FRANK MORANA
AmerOrganist 37/7

GERARD BUNK, Sonate f-moll, op. 32. Erstausgabe (Sonata in F minor, op. 32. First Edition). Sinfonische Orgel, Band 7, Bärenreiter 8454. The Dutch organist, pianist, and composer Gerard Bunk (1888–1958) was a veteran of over 3,000 musical performances, and from 1925 he presided over the Walcker V/105 (1909; destroyed 1944) at St. Reinoldi, Dortmund, an important early representative of the German “organ reform.” As a young man, he attained high favor with Max Reger, filling-in at last moment for an ailing Karl Straube in a festival dedicated to Reger’s works. Although Bunk’s own works are purported to exhibit the influence of Reger, there is, unfortunately, no such influence apparent in the present work. The opening “Introduction maestoso” begins on the plenum with dramatic gestures and chromatic ascents, but somehow, after nearly 80 measures, never manages to leave F minor––until a diminished-seventh comes along and simply raises the tonality to F-sharp. There is little melodic or contrapuntal vitality, and the harmonic rhythm plods along almost unceasingly at the half-bar. The second and third movements are an “Intermezzo grazioso,” and an “Intermezzo cantabile,” respectively. The first intermezzo is a flute solo over an “um-pah” bass between pedal and subsidiary manual; in a brief and undeveloped middle-section, this alternates with an awkward two-bar chordal passage. The second intermezzo is an incantation in the phrygian mode; it comes with a separate violin part as an optional replacement for the principal manual part. The finale, “Andante funebre,” is an uninspired basso ostinato on a two-bar theme, F-G-Ab-Bb-C-Db-Bb-C.