Jazz Meditations

Description

This collection brings together six chorale arrangements of ecumenically common hymns. leisurely tempi, soft tone colours, and forms such as ostinato or variation lend them their meditative character and provide a setting for reflecting on the words.

The catchy pieces are in the musical language of classical swing jazz and are technically no more than moderately difficult. They can be played in church services and recitals. They can also provide ideas for jazz improvisation, such as harmonising traditional hymns with combinations of chords typical for the style ('Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier'), adapting classical forms to the jazz idiom ('Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig') or, vice versa, using the blues scheme for older melodies ('Lobet den Herrn und dankt ihm seine Gaben').
Quavers should be played with a triplet feel in all the arrangements (so-called swing quavers). It is otherwise up to the organist how he or she wishes to perform the pieces, including with regard to articulation. the compositional elements will of course also play a part in the interpretation given. For example the pedals can also be used in some bars in pieces played on the manuals (such as in 'Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend', to give prominence to the accents of the waltz rhythm). Conversely, the bass voice of 'Mir nach, spricht Christus, unser Held' for instance, can be played by the left hand. Registration should also remain flexible of course, and be adapted to suit the particular conditions. Directions for registration are therefore of a general nature and also provide a good basis for smaller instruments.

Contents:

• Ballade über 'Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier'
• Ostinato über 'Mir nach, spricht Christus, unser Held'
• Fuge über 'Ach wie flüchtig, ach wie nichtig'
• Walzer über 'Herr Jesu Christ, dich zu uns wend'
• Meditation über 'Christus, der ist mein Leben'
• Blues über 'Lobet den Herrn und dankt ihm seine Gaben'