1982 Oberlinger organ at the Marktkirche [Market Church], Wiesbaden, Germany

What a challenge it must have been, growing up in the household of the world’s foremost organist, and knowing Dad expected you to follow in his footsteps. On our next Pipedreams broadcast, we’ll listen to the music of four of Johann Sebastian Bach’s most gifted offspring, each of them rising to the challenge with capability and individuality. From Wilhelm Friedemann’s quirky fugues to Carl Phillip Emmanuel’s Sonatas, the chamber music of Johann Christoph Friedrich, and the concertos of trail-blazer Johann Christian, you’ll be amazed at the craftsmanship so skillfully displayed by this most unique family. Like father like son? Well, almost, as you’ll discover when we compare the various musics of the four most talented Bach children with the example of their father. He set an incredible standard, which each boy worked hard to achieve in music Baroque and Beyond. It’s Sebastian and Sons, this week on Pipedreams.

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.

Old world resonances come together in new world experiences on this week’s show, it’s a discovery of colorful and unusual works on African-American themes. Noel DaCosta adapts Nigerian tunes in his Ukom Memory Songs for organ and percussion, Dezsö Antalffy transforms Black spirituals in a splendid solo fantasy from the 1930s, and Pulitzer Prize-winner George Walker evokes images of craggy heights in his new solo titled Spires. Mickey Thomas Terry provides personal glimpses to repertoire which juxtaposes light and shade with vivid result. Duke Ellington’s urbanaty, southern spirituals and Nigerian funeral chants all figure in our program of music on African American themes. We’re blending Black and White together, with colorful results, this week’s broadcast.

This week we take a listen to new recordings that represent an exceptional survey of four centuries of music.

Embellished by the pipe organ’s many colors, these compositions were inspired by African and Afro-American themes.

Poetic portraits and psalmists songs summon soothing images of lush summer fields and quiet times.

Unencumbered by the organ’s generally sober aspect, we let enthusiasm and optimism take the upper hand

…musical reflections on the nature of war, in observance of the 1918 Armistice, and in tribute to battle veterans of every stripe.

…whether in simple variations on a sacred hymn tune or complex counterpoint around a new-made melody, composers always respond to the lyric muse. This week we’ll listen to musical creations based on both familiar and newly formed tunes. One of the most common forms of composition for the King of Instruments, composers have frequently demonstrated their craftsmanship with these lyric morsels.

…special music from around the globe amplifies and illuminates the good tidings of Christmas.

…the old boys in northern Europe showed the way, and others later followed with extravagant compositions that explore the stylus phantasticus manner.

…some holiday melodies from other lands at first may seem strange or foreign, but their message of peace and joy is unmistakable.

…a time for celebration, reflection, and projection of expectations for the new season ahead.

…celebrate the birthdays of the two greatest German exponents of the pipe organ, only two days apart: Johann Sebastian Bach (March 21) and Max Reger (March 19).

…composers and performers from at home and abroad explore diverse compositions in celebration of the gift of Christmas.

…contrary to common opinion, the supposedly staid old pipe organ can, when it wishes, get down and boogie.

…though his pages often contain a tumult of notes, Max Reger's compositions also encompass magical moments of reflection and compassion.

…some engaging confections, several of them ‘invented in the moment’, add to our enjoyment of this special time of year.

…two celebrated 20th century masters, Marcel Duprè and Max Reger, left sets of seven characterful works that convey the many mercurial moods of the King of Instruments.

…a good theme in a set of variations provides organists and composers exceptional opportunities to explore the tonal resources of any instrument.

…these recent releases embrace intriguing repertoire covering six centuries.