Organ Repertoire Suggestions

A very short list of pieces, grouped by various levels of difficulty

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Easily Accessible

• Rorate Caeli from Twelve Choral Preludes on Gregorian Chant Themes - Jeanne Demessieux. Score. 

• Cantilena - Florence Price. Score. 

• Quasi Andante - Mel Bonis. Score. 

 

Moderately Demanding

• Prélude from Trois Improvisations - Nadia Boulanger. Score. 

• Fugue from Trois Pièces - Josephine Boulay. Score. 

• Toccata - Mel Bonis. Score. 

• Cortege Nuptial from La Nef Sacree (@12:25 in this recording) - Cécile Chaminade. Score. 

 

Delightfully Ambitious

• Prelude and Fugue in C - Jeanne Demessieux. Score. 

• Prelude and Fugue No. 1 (@22:20 in this recording) - Elsa Barraine. Score.

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Anthologies and Collections

• Gregoriana - Twelve chant-based organ pieces by contemporary women composers

• Women Composers' Album - Twenty Pieces for Organ from the 17th-20th Centuries

• Orgelmusik von Komponistinnen - 22 Organ Pieces from the 19th and 20th Century

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Organizations and other references

There are many individuals and organizations doing great work centering underrepresented composers.

Here are a few of my favorites.  

• Boulanger Initiative - US based nonprofit advocating for gender equity in music through research, performance, and education

• A Great Host of Composers - repertoire guide for sacred music composed by women

• Amplify Female Composers - resource for recordings of choral and organ music

• Donne: The Big List - UK based charity with a list naming more than 5,000 women composers throughout history

• Présence Compositrices: Demandez à Clara - French organization dedicated to promoting women composers with a database searchable by instrument, work, or composer

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