Sonata II

When I was a student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland), I took third study organ with George McPhee, the organist of Paisley Abbey. One of the pieces I studied under his tutelage was the Sonata II for organ by Paul Hindemith. I don’t believe I was ever a good enough organist to do it justice, but I was fond of the piece with its energetic opening, the lilting beauty of the middle movement and the rather stark but enigmatic fugal finale. There have been many composers who have transcribed organ works, since they lend themselves very well to such a genre due to their broad colour spectrum.

The works of J. S. Bach have been transcribed by composers as diverse as Schönberg and Elgar, but the art of transcription seems to be less popular in the 21st century. My attachment to the Hindemith Sonata was renewed when I picked up my copy of the score in 2025 and realised that its clarity and colour palette would be a perfect vehicle for a wind quintet. I hope I have managed to do justice to this engaging piece by a composer I admire, but who, like many others of his generation is sadly rather neglected these days.

Rory Boyle