Organ symphony

This article is about the musical genre. For information on the Symphony No. 3 with organ by Camille Saint-Saëns, see Symphony No. 3 (Saint-Saëns).

An organ symphony is a piece for solo pipe organ in various movements. It is a symphonic genre, not so much in musical form (in which it is more similar to the organ sonata or suite), but in imitating orchestral tone color, texture, and symphonic process.

Though the very first organ symphony was written by German composer Wilhelm Valentin Volckmar in 1867, the genre is mainly associated with French romanticism. César Franck wrote what is considered to be the first French organ symphony in his Grande Pièce Symphonique, and the composers Charles-Marie Widor, who wrote ten organ symphonies, and his pupil Louis Vierne, who wrote six, continued to cultivate the genre. Modern composers such as Aaron Copland and Jean Guillou have written organ symphonies as well. The genre is considered to have been brought to fruition in the second organ symphony of André Fleury.

This page lists the best known symphonies for solo pipe organ and symphonies for orchestra and organ. Organ concertos (such as those by George Frideric Handel, Francis Poulenc, and David Briggs) are not listed here.

Symphonies for solo organ

Kalevi Aho (1949–)

• Alles Vergängliche. Symphony for organ (2007)

Augustin Barié (1883–1915)

• Symphony for organ, Op. 5 (1911)

Edward Shippen Barnes (1887–1958)

• First Symphony for Organ "Symphonie pour orgue", Op. 18 (1918)
• Second Symphony for Organ, Op. 37 (1923)

Joseph-Ermend Bonnal (1880–1944)

• Symphonie d'après Media Vita (1932)

Émile Bourdon (1884–1974)

• Symphonie, Op. 10
• Allegro symphonique, Op. 32

Alexandre Eugène Cellier (1883–1968)

• Suite symphonique for organ in G major (1906)
• Pièce symphonique (1911)

Pierre Cochereau (1924–1984)

• Symphonie for organ (1950–1955)
• Numerous improvised symphonies recorded

Clarence Dickinson (1873–1969)

• Organ Symphony “Storm King” (1920)

Marcel Dupré (1886–1971)

• Symphonie-passion for organ, Op. 23 (1924)
• Symphonie No. 2 in C minor for organ, Op. 26 (1929)

André Fleury (1903–1995)

• Allegro symphonique (1927)
• Symphonie No. 1 (1938/1943)
• Symphonie No. 2 (1946/1947)

Jean-Louis Florentz (1947–2004)

• La Croix du Sud, poème symphonique for organ, Op. 15 (1999)
• L’Enfant noir, conte symphonique for grand-organ in 14 figures, Op. 17 (2002)

César Franck (1822–1890)

• Grande Pièce Symphonique, Op. 17 (1863)

Marc Giacone (1954)

• Symphonie Cosmique (Cosmic Symphony) for organ (1981)
• Poème symphonique (2001)
• Fresque Symphonique "Ombres et Lumières" for organ (2004)
• Six Symphonic Variations for organ (2006)

Jean Guillou (1930)

• Sinfonietta for organ, Op. 4
• Symphonie Initiatique for 3 organs, Op. 18 (1971)
• Symphonie Initiatique for 4 hands (the same as above, transcribed for four hands), Op. 18 (1990)

Georges Jacob (1877–1950)

• Symphonie in E major for organ (1906)

Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877–1933)

• Symphony in F-sharp minor for organ, Op. 143

Jean Langlais (1907–1991)

• Symphonie No. 1 for organ (1941)
• Symphonie No. 2 for organ (1976)
• Symphonie No. 3 for organ (1979)

Frederik Magle (1977)

• Symphony for organ No. 1 (1990)
• Symphony for organ No. 2 "Let there be light" (1993)

Allan J. Ontko (1947)

• First Symphonie, Op.18, 5 mvts. (1993)
• Second Symphonie, Op. 31, 4 mvts. (2001)

Charles Quef (1873–1931)

• Pièce symphonique, Op. 11

Léonce de Saint-Martin (1886–1954)

• Symphonie Dominicale
• Symphonie Mariale

Santeri Siimes (1981)

• Symphonie pour orgue I (1993–94)
• Symphonie pour orgue II (1994)
• Symphonie pour orgue III (1994)
• Symphonie pour orgue IV (1994)
• Symphonie pour orgue V (1995)
• Symphonie pour orgue VI (1996)
• Symphonie pour orgue VII (1996)
• Symphonie pour orgue VIII (2002)
• Symphonie pour orgue IX (2003)
• Symphonie pour orgue X (2003)
• Symphonie pour orgue XI (2005)
• Symphonie pour orgue XII (2014)

Kaikhosru Sorabji (1892–1988)

• Symphony No. 1 for Organ (1924)
• Second Symphony for Organ (1929–32)
• Third Organ Symphony (1949–53)

Leo Sowerby (1895–1968)

• Symphony in G (1930)
• Sinfonia Brevis (1965)

Fernand de La Tombelle (1854–1928)

• Symphonie pascale for organ (Entrée épiscopale – Offertoire – Sortie)

Charles Tournemire (1870–1939)

• Pièce symphonique, Op. 16 (1899)
• Fantaisie symphonique for organ, Op. 64 (1934)
• Symphonie-choral d'orgue in 6 parts, Op. 69 (1935)
• Symphonie sacrée for organ en 4 parts, Op. 71 (1936)
• Two fresques symphoniques sacrées, Opp. 75, 76 (1939)

Louis Vierne (1870–1937)

• Symphonie No. 1 for organ, Op. 14 (1899)
• Symphonie No. 2 for organ, Op. 20 (1903)
• Symphonie No. 3 for organ, Op. 28 (1911)
• Symphonie No. 4 for organ, Op. 32 (1914)
• Symphonie No. 5 for organ, Op. 47 (1924)
• Symphonie No. 6 for organ, Op. 59 (1930)

Wilhelm Valentin Volckmar (1812–1887)

• Symphony on Themes of Herzog Ernst von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha in D major, for organ, Op. 172 (1867) - the first organ solo symphony, and one of very few German organ symphonies

Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937)

• Symphonie No. 1 for organ in C minor, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 2 for organ in D major, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 3 for organ in E minor, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 4 for organ in F minor, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 5 for organ in F minor, Op. 42
• Symphonie No. 6 for organ in G minor, Op. 42
• Symphonie No. 7 for organ in A minor, Op. 42
• Symphonie No. 8 for organ in B major, Op. 42
• Symphonie No. 9 for organ, Op. 70 « Gothique »
• Symphonie No. 10 for organ, Op. 73 « Romane »

Malcolm Williamson (1931–2003)

• Symphony for Organ (1960)

Symphonies for organ and orchestra

Kalevi Aho (1949–)

• Symphony No. 8 for Organ and Orchestra (1993)

Aaron Copland (1900–1990)

• Symphony for Organ and Orchestra

Marcel Dupré (1886–1971)

• Symphonie in G minor for organ and orchestra, Op. 25 (1928)

Alexandre Guilmant (1837–1911)

• Symphony No. 1 for organ and orchestra in D minor, Op. 42 (1874)
• Symphony No. 2 for organ and orchestra in A major, Op. 91

Joseph Jongen (1873–1953)

• Symphony Concertante for organ and orchestra.

Aram Khachaturian (1903-1978)

• Symphony No.3 "Symphony–Poem" (1947)

Poul Ruders (1949–)

• Symphony No. 4 "An Organ Symphony"

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835–1921)

• Symphony No. 3 with organ

Tomáš Svoboda (1939–)

• Symphony No. 3 for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 43 (1965)

Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937)

• Symphonie pour orgue et orchestre, Op. 42 (1882)
• Symphony No. 3, Op. 69 (1894) – organ and orchestra
• Sinfonia sacra, Op. 81 (1908) – organ and orchestra
• Symphonie antique, Op. 83 (1911) – soloists, chorus, organ and orchestra

See also

• List of organ pieces
• List of organ composers
• Piano symphony
• Camille Saint-Saëns' "Organ-Symphony". Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra (together with works of Debussy and Fauré). Conductor: Jun Märkl.