List of organ symphonies

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An organ symphony is a piece for solo pipe organ in various movements. It is a symphonic genre, not so much in musical form (in which it is more similar to the organ sonata or suite), but in imitating orchestral tone color, texture, and symphonic process.

Though the very first organ symphony was written by German composer Wilhelm Valentin Volckmar in 1867, the genre is mainly associated with French romanticism. César Franck wrote what is considered to be the first French organ symphony in his Grande Pièce Symphonique several years earlier, and the composers Charles-Marie Widor, who wrote ten organ symphonies, and his pupil Louis Vierne, who wrote six, continued to cultivate the genre. Modern composers such as Jean Guillou have written organ symphonies as well.

The term organ symphony is also used occasionally to refer to orchestral symphonies with a prominent solo role for an organ (as distinct from an organ concerto). The best known examples of such pieces are Camille Saint-Saëns's Symphony No. 3 and the Symphony for Organ and Orchestra by Aaron Copland, though strictly speaking such pieces are closer in form to orchestral symphonies than to the solo organ works described above.

This page lists the best known symphonies for solo pipe organ and symphonies for orchestra and organ. Organ concertos (such as those by George Frideric Handel, Francis Poulenc, and David Briggs) are not listed here; neither are orchestral symphonies featuring calling for organ where the organ does not have a prominent solo part (such as those by Gustav Mahler or Arnold Bax).

• Alles Vergängliche. Symphony for organ (2007)

• Symphonic Poem in E minor (orchestra version: Varför och därför, F minor, 1874)
• Organ Symphony No. 1 i B minor (1891)

• Symphony for organ, Op. 5 (1911)

• First Symphony for Organ "Symphonie pour orgue", Op. 18 (1918)
• Second Symphony for Organ, Op. 37 (1923)

• Symphonie d'après Media Vita (1932)

• Symphonie, Op. 10
• Allegro symphonique, Op. 32

• Suite symphonique for organ in G major (1906)
• Pièce symphonique (1911)

• Symphonie for organ (1950–1955)
• Numerous improvised symphonies recorded

• Organ Symphony “Storm King” (1920)

• Symphonie-passion for organ, Op. 23 (1924)
• Symphonie No. 2 in C minor for organ, Op. 26 (1929)

• Organ Symphony No. 1, E-flat major, A Carillon Symphony, Op. 19 (1971–1972)
• Organ Symphony No. 2, D-minor, Sinfonia breve, Op. 26 (1973–1975)
• Organ Symphony No. 3, E-minor, Symphonie Élégiaque, Op. 35 (1973–1990)
• Organ Symphony No. 4, A-major, A Festival Symphony, Op. 38 (1990–1992)
• Organ Symphony No. 5, G-minor, Retrospection, Op. 40 (1977–2002)
• Organ Symphony No. 6, C-major, Enigma, Op. 41 (1995–2001)
• Organ Symphony No. 7, in B-minor (unfinished) one complete mov. is a quadruple fugue

• Allegro symphonique (1927)
• Symphonie No. 1 (1938/1943)
• Symphonie No. 2 (1946/1947)

• La Croix du Sud, poème symphonique for organ, Op. 15 (1999)
• L’Enfant noir, conte symphonique for grand-organ in 14 figures, Op. 17 (2002)

• Grande Pièce Symphonique, Op. 17 (1863)

• Symphonie Cosmique (Cosmic Symphony) for organ (1981)
• Poème symphonique (2001)
• Fresque Symphonique "Ombres et Lumières" for organ (2004)
• Six Symphonic Variations for organ (2006)

• Sinfonietta for organ, Op. 4
• Symphonie Initiatique for 3 organs, Op. 18 (1971)
• Symphonie Initiatique for 4 hands (the same as above, transcribed for four hands), Op. 18 (1990)

• Symphonie in E major for organ (1906)

• Symphony in F-sharp minor for organ, Op. 143

• Symphonie No. 1 for organ (1941)
• Symphonie No. 2 for organ (1976)
• Symphonie No. 3 for organ (1979)

• First Organ Symphony, Op. 20 (1905)

• Symphony for organ No. 1 (1990)
• Symphony for organ No. 2 "Let there be light" (1993)

• First Symphonie, Op.18, 5 movements (1993)
• Second Symphonie, Op. 31, 4 movements (2001)

• Numerous improvised symphonies recorded, in particular:^[1]
  • Symphonie-improvisation (Allegro, Scherzo, Adagio and Final) in: Cannes : un Festival d'improvisations (Ctésibios CTE 065)
  • Improvised symphony in: Improvisations - Livre d'orgue, Symphonie, Variations sur Tantum Ergo (Pierre Verany PV 790111)

• Pièce symphonique, Op. 11

• Symphonie Dominicale
• Symphonie Mariale

• Symphony No. 1 for Organ (1924)
• Second Symphony for Organ (1929–32)
• Third Organ Symphony (1949–53)

• Symphony in G (1930)
• Sinfonia Brevis (1965)

• Symphonie pascale for organ (Entrée épiscopale – Offertoire – Sortie)

• Pièce symphonique, Op. 16 (1899)
• Fantaisie symphonique for organ, Op. 64 (1934)
• Symphonie-choral d'orgue in 6 parts, Op. 69 (1935)
• Symphonie sacrée for organ en 4 parts, Op. 71 (1936)
• Two fresques symphoniques sacrées, Opp. 75, 76 (1939)

• Organ Symphony No. 1, Op. 14 (1895)
• Organ Symphony No. 2, Op. 20 (1901-1903)
• Organ Symphony No. 3, Op. 28 (1911)
• Organ Symphony No. 4, Op. 32 (1914)
• Organ Symphony No. 5, Op. 47 (1923-1924)
• Organ Symphony No. 6, Op. 59 (1930)

• Symphony on Themes of Herzog Ernst von Sachsen-Coburg-Gotha in D major, for organ, Op. 172 (1867) - the first organ solo symphony, and one of very few German organ symphonies

• Symphonie No. 1 for organ in C minor, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 2 for organ in D major, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 3 for organ in E minor, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 4 for organ in F minor, Op. 13
• Symphonie No. 5 for organ in F minor, Op. 42/1
• Symphonie No. 6 for organ in G minor, Op. 42/2
• Symphonie No. 7 for organ in A minor, Op. 42
• Symphonie No. 8 for organ in B major, Op. 42
• Symphonie No. 9 for organ, Op. 70 « Gothique »
• Symphonie No. 10 for organ, Op. 73 « Romane »

• Symphony for Organ (1960)

• Symphony No. 8 for Organ and Orchestra (1993)

• Organ Symphony No. 2 i E-flat major for organ and brass (1892)

• Symphony for Organ and Orchestra

• Symphonie in G minor for organ and orchestra, Op. 25 (1928)

• Symphonic Fantasy for organ and orchestra

• Symphony No. 2, Op. 28 (1899)

• Symphony No. 1 for organ and orchestra in D minor, Op. 42 (1874)
  • Adapted from Organ Sonata No. 1
• Symphony No. 2 for organ and orchestra in A major, Op. 91
  • Adapted from Organ Sonata No. 8

• Symphony No. 7 for organ and orchestra, Op. 137 (1989)

• Symphony Concertante for organ and orchestra.

• Symphony No. 8 for Organ & Orchestra "Sinfonia concertata" (1986)

• Symphony No.3 "Symphony–Poem" (1947)

• Symphony no. 4 in D minor "Invocatio" (1935)

• Symphony No. 4 "An Organ Symphony"

• Symphony No. 3 with organ

• Sinfonia concertante for organ and orchestra (2022)

• Symphony No. 5 for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 36 "Reformation Hymn" (1884)

• Symphony No. 3 for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 43 (1965)

• Symphony No. 4, Op. 44 "Pages Symphoniques" (1912)
• Symphony No. 6 for Tenor, Chorus, Organ and Orchestra, Op. 48 (1917–18)

• Pièce symphonique for organ and orchestra (1926)
  • Adapted from Organ Symphony Nos. 1-3

• Symphony in G minor for organ and orchestra (1936-37)

• Symphonie pour orgue et orchestre, Op. 42 (1882)
  • Adapted from Organ Symphonies #2 (central movement) and #6 (outer movements)
• Symphony No. 3, Op. 69 (1894) – organ and orchestra
• Sinfonia sacra, Op. 81 (1908) – organ and orchestra
• Symphonie antique, Op. 83 (1911) – soloists, chorus, organ and orchestra

• List of organ pieces
• List of organ composers
• Piano symphony

• Camille Saint-Saëns' "Organ-Symphony". Spanish Radio and Television Symphony Orchestra (together with works of Debussy and Fauré). Conductor: Jun Märkl.