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With the general decline of church music in the 19th century, together with the lack of seriously trained church musicians, music in the churches was largely left in the hands of amateurs, both in its performance and in its composition. Serious music for the organ–such as large-scale compositions titled "Sonatas" and "Symphonies," as well as chorales, improvisations, and other examples of symphonic forms and styles–was written largely for skilled performers and was chiefly intended for concert use, although such music was often heard in the churches. The romantic organ was largely characterized by embodying, in various degrees, the color pallette of the symphonic orchestra.

Composers of particular note who wrote works for organ include:

  • Felix Mendelssohn (six organ sonatas, three of which incorporate Lutheran chorale melodies.
  • Johannes Brahms (eleven chorale preludes).
  • Max Reger (who, although a Catholic, wrote monumental settings based on a number of Lutheran chorales).

With the gradual rediscovery throughout the century of the musical heritage of Lutheranism, particularly the heritage of the Reformation chorales and the music of Johann Sebastian Bach, new organ works began to be written which were not only within the capability of many church musicians of more modest technique, but also were more clearly intended for use in the liturgy of the Church.

 

 

 

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