Ten Christmas Organ Voluntaries

For this Organ concluding voluntary Hugh Blair choose two carols that sound authentically old and one A Virgin Unspotted which dates from the 17th century. The short piece includes a delightful reworking of God Rest You Merry Gentlemen and a gently rocking Good King Wenceslas in 6/8. Hugh Blair was an English Organist conductor and composer of some perspicacity. Elgar’s cantata The Black Knight is dedicated to Blair who conducted its first performance in 1893 during the time when Elgar was gradually building his reputation through the Midlands Choral festivals. He also asked the composer to write an Organ voluntary to whichElgar responded with his first Organ Sonata. Blair is best known for his Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis which are still performed.

The Library Of Baroque Music is an enormously expansive collection of the greatest works produced during that prolific period that flourished between the Renaissance and Classical eras. All arranged for solo Piano, this volume features works drawn from all the major Baroque composers, including some of the greatest pieces of music ever composed. The progression and development of music during the Baroque period can be heard in these pieces, providing you not only with a window into musical history, but also many exciting additions to your repertoire. The retrospective 'Baroque' label was applied to a diverse range of European compositions-often combining a spirit of experimentation with elaborate new musical structures. Dominated primarily by the Harpsichord and Organ, this period also saw the rise and development of larger-scale forms such as the concerto and oratorio. This superb volume is comprised of Keyboard and ensemble works from all the major Baroque composers, arranged for Piano. Featuring Arne, Boyce, Buxtehude, Corelli, Couperin, Gibbons, Lully, Pachelbel, Purcell, Rameau and Vivaldi, the composers here include some of the most respected and revered figures in musical history. The Library Of Baroque Music spans compositions of many of these masters, ranging from Frescobaldi in the early 1600s to Pergolesi a century later, and the famous three - J.S. Bach, Handel and Domenico Scarlatti.Baroque music, so called for its ornateness, was characterised by a bold exploration of counterpoint and new harmonic possibilities. This was variously expressed through the work of perhaps fifty or so major European composers. By the time Baroque began to segue into a new Classical period around 1750 it had already irrevocably changed and expanded the possibilities of music. The works that precipitated this change are available to play in this single volume, perfect for pianists looking to expand their repertoire with both challenging and exciting music.In this thoroughly enjoyable Library Of Baroque Music, the triumphant progression of this period is illustrated in the best possible way - through the compositions themselves, forming the definitive Baroque collection for solo pianists. / Piano