Procol Harum “A Whiter Shade of Pale” 1967 - the organ part 

One of the most famous, enduring and all-time classic pop songs from the 1960s.

What makes this song so good is the fantastic Hammond organ part. It was written by Matthew Fisher after Gary Brooker, lead singer of Procol Harum, contacted Fisher (who was advertising himself plus his Hammond organ for hire in Melody Maker) to add a Hammond organ line to a new song Brooker had written.

Brooker never gave a writing credit or any share in the royalties to Fisher, who always felt his contribution to the song should be recognised. In 2005, nearly 40 years later, Fisher eventually sued Brooker, winning in the High Court in 2006 but then losing on appeal when the decision was reversed in 2008. Then Fisher got leave to appeal to the House of Lords and in 2009 - after lugging his Hammond organ into the courtroom at the Palace of Westminster and playing his solo part - their Lordships, in the last ever case decided by the House of Lords (before it was replaced by the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom), reinstated the original High Court decision.

Fisher’s part, and Gary Brooker’s original song, are clearly inspired by JS Bach. But the House of Lords ruling established that Fisher’s Hammond organ part is much more than just a line in the song. It is so good, so well crafted and exploits the iconic Hammond organ sound so wonderfully that it fully deserves being heard as a solo piece just as it was by their Lordships in their musty fusty dusty old courtroom (OK, with an added cheesy rhythm track!)
 

Here’s an analysis of the music and chord progressions taken from https://telescoper.wordpress.com/2011/09/22/a-whiter-shade-of-bach/

Here are the chords, by the way, if you’re interested. They’re a great illustration of the difference between a real progression and just a sequence. In fact I’m quite surprised this hasn’t been taken up by more jazz musicians, as it looks like very fertile grounds for improvisation – just as much of Bach’s own music is."

Franz Schubert, Ave Maria - piano transcription by Franz Liszt

More Schubert - this is Franz Liszt’s piano transcription (one of three) of Schubert’s "Ellens dritter Gesang" or "Ellen's Third Song", composed in 1825 as part of his Op. 52, a setting of seven songs from Walter Scott's “The Lady of the Lake”.

Here it is played by the Ukrainian-American pianist Valentina Lisitsa on a Bösendorfer 290 Imperial Concert Grand Piano. The Imperial has an extra 9 keys in the base (darker coloured to avoid distracting pianists not used to them) which gives a full 8 octave keyboard. Those extra keys are rarely used because piano music is written for the standard 88 note keyboard. So why have them? Because those notes provide a richer sound with extra harmonic resonance from those additional strings.

I love the Merchant Ivory movies, especially Howards End and the beginning where Vanessa Redgrave wanders through the twilit gardens looking in through the open windows at her family talking, laughing and enjoying family life while a serene and hauntingly beautiful piano piece is played.

I assumed it was composed for the film but it wasn't, it’s by the somewhat neglected but brilliant Australian composer, Percy Grainger. It was written for Karen Holten, a Danish music student whom Grainger had met in 1905. Even though their love-affair was mostly by correspondence, when found out by Grainger's mother she disapproved so much that Grainger ended the relationship. But he never forgot Karen, and he gave her this short piece - just 17 bars - as a wedding gift when she later fell in love again and became Karen Kellerman.

There is a real sense of sadness, regret and loss but Grainger was clearly glad she had found happiness.

Here it is performed, as in the film, by the English pianist Martin Jones:

Percy Grainger (1882 - 1961)

Bridal Lullaby (1916)

You’ve probably never heard of the Italian aristocrat Alessandro Marcello (1673 - 1757)

But you probably have heard one of his compositions

Or rather part of one - the Adagio from his Oboe Concerto in D minor

His German contemporary, JS Bach, liked it so much he arranged it for harpsichord

...and when Bach covers one of your songs, you’ve made it  

Here is that arrangement played by English pianist Paul Barton (who lives in Thailand) on his Italian Feurich piano 

Percy Grainger was many things

• Australian born, British folk song enthusiast and American citizen 
• Friend of Grieg, Gershwin, Delius and Duke Ellington
• A unique composer, arranger and virtuoso concert pianist, with a “Liberace” style
• A meticulous exponent of piano pedalling - so important yet so overlooked - and, in particular, of the sostenuto pedal, which (uniquely) he used in all of his piano compositions to add extra harmonic resonance to the music.

This is the 3rd movement of Rachmaninov’s Piano Concerto No. 2, transcribed by Grainger for his solo piano concerts, which combines his exceptional arrangement skills and mastery of pedalling right from the very opening “silent” chord which is held down with the sostenuto pedal to add tonal richness to the opening bars.

It is played here by Martin Jones

Johann Schop - Werde munter, mein Gemüte (1641)

Music is universal.  

Throughout WWII Myra Hess gave lunchtime piano concerts, free to anyone walking in off the street, mostly at the National Gallery, in London every day of the week for the duration of the war from 1939-1945 

The one piece she always played - because the audience demanded it - was her sublime piano transcription, Jesu Joy Of Man’s Desiring, of the German composer and violinist Johann Schop‘s Werde munter, mein Gemüte melody, composed in 1641 and then arranged 83 years later (1723) by JS Bach (who had liked the melody so much) for the chorale movements in his cantata Herz und Mund und Tat und Leben (BWV 147)  

Hess’s piano transcription is so full of delightful details, like the tiny little countermelody at 2:32, that reward repeated listening or playing. For me it is the most beautiful piano arrangement of this melody (there have been many).  

Myra Hess also did a piano arrangement for four hands (below). OK, there’s a small mistake at 2:20, but Dr Ricardo de la Torre is very easy on the eye  and, hey, it was a live performance, these things happen, and all that matters is the ability to recover and continue seamlessly (perfectly done) and the performance itself