1979 Danion-Gonzalez organ at Beauvais Cathedral, France

Whether searching for your lover Shenandoah across the wide Missouri, or settling into a fountain reverie, showering in the South Pacific or praying by the River Jordan, this week’s Pipedreams focus is “liquid lyricism.” You’ll hear about splashing water nymphs, a bathtub songfest, elusive rainbows, and challenges to seafaring men. The music of Handel, Bach, Richard Rodgers, Louis Vierne, and even Chopin will provide a cooling array of aural aquatic images. From the banks of the Jordan to the mighty Rhine, whether in sunshine or moonlight, on Babylon’s shores or in the lively South Pacific, it’s not your normal organ program. From folk traditions to timeless classics, it’s all about Water Music, this week on Pipedreams.

It’s a game of getting-to-know-you. First a few notes, then some others and before you know it, we’re into a new adventure in sound. For hundreds of years, players have explored the limits of their instruments and of their own techniques in works that evolved from the sheer tactile pleasure of pushing down the keys and seeing what happens. Marius Monnekendam in the Netherlands, Robert Elmore in the United States, Girolamo Frescobaldi of Italy, J.S. Bach in Germany and many others have written some of their most exciting music following this scheme. Tactile and tantalizing, our program explores four hundred years of repertoire, instruments from three centuries, and the delights of things done by hand. Better than a good massage, with a tingling sensation guaranteed, we Reach out and Touch the Art of the Toccata, this week on Pipedreams.

It bides its time mostly on the sidelines, yet the humble harmonium has a story of its own. Before compact digital keyboards and synthesizers, the reed organ provided efficient accompaniment for worship and a colorful resource for entertainment in the home. It even had some moments of glory on the concert stage. This is not your grandmothers Estey but an unsung marvel with magic to share. Reed My Lips…music for the harmonium.

…in tribute to Olivier Messiaen on the centenary of his birth, a composite performance of one of his best-loved compositions, La Nativité du Seigneur, music inspired by the birth of Jesus.

…a second tribute to the famous blind French organist, master improviser and prolific composer, featuring performances and comments by his students, friends and wife.

…as prelude to the next Pipedreams Tour (May 23-June 4), this selection of instruments featured in our itinerary.

…a reflection on the life and work of the famous and well-travelled Belgian organist and composer, Flor Peeters (1903-1986).

…a selective quarterly sampling of recent organ recordings, with emphasis on the unusual and the unusually attractive. This potpourri covers a wide variety of musical types, performance styles, and organ-building attitudes, as displayed in discs of foreign and domestic vintage.