Johann Sebastian Bach used his own organ compositions when teaching his students. Seeking to understand and learn from Bach's organ pedagogy, many scholars have sought to establish a list of Bach's organ works according to difficulty. These arranged lists are briefly summarized in chapter two of the present thesis, and it is shown that none of them have sufficiently explained the rationale for deciding difficulty. Chapter three establishes and describes criteria according to which Bach's organ works can be analyzed. Chapter four demonstrates how these criteria are to be applied within a selected corpus of J.S. Bach's organ works, the Leipzig versions of the Great Eighteen Chorale Preludes. The criteria and resulting arrangement according to difficulty answer a problem within Bach scholarship by providing an objective standard by which teachers and students can select level-appropriate works for purposes of learning and performance.

AFRIKAANS: Orrelonderrig word tradisioneel eers vanaf ongeveer dertien- of veertienjarige ouderdom aangebied. Vir toelating tot die studie word ’n gevorderde vaardigheid in klawerbordspel vereis asook die nodige fisieke bou wat pas by die afmetings van die instrument. Die afname in orrelstudentgetalle wat die afgelope aantal jare op sekondêre- sowel as tersiêre vlak opgemerk word, vereis ’n dringende ondersoek na alternatiewe metodes om orrelonderrig meer toeganklik vir ’n leerder op ’n jonger ouderdom te maak. Alternatiewe orrelmetodes wat nie bogenoemde klawerbordvaardigheid as ’n vereiste stel nie, word sedert 1990 in lande soos Brittanje, Verenigde State van Amerika, Nederland en Swede toegepas. Alhoewel hierdie metodes bedoel is vir onderrig aan jong spelers sowel as die volwasse beginner, is die Suzuki-orrelmetode in hierdie navorsingstudie geïdentifiseer as die enigste metode tot op datum wat onderrig in manuaal- en pedaalspel insluit en wat geskik is vir die jonger leerder wat selfs oor geen leesvaardigheid beskik nie. ’n Kritiese evaluering van die Suzuki-orrelmetode het gelei tot die formulering van riglyne om orrelonderrig aan leerders op ’n vroeër ouderdom moontlik te maak. Deur die orrel meer toeganklik te maak word ’n liefde vir die instrument en die unieke klank daarvan by die jong leerder gekweek. Die mening bestaan ook dat ’n koördinasievermoë, wat een van die primêre vereistes vir suksesvolle orrelonderrig is, makliker op ’n jonger ouderdom aangeleer kan word. Met inagneming van die onderskeie ontwikkelingsfases van die jong kind en deur die nodige aanpassings in die wyse van aanbieding, fisiese veranderings aan die instrument, asook die keuse van onderrigmateriaal, kan die afname in belangstelling in orrelonderrig teëgewerk word. Hierdie alternatiewe sieninge kan sodoende ’n bydrae lewer tot die voortbestaan en behoud van orrelonderrig. Verdere navorsing is egter nodig om die praktiese toepassing van hierdie riglyne in ’n Suid-Afrikaanse milieu deur middel van ’n empiriese ondersoek te toets. ENGLISH: In a traditional context, organ tuition usually commences around the age of thirteen or fourteen. In addition to this age prerequisite, an advanced level of keyboard skills is mandatory as well as prospective students’ commensurate physical development in order for them to negotiate the dimensions of the organ console successfully. The general decline in the number of organ students in recent years at secondary and tertiary levels has given rise to an urgent review of alternate approaches to organ teaching which are more accessible to future younger organ students. Approaches that eschew advanced keyboard technique have been used in Britain, the United States of America, the Netherlands and Sweden since 1990. While these organ teaching methods are suitable for young as well as adult beginners, the Suzuki Organ Method highlighted in this study is the only approach to this date that includes manual and pedal technique and that is appropriate for younger students who may not have yet begun to read. In this study, a critical evaluation of the Suzuki Organ Method has led to the development of achievable guidelines for organ method strategies for young students. In so doing, playing the organ is made far more accessible to younger organists as well as developing in them a love for the instrument and an appreciation of its unique sound. This study further recommends that as co-ordination is one of the primary requirements for the successful study of the organ, it is easier to learn this skill at a younger age. It is possible to stem the decline in organ students by taking into account a number of factors, including the various developmental phases of the young child, appropriate adaptations in approaches to teaching, physical modifications to the instrument and the choice of teaching material. In so doing, this alternate method might contribute to a continuation of organ teaching. Ongoing empirical research will be necessary to determine the practical application of these guidelines in a South African context. / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Music / unrestricted