It is not often that a program of organ music from the Thorough Bass period is given, like the one to be presented today at the Germanic Museum. With the exception of William Fenton, whose Concerto in B flat major (No. 3 for organ and orchestra opens the program, each of the composers represented has made some definite contribution to the literature of music.

Among the works to be played are the Organ Concerto in C major, and two sonatas (F major and D major) for violin, viloncello, and organ by Arcangelo Corelli, the first mature composer of violin music. Being a master of the violin himself, he greatly improved the technique of violin playing. This was demonstrated in his compositions in which he was able to bring out the different characteristics of the instrument. The slow movements of his sonnets are perfect vehicles for displaying the singing quality of a violin. It was also Corelli who made the first step towards the development of the sonata form, by the introduction of contrasted themes within his works. The full realization of this idea was not to come until the era of Haydn and Mozart.

George Friederich Handel, one of the greatest of Thorough Bass composers, made an important advance in the development of the concerto. In this period it was more common for composers to write a concerto grosso, a form of music in which a group of solo instruments are heard against a full orchestra, instead of the concerto where the contrast is made with a single instrument. But Handel needed relaxation between the sections of his Oratorios, so he turned to the Concerto, which in its contemporary state proved to be too heavy. Either some new form was needed, or some old one had to be developed. Handel decided upon the latter. Let the concerto be a show piece for the player's virtuosity, by injecting the element of display. Not only did Handel introduce many decorative passages, but in many places he supplied a figured bass, leaving the interpretation to the soloist. Then he went still further by putting a pause at a given point in the music over the rest in the accompaniment, with the words, "Organun ad Libitum" which meant that the player was free to improvise. This was one of the first attempts at the development of the cadenza. Both of Handel's concertos which are to be played on Tuesday night are subtitled, "For organ and harpsichord." This perhaps explains why there seems to be a departure from the usual solemnity of the organ, for the two instruments are quite different in character.

In contrast to the graceful organ style of Handel, is that of Johann Sebastian Bach, whose organ music is more of a religious nature. He seems to think of the organ as a sacred instrument. The music he composes for it is inborn. While Handel0 adapted to the organ many ideas which he used in other forms of music, making it easier for the listener to understand, Bach treated the organ as an instrument whose great resources offered new ideas for music.

Four of Bach's works for solo organ are included on the program. The Fugue in G major, the Tocatta and Fugue in D minor, known to many through Stokowski's transcription of it for orchestra, and two Chorale Preludes. It is in these Chorale Preludes that Bach proves himself to be one of the greatest masters of the organ.