Organ Works, Vol. 2

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The enormously prolific Marie Joseph Erb (1858-1944) has somehow escaped the attention of posterity, although the quality of his music is on a par with contemporary organist-composers whose works are far better known. Erb's long life - he saw Berlioz conduct in 1863 and was still composing 80 years later - was focused on Strasbourg, where he was active as pianist, organist and professor, though he had studied in Paris, with Faure, Gigout, Saint-Saens and Widor, and later with Liszt in Weimar. This second Jan Lehtola/Toccata Classics album devoted to his organ music sandwiches six short pieces intended for liturgical use between two monumental works; indeed, in it's combination of architectural magnificence and emotional intensity, the Sonata on Chorale Themes of the Catholic Liturgy may be one of the finest of all organ sonatas.