|
|
 |
|
 |
||
|
|
 |
|
 |
|
Contents:
DDD Total Time = 71.44 / Recorded: Das Münster zur Schönen Unserer Lieben Frau, 16-20 August 1995 The Death of Nicolas de Grigny in 1703 marked the end of a brilliant form of French organ building and composition. More than one century was to pass before the great revival, introduced by Alexandre Boëly (1785-1858) and found in works by Guilmant, Gigout, Dubois, Franck, Widor, Boëllmann and Vierne, was fully realized on a broad spectrum. This renaissance is also in part due to the support of Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (1811-1899), the renowned organ maker, who enriched the classical French organ by adding orchestral colours. Among his innovations are an extended range in the pedal, the reduction of mixtures and aliquots as well as the introduction of characteristic string voices, overblown flutes and brilliant heavy wind reeds. The Barker lever, invented in 1829 and adopted by Cavaillé-Coll, makes it easier to change colours quickly during play and also makes almost entirely continuously variable crescendos and decrescendos possible. Cavaillé-Coll’s masterly designed instruments inspired many composers of the 19th century French organ renaissance. Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens, who taught at the conservatory in Brussels and – being an admirer of Johann Sebastian Bach’s organ works – included a German tradition in his classes, was an important forerunner of the new French organ school. The tendency to combine techniques and forms of the 18th century with harmonies of the 19th century shapes numerous organ compositions from Boëly and Lemmens to Gigout or Dubois. Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911), a student of Lemmens, is possibly the most important classicist in the area of French organ music. Guilmant was like many of his contemporaries a versatile musician, who maintained close ties with other composers of his generation. In 1871 Guilmant became organist at the church of St Trinité in Paris, and in 1894 he founded the Schola Cantorum together with Vincent d’Indy. Joseph Bonnet and Marcel Dupré were among his students. Guilmant published several papers on interpretation and improvisation. In the ten-volume book Archives des Maîtres de l’Orgue he published the complete works of Titelouze and Clérambeault. As the first French concert organist he made tours to America, Russia, Spain, Italy and England. Guilmant’s compositional œuvre consists mainly of works for organ and vocal compositions. Quite frequently he employed Gregorian melodies and choral-like motifs as thematic material – an artistic means many of his successors took over. In our days Guilmant is primarily known as the creator of eight organ symphonies (he called them "sonatas"), which are, next to contributions by Widor and Vierne, among the outstanding representatives of a new species. The fact that aesthetically and tonally the organ was becoming more and more like the orchestra provoked Guilmant to combine both sound bodies, an association which Hector Berlioz had rejected in his study of instrumentation. Guilmant also did not consider the organ to be a substitute for the symphony orchestra, but rather an instrument of independent tonal qualities. Even though Guilmant’s works for organ and orchestra are subsequent revisions of his own compositions, first created for organ solo, it is especially in his arrangements that his mastery becomes evident: The richer tonal colour and the new possibilities of a concerted dialog between the two instrumental partners heighten the effect of the model into the grandiose. It is not surprising that the secondary literature often (mistakably) considered the orchestral version to be the original, since it is the more effective one. The Allegro op. 81 begins in a fugal manner, but then proves to be a lively, contrastingly structured concerto movement. A note by Guilmant at the end of the score provides information about the date of composition: "Meudon 8.9.1894." The Marche-Fantaisie op. 44, completed in Sèvres in July 1875, is based on two contrasting subjects – the first sharpened through dotting, the second choral-like and flowing. Both subjects are initially introduced separately and in great detail, then abbreviated and made to confront each other in dialog form. A final fugato presents the first subject in semi quaver figuration, before it victoriously appears in its original form in the whole orchestra, to which two harps have been added, in conjunction with the full organ. The Méditation sur le Stabat mater op. 63, which was finished in Meudon on the 18th of August 1884, proves to be a contemplative work in the style of religious devotional music. Guilmant’s supple manner of composing organically links elements of the Gregorian chorale to the classicistic tonal language. The introductory recitative passages of the oboe are reminiscent of opera influences. Final alla Schumann op. 83, dated by the composer the "27th of December 1895", is a catchy rhapsody on two French carols "Pastrès benès bey sè, uno caoso qu’es dè creyre" and "Bergers venez voir chose qui est verdique". Guilmant’s First Symphony in D minor for organ and orchestra presents a beautiful sounding revision of his organ sonata op. 42 written in 1874. It is dedicated to Leopold II, king of Belgium, and was first performed in the Palais de Trocadéro on August 22nd 1878. This hall with a capacity of 5000 people was build for the Paris World Exhibition in 1878. It contains the Cavaillé-Coll organ, which spans 66 voices and had been inaugurated by Guilmant shortly before, on the 7th of August. As the Paris music magazines Le Ménestrel and Revue et Gazette musicale reported, the premier turned into a great success of the concertos. The orchestra was under the direction of Éduoard Colonne, the organ part was played by the composer himself. In the austere and formally clear conception of his first organ symphony Alexandre Guilmant continued the tradition of Beethoven and Berlioz, but expanded it with wide-stretching lyrical parts, which form an effective contrast to the emotional main idea of the first movement. The second movement – on request of the enthusiastic audience repeated during the premier – displays a calm melody, in which a few choral quotes flow in. The third movement is shaped by a quick toccata motion, again contrasted by a choral-like subject. The compelling development finally leads to the apotheosis in major in the coda. In 1871 Léon Boëllmann entered the Paris Ecole de musique classique et religieuse, the so-called Ecole Niedermeyer. Favourably supported by Gustave Lefèvre, the director of the school, and Eugène Gigout, his future adoptive father, Boëllmann finished his studies with numerous first prizes. In 1881 he received a post as organist at the church of St Vincent de Paul in Paris. Boëllmann was not only held in high esteem as a pianist and organist, also his more than forty compositions were favourably received by his contemporaries. Among his most popular works are the Variations symphoniques for cello and orchestra and the simply structured, but very effective Suite gothique for organ. The composer has been called a neo-classicist, even though this only partly describes him. The Fantaisie dialoguée op. 35 written by Léon Boëllmann in 1896 contains many elements, which also determined Guilmant’s work: lyrical melodies, influences from opera and ballet music, contrasts and gradual intensifications which lead to a climax. The premier took place in the Paris Cirque des Champs-Elysées on the 27th of December 1896 under the direction of Charles Lamoureux. Julien Torchet, a music critic with L’Evènement, wrote: "After a brief introduction the organ presents a clear and well rhythmized subject, which is taken up by the oboe and developed by the orchestra. Without interruption this motif turns into a kind of scherzo, delicate like a lacy tissue. Then the first subject reappears, traced back through a marvellously prepared realization. The movement gives the appearance of being very large and sonorous up to the final bars, where all the power of organ and orchestra is concentrated. The composer of this beautiful work plays the organ part himself. As soon as the piece was finished, the audience burst into applause, and twice he was called back onto the stage." François Fétis (1784-1871) studied at the Paris Conservatoire, acted as organist and music teacher at the collegiate church St Pierre in Donai from 1813 to 1818 and was appointed director at the Brussels Conservatoire in 1833. Fétis owes his fame mainly to his educational efforts, which culminated in a set of music textbooks. Among his numerous publications are the Biographies Universelles des Musiciens, which tell us about the influential musicians of his time, and the Science de l’Organiste, a historical anthology of the organ music from the 16th to the 19th century. The later was intended to promote organ playing in the French church. Fétis’ ideas about future harmonic developments were not without influence on composers such as Franz Liszt. Fétis was a virtuoso master of the compositional trade. His compositions are imaginative and demonstrate an interest in almost all aspects of music – from church music to the comical opera. Stylistically, Fétis expanded the forms borrowed from Mozart and Beethoven by adding a discreet romanticism in the style of Mendelssohn. The Fantaisie Symphonique is among Fétis late masterpieces. This piece had been created for the 50th anniversary of the Royal Academy of Science in Belgium, a celebration held in the concert hall of the Brussels Conservatoire on the 7th of May 1866. At the same time the new four-manual organ, spanning 54 stops, which had come from the workshop of the Société anonyme (Merklin and Schütze), was inaugurated as part of a festive ceremony. In Revue et Gazette Musicale from August 26, 1866 Fétis reports on the creation of his work: Händel’s organ concerto could not have been his model due to its small orchestral setting. He was aiming at "a kind of symphony" in which both sounding bodies were supposed to "fight a battle between two large orchestras". At any rate, Fétis mentions the instrumentation of the conservatory orchestra involved 44 violins, 16 violas, 16 cellos and 14 basses. The approval of the audience was unanimous. Fétis felt he had achieved his objective: "Both of the large orchestras remained in full possession of their merits and formed an ensemble of an entirely new type of effect." In the brilliant opening movement organ and orchestra are dramatically juxtaposed. A song-like andante with a few variations, rising to brilliant figures, follows an intonation in the winds. A recitative-like passage in the characteristic registration of the vox humana leads to a virtuoso finale with hunting motifs and beautiful dialogs between woodwinds and organ. In the finale, which is reminiscent of opera tradition, the alternating chords between organ and orchestra continue the opening of the work. Page revised 30.06.03 |
