j. s. bach

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK PMS#

Job#

Pg. 12 Pg. 1

J. S. BachConcerto Transcriptions

J o a n L i p p i n c o t t , o r g a n

Paul Fritts OrganOpus 20 (2000)Princeton Theological SeminaryGothic Records G-49275 www.gothic-catalog.com

Joan Lippincott seatedat the organ in thechapel at Notre Dame.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK PMS#Job#

FRONT

Pg. 2 Pg. 11

2

Concerto Transcriptions

Concerto in G Major, BWV 5921 (Allegro)2 Grave3 Presto

Concerto in A Minor, BWV 5934 (Allegro)5 Adagio6 Allegro

Concerto in D Minor, BWV 5967 (Allegro)8 Grave - Fuga9 Largo e spiccato10 (Allegro)

Concerto in C Major, BWV 594 (‘Great Mogul’)11 (Allegro)12 Recitativo Adagio13 Allegro

Concerto in C Major, BWV 59514 (Allegro)

Concerto in A Minor, BWV 1065, transcribed by Joan Lippincott15 (Allegro)16 Largo17 Allegro

18 Allabreve in D Major, BWV 589

Total Time

3:222:082:00

4:123:264:08

1:063:562:393:14

7:393:038:46

4:03

4:332:034:27

7:03

71:53

Executive producer: Roger W. ShermanRecording Engineer: Roger W. ShermanDigital Editing and Mastering: Bill Levey and Roger W. ShermanPhoto of Joan Lippincott by Donna E. Meneley

Recorded: October 27-29, 2004Booklet editor: Keith WhitakerGraphic design: Keith Whitaker

Catalog Number: G-49275 o &r 2010 by Loft Recordings, LLC All Rights Reserved


Job#

FRONT

Pg. 10 Pg. 3

310

THE ARTIST THE MUSIC

J.S. BACH:THE CONCERTO TRANSCRIPTIONS

Johann Sebastian Bach’s stay inWeimar as Court Organist to DukesWilhelm Ernst and Ernst August has beendescribed as the golden period of hisorgan writing. There is certainly truth tothis, for his tenure in Weimar (1708-1717)directly followed his initial organist posi-tions in Arnstadt (1703-1707) andMühlhausen (1707-1708), during whichhe cut his teeth in organ playing andcomposition. In Arnstadt and Mühlhausenhe produced “the first fruits of his effortsat organ composition,” as the writers ofhis obituary later put it. In Weimar, hisorgan writing reached maturity, and itwas there that he wrote most of the worksthat established his reputation as thegreatest organist and organ composer ofall time: the Orgelbüchlein (“The LittleOrgan Book”), the first versions of the“Great Eighteen” Chorales, the bulk of hislarge preludes and fugues, and the con-

certo transcriptions heard on the presentrecording. The success of these pieces andthe brilliance of Bach’s playing attractedstudents and brought invitations to testand inaugurate new organs in neighboringtowns. Indeed, it was during this time thatword began to spread throughoutGermany about the organ virtuoso fromThuringia.

Bach was encouraged in these activi-ties by his principal employer, WilhelmErnst, a great lover of organ music.Moreover, he had at his disposal an organof sufficient (if not luxurious) resourceslocated in the magnificent space of theCourt Chapel. There were still other rea-sons that his talents flourished in Weimar,however. The first was the presence of hiscousin Johann Gottfried Walther, organistof the City Church of St. Peter and St. Paullocated just across town from the courtcomplex. Walther was also an organist ofconsiderable skill, and his settings ofchorale melodies and his transcriptions ofinstrumental concertos clearly spurredfriendly competition with Bach. Walther’s

Joan Lippincott performs extensively in the United States under Karen McFarlaneArtists and has toured throughout Europe and Canada. A graduate of Westminster ChoirCollege and The Curtis Institute of Music, Dr. Lippincott was Principal University Organistat Princeton University, 1993-2000, and for many years has been Professor of Organ atWestminster Choir College.

October of 2010 marks Joan Lippincott’s 30th year of recordings on Gothic Records.


FRONT

Pg. 4 Pg. 9

4

wide-ranging interests in music (he laterpublished one of the most importantGerman music dictionaries of the time, theMusical Lexicon of 1732) and his exten-sive library of German, French, and Italianmusic opened new vistas for the ever-curious Bach.

A second catalyst in Weimar was thepresence of Prince Johann Ernst, theyoung nephew of Wilhelm Ernst. Ernst, agifted violinist and keyboard player, stud-ied composition with Walther and ownedan extensive library of contemporaryinstrumental music. The Prince traveledfrequently in Europe to hear new musicand purchase copies for his collection, andit was on a trip to the low countries in thespring of 1713 that he brought back tothe court a large quantity of printed musicthat seems to have included AntonioVivaldi’s latest set of violin concertos,L’Estro armonico (“The Harmonic Whim”),op. 3, of 1711.

Bach’s encounter with Vivaldi’s con-certos, courtesy of Johann Ernst, was alife-changing experience. Vivaldi’s com-pelling instrumental idiom with its incisivethemes, clear harmonic direction, stronglywrought forms, and motor rhythmsoffered Bach an attractive alternative to

the North-German style that he hadespoused in his early works, and it was notlong before his organ compositions beganto take on Vivaldian features. And in whatappears to have been a friendly competi-tion, Bach and Walther arranged a seriesof fashionable instrumental concertos byVivaldi, Johann Ernst, and other progres-sive composers for organ and harpsichord,producing a body of transcriptions thattestifies to an unusually exciting period oforgan playing and composition in Weimar.

Johann Ernst died prematurely in1715 at the age of nineteen, and it is pos-sible that Bach and Walther intended theirtranscriptions as gifts to the Prince duringhis lifetime or as memorial tributes afterhis death. On the present recording organ-ist Joan Lippincott performs Bach’s fivesurviving concerto transcriptions fororgan, two of works by Johann Ernst andthree of works by Vivaldi. She also addsfor good measure her own transcription ofBach’s four-harpsichord arrangement ofVivaldi’s Concerto in B Minor for FourViolins, Strings, and Continuo as well asthe Allabreve in D Major, BWV 589, Bach’stranscription-like homage to theRenaissance vocal motet.

9

GREATBourdon 16’Principal 8’Rohrflöte 8’Quintadena 8’Octav 4’Spitzflöte 4’Quint 2-2/3’Octav 2’Tierce 1-3/5’Mixtur IV-VIScharff III-VTrompet 8’Trompet 4’Bärpfeife 8’

SWELLPrincipal 8’Gedackt 8’Violdigamba 8’Voix celeste 8’Octav 4’Koppelflöte 4’Nasat 2-2/3’Octav 2’Gemshorn 2’Terz 1-3/5’Mixtur IV-VIDulcian 16’Trompet 8’Hautbois 8’

PEDALPrincipal 16’Subbass 16’Octave 8’Bourdon 8’Octave 4’Nachthorn 2’Mixtur VI-VIIIPosaune 16’Trompet 8’Trompet 4’Cornet 2’

Suspended key action •Mechanical stop action with pre-set systemVariable Tremulant •Wind Stabilizer • Tierce (I rank for Swell Mixture)

Cimbelstern • Vogelgesang •Manual wind supply option • Kellner temperament

THE JOE R. ENGLE ORGANBuilt by Paul Fritts and Company Organ Builders, Opus 20 (2000)

Miller Chapel, Princeton Theological Seminary

THE ORGAN


Job#

FRONT

Pg. 8 Pg. 5

The Concerto in G Major, BWV 592,is a transcription of Johann Ernst’sConcerto in G Major for Violin, Strings,and Continuo, a work that Bach also tran-scribed for solo harpsichord, BWV 592a.Ernst’s concerto survives as a set of hand-written instrumental parts, and a compar-ison of the original music and the organarrangement shows that Bach tightenedand improved the score as he transferred

it to the organ. The music follows the tra-ditional three-movement sequence of theLate Baroque Concerto: Fast—Slow—Fast.In the opening movement Bach assignsthe solo violin episodes to the Rückpositiv,or secondary manual, and the tutti sec-tions to the Oberwerk, or primary manual,and Pedal. At times he calls for doublepedal, taking both viola and continuoparts with the feet in order to free thehands for the two violin lines. In the Gravemiddle movement a forte unison themeframes a melodic central section. And inthe Presto finale, which like the firstmovement capitalizes on the alternationof a tutti ritornello theme and episodicsegments, Bach adorns the music with32nd-note scalar flourishes here and thereto further animate the score.

The Concerto in A Minor, BWV 593,is a transcription of the Concerto in AMinor for Two Violins, Strings, andContinuo, RV 522, from Vivaldi’s L’Estroarmonico. Bach arranged the concerto fortwo manuals and pedal, assigning thetutti sections to the Oberwerk and thesolo violin sections to the Rückpositiv,much in the manner of the Johann Ernsttranscriptions. He also enriched the tex-ture everywhere, adding new counterpoint

58

Gottfried Bernhard, who were all giftedkeyboard players. The work would havebeen performed before an audience ofcoffee-drinking, tobacco-smoking patronsat Zimmermann’s Coffee House in Leipzig,as part of Bach’s weekly concerts with theUniversity Collegium Musicum. On thepresent recording, Joan Lippincott playsher own organ transcription of Bach’s col-legium arrangement, aptly demonstratingthe versatility of this extraordinary music.

In the opening movement tutti seg-ments of the four harpsichords and stringsalternate with solo segments pairing theharpsichords in different combinations. Inthe middle Adagio, short segments ofmusic in dotted rhythm frame a middlesection based on arpeggios in the harpsi-chords. In the spirited finale tutti passgesalternate with solo episodes once again,this time within the context of a dynamicdance in 6/8 meter.

Joan Lippincott concludes herrecording with the Allabreve in D Major,BWV 589, Bach’s homage to theRenaissance vocal style of Palestrina. Theallabreve meter, the conjunct white-notetheme, the numerous suspensions, and theseamless forward motion all point toRenaissance rather than Baroque writing.

Also typical of early vocal music is thetightening of the imitative entries, orstretto, towards the end. There is nothingelse quite like the Allabreve in Bach’s oeu-vre. As a vocal motet written for theorgan, it is a unicum, and it is possiblethat Bach composed it during the last twodecades of his life, when he was intenselyinvolved with the study of Latin-textedchurch music from the Renaissance Era.

The Allabreve, like the concerto tran-scriptions, once again shows Bach as thesupreme master of organ arrangements,be they of popular instrumental concertosor of a cappella church music.

George B. Stauffer

Mason Gross School of the Arts

Rutgers University


FRONT

Pg. 6 Pg. 7

to Vivaldi’s lines. The ingenuity of Bach’sadaptation is present everywhere, fromthe inventive and carefully notated manu-al changes of the first and third move-ments to the inversion of Vivaldi’s motivesin the middle movement to make the orig-inal parts more playable on a keyboard. Inthe final Allegro Bach utilizes doublepedal once again, assigning the unisonline of violins 3 and 4 of Vivaldi’s score tothe right foot and the continuo part to theleft foot. The two hands play the solo vio-lin parts. The boldness of this passagemust have greatly impressed Bach’s listen-ers, for there was nothing quite like it inthe organ repertory before this work.

No less magnificent is the Concertoin D Minor, BWV 596, a transcription ofVivaldi’s Concerto in D Minor for TwoViolins, Cello, Strings, and Continuo, RV565, from L’Estro armonico, once again. Itsformal design is somewhat different fromthat of the A-Minor Concerto: a 32-mea-sure-long Allegro introduction leads to a3-measure Grave bridge, which is followedby an extended and commanding fugue.This leads to a slow movement, Large espicatto (slow and unslurred), and anAllegro finale. Bach once again showsremarkable invention in adapting Vivalid’s

instrumental score to the keyboard. In theAllegro introduction, for instance, henotates the opening solo violin lines anoctave lower than written on separatekeyboards, Oberwerk and Brustpositiv,with a 4’ Principal stop on each. In thisway he was able to include the critical topnote d’’’, which was not available at 8’pitch on his Weimar organ (the manualsextended only to c’’’). Under the two violinlines Bach adds a pulsating solo pedalpoint that does not exist in Vivaldi’s score.It serves to ground the harmony andincrease the dramatic tension of theopening. Just as inventive is Bach’s call fora change of registration on the Oberwerkand Pedal during the course of the intro-duction—a procedure that could be carriedout smoothly only with the aid of anassistant. While the fugue that follows isperformed on one manual throughoutwith the full organ, the concluding Allegrocalls for the type of rapid manual changesfound in the A-Minor Concerto and theJohann Ernst transcriptions. So impressivewas the D-Minor Concerto arrangementthat Bach’s oldest son WilhelmFriedemann claimed the music as his ownon the original score. It was accepted assuch until 1911, when a comparison with

6 7

Vivaldi’s L’Estro armonico revealed the truesource of the music.

The Concerto in C Major, BWV 594,after Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major forViolin, Strings, and Continuo, RV 208,known as the “Great Mogul,” is less fre-quently performed than the A-Minor andD-Minor Concerto arrangements. This isdue in large part to the single-line effectsthat work well only in a space with rever-berant acoustics. In addition, Bachappears to have chosen as his model anearly manuscript version of the concerto,RV 208a, that includes extended single-line cadenzas in movements 1 and 3 (thecadenza for movement 3, which occursjust before the short closing tutti, is 93measures long!) and a middle movementthat differs from that of Vivaldi’s printedscore in opus 7 of 1720. The cadenzas mayrepresent an addition by Bach’s friend andcolleague Johann Georg Pisendel, concert-master of the Dresden Court orchestra.

Despite these eccentricities, Bach’sorgan arrangement creates a great effect,capturing and heightening, through adroitmanual changes, the exotic nature ofVivaldi’s score. The opening and closingmovements are animated ritornello forms.The middle movement, marked “Recitativo

Adagio,” consists of a rhythmically free,florid cantilena melody against simpleaccompanimental chords.

The Concerto in C Major, BWV 595,is a transcription of the first movement ofa lost instrumental concerto by PrinceJohann Ernst. The concerto is also mir-rored in full three-movement form inBach’s harpsichord arrangement, BWV984. The most prominent feature of theorgan transcription is Bach’s generous useof manual change to highlight the dynam-ic contrast between tutti and solo pas-sages. Indeed, during the course of thepiece’s eighty-one measures Bach asks theplayer to switch keyboards sixty times—more than in any of his other organ works.The result is an exhilarating, if technicallychallenging, organ arrangement.

Some twenty years after crafting theWeimar organ transcriptions Bachreturned to Vivaldi’s L’Estro armonico col-lection, arranging the Concerto in B Minorfor Four Violins, Strings, and Continuo, RV580, as the Concerto in A Minor for FourHarpsichords and Strings, BWV 1065.Bach most probably created this harpsi-chord extravaganza for himself and histhree oldest sons, Wilhelm Friedemann,Carl Philipp Emanual, and Johann


Job#

FRONT

Pg. 6 Pg. 7

to Vivaldi’s lines. The ingenuity of Bach’sadaptation is present everywhere, fromthe inventive and carefully notated manu-al changes of the first and third move-ments to the inversion of Vivaldi’s motivesin the middle movement to make the orig-inal parts more playable on a keyboard. Inthe final Allegro Bach utilizes doublepedal once again, assigning the unisonline of violins 3 and 4 of Vivaldi’s score tothe right foot and the continuo part to theleft foot. The two hands play the solo vio-lin parts. The boldness of this passagemust have greatly impressed Bach’s listen-ers, for there was nothing quite like it inthe organ repertory before this work.

No less magnificent is the Concertoin D Minor, BWV 596, a transcription ofVivaldi’s Concerto in D Minor for TwoViolins, Cello, Strings, and Continuo, RV565, from L’Estro armonico, once again. Itsformal design is somewhat different fromthat of the A-Minor Concerto: a 32-mea-sure-long Allegro introduction leads to a3-measure Grave bridge, which is followedby an extended and commanding fugue.This leads to a slow movement, Large espicatto (slow and unslurred), and anAllegro finale. Bach once again showsremarkable invention in adapting Vivalid’s

instrumental score to the keyboard. In theAllegro introduction, for instance, henotates the opening solo violin lines anoctave lower than written on separatekeyboards, Oberwerk and Brustpositiv,with a 4’ Principal stop on each. In thisway he was able to include the critical topnote d’’’, which was not available at 8’pitch on his Weimar organ (the manualsextended only to c’’’). Under the two violinlines Bach adds a pulsating solo pedalpoint that does not exist in Vivaldi’s score.It serves to ground the harmony andincrease the dramatic tension of theopening. Just as inventive is Bach’s call fora change of registration on the Oberwerkand Pedal during the course of the intro-duction—a procedure that could be carriedout smoothly only with the aid of anassistant. While the fugue that follows isperformed on one manual throughoutwith the full organ, the concluding Allegrocalls for the type of rapid manual changesfound in the A-Minor Concerto and theJohann Ernst transcriptions. So impressivewas the D-Minor Concerto arrangementthat Bach’s oldest son WilhelmFriedemann claimed the music as his ownon the original score. It was accepted assuch until 1911, when a comparison with

6 7

Vivaldi’s L’Estro armonico revealed the truesource of the music.

The Concerto in C Major, BWV 594,after Vivaldi’s Concerto in D Major forViolin, Strings, and Continuo, RV 208,known as the “Great Mogul,” is less fre-quently performed than the A-Minor andD-Minor Concerto arrangements. This isdue in large part to the single-line effectsthat work well only in a space with rever-berant acoustics. In addition, Bachappears to have chosen as his model anearly manuscript version of the concerto,RV 208a, that includes extended single-line cadenzas in movements 1 and 3 (thecadenza for movement 3, which occursjust before the short closing tutti, is 93measures long!) and a middle movementthat differs from that of Vivaldi’s printedscore in opus 7 of 1720. The cadenzas mayrepresent an addition by Bach’s friend andcolleague Johann Georg Pisendel, concert-master of the Dresden Court orchestra.

Despite these eccentricities, Bach’sorgan arrangement creates a great effect,capturing and heightening, through adroitmanual changes, the exotic nature ofVivaldi’s score. The opening and closingmovements are animated ritornello forms.The middle movement, marked “Recitativo

Adagio,” consists of a rhythmically free,florid cantilena melody against simpleaccompanimental chords.

The Concerto in C Major, BWV 595,is a transcription of the first movement ofa lost instrumental concerto by PrinceJohann Ernst. The concerto is also mir-rored in full three-movement form inBach’s harpsichord arrangement, BWV984. The most prominent feature of theorgan transcription is Bach’s generous useof manual change to highlight the dynam-ic contrast between tutti and solo pas-sages. Indeed, during the course of thepiece’s eighty-one measures Bach asks theplayer to switch keyboards sixty times—more than in any of his other organ works.The result is an exhilarating, if technicallychallenging, organ arrangement.

Some twenty years after crafting theWeimar organ transcriptions Bachreturned to Vivaldi’s L’Estro armonico col-lection, arranging the Concerto in B Minorfor Four Violins, Strings, and Continuo, RV580, as the Concerto in A Minor for FourHarpsichords and Strings, BWV 1065.Bach most probably created this harpsi-chord extravaganza for himself and histhree oldest sons, Wilhelm Friedemann,Carl Philipp Emanual, and Johann


FRONT

Pg. 8 Pg. 5

The Concerto in G Major, BWV 592,is a transcription of Johann Ernst’sConcerto in G Major for Violin, Strings,and Continuo, a work that Bach also tran-scribed for solo harpsichord, BWV 592a.Ernst’s concerto survives as a set of hand-written instrumental parts, and a compar-ison of the original music and the organarrangement shows that Bach tightenedand improved the score as he transferred

it to the organ. The music follows the tra-ditional three-movement sequence of theLate Baroque Concerto: Fast—Slow—Fast.In the opening movement Bach assignsthe solo violin episodes to the Rückpositiv,or secondary manual, and the tutti sec-tions to the Oberwerk, or primary manual,and Pedal. At times he calls for doublepedal, taking both viola and continuoparts with the feet in order to free thehands for the two violin lines. In the Gravemiddle movement a forte unison themeframes a melodic central section. And inthe Presto finale, which like the firstmovement capitalizes on the alternationof a tutti ritornello theme and episodicsegments, Bach adorns the music with32nd-note scalar flourishes here and thereto further animate the score.

The Concerto in A Minor, BWV 593,is a transcription of the Concerto in AMinor for Two Violins, Strings, andContinuo, RV 522, from Vivaldi’s L’Estroarmonico. Bach arranged the concerto fortwo manuals and pedal, assigning thetutti sections to the Oberwerk and thesolo violin sections to the Rückpositiv,much in the manner of the Johann Ernsttranscriptions. He also enriched the tex-ture everywhere, adding new counterpoint

58

Gottfried Bernhard, who were all giftedkeyboard players. The work would havebeen performed before an audience ofcoffee-drinking, tobacco-smoking patronsat Zimmermann’s Coffee House in Leipzig,as part of Bach’s weekly concerts with theUniversity Collegium Musicum. On thepresent recording, Joan Lippincott playsher own organ transcription of Bach’s col-legium arrangement, aptly demonstratingthe versatility of this extraordinary music.

In the opening movement tutti seg-ments of the four harpsichords and stringsalternate with solo segments pairing theharpsichords in different combinations. Inthe middle Adagio, short segments ofmusic in dotted rhythm frame a middlesection based on arpeggios in the harpsi-chords. In the spirited finale tutti passgesalternate with solo episodes once again,this time within the context of a dynamicdance in 6/8 meter.

Joan Lippincott concludes herrecording with the Allabreve in D Major,BWV 589, Bach’s homage to theRenaissance vocal style of Palestrina. Theallabreve meter, the conjunct white-notetheme, the numerous suspensions, and theseamless forward motion all point toRenaissance rather than Baroque writing.

Also typical of early vocal music is thetightening of the imitative entries, orstretto, towards the end. There is nothingelse quite like the Allabreve in Bach’s oeu-vre. As a vocal motet written for theorgan, it is a unicum, and it is possiblethat Bach composed it during the last twodecades of his life, when he was intenselyinvolved with the study of Latin-textedchurch music from the Renaissance Era.

The Allabreve, like the concerto tran-scriptions, once again shows Bach as thesupreme master of organ arrangements,be they of popular instrumental concertosor of a cappella church music.

George B. Stauffer

Mason Gross School of the Arts

Rutgers University


Job#

FRONT

Pg. 4 Pg. 9

4

wide-ranging interests in music (he laterpublished one of the most importantGerman music dictionaries of the time, theMusical Lexicon of 1732) and his exten-sive library of German, French, and Italianmusic opened new vistas for the ever-curious Bach.

A second catalyst in Weimar was thepresence of Prince Johann Ernst, theyoung nephew of Wilhelm Ernst. Ernst, agifted violinist and keyboard player, stud-ied composition with Walther and ownedan extensive library of contemporaryinstrumental music. The Prince traveledfrequently in Europe to hear new musicand purchase copies for his collection, andit was on a trip to the low countries in thespring of 1713 that he brought back tothe court a large quantity of printed musicthat seems to have included AntonioVivaldi’s latest set of violin concertos,L’Estro armonico (“The Harmonic Whim”),op. 3, of 1711.

Bach’s encounter with Vivaldi’s con-certos, courtesy of Johann Ernst, was alife-changing experience. Vivaldi’s com-pelling instrumental idiom with its incisivethemes, clear harmonic direction, stronglywrought forms, and motor rhythmsoffered Bach an attractive alternative to

the North-German style that he hadespoused in his early works, and it was notlong before his organ compositions beganto take on Vivaldian features. And in whatappears to have been a friendly competi-tion, Bach and Walther arranged a seriesof fashionable instrumental concertos byVivaldi, Johann Ernst, and other progres-sive composers for organ and harpsichord,producing a body of transcriptions thattestifies to an unusually exciting period oforgan playing and composition in Weimar.

Johann Ernst died prematurely in1715 at the age of nineteen, and it is pos-sible that Bach and Walther intended theirtranscriptions as gifts to the Prince duringhis lifetime or as memorial tributes afterhis death. On the present recording organ-ist Joan Lippincott performs Bach’s fivesurviving concerto transcriptions fororgan, two of works by Johann Ernst andthree of works by Vivaldi. She also addsfor good measure her own transcription ofBach’s four-harpsichord arrangement ofVivaldi’s Concerto in B Minor for FourViolins, Strings, and Continuo as well asthe Allabreve in D Major, BWV 589, Bach’stranscription-like homage to theRenaissance vocal motet.

9

GREATBourdon 16’Principal 8’Rohrflöte 8’Quintadena 8’Octav 4’Spitzflöte 4’Quint 2-2/3’Octav 2’Tierce 1-3/5’Mixtur IV-VIScharff III-VTrompet 8’Trompet 4’Bärpfeife 8’

SWELLPrincipal 8’Gedackt 8’Violdigamba 8’Voix celeste 8’Octav 4’Koppelflöte 4’Nasat 2-2/3’Octav 2’Gemshorn 2’Terz 1-3/5’Mixtur IV-VIDulcian 16’Trompet 8’Hautbois 8’

PEDALPrincipal 16’Subbass 16’Octave 8’Bourdon 8’Octave 4’Nachthorn 2’Mixtur VI-VIIIPosaune 16’Trompet 8’Trompet 4’Cornet 2’

Suspended key action •Mechanical stop action with pre-set systemVariable Tremulant •Wind Stabilizer • Tierce (I rank for Swell Mixture)

Cimbelstern • Vogelgesang •Manual wind supply option • Kellner temperament

THE JOE R. ENGLE ORGANBuilt by Paul Fritts and Company Organ Builders, Opus 20 (2000)

Miller Chapel, Princeton Theological Seminary

THE ORGAN


FRONT

Pg. 10 Pg. 3

310

THE ARTIST THE MUSIC

J.S. BACH:THE CONCERTO TRANSCRIPTIONS

Johann Sebastian Bach’s stay inWeimar as Court Organist to DukesWilhelm Ernst and Ernst August has beendescribed as the golden period of hisorgan writing. There is certainly truth tothis, for his tenure in Weimar (1708-1717)directly followed his initial organist posi-tions in Arnstadt (1703-1707) andMühlhausen (1707-1708), during whichhe cut his teeth in organ playing andcomposition. In Arnstadt and Mühlhausenhe produced “the first fruits of his effortsat organ composition,” as the writers ofhis obituary later put it. In Weimar, hisorgan writing reached maturity, and itwas there that he wrote most of the worksthat established his reputation as thegreatest organist and organ composer ofall time: the Orgelbüchlein (“The LittleOrgan Book”), the first versions of the“Great Eighteen” Chorales, the bulk of hislarge preludes and fugues, and the con-

certo transcriptions heard on the presentrecording. The success of these pieces andthe brilliance of Bach’s playing attractedstudents and brought invitations to testand inaugurate new organs in neighboringtowns. Indeed, it was during this time thatword began to spread throughoutGermany about the organ virtuoso fromThuringia.

Bach was encouraged in these activi-ties by his principal employer, WilhelmErnst, a great lover of organ music.Moreover, he had at his disposal an organof sufficient (if not luxurious) resourceslocated in the magnificent space of theCourt Chapel. There were still other rea-sons that his talents flourished in Weimar,however. The first was the presence of hiscousin Johann Gottfried Walther, organistof the City Church of St. Peter and St. Paullocated just across town from the courtcomplex. Walther was also an organist ofconsiderable skill, and his settings ofchorale melodies and his transcriptions ofinstrumental concertos clearly spurredfriendly competition with Bach. Walther’s

Joan Lippincott performs extensively in the United States under Karen McFarlaneArtists and has toured throughout Europe and Canada. A graduate of Westminster ChoirCollege and The Curtis Institute of Music, Dr. Lippincott was Principal University Organistat Princeton University, 1993-2000, and for many years has been Professor of Organ atWestminster Choir College.

October of 2010 marks Joan Lippincott’s 30th year of recordings on Gothic Records.


Job#

FRONT

Pg. 2 Pg. 11

2

Concerto Transcriptions








Total Time

3:222:082:00

4:123:264:08

1:063:562:393:14

7:393:038:46

4:03

4:332:034:27

7:03

71:53

Executive producer: Roger W. ShermanRecording Engineer: Roger W. ShermanDigital Editing and Mastering: Bill Levey and Roger W. ShermanPhoto of Joan Lippincott by Donna E. Meneley

Recorded: October 27-29, 2004Booklet editor: Keith WhitakerGraphic design: Keith Whitaker

Catalog Number: G-49275 o &r 2010 by Loft Recordings, LLC All Rights Reserved


Pg. 12 Pg. 1

J. S. BachConcerto Transcriptions

J o a n L i p p i n c o t t , o r g a n

Paul Fritts OrganOpus 20 (2000)Princeton Theological SeminaryGothic Records G-49275 www.gothic-catalog.com

Joan Lippincott seatedat the organ in thechapel at Notre Dame.

CYAN MAGENTA YELLOW BLACK PMS#Jo

b#

OUTSIDE

J. S. Bach Concerto TranscriptionsJ o a n L i p p i n c o t t , o r g a n

Gothic Recordswww.gothic-catalog.com

G49

275

BA

CH

CO

NC

ER

TO

TR

AN

SC

RIP

TIO

NS

Joan

Lipp

inco

ttG

49275B

AC

HC

ON

CE

RT

OT

RA

NS

CR

IPT

ION

SJoan

Lippincott

G 49275








Total Time

3:222:082:00

4:123:264:08

1:063:562:393:14

7:393:038:46

4:03

4:332:034:27

7:03

71:53

j. s. bach

Documents