Concert by Dr. Thomas Greif

At first glance, folk songs may not seem like a natural fit for the organ – yet if we think about it more deeply, chorales, which form an integral part of the organ repertoire, were often based on folk melodies set to sacred texts. This concert program features folk songs from five European countries. As is typical of folk music, the melodies are simple, easy to remember, and even less experienced listeners can easily recognize them. The themes tend to revolve around happy or unhappy love – sometimes in a cheerful, sometimes in a melancholic tone. It's remarkable how diverse the approaches of 19th- and 20th-century composers are in handling these melodies. One of the pieces performed is Rapsodie sur des Airs Catalans by Eugène Gigout, composed during a concert trip to Barcelona. The piece recalls Catalan folk songs in a free fantasia structure, with fragments of melody appearing unexpectedly – yet they remain recognizable even if the listener doesn't know them in advance.
Lajos Schmidthauer’s variations on a Hungarian folk song, however, carry a mystery: the score is hard to access, and the version performed here was discovered by organist Antal Váradi at a flea market. To this day, the exact folk song on which it is based remains unidentified – perhaps the audience in Pécs will recognize it? Robert Jones, a Welsh organist celebrating his 80th birthday this year, has arranged some of his homeland’s most beloved melodies, including Calon Lân, often regarded as Wales' unofficial national anthem. His arrangements are clean, meticulously crafted, yet simple little gems. Dudley Buck, a pioneer of American organ music in the second half of the 19th century, used European-inspired melodies and harmonies long before the advent of jazz. His arrangement of the Scottish love song Ann Laurie is virtuosic and playful. The program concludes with Kommt ein Vogel geflogen, a set of variations by Siegfried Ochs based on a well-known German folk tune. Originally written for piano "in the style of the old masters," it was adapted for organ by Thomas Greif. The piece is framed by four short improvisations – an introduction and three variations written in classic jazz styles.

As this music fills the cathedral in Pécs, we might recall Haydn’s famous words:
"God gave me a cheerful heart, so He will surely forgive me for serving Him cheerfully."