Hidden English Organ Gems 🇬🇧 | Ernest Reeves – The Orpheus Voluntaries (14 minutes, score link)

Описание: I played five pieces from the album The Orpheus Voluntaries by the English composer Ernest Reeves — a truly beautiful and gently poetic collection of short organ works.

I begin with a warm and gentle Prelude, followed by Melody in E-flat, which I registered with a bright but tender sound. In this piece, I deliberately ignored the written volume dynamics — I felt they interfered with the fragile magic of the music. The third piece, Chorale, is a real highlight. Listen closely to the final ten bars — in my opinion, they are among the most beautiful moments in the entire book. Next comes Offertoire, a smooth and flowing piece which I played at a fairly brisk tempo, in a full legato style. The programme closes with a comforting Moderato in 3/4, calm, reassuring, and deeply satisfying.

00:00 Prelude
02:51 Melody in E Flat
06:30 Chorale
08:16 Offertoire
10:47 Moderato

🎼 About the composer
Ernest Reeves (1874–1940) was an English organist and composer whose music sits firmly in the late-Victorian and Edwardian tradition. His works are melodically rich, harmonically warm, and written with a deep understanding of the organ as a singing instrument. Though largely forgotten today, Reeves’ music is accessible, expressive, and deeply rewarding for both player and listener.

📚 Sheet music
The score was kindly shared with me by organist Andrew Hall, who has generously made it available on IMSLP. You can download the music there for free. https://imslp.org/wiki/The_Orpheus_Vo...)

I hope you enjoy this wonderful collection — music that deserves to be heard, played, and loved again.

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