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Volume 1

Volume 2

Dan Gawthrop · 24 Microludes for Organ, Vol 2

Volume 3

Dan Gawthrop · 24 Microludes for Organ, Vol 3

Many transitional moments in the worship service are perfectly suited for silence, but occasionally we church organists wish for some music to help smooth the flow and close brief gaps. Many of us don't feel confident about our ability to improvise such material and often have difficulty finding published music which is short enough for this purpose. I have therefore composed this collection of 24 tiny little pieces, none longer than two minutes. They are widely varying in texture and key signatures. Some are based on hymn tunes or chants, others are free-composed. You'll want to keep this volume near the console! =========================

These little fillers are a delight - eminently playable, displaying a wide variety of styles and moods. Some are based on Chorale and plainchant melodies, others are free-composed. But all display the composer's gift for combining musical interest with accessibility. Of all the 24 pieces, there's not a dud in the bunch. Highly recommended!

-D. Kim Croft, Organist, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Everett, WA

This collection of easy-to-play "microludes" comes as a godsend to organists, who are constantly being called on to fill in the gaps in a service of worship. I don't know why no one thought of this before! Even more, these pieces are far more than just gap fillers; they are also musically interesting and uniquely beautiful. I plan on keeping this collection within easy reach of the organ console!

-David Young, Organist, Cathedral of the Rockies, Boise, ID

I want to thank you for sharing your new collection of "Microludes" with me. This collection of short works is a needed bit of repertoire for organists who play weekly services. It amazes me how you are able to craft interesting (and clever) pieces in so few measures! Usually, I find that works like these are dull and just do perfunctory work of covering liturgical movement, but these pieces are well written and catchy. I'm looking forward to the next set!

-Monty Bennett, Organist, Park Road Church, Charlotte, NC and Temple Israel, Charlotte, NC

Volume 2

Dan Gawthrop has done it again! Furthering his cause of providing accessible works useful in a wide variety of situations, Dan has produced a(nother) set of Microludes for Organ. Not only are they versatile for church, being useful for any spot in any denomination’s service which calls for a musical moment or diversion, but one could present a number of them as a set on a recital prorgam. Best of all, Dan’s Microludes are immediately accessible to organists of just about any skill level, as well as pianists looking to study the organ, or who are called upon at the last minute to “fill in.” His harmonic language remains fresh and interesting, and anyone who plays these works will be enriched. Thank you, Dan! —Jackson Borges, Organist & Parish Director of Music, The Episcopal Parish of All Saints & St. George’s Chapel, Rehoboth Beach & Harbeson, DE

Dan’s collection will be a valuable resource for all organists! Advent and Christmas worship services are filled with moments enhanced by a minute or two of music and these miniatures are perfect for those occasions. Written in ten of the most common keys, these gems offer the organist service interludes in different styles that range from meditative (Es ist ein Ros) to joyful (In dulci jubilo). Written by a composer known for his understanding of the instrument, compositional gifts and the congregations for whom he writes, this collection fills a much needed gap in organ service music for the Christmas season! —Rhonda Furr, Organist, First Presbyterian Church, Houston, TX

Daniel E. Gawthrop's "24 Microludes for Organ Volume 2 - Advent, Christmas" couldn't appear at a better time! I'm grateful to Dan for publishing these brief gems that, during this "COVID time" are like a breath of much needed fresh air. As in volume 1, some are based on existing tunes (in this case, Advent and Christmas hymn tunes) and others are originals. All are 30 seconds to slightly under 2 minutes and can function in a variety of ways. Some of my favorites - #3, not based on a hymn tune, is a lovely little trio in E-flat major that begins with a pedal ground bass. If you need one more minute of communion music, this is your piece! Number 7, CAROL ("It Came Upon the Midnight Clear"), begins with a rocking figure in the right hand, which switches to the left hand when the melody comes in. Number 10 is the first piece to use a principal chorus and a solo reed - fanfare-like in nature, this is a manuals only gem. Number 13 could have been titled "Toccatina on Westminster Quarters" and clocks in at 54 seconds (manuals only)! Number 20, based on IN DULCI JUBILO, opens with a running third motif that recurs between each phrase of the melody. I like them all and can't wait to use them this Advent and Christmas, whether we are back worshiping in our sanctuary or still online! —Vicki Fey CCM, Organist, Central Presbyterian Church, Atlanta, GA

Volume 3

Just in time for us to look ahead to Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, Dan Gawthrop has composed and assembled a delightful collection of Twenty Four Microludes for Organ (Volume Three – Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany). These fine and varied settings are accessible to organists of many skill levels and each one will stand alone, or combined in sets, as a worthy adornment to your service. Some are just the right length to serve as brief interludes, and others will serve quite handily as a prelude or, in more than one case, a sprightly postlude to worship. A bonus is a handy table of contents indicating approximate timings and the key in which each microlude ends. A generous amount of seasonal hymn tune-based material is represented, while other settings are based upon material freely and skillfully composed. The variety of styles represented is particularly notable, from short interludes for manuals-only to settings composed in trio style. Though helpful registrations are offered in some settings, in others the composer leaves the colors chosen to the player’s imagination. These gems will work well on instruments of many styles and size. Their release is particularly timely in this season when congregational singing has been curtailed – the tunes, clearly stated, will quickly bring to mind the texts loved by many. This work will serve equally well now for organ solo, and in future seasons when the settings will serve both as solo repertoire and as introductions to hymns that we’ll again sing together with all our heart. The set is available via digital download from MusicSpoke.com. —Walden Moore – Director of Music, Trinity Church on the Green, New Haven, CT

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