On 15 September 1845, the day on which Felix Mendelssohn’s Six Sonatas, Op. 65, were published simultaneously by Coventry & Holliner in London, Breitkopf & Härtel in Leipzig and Ricordi in Milan, a new era in organ music began, one to which the composers Gottfried August Ritter (1811–1885), Gustav Adolf Merkel (1827–1885), Josef Gabriel Rheinberger (1839–1901) and Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens (1823–1881).

Despite international recognition, the composer viewed his organ works – which encompass far more than the well-known Six Sonatas, Op. 65, and the Three Preludes and Fugues, Op. 37 – with great critical scrutiny. Even the works that were not published during his lifetime bear witness to the careful deliberation and refinement with which he approached his organ compositions. Through his characteristic blend of respect for tradition and a fruitful willingness to innovate, Mendelssohn earned a special place in the history of organ music.

The New Edition of the Complete Organ Works, published by Bärenreiter, was produced in the wake of the Mendelssohn renaissance in the 1970s. Today, these organ works form part of every concert organist’s repertoire.

Preface

Präludium d-Moll
Andante D-Dur
Ostinato c-Moll
Fantasie und Fuge g-Moll
Choral mit Variationen "Wie groß ist des Allmächt'gen Güte"
Nachspiel D-Dur
Präludien und Fugen c-Moll-G-Dur-d-Moll op.37
Fuge e-Moll
Fuge f-Moll
Choral und Variation "Herzlich tut mich verlangen"
Präludium c-Moll
Trio F-Dur
Choral As-Dur
Choral D-Dur
Thema mit Variationen D-Dur
Allegro d-Moll
Allegro B-Dur
Andante alla Marcia B-Dur
Fuge B-Dur
Allegro moderato maestoso C-Dur

Anhang/ Appendix:
Präludium d-Moll (Fragment)
Ergänzung zum Präludium d-Moll
Andante D-Dur und eine Variation (Fragment)
Fuge f-Moll (überarbeitete Fassung)

Critical Commentary