Les Deutsch's Organ Recordings |
This page contains demonstration recordings of my Hauptwerk organ designs. I also have made some videos which you can find on my YouTube page. To find details of these organs, visit my organ software page.
I also have a more boring and complete Web page for organ recordings here.
I made these recordings directly from Hauptwerk's audio capture capability using an Apple Mini for the sounds and my one of my home organs for control. The selections are meant to show off the varied tone colors of the organs. All files are in mp3 format. The recordings of my 3-Manual English Organ include a custom voicing performed by Mark Williams of Savannah, Georgia. Mark is both a professional voicer and an organist intimately familiar with English organ practices. Inspired by Mark, I completely revoiced my Expanded Schantz organ for my recording of Frank's Final. |
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| In 2023 I developed a new Hauptwerk organ meant to approximate the Cavaillé Coll organ in Paris' Ste. Clotilde. I have made many reocrding susing this organ - including all of Marcel Dupré's 79 Chorales. |
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| I recently took adavntage of a 70%-off sale at Inspired Acoustics to purchase one of the larger Hauptwerk sample sets available today, the Palace of Arts, Budapest (PAB) Gravissimo Edition. Unlike other sets i have purchased, this one cannot be modifed easily using the CODM langauge that comes with Hauptwerk. I have to use the set as it comes. I have done a lot of revoicing, though. It mostly fits my 4-manual console well. Here are some recordings I have made using this sample set. These are all pieces I plan to perform at the 2022 Caltech COmmencement - our first formal in-person commencement since the pandemic began. |
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Fugue in Gm by J. S. Bach
Fuge in G (The "Gigue") by J. S. Bach
Carillon de Westminster by Louis Vierne
The Torments of Tantalus by Franz von Suppé arranged by Les Deutsch |
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| When I play my 4-manual Rodgers organ, I usually use one of several Hauptwerk sample sets that I have customized to use the stops and couplers on the console. Most of these utilize commerical Hauptwerk sample sets - but I have created one for the Hauptwerk communicty that can be used entirely for free. This is my "Friesach-Cracow Composite Organ" which uses ranks from two of Piotr Grabowski's free sample sets. Here are some recordings I made to demonstrate this organ. Clarembault was a Frnech baroque composer and three pieces of his I recorded are from his "Livre d'Orgue, Suite du Deuxieme Ton." The March, by Clark, is from the 19th century English literature. |
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Basse de Cromorne by Louis-Nicolas Clarembault
Flutes by
Louis-Nicolas Clarembault
Caprice sur le Grands by Jeux by Louis-Nicolas Clarembault
Inauguration March by Scotson Clark |
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I have upgraded my concert organ! During the pandemic, my friend Nelson Dodge, who runs the local Rodgers dealership, advertised a used four-manual custom Rodgers organ that was a few years younger than my 945. After testing it in my garage (his showroom is closed for the moment) I decided to purchase the instrument. It remains in my garage while my wife and I work on enlarging our front door so it can enter the house! I have taken two large Hauptwerk sample sets and customized them for the new organ - which is quite a job because it has over 120 stops! These recordings were made using a customized version of the Silver Octopus "Concert 125", which basically gave me 125 stops from British organs. The result is a huge and marvelous romantic organ with every stop one could ever want.
The "H.M.S. Pinafore Overture" is my latest orchestral transcription for organ. Though the operetta is "Gilbert and Sullivan", the overture is only "Sullivan." You can find the sheet music on my "Sheet Music" page. The second piece, John Stanley's "Trumpet Voluntary" is one that I have actually never played before - despite being a favorite at weddings. I haven't played organ at a wedding in several decades... |
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H.M.S. Pinafore Overture by Arthur Sullivan, Arranged by Les Deutsch
Trumpet Voluntary by John Stanley, Arranged by Henry Coleman |
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| During the pandemic, I purchased two small sample sets from Piotr Grabowski. These are each representations of small 2-manual instruments by the great French romantic builder Cavaillé Coll. I combined the two into a new sample set of my own which represents a typical large three-manual instrument of Cavaillé-Coll's. I published the set and promised to include some demo recordings on this page. Then I forgot about it until December 2020 when several people wrote to me asking about these demos! Here are the demo recordings at last. These are four pieces I dusted off quickly in four days of practice and recording. The first is a prelude by Langlais which was composed for just such an instrument in Paris. Next I included one of Marcel Dupré's "practice" chorale preludes. These are from one of the first volumes of organ music my parents bought me when I started lessons at the age of 11. They are meant to prepare students for studying the Bach choral preludes - but I find many of them to be gems in their own right - including this "In Dulci Jubilo." Alain's "Le Jardin Suspendu" is an impressionistic piece I have performed several times - but not for many years. It shows off the strings and several solo voices of the organ,. I round it all off with the "March Aux Flambeaux" by Scotson Clark. This is a nice 20-minmute mini-recital of music that fits the Cavaillé-Coll vibe very well. |
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Prelude from Suite Medievale by Jean Langlais
In Dulci Jubilo by Marcel Dupre
Le Jardin Suspendu by Jehan Alain
Marche Aux Fambeaux by Scotson Clark |
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| My first organ recordings for 2020 are demonstrating my latest Hauptwerk Organ design. I have built on the marvelous organ samples of St. John Cantius Church near Cracov, Poland, by Piotr Grabowski. My Cracov Extended Organ is larger but retains the French classical sound of the original modern organ. The first two pieces are transcriptions of renaissance brass works that I did many year ago. The Pellegrini is new for me. I included the Langlais to show that this organ does just fine with more contemporary French music. |
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| Selections from Caltech Commencement 2019 using my Extended Friesach Organ |
These are my first recordings using my Extended Friesach Organ which is based on samples of Eisenbarth organ of St. Bartholomäus Church in Friesach, Austria developed and offered freely by Piotr Grabowski. This is a sample set with a large reverb but, due to the excellent recordings made close to the organ case, exceptional brightness and clarity. Though I normally like to practice using samples with very little reverb, I make an exception for this organ.
The pieces are ones I am playing for Caltech Commencement this year (2019) and they represent a wide range of styles. I start with the often overplayed Bach Toccata and Fugue in Dm. The Friesach organ lends itself very well to this interpretation which comes from listening to the likes of Virgil Fox in my youth. The Pachelbel Prelude and Fugue (which I pieced together from two separate pieces) is something I have played and recorded several times. The organ samples give it an extra sparkle, which is quite beneficial. I heard the Guilmant Sonata for the first time at the American Theater Organ Society's Convention in Los Angeles
last year and decided I needed to add the romantic piece to my repertoire. The three pieces of Leroy Anderson are from a collection of Anderson transcriptions I have have made for organ and percussionist. Blue Tango is new for this year. I added the percussion tracks in my studio using various samples played from a small MIDI keyboard., Hence these are still sort-of live performances since I played all the parts live at different times! The final piece is my latest Suppe transcription, the overture to Beautiful Galatea. This particular Suppe piece, though still containing lots of polkas and gallops, features waltzes for a change. |
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| Program from Los Angeles AGO Presidents' Day Organ Festival, 2018 |
| I was the first of seven organists performing at the festival on February 19, 2018. I played at Claremont Presbyterian Church on the Aeolian Skinner organ. I chose a program consisting entirely of my own transcriptions of pieces for organ. Since there was no recording made of this concert, I recorded all the selections on my Rodgers/Hauptwerk organ. I used the CLR Resources' organ sample of Covenant Presbyterian Church, Long Beach since this is the closest sample set I have to the actual pipe organ. Please download the concert notes to learn more about the selections and my approach to them. |
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| Recordings of the Expanded Schantz Organ (version 1.2) |
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Praamblen und Interludien
by Hermann Schroeder
1 Maestoso
2 Moderato
3 Andante
4 Vivace
5 Andantino
6 Allegro
7 Allegretto con moto
8 Vivo |
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| Recordings of the Model 945 Organ (version 1.1 and Version 2.0) |
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| The Bach fugue is, of course, one of his most famous compositions. "Forgotten Dreams" is a lesser-known orchestral piece by Leroy Anderson, the same composer who wrote "Bugler's Holiday", "The Typewriter", and "Sleigh Ride". Jean Langlais is one of my favorite 20th organ composers - probably because of his use of complex chords and odd time signatures. The "Incantation" is a real show piece and not for the faint-of-heart. "In an 18th Century Drawing Room" is my own arrangement of one of Scott's most famous compositions. It is almost note-for-note identical to the original recording - quite a finger buster! You can download the sheet music on my Raymond Scott page. FInally, I have Von Suppe's most popular overture, "Poet and Peasant". This is my own arrangement. I started with the original score and a couple of my favorite reference recordings. This setting has everything from the original - but it requires double and triple pedaling, and lots of fancy fingering. You can download the sheet music to try it yourself. All I ask is that you give me arranging credit. It would also be nice to get recordings of other organists playing this arrangement. The Prelude and Fugue in F by Lubeck is not often heard but does a great job showing off some of the lighter baroque aspects of the 945. The Franck "Piece Herioque" shows how well the 945 can simulate a French organ. The next three selections form a medley of Leroy Anderson tunes I arranged for organ and percussionist. For these recordings, I keyed in the percussion parts on separate tracks. I also recorded the trumpet winnie at the end of Sleigh Ride - on a real trumpet. The final piece is the most well-known composition for the organ. I have been playing it since I was 12 - but I have gotten better. The Dupre Prelude and Fugue is something I learned a very long time ago when I was studying with a student of Dupre's. I have performed it many times. It is, in my opinion, among the most difficult pieces ever written for organ. It has quadruple pedaling! Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna is my third transcription of von Suppe overtures. It is as difficult as the others - and I have never heard another organist perform this piece. You can download the sheet music and try it yourself. Again, I would like to hear other organists record this arrangement. The Marche des Girondins is another of Clark's charming marches for organ. It features several of the reeds. |
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| Recordings of the Three-Manual Litomysl organ (version 1.1, Dry Samples) |
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| Recordings of the Three-Manual Litomysl organ (version 1.1, Wet 24-bit "version 2" samples) |
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Eight Little Preludes and Fugues
by J. S. Bach (or maybe J. T. Krebs, a student of Bach's) |
Prelude and Fugue #1 (C Major)
Prelude and Fugue #2 (D Minor)
Prelude and Fugue #3 (E Minor)
Prelude and Fugue #4 (F Major)
Prelude and Fugue #5 (G Major)
Prelude and Fugue #6 (G Minor)
Prelude and Fugue #7 (A Minor)
Prelude and Fugue #8 (Bb Major) |
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| Recordings of the Three-Manual Litomysl organ (version 2.0) |
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Like many organists, these were some of the very first pieces I studied - when I was 11 years old! I have played them of and on for a very long time and I decided to revisit them once again for these demonstration recordings. Back when I was 11, most organists believed these were written by J. S. Bach himself. In the interim, some musicologists have suggested that J. T. Krebs, a student of Bach's, actually wrote them - for the pedal clavichord. Regardless of what you believe, these are still fine organ works. They are called "little" because they are short. Some of them are actually quite challenging to perform. I have used them occasionally for short recitals, particularly for audiences not accustomed to organ music. The Prelude in #8) was recorded on a modification of the Three-Manual Litomysl organ created by Al Morse. It uses multiple release samples, allowing the very fast passages to be heard more clearly - thank you Al!
I wrote Version 2 in Hauptwerk 4 to use all the multiple releases in the sample set. This is a big improvement. The Bach Prelude and Fugue in D is one of his best known works - and a tough one to perform. I decided to record Schmüke Dich O Liebe SeeleChorales after we perofmred a band transcription at Caltech in 2014. This recording of Buxtehude's Prelude, Fuga und Ciacona is my second, though the first is many, many years old and I think I have progressed a bit! |
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| Recordings of the Three-Manual English Organ (some with custom voicing by Mark Williams) |
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March in D Major, by Alex. Guilmant
O Mensch, Bewein' dein' Sunde Gross, by J. S. Bach
Christ Lag in Todesbanden, by J. S. Bach
Throop Institute March, by E. C. Kammermeyer, arranged by Les Deutsch
Powerhouse, by Raymond Scott, arranged by Les Deutsch
Prelude I, by Ernost Bloch
Prelude II, by Ernest Bloch
Prelude III, by Ernest Bloch
Prelude VI, by Ernest Bloch
Nimrod by Edward Elgar, arranged by Pierre Gouin
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The "Throop Institute March" is an "official" march for the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). The original name of the college was "Throop Institute" (pronounce "troop"). I play this at the conclusion of every Caltech commencement ceremony. "Powerhouse" is the most famous composition of Raymond Scott - another of my musical interests. Since I am trying to promote the music of Raymond Scott, you can download the sheet music for my arrangement of Powerhouse for your own performances, completely free of charge. I only ask that you give me arranging credit in any concerts or recordings. The Bloch Preludes were written a synagogue pieces in the mid 20th Century. They are not performed often despite being serious (albeit short) works by an important American composer. "Nimrod" is one movement from Elgar's "Enigma Variations." I have played it many times on trumpet with instrumental groups. I recently heard this organ arrangement in concert. It shows off the full dynamic range of the instrumnent. |
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| Recordings of the Jeux d'Orgues d'Trois Claviers (version 1.0) |
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| "Flapperette" is a piano novelty piece from the 1920s. I play a lot of these in my side career as a pianist for a Dixieland band. I thought this one lends itself very nicely to the concert organ. The "Little" Bach Prelude in C Major is probably the easiest piece attributed to Bach - but it has a special meaning to me. As a small child, I would listen to my father play this on our old Conn Artist tube organ. It was the piece he could play completely! He went on to invent the digital organ, developing the system that Allen released in the late 1960s. I recorded my own transcription of Franz von Suppe's Light Cavalry Overture. I was not happy with other transcriptions I had found so I went back to the original score and a couple reference recordings to create this one. You can download it for your own use as long as you give me transcribing credit. |
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| Recordings of the Custom Theater Organ |
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| Though I did not design the Hauptwerk sample set for this organ, I did restore and augment the large theater organ console. The project is documented here. The samples are from Neil Jensen's 35-rank Connoisseur Series theater organ ."Get Out, Get Under the Moon" is a popular song from 1928 made famous by Helen Kane, the "boop-boop-a-doop" woman. This is my own arrangement, though it is defintely in the style of George Wright. "Me and the Man in the Moon" is another song from 1928 made famous by Helen Kane. My recording is a close transcription of Jesse Crawford's, showing off many of the colors of the organ as well as many of the facilities of the console, including second touch. "Hi-Hat" is another of my Crawford transcriptions. I made this recording about halfway through the organ construction project. The stops were not yet working, so all the registration changes were accomplished through the pistons. La Danza is a patter song by Rossini - but this recording is a pretty close transcription of the George Wright recording, which he titled "The Chase". It really puts the console (and me) through its paces. |
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| Recordings of the Les' Pitea Organ |
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| The "Pitea School of Music " organ became an essentially free Hauptwerk organ in 2013. It was created by Lars Palo and extended by Al Morse. I further modified this sample set to match the specification of my Rodgers 945 for recording and practice. I used this organ to record my fourth Franz von Suppe overture transcription, "The Jolly Robbers." This transcription is, like the other I have done, quite difficult. It is also available here for anyone who wants to try it. Please give me transcriber credit on any performances or recordings. |
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| Recordings of the First Congregational Church, Los Angeles, Sampled Organ |
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I was honored to be invited to join a project led by Charlie Raasch to sample the organs of LA's First Congregational Church (FCCLA.) Taken together, this is the third largest organ in the world and the largest in a church anywhere. The first part of the project was sampling the chancel organ - mostly an E.M. Skinner organ from 1930. This is already a very large instrument of over 100 ranks. I led the voicing of the sample set and used my software to merge all the voicing into the final product. I also recorded several demo tracks for this instrument.
I approached the Bach Prelude and Fugue in Gm as if the neo-baroque organ revival had never occurred. The idea was to perform this in the way that Virgil Fox or others would have in the 1950s. The Holst "First Suite for Military Band" is a warhorse of the concert band world. I have performed it many times on many different wind instruments. When I discovered this transcription by Luigi Mengoni, I had to learn it. I have made only a few small changes based on my knowledge of the original. I chose the Holst because it shows off lots of nice solo colors in the Skinner. The Pizzicati by Delibes is one of the most iconic pieces of the ballet literature. This is my own transcription and it shows off the dozens of ranks of celestes as well as some solo flutes and reeds. The Pastoral by Franck showcases three of the reeds on the Swell: the Oboe, the Trumpet, and the Flugel Horn. You can also hear a couple of the Great Flutes in solo. After hearing a pretty "iffy" rendition of Strauss' Radetzki March, I decided to go back to the original score and do a scholarly transcription, complete with all the correct counter melodies. The result is this recording - and my arrangement is available for others to try too.
After adding all the ranks from the transept organs and Schlicker's magnum opus instrument in the gallery, the "FCCLA" sample set represents about 360 ranks of pipes with pretty much every concert organ sound represented. The organ samples take up so much memory that I can only load about half the organ at a time in my Mac MINI computer in stereo. The next few recordings represent the "extended chancel" organ, which induces the expanded Skinner organ as well as the various organs in the church's transepts.
The Pavane is a crossover piece between concert and theater organ. It shows off lots of soft solo voices and the big string ensemble. The Bruhn's Prelude and Fugue in Em consists of many short musical segments, which presents a great opportunity to show off varying registration ending on the full organ. The Bach Prelude and Fugue in C is presented in a very straightforward manner with no registration chances save between the two movements. The set of Dupré choral antiphons on the chorale tune "Ave Maris Stella" are often performed as a suite. Each has unique harmonization and they build to a French toccata.
I created the organ transcription of Holst's Second Suite in F for Military Band in 2015 and this is the first recording. Along with his "First Suite," they are among the warhorses of the concert band literature. This suite contains the interesting "Song of the Blacksmith" which is mostly in odd meters and open harmonies. Holst reused the final movement of this suite in his "St. Paul's Suite for Strings." It places a fast 6/8 theme against the traditional "Greensleeves."
The next several recordings were made using the samples of the church's Schlicker organ in the gallery. This was Schlicker's largest organ and it contains all of his famous sounds which helped defined the 1960s-70s movement to construct north German style organs in the US. The pieces I chose are the same as the final few above - to show the differences in sound from this part of the FCCLA instrument.
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| Other Organ Recordings |
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| I purchased a large English cathedral organ sample set to reward myself for a promotion in 2013. This is the Father Willis Studio 70 from Silver Octopus. It makes me feel like I'm in one of London's great edifices. The Fantasy is a piece i have recorded before and played many times in concert. The variations on The Star Spangled Banner is a piece I have not played since the bicentennial of the USA in 1976! I dug it out to put this organ through its paces. |
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| A new free Hauptwerk organ was posted on February 16, 2013 but there were no demonstration recordings. It is a Sauer organ in the Polish village of Skrzatusz. I whipped this recording up in an hour and posted it so people could get an idea about how this organ sounds. It is actually taken from two separate works by Pachelbel which I often perform as a unit. |
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| These are demo recordings I made for the Freedom Morton 3-10, a small Robert Morton theater organ sample set developed by Graham Goode for "savevirtualorgans". I helped beta-test this instrument and made many suggestions ion voicing and balance. |
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| These are demo recordings I made for the enlarged 3/17 version of the Robert Morton. I was a alpha-tester for this one. |
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| And these are demo recordings I made for the Empress Robert Morton, another product of savirtualorgans. In these recordings, the organ is in its historic original specification as a 3/13. |
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| These are recordings I made suing CLR Resources' organ sample of Covenant Presbyterian Church, Long Beach. This is a medium sized Aeolian SKinner organ that fits very well into my Rodgers console. |
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