Further explorations of the baroque organ in Saxony and Lower Saxony. I have made some new friends: Johann Kaspar Kerll (1627-93), Johann Jacob Froberger (1616-67), Johann Pachebel (1653-1706), and Samuel Scheidt (1587-1654). Much of the music on the two CDs (listened to so far) is a welcome addition to my listening repertoire -- I think of Johann Froberger's Toccata V da sonarsi alla levatione, or Samuel Scheidt's Variationen über eine Gagliarda von John Dowland. A touch of variety is provided by a piece by Theodor Grünberger (1756-1820): Neue Orgelstücke nach der Ordnung unter dem Amte der heiligen Messe zu spielen. The liner note writer pinpoints Grünberger exactly: "a kind of amiable, countrified descendant of Viennese Classicism".

On these two CDs, Klemens Schnorr plays the baroque organ at the Basilica in Benediktbeuern, and Dietrich Wagler plays the Zarachias-Hildebrandt organ of the church in Langhennesdorf. Still to be heard is a CD of Pachelbel played by Wolfgang Rübsam.

One puzzling casualty in my organ listening is J.S. Bach. One is very conscious here that Bach was something of an anomaly, a high baroque throw-back to a more polyphonic age. Although most of the composers mentioned above composed and played around Bach's country just before his time, one is conscious that Bach is different. Personally, I find the magnificent, magisterial and complex sound of much of Bach's organ music unsuitable for my living room (much as Mahler's symphonies turn out to be just too noisy for my lounge). Mahler's noisier music probably needs a large concert hall, and Bach's noisier organ music a big, big church.