Czerny: Organ Music

Pupil and friend of Beethoven and teacher to Liszt, Carl Czerny, whose pedagogical works are still widely in use today, was a key figure in European musical life. Czerny’s organ music builds on the traditions of J.S. Bach and Mendelssohn, revealing his mastery of contrapuntal technique in the Prelude and Fugue, Op. 607. Czerny visited England in 1837 and his Op. 698 collection of organ voluntaries, apparently intended for the English market, varies in mood from the quietly meditative to the triumphant. The Op. 627 set, dedicated to the Bath organist James Windsor, adds contrapuntal elements and cleverly includes anthems such as God Save the Queen.