Orgelkids Pastorale | A short composition for the Orgelkids Do-organ

This was my entry for the Orgelkids Composition Contest 2019.

Orgelkids is celebrating 10 years this year, hence the global competition to increase the repertoire available for this unique instrument. Yes...it's a pipe organ! A miniature one—but a fully functioning one! Its purpose is to expose children to the mechanics of the pipe organ, have fun building it and enjoy playing it. All the parts fit into its specially designed case.

The pipe organ kit is fully mechanical and doesn't require any power source to run it. The organ is driven by a hand pump, so you'll need a friend to pump along if you want to play it. The compass of the organ is two octaves, from C to C, but doesn't include the lower C#/Db.

^{Source: Wikipedia}

I decided to enter the contest as a bit of fun and the requirements for composing on such a small compass would be easier for a non-composer like myself! The main requirement for the contest was to compose an original piece or arrangement that is accessible for novice keyboard players (mostly children). The duration had to be a minimum of 1 minute. The composer was not to be engraved onto the score as all the compositions would be judged blindly to avoid bias. I also had to sign a disclaimer that this work had not been previously published and would not be shared anywhere until after the competition was over. Well the competition is over, I didn't win a prize but at least I get to share it on Steem :)

I would have loved to have recorded my entry on an actual Orgelkids Do-organ, but I don't think a unit actually exists in Australia yet. To commission this instrument it would approximately cost $15,000 AUD with shipping and taxes. So in lieu of this, I have recorded it on my home digital organ with a 'chiffy' stop to mimic it.

In other news, the World's First Modular Paper Organ Kickstarter has just been fully funded! I'm so excited to have backed this project with @organduo and I look forward to receiving my paper organ. I'm sure @organduo and myself will be composing pieces for this affordable alternative to the Orgelkids Do-organ.

Yours truly,
@contrabourdon

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