The Clavitura practice room
Organ · find your next piece
From a first phrase to a concert programme. Explore 48 recommendations for harpsichord and organ, chosen around the skills you want to develop.
New to the instrument? Start here.
Harpsichord: start with basic note reading and relaxed five-finger patterns. Listen to the end of every note; shape phrases with timing and articulation. Work on short first-step pieces before adding ornaments.
Organ: begin with one quiet manual registration and a comfortable bench position. Practise a short manual phrase, then a separate pedal exercise. Add feet to a piece only when each part is secure. A pianist new to pedals can choose a different stage for manuals and for feet.
Choose one comfortable piece, one small technical study and one stretch piece. Move on when you can keep the pulse, repeat your fingering and finish without tension.
24 recommendations · six stages per instrument
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Organ · stage 1 of 6
First steps
Begin on the manuals. Prepare pedal technique separately before combining hands and feet.
First Lessons on the Organ
Begin with organ touch and the method’s opening studies.
- Be ready for
- Basic reading and a comfortable bench position.
- Try this
- Work on a short opening exercise before attempting a whole piece.
Which score / movement?
Opening exercises only; the whole method spans several levels.
Edition: Complete Score · 17.42 MB, 104 pp.
Prélude No.1 · Six Pièces courtes, Part I
Learn to connect and release a simple manual texture.
- Be ready for
- Manuals only; basic two-hand coordination.
- Try this
- Choose fingerings slowly and listen for unintended gaps.
Which score / movement?
First prelude only, in Part I (without pedals).
Edition: First prelude only, in Part I (without pedals).
Poco allegretto in C major · L’Organiste I/1
Shape a short Romantic phrase on the manuals.
- Be ready for
- Manuals only; originally for harmonium, adapted to organ.
- Try this
- Use a quiet registration and make the phrase endings deliberate.
Which score / movement?
First piece in the C-major/minor group; original manual texture.
Edition: First piece in the C-major/minor group; original manual texture.
The Organ · opening studies
Establish touch before combining hands and feet.
- Be ready for
- Opening manual studies, followed by separate pedal preparation.
- Try this
- Choose a short manual exercise with a teacher; practise slowly.
Which score / movement?
Read the 1909 method online; selected opening exercises, not the whole volume.
Edition: Read the 1909 method online; selected opening exercises, not the whole volume.
Organ · stage 2 of 6
Developing
Choose a manuals-only piece or introduce the pedals through a short, prepared study.
All’Elevazione in C major · Op.1, Part I No.14
Sustain a quiet line and shape suspensions.
- Be ready for
- Manuals-only option; steady held notes and careful releases.
- Try this
- Listen to each dissonance resolve before moving to the next phrase.
Which score / movement?
Part I, No.14 in the original keyboard collection, not a flute or lute arrangement.
Edition: Part I, No.14 in the original keyboard collection, not a flute or lute arrangement.
Petit trio No.1 · École d’orgue, Part II
Coordinate two manual voices with a simple pedal line.
- Be ready for
- First short trio study after separate pedal preparation.
- Try this
- Learn the pedal alone, then combine it with each hand separately.
Which score / movement?
No.1 of Six petits trios très faciles only.
Edition: No.1 of Six petits trios très faciles only.
Erhalt uns, Herr, bei deinem Wort BuxWV 185
Introduce a chorale over a restrained pedal part.
- Be ready for
- Pedals required; manual counterpoint still needs preparation.
- Try this
- Practise hands with a silent pedal motion before sounding all parts.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.89 MB, 4 pp.
Voluntary in D minor, Op.6 No.5 · opening slow movement
Shape the opening slow movement as a dialogue.
- Be ready for
- Manuals-only option; this level applies only to the opening movement.
- Try this
- Plan breaths and changes of manual before adding ornaments.
Which score / movement?
Opening slow movement only; later movements are more demanding.
Edition: Complete Score · 0.18 MB, 3 pp.
Organ · stage 3 of 6
Intermediate
Develop independent feet, a clear melody and dependable accompaniment.
Ich ruf zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ BWV 639
Balance an ornamented melody over two independent parts.
- Be ready for
- Two manuals helpful; pedal independence and ornament control.
- Try this
- Practise left hand and pedal together until their pulse is dependable.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 0.16 MB, 2 pp.
Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier BWV 731
Let a chorale melody breathe above a steady accompaniment.
- Be ready for
- Pedal support, sustained lines and careful registration.
- Try this
- Sing the melody and mark cadences before adding ornaments.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.07 MB, 1 pp.
Prelude in C major, BWV 553 · traditionally attributed to J.S. Bach
Keep a concise prelude steady with hands and feet.
- Be ready for
- Secure elementary pedal coordination; attribution to J.S. Bach is uncertain.
- Try this
- Practise the pedal line, then add the hands in short sections.
Which score / movement?
Prelude only, from Eight Short Preludes and Fugues.
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 2.51 MB, 39 pp.
Prière à Notre-Dame · Suite gothique, Op.25
Support a lyrical melody with a quiet accompaniment.
- Be ready for
- Pedals, expressive phrasing and sensitive registration.
- Try this
- Practise melody and pedal as a duet, then restore the inner parts.
Which score / movement?
Third movement only; the suite’s Toccata is not at this level.
Edition: Score
Organ · stage 4 of 6
Upper intermediate
Coordinate active counterpoint and make purposeful registration choices.
Nun komm' der Heiden Heiland BWV 599
Maintain a chorale line within a compact active texture.
- Be ready for
- Confident pedal coordination and four-part listening.
- Try this
- Practise each voice separately and then in pairs.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.05 MB, 1 pp.
Fugue in G minor BWV 578
Track fugal entries through hands and pedals.
- Be ready for
- Independent pedal entries and sustained contrapuntal concentration.
- Try this
- Mark every entry; rehearse the pedal entries with each hand.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (CA) · 1.65 MB, 4 pp.
Passacaglia in D minor BuxWV 161
Shape a recurring bass across contrasting sections.
- Be ready for
- Pedal ostinato, section pacing and historical articulation.
- Try this
- Learn the bass cycle securely before adding upper voices.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 0.18 MB, 7 pp.
Préambule, Op.31 No.1 · Pièces en style libre
Shape a French Romantic prelude with a clear harmonic arc.
- Be ready for
- Pedal version in the linked three-stave edition.
- Try this
- Mark harmonic arrivals and plan a restrained registration.
Which score / movement?
No.1 only, in Livre I; linked edition uses three staves.
Edition: Livre I (3 staves) · 1.29 MB, 52 pp.
Organ · stage 5 of 6
Advanced
Refine ornamentation, long phrases and larger forms. Manuals-only challenges continue here too.
O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß BWV 622
Sustain a richly ornamented melody over an independent texture.
- Be ready for
- Advanced ornamentation, pedal independence and sustained phrasing.
- Try this
- Study ornament timing slowly while keeping the lower voices calm.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.10 MB, 2 pp.
Prélude, fugue et variation, Op.18
Carry one lyrical idea through prelude, fugue and variation.
- Be ready for
- Two manuals useful; Romantic legato and careful balance.
- Try this
- Plan registrations and rehearse manual changes in context.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete piece
Organ Sonata No.6 in D minor, Op.65 No.6
Unify chorale variations and the closing sections.
- Be ready for
- Substantial pedal technique and long-form planning.
- Try this
- Practise each variation as a distinct character before joining the whole.
Which score / movement?
Sonata No.6 only, all movements.
Edition: 6. Sonata in D minor · 1.16 MB, 19 pp.
Fantasia cromatica, SwWV 258
Make a chromatic subject audible across a long contrapuntal span.
- Be ready for
- Advanced manuals-only repertoire; dense counterpoint and stamina.
- Try this
- Practise voice pairs and make a map of the subject transformations.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.31 MB, 10 pp.
Organ · stage 6 of 6
Concert projects
Approach large concert works with mature technique, stamina and a registration plan.
Passacaglia in C minor BWV 582
Shape a large ostinato architecture and its concluding fugue.
- Be ready for
- Concert-level pedals, contrapuntal control and architectural pacing.
- Try this
- Plan variation groups, then practise long spans without losing direction.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 0.38 MB, 19 pp.
Prelude and Fugue in E minor BWV 548
Sustain a large prelude and an expansive fugue.
- Be ready for
- Virtuoso pedal writing, dense texture and large-form control.
- Try this
- Build stamina with sectional runs before complete performances.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score (EU) · 1.23 MB, 18 pp.
Trio Sonata No.1 in E-flat major, BWV 525
Maintain three equal voices with complete independence.
- Be ready for
- Two manuals and pedals; mature coordination throughout.
- Try this
- Practise all three voice pairings before assembling the trio.
Which score / movement?
Sonata No.1 only, all three movements.
Edition: Complete Score · 6.26 MB, 78 pp.
Variations and Fugue on an Original Theme Op73
Manage a large variation cycle and a demanding fugue.
- Be ready for
- Professional concert project; dense chromatic writing and major technical demands.
- Try this
- Map the form and registration changes before building performance stamina.
Which score / movement?
Complete piece
Edition: Complete Score · 13.57 MB, 38 pp.
A thoughtful route through the scores
How to use the stages
These are Clavitura’s editorial recommendations, not exam grades or a claim of teacher assessment. Difficulty depends on tempo, movement, edition, hand span, instrument and prior experience. A short or slow piece can still be musically demanding. Follow the movement named on each card; a collection may contain much harder music.
Organ stages consider manual writing and pedal coordination separately. Harpsichord stages consider voices, ornaments, dance style and longer forms. Ask your teacher to adapt the route to your instrument and goals.
Organ foundations
Stainer / Harker · The Organ (1909) ↗ — a historical method to read online.
Lemmens · École d’orgue ↗ — manual studies and separate pedal studies.
RCO · skill descriptions ↗ — a reference for the progression of coordination and interpretation. RCO does not assign the stages on these cards.
Harpsichord style & repertoire
Couperin · L’Art de toucher le clavecin ↗ — a historical reference for French playing.
Trinity · 2026 harpsichord diploma repertoire ↗ — context for substantial advanced works; our six stages are independent of its diplomas.
Scores and collection details are linked on every card. Read the edition notes before choosing a score. Editorial selection reviewed 17 October 2026.
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