Uploaded June 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
On June 6, I stumbled upon a treasure. My first word when finished the recording: Wow! Simply "Wow!" It’s simple ánd beautiful!
Quite by chance, I discovered a volume containing modern arrangements over four preludes, four postludes, and eight interludes by Caleb Simper, music that does not appear in his well known collection of 102 Voluntaries spread across twelve books. The publication is entitled Preludes, Postludes and Interludes, with the subtitle Versatile Organ Works for the Worship Service. These pieces were freely arranged by Michael Ryan and published by Lorenz. (in 2012)
The piece presented here, Aria, is the first I have explored from the collection. Beginning in F major, it moves to the key of G flat major and returns to F major.
Every now and then, a piece comes along that seems to suspend time itself. For a brief moment, the world grows quiet and stops turning while the music unfolds. This was unquestionably one of those pieces.
Played with the Mascioni organ from Alessandria via Hauptwerk.
*The publisher about the book*
The works of English composer Caleb Simper (1856-1942) are not often programmed today, but during his active career as an organist as well as a writer, he was considered a driving force in sacred music. Through these
years, vigorous sales into the millions of units (unheard of at the time) from his impressive catalog of anthems and cantatas (The Rolling Seasons and The Nativity of Christ being his best-known) attest to his immense
popularity, particularly with choirs of smaller churches. In addition, Simper published close to 200 organ works that are contained mainly in twelve volumes of Seventeen Voluntaries for the Organ, published by A. Weekes and Company, Limited (London), made available in this country by Clayton F. Summy Company (Chicago).
His compositional style is direct and formally solid, though it does lean heavily towards the homophonic side of texture, and harmonically displays some of the Victorian chromaticism that one is bound to expect from this period. These last two points are no doubt the main reasons why his music has not endured like that of some of his contemporaries.
This book then is intended to present some of Simper’s organ titles in a new twenty-first century light, by casting them in freshly scored arrangements that remove excessive chromatic harmony, while adding appropriate counterpoint wherever possible. The resulting settings read easily and sound as natural to the ears of contemporary congregations as they did in their original forms more than a century ago. We hope that you
and your fellow worshipers enjoy revisiting these classics and be truly blessed by the experience.
– The Publisher
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On June 6, I stumbled upon a treasure. My first word when finished the recording: Wow! Simply "Wow!" It’s simple ánd beautiful!
Quite by chance, I discovered a volume containing modern arrangements over four preludes, four postludes, and eight interludes by Caleb Simper, music that does not appear in his well known collection of 102 Voluntaries spread across twelve books. The publication is entitled Preludes, Postludes and Interludes, with the subtitle Versatile Organ Works for the Worship Service. These pieces were freely arranged by Michael Ryan and published by Lorenz. (in 2012)
The piece presented here, Aria, is the first I have explored from the collection. Beginning in F major, it moves to the key of G flat major and returns to F major.
Every now and then, a piece comes along that seems to suspend time itself. For a brief moment, the world grows quiet and stops turning while the music unfolds. This was unquestionably one of those pieces.
Played with the Mascioni organ from Alessandria via Hauptwerk.
*The publisher about the book*
The works of English composer Caleb Simper (1856-1942) are not often programmed today, but during his active career as an organist as well as a writer, he was considered a driving force in sacred music. Through these
years, vigorous sales into the millions of units (unheard of at the time) from his impressive catalog of anthems and cantatas (The Rolling Seasons and The Nativity of Christ being his best-known) attest to his immense
popularity, particularly with choirs of smaller churches. In addition, Simper published close to 200 organ works that are contained mainly in twelve volumes of Seventeen Voluntaries for the Organ, published by A. Weekes and Company, Limited (London), made available in this country by Clayton F. Summy Company (Chicago).
His compositional style is direct and formally solid, though it does lean heavily towards the homophonic side of texture, and harmonically displays some of the Victorian chromaticism that one is bound to expect from this period. These last two points are no doubt the main reasons why his music has not endured like that of some of his contemporaries.
This book then is intended to present some of Simper’s organ titles in a new twenty-first century light, by casting them in freshly scored arrangements that remove excessive chromatic harmony, while adding appropriate counterpoint wherever possible. The resulting settings read easily and sound as natural to the ears of contemporary congregations as they did in their original forms more than a century ago. We hope that you
and your fellow worshipers enjoy revisiting these classics and be truly blessed by the experience.
– The Publisher
*CONNECT WITH ME & SUPPORT MY CHANNEL AND MY MUSICAL JOUNEY*
*Social Media*
Facebook: facebook.com/rienschalkwijk
Instagram: instagram.com/rien_schalkwijk
Website: https://rienschalkwijk.nl
*Memberships | Donations |*
YouTube Membership: youtube.com/channel/UCnEqeaKPj17_1oimf_oRtEw/join
Buy Me A Coffee: buymeacoffee.com/rienschalkwijk
Patreon: patreon.com/c/rienschalkwijk
*Sheet Music Store*
buymeacoffee.com/rienschalkwijk/extras
musicnotes.com/marketplace/creator/9912/rien-schalkwijk
*One Time Support Options*
buymeacoffee.com/rienschalkwijk
paypal.com/paypalme/rienschalkwijk
