Johann Pachelbel(1653-1706)
      Selected Organ Works

1.  Praeludium in d
2.  Fuga in d
3.  Ciacona in C
4.  Ricercar in c
5.  Toccata in d
6.  Fantasia in d
7.  Praeludium in g
8.  Fuga in g
9.  Vom Himmel hoch
10. Fantasia in d
11. Toccata in F
12. Praeludium & Fuga in C
13. Ciacona in d
14. Toccata in C
15. Fuga in C
16. Praeludium & Fuga in d(ex c)
17. Ach was soll ich Sunder machen
18. Fantasia in C(ex Es)
19. Wir glauben all an einen Gott

FSM/Studio XVII Augsburg 96515
Recorded 1992
Arp Schnitger Organ at the Ludgerikirche in Norden, Germany
Roland Gotz, Organ TT 74:48

Pachelbel's Canon is among the best known works of the Baroque period.
One could easily get the impression that the man composed nothing else
of musical value - he was just a 'one hit wonder'.  Of course, truth and
perception are often at odds; that's the situation with Pachelbel.

As an example, Pachelbel composed more than 280 pieces for solo organ, and
many of them are gems of the baroque organ repertoire that need not take
a backseat to Pachelbel's popular Canon.  Why the neglect? All you have to
do is skim through the shelves of discs in a classical music store/section
under 'Bach' to see the situation; organ recordings are not big selling
items.

Yet, there has been a revival of interest in Pachelbel's organ music
judging from new recordings.  Antoine Bouchard for Dorian and Joseph Payne
for Centaur have each recorded complete cycles; Naxos has also embarked on
a complete series as well.  In addition, there are a myriad of single discs
which have been released over the past few years.

One of these single discs comes from Roland Gotz on the FSM/Studio XVII
Augsburg label.  The liner notes make no mention of Mr.  Gotz, but he is
a fine organist of baroque music.  Gotz performs on the Arp Schnitger Organ
at the Ludgerikirche in Norden; this organ's construction was completed in
1692.  The liner notes may not mention Gotz, but they key on the use of
this organ from Northern Germany to record the music of a composer from
Southern Germany.  As the notes relate, Pachelbel spent much of his life
performing on organs which were modeled after those found in Northern
Germany.  That must make it okay, and I won't complain about it.

Let's go back to Antoine Bouchard.  He not only has recorded the complete
organ works of Pachelbel; he also has catalogued all the Pachelbel organ
works.  Bouchard has assigned "POP" numbers to each of them using specific
and alphabetically arranged musical categories in groupings.  For example,
POP 20 thru 107 contain Pachelbel's chorales, and the catalog ends with the
toccatas which have POP numbers from 270 to 286.  Personally, I find this
an invaluable endeavor which I hope that other artists will line up with.
For instance, Pachelbel wrote five toccatas in C major; Bouchard's POP
numbers make it easy to identify each of them.  Alas, this system can only
have good value if adopted throughout the industry.

The Gotz disc shares a few works in common with the Wolfgang Rubsam Volume
1 disc on Naxos:  Praeludium in d, Fuga in d, Ricercar in c, and Ciacona
in d.  Generally, Gotz is quicker and uses much more legato than Rubsam who
tends to be quite angular and even jagged at times.  These traits are most
pronounced in the Praeludium in d which is top-drawer Pachelbel; Rubsam is
sharp and more interesting and diverse than Gotz.  Rubsam's slower tempos
and sinewy readings also pay greater dividends in the Fuga in d and Ciacona
in d.  Only in the Ricercar in c do I prefer Gotz who is faster and more
vibrant than Rubsam.  Although in three sections, this ricercar does not
possess much diversity.  Rubsam's slow and surprisingly smooth reading
gives the music a somewhat monotonous quality which Gotz manages to avoid.

Overall, the comparisons have to favor Rubsam.  He's in top form for the
Praeludium in d which is the most rewarding work of the four.  However,
Gotz is quite enjoyable at all times.  Losing out to Rubsam is a fate most
artists have to absorb.

Comparing Gotz with Bouchard reveals they are of similar disposition;
both are rich, sultry, and smooth.  The Toccata in d is a short but
majestic piece with each artist displaying fine detail and muscle.  In
the Praeludium in g, Gotz surpasses Bouchard with detail and intensity;
Bouchard is too smooth, insufficiently nuanced, and constantly loud.  Both
do well in the driven Fuga in G, Gotz being the quicker of the two and
having the greater momentum; however, Bouchard's stronger projection is
an offsetting factor.

Continuing with the Gotz/Bouchard matchup, Gotz takes the honors by a
large margin in the shorter chorale arrangement Pachelbel made of Vom Himmel
hoch.  This is a thoroughly delightful and playful work which can't fail to
lift one's spirits.  Gotz uses more attractive registrations than Bouchard,
but his big advantage is the use of bells which give me the imagery of a
sleigh ride on a brilliant winter's afternoon.  I'm not usually a fan of
bells, but it wins me over in the Gotz performance.

Bouchard doesn't employ bells in the previous chorale arrangement, and he
doesn't use birds chirping in the Toccata in F.  Gotz must be the 'audubon'
organist of choice; the chirping is strongly projected and can't be
avoided.  That's okay since the music is very calming and lovely.  Still,
the animation from Gotz could be more vivid, and Bouchard definitely
provides the greater animation and projection of the organ - Bouchard(1),
Birds(0).

Gotz certainly stands up well to the Bouchard comparisons.  Their styles
are quite similar, and both are highly rewarding.  However, Wolfgang Rubsam
is the distinctive artist among the three.

My last object of comparison comes from Joseph Payne on Centaur.  Although
I generally prefer the 'muscular' approach, I feel that Gotz takes it too
far in the Fantasia in d(track 10).  His textures are so thick, the volume
loud, and nuance is not a concept to consider.  Payne's textures are quite
light, perhaps too much so.  However, that beats the head-banging that Gotz
provides.

In the Fuga in C both Gotz and Payne are appropriately youthful, driven,
and full of cheer.  The chorale arrangement "Wir glauben all an einen Gott"
finds Payne more animated and quicker than Gotz; Payne also provides
greater urgency and more of the music's beauty.

Don's Conclusions:  The Roland Gotz disc is an emminently recommendable
one-disc issue.  He doesn't match up to Joseph Payne or Wolfgang Rubsam,
but his readings are usually quite rewarding.  Gotz does compare well to
Antoine Bouchard whose series is also very enjoyable.  Also, you can't get
bells or bird sounds from Bouchard.

Gotz usually provides a smooth delivery in a rich sound which is a little
bass-heavy.  My main reservation is that his registrations are nothing
special or memorable; I have the perception that he's not getting the best
out of the Arp Schnitzer Organ.

The larger story concerns the the intrinsic value of Pachelbel's organ
music.  I won't try to delude you that it's of Bach caliber; it isn't.
It's also not of the caliber of Buxtehude.  However, it compares well with
Krebs, Walther, and most others of the baroque period.

Assuming you don't want a large number of Pachelbel organ discs on your
hands, it's time to be a little picky.  I suggest acquiring the Rubsam
Disc on Naxos.  Rubsam is well above the level of Bouchard and Gotz,
and I also find him superior to Payne.  To a large degree, Rubsam equals
'interesting'; he has the knack to get the most variety out of the music
he plays.  Pachelbel has a great ability to churn out effective melodies,
but the diversity among his compositions can be on the low side.  Rubsam
maximizes this diversity and presents Pachelbel's music in the best light.

Don Satz
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