First Organ Book

Two hundred and one pages in length, divided into four parts. Part one includes basic information about the organ, families of sound, and a brief explanation of the basic periods of music history.

Part two contains a comprehensive beginning organ method including chapters on legato pedal techniques, legato manual techniques, legato manual and pedal trios, and the articulate style of touch of the seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries.

Part three is a graded collection of compositions from all historical periods, with most of the late nineteenth and twentieth century pieces fingered. Some compositions are based on well-known hymn tunes, while others are freely composed. Most of the compositions in this part do not require traditional organ legato-fingering techniques, thus enabling the pianist or keyboardist with only a minimum technique to play the organ and sound good immediately. Much of the material is at a level so that it can be used by pianists after only three years of traditional piano study.

Part four includes information on MIDI, a glossary, and registration information. The First Organ Book is the outgrowth of a two-year project initiated by the National Committee on the New Organist of the AGO, in cooperation with Wayne Leupold, to produce an introductory volume of organ music and elementary teaching materials.