The Naxos Organ Encyclopedia presents repertoire that spans more than 500 years of organ music history, from the early years of the Renaissance era up to the present day, featuring those key composers who wrote for the instrument.

The organ music of Jan Sweelinck constitutes a peak achievement of the late Renaissance era. Known mostly for his organ chorales, Heinrich Scheidemann, an early-period Baroque composer and pupil of Sweelinck, is an important forerunner of the better-known mid-period Baroque composer and significant Bach predecessor, Dietrich Buxtehude.

The Romantic era’s Josef Rheinberger is best known for his many fine solo organ sonatas. Felix Mendelssohn contributed six worthy sonatas of his own to the organ literature. Of equal note is the organ music of the influential Belgian composer, Cesar Franck.

The music of Louis Vierne, Max Reger and the prolific Marcel Dupré represents the late Romantic and early modern era’s penchant for harmonic complexity and virtuosity. The bracing music of 20th-century composers Jehan Alain and Jean Langlais are somewhat more determinedly modern in conception, straddling tonality.

With the Naxos Organ Encyclopedia, classical music lovers are able to explore and enjoy a wide range of organ music.