— Organists and Organ Playing —

Half and half

August 5, 2013
No, not this kind of half and half!
No, not this kind of half and half!

You probably guessed it, when I say “Half and half” I’m not referring to a beverage that we in the United States call that liquid which is half milk and half cream. I’m instead referring to how I’m going to play Bach’s Great Eighteen Chorales on August 18 and 25.

A number of people have asked me, “Are both programs the same?” I have to explain that these pieces are very long — some as long as 8 minutes each. Although some organists have performed these all in one sitting, I personally think it makes for too long of a program, especially since we are having the four-part chorales sung ahead of each piece.

I struggled to decide how to divide the program, and I was especially challenged to find that nine of the pieces are either in G major or G minor! I also wanted to vary textures, moods and colors of the organ. So this is what I came up with:

The Great Eighteen Chorales, August 18, 25
The Great Eighteen Chorales, August 18, 25

Sunday, August 18, 2013 † 2:00 pm
Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott BWV 651
Komm, Heiliger Geist, Herre Gott BWV 652
Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend BWV 655
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 659
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 660
Nun komm, der Heiden Heiland BWV 661
Von Gott will ich nicht lassen BWV 658
Schmücke dich, o liebe Seele BWV 654
Komm, Gott Schöpfer, Heiliger Geist BWV 667

Sunday, August 25, 2013 † 2:00 pm
Nun danket alle Gott BWV 657
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr BWV 662
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr BWV 663
Allein Gott in der Höh sei Ehr BWV 664
O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig BWV 656
An Wasserflüssen Babylon BWV 653
Vor deinen Thron BWV 668
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland BWV 666
Jesus Christus, unser Heiland BWV 665

Each concert will be just slightly over an hour since there will be no intermission. The unusual 2:00 hour (well, unusual for Honolulu, anyway) is due to the fact that a number of the singers have another commitment the afternoon of August 18th to sing Evensong at St. Andrew’s Cathedral. But hey! the Philadelphia Orchestra holds their Sunday afternoon concerts at 2:00 pm, so we thought we’d give this showtime a try.

By the way, in case you’re interested, half and half can also refer to a mixture of white wine and champagne (Belgium), ale and lager (Australia), lemonade and iced tea (also called an “Arnold Palmer”), half chips and half rice (South Wales) or even cheese fondue with two types of cheeses (Switzerland).

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