. I know what you mean about the waste of organ writing. I find it's more a case of finding the occasional gem of organ writing that is really outstanding. Which is perhaps the case with orchestral music or string quartets, too. And I know there are complaints about the mechanical sound of the organ, but there are times when the organ has an authority that you lose when an orchestra does it. I'm thinking of Vaughan - Williams' (yes, him again) organ sonata (I think it was a sonata) which he turned into an orchestral piece. Nice, but it really does lose something in doing that .

Dave since we are great Haydn admirers I pose the question Why have you not done a video of his - Piano Sonatas, Piano Trios, and Masses. Those 6 late masses are sublime and I really enjoy the p. trios. The sonatas well...I like Mozart's better. I know you are the only one that can do a thoughtful analysis......food for thought......

What about Buxtehude? He composed some excellent organ music and his complete work is available on Harmonia Mundi.

Max Reger rules!

Goldberg Variations: Which ones are the best? (Please no Glenn Gould suggestions) Where can I write to you not about a video you've have recorded?

you forgot Dietrich Buxtehude

"Dumping on Walcha"…? Sacrilege!!! Incidentally, for those with SACD players and 5.1 systems - organ music probably benefits from surround sound better than any other form of classical music, because you can mic it closer for clarity plus capture the resonance (which, let’s face it, is a designed-in factor of most organ music) in the rear channels. It's only when you try to crunch down an entire 360-degree environment into a rectangle in front of the listener that things get muddy.

Yes, church organs usually create a very muddy sound. If Bach was alive now, he would be using synthesizers. He was always state-of-the art, but only a few enlightened players like Cameron Carpenter use purely electronic instruments. It is a pity that the burnt Notre Dam organ will be restored as a pipe organ. The original builder, the innovative Cavaille-Coll, would find the choice to reject an infinitely better and cheaper electronic option, to be incomprehensible.