1987 Rosales organ at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Portland, Oregon

One of the delights about the organ is its virtually limitless repertoire, and this Pipedreams program explores some of that as we sample a collection of the latest releases of pipe organ repertoire on compact disc. Hear pieces by Bach’s favorite pupil, a work for organ and cello by written by one Paris Conservatoire professor for himself and a colleague, a canny combination of organ sound with an electronically synthesized harp, a quiet bluesy Arietta by African American pianist Thomas Kerr, and a sonorous symphony by Alexander Guilmant which will make your speakers rumble.

The pipe organ offers a player a rainbow of sonorous hues from which to draw, and while our next Pipedreams program exploits such opportunity, we also deal with a different facet of color. During the past century, composers such as William Grant Still, Thomas Kerr, Ulysses Kay, and Florence Price have made sizeable, if sometimes unheralded, contributions to the concert repertoire of the king of instruments. Whether in abstract visions or classical forms, responding to main-stream themes or spiritual influences, theirs is an important voice, as you’ll discover listening to a dozen remarkable works recorded by James Abbington, David Oliver, Mark Miller, Lucius Weathersby, Mickey Thomas Terry, and friends. Color me intrigued by the richness and variety of music for pipe organ by African American composers. Is it a paradox that we experience the full range of color In Black and White? The African American impulse, this week on Pipedreams.

Glimpses into the life and art of respected American teacher and recitalist David Craighead.

…share in humoresques, scherzos, fantasies and other compositions done up with a sense of fun and surprise. Who says the organ must always be so serious. It’s not all solemn processionals. The king of instruments does have a sense of humor, too, as you’ll discover on our next Pipedreams program, where wry wit, sardonic satire, and a general joviality prevail. Bill Albright’s nifty narration provides a key element, as do songs by Stephen Sondheim and Henry Mancini, scherzos and fantasies played in Souvigny and San Francisco, and a humerous hornpipe played in Sydney Australia. That’s but part of the fun. We’ll also sample concert instruments in Dallas and Yokoyama, theatre organs in Kansas and Arizona, and one of the finest French antiques from the 18th century, still capable of a big smile. Curious chords prove that the Joke is On Us - humoresques for organ, this week on Pipedreams.

…history has been slow to acknowledge the evidence that women composers have accomplished plenty.

…a celebration of composers and performers, in anticipation of International Women’s Day [observed on March 8].

…in anticipation of Women's Equality Day, a program to showcase women composers and organists.

…a bicentennial reflection upon the art of one of the most popular and powerful Parisian organists of the 19th century, Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wely (1817-1869).

…across the centuries, women composers have shared their exceptional creativity.

…a collection of terrifically tactile and telling tests of musical virtuosity and stamina.

An iconoclastic sampler of American-made compositions for the King of Instruments.

Contrasting emotional outburst with intimate radiance as we ring out the old year and ring in the new.

Women performers and composers make vital contributions to the tradition of the organ.

Varied splendid and vibrant settings of the perennially affirming hymn of praise, faith and celebration, a sonic spectacular!

An autumn survey of recent releases of organ music on compact disc.

Pieces for concert or entertainment which display the organ’s multiple personalities.