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About this Piece

Bedrich Wiedermann (1883-1951), who trained nearly all the Czech organists now active, was born at Ivanovice, in Moravia, and died in Prague. He studied theology before taking up a musical career. For a time he was organist of the Cathedral in Brno and later of the Emmaus Church in Prague, famous for its plainsong. He became organ professor at the State Conservatory and, finally, at the Academy of Musical Arts in Prague. He himself appeared as a performer outside his native country in visits to Belgium, Sweden, and the United States.

Impetuoso is a typical example of Wiedermann's marvelously idiomatic organ writing. In the key of C major, it justifies its title by its continuous, uninterrupted forward flow from the initial downward plunge of octave Cs to the coda, where chromatic chords in the penultimate line and an upward flourish add more impetus before the downward leap of an octave C clinches the final C-major chord.

10/06