This film looks at the early life and training of Charles-Marie Widor, and examines his development as a composer in the context of the composers who immediately preceded him.

Historian Christoph Wolff and American organist George Ritchie discuss Bach’s Art of Fugue. They consider how it came to be written, and some of the issues around a performance of the piece.

A film by Fugue State Films exploring the life of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll, the greatest organ builder of the 19th century and also probably the most famous of all organ builders. Creator of such instruments as those in St Sulpice, Paris, and St Ouen, Rouen, he devised a new way of building organs that led directly to the development of the French Romantic school of organ composition.

This documentary by Fugue State Films charts the development of organ-building in the Netherlands through the 500-year organ history of the Laurenskerk in Alkmaar, a church that includes both an organ from 1511 by Jan van Covelens as well as the world-famous 1646 van Hagerbeer instrument, updated in 1723 by Frans Caspar Schnitger.

Stéphane Mottoul improvises two pieces in the Early Romantic style and discusses the typical structure and harmonic progressions for this music, and comments on how to create a suitable registration scheme.

Tom Bell continues his video diary around the preparation of the organ works of Olivier Messiaen for performance, now looking at Messiaen’s organ music more widely.

In this second film in a series of short films on improvisation, Stéphane Mottoul, Organist at the Hofkirche, Lucerne, continues work on improvising a partita in Baroque style based on a hymn tune.

Stéphane Mottoul, Organist at the Hofkirche, Lucerne, explains how to improvise a partita in Baroque style based on a hymn tune. He begins by discussing the harmonisation of the hymn melody, and then explains how to construct three variations using the hymn tune as a basis: a ricercar, a trio chorale, and a chorale with figurations. 

Organists Daniel Moult and Martin Schmeding provide an introduction to the issues surrounding the nature, history and performance practice of Bach’s organ works. They discuss the philosophical as well as musical arguments around how we should play Bach today, demonstrating on organs in Central Germany of Bach’s time.