A history of compositions for solo organ pedal

The purpose of this study is to acquaint both teachers and students of the organ with the organ solo pedal repertoire available to them. In order to do so, chapter 1 traces the historical background of organ repertoire that includes solo pedal passages. Chapter 2 then chronicles the evolution of pieces composed for solo pedals alone. Chapter 3 is a study focusing on the characteristics and technical demands of the concert pedal etude. In it five works are analyzed that demonstrate the various approaches and technical challenges of the pedal etude. Finally, chapter 4 contains the annotated repertoire and bibliographic information. The study reveals that the majority of pieces for organ solo pedal were composed after 1950. Only a handful were composed before the middle of the 20th century. Geographically, American composers have shown greater interest in the genre than composers of any other country