Marcel Dupré (1886-1971)
Organ Works, Volume 13
Descended from a family of organists and musicians, Marcel
Dupré was born in Rouen in 1886. Taught by his father, he had his first
appointment as an organist at the age of twelve and in 1898 became a pupil of
Alexandre Guilmant, his teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, with Vierne and
Widor, studying composition with the last and winning the Prix de Rome in 1914.
Unfit for military service, he substituted for Vierne at Notre-Dame between
1916 and 1922, and found time to study all Bach’s music for the organ, in 1920
playing in recital the complete organ works, thus establishing his reputation.
An international career followed, with recitals throughout the world. This he
coupled with the position of professor of organ at the Conservatoire from 1926
and employment as Widor’s successor as organist at the Paris church of St
Sulpice. He served as director of the Conservatoire from 1954 to 1956 and died
in 1971. Equally gifted as a composer and as a performer, Dupré was a master of
organ improvisation, in particular on the fine instrument at St Sulpice.
Zephyrs is a reconstruction by the American organist and
writer Rollin Smith of an improvisation by Marcel Dupré on a theme by Leopold
Stokowski, taken from a recording. It represents an art of which Dupré was a
master, with brilliant improvisations in his recitals, often on themes offered
by members of the audience, and ending, on occasions, although not here, with a
skilfully constructed fugue.
The Six Antiennes pour le Temps de Noël, Op. 48, (Six
Antiphons for the Christmas Season), were written in 1952. The first, Ecce
Dominus veniet, et omnes sancti ejus cum eo: et erit in die illa lux magna,
alleluia (Lo, the Lord shall come, and all his saints with him: and there shall
be on that day great light, alleluia), for Vespers of the first Sunday of
Advent, takes as its basis the plainsong of the antiphon, heard first in the
upper part. The second, Omnipotens sermo tuus, Domine, a regalibus sedibus
veniet, alleluia (Thy all-powerful word, Lord, shall come from the abodes of
kings, alleluia), is a Vespers antiphon for the fourth Sunday of Advent, again
based on the plainsong. Tecum principium, in die virtutis tuae in splendoribus
sanctorum, ex utero ante luciferum genui te (Thine is the princedom in the day
of thy virtue, amid the splendours of the saints, from the womb before dawn I
engendered thee) is an antiphon for Second Vespers on Christmas Day. The
composer varies slightly the inflection of the plainchant, the basis of a
tranquil meditation. Germinavit radix Jesse: orta est stella ex Jacob: Virgo
peperit Salvatorem: te laudamus, Deus noster (The root of Jesse has had seed;
the star of Jacob has arisen: the Virgin has brought forth the Saviour: we
praise thee, our God), an antiphon for Second Vespers on the Feast of the
Circumcision, develops the chant in a livelier mood. It is followed by Stella
ista sicut flamma coruscat, et Regem Regum Deum demonstrat: Magi eam viderunt
et magno Regi munera obtulerunt (That star shines as a flame, and shows God,
the King of Kings: wise men saw it and offered gifts to the great King), for
Second Vespers on the Feast of the Epiphany, offers the plainsong melody in the
upper part in a serene meditation. The Second Vespers antiphon for the
Purification, also heard at the blessing of the candles, Lumen ad revelationem
gentium, et gloriam plebis tuae Israel (A light to lighten the gentiles, and
the glory of thy people Israel) has the plainsong in the pedals, in a jubilant
setting.
The Seventy-Nine Chorales, Op. 28, were intended to serve as
an introduction to Bach’s chorale preludes, offering relatively simple versions
of the same chorale melodies, later to be tackled in their more elaborate form.
Durch Adam’s Fall ist ganz verderbt (Through Adam’s fall is the world defiled)
is heard on manuals only in a two-part version. The familiar Ein’ feste Burg
ist unser Gott (A mighty fortress is our God) is heard in fuller form, a
Lutheran version of Psalm 46. Erbarm’ dich mein, o Herre Gott (Have mercy upon
me, O Lord, my God) is in the form of a canon at the octave between the soprano
and tenor voices. Ich hab’ mein’ Sach’ Gott heimgestellt (In thee, O God, have
I put my trust) has the chorale melody in the tenor. It is followed by Ich ruf’
zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ (Unto thee I cry, Lord Jesus), which has the chorale
melody in an elaborated version in the soprano.
The symphonic poem Vision, Op. 44, first published in 1948,
has the explanatory superscription ‘Et la lumière luit dans les ténèbres’ (And
the light shines in the darkness). It is with the darkness and lower depths
that the work starts, growing louder, until a passage marked Grave, with a
trompette theme over shifting sustained chords. The flute stop is used as one
of a pair of voices, moving on to an Andante cantabile, introducing the
characteristic sounds of the voix céleste. The music slowly unwinds, increasing
in pace before a toccata-like Vivo and a dynamic climax, a clearly defined
melody and a massive Largamente, as the light shines through the darkness. The
work ends with a brief return to the motif of the opening.
Further chorales from the collection of Opus 28 start with
two versions of In dich hab’ich gehoffet, Herr (In thee, Lord, have I hoped),
in E minor and A major respectively, the second appearing in Bach’s Christmas
Oratorio. In dir ist Freude (In thee is joy) is a chorale for New Year’s Day,
with full organ, and the well-known In dulci jubilo for Christmas, making use
of the voix céleste. The selection ends triumphantly with Valet will ich dir
geben (Farewell), for full organ, with the chorale in the pedals.
The Symphonie No. 2, Op. 26, in C sharp minor, was published
in 1929. It starts with a Preludio in which a toccata-like passage is
contrasted ontrasted with the grander figuration of the opening and other
chordal writing, providing the two subject groups of first movement form. There
is a massively orchestrated climax, before a recapitulation and a C sharp major
ending. The B minor Intermezzo, the third of its three sections a varied
recapitulation of the first, has a more complex central section, as always with
careful registration prescribed. The marching chords of the C sharp major
Toccata give way to a mood of relative relaxation, before their return, with a
now familiar pedal motif that returns yet again in the final section.
Keith Anderson
George Baker
A native of Dallas, George Baker created an early sensation
in the organ world by winning the American Guild of Organists National
Competition in Organ Playing in 1970 and by his subsequent featured recital for
that organization’s national convention two years later. He went on to study
organ and improvisation in Paris and to record, and returned to America to
teach organ and then to enter medical school. Some thirty years later he has
returned to music as a performer, improviser, composer and teacher. His
training as an organist was with some of the finest organ teachers of the
twentieth century. He obtained his Bachelor’s degree from Southern Methodist
University under Robert Anderson, and studied in Paris with Marie-Claire Alain,
Pierre Cochereau, Jean Langlais and André Marchal. During his time in France,
he earned the Prix de Virtuosité with Mention Maximum from the Schola Cantorum,
under Langlais. Returning to the United States, he took his doctorate in music
at the University of Michigan and then taught at the Catholic University in
Washington D.C. before deciding to become a medical doctor. Although working in
medicine, he never ceased performing, composing and recording. In his early
years as a musician, George Baker won first prizes by unanimous jury decisions
in several major organ competitions, including the American Guild of Organists
(1970), the Grand Prix de Chartres (1974) and the International Improvisation
Competition (Lyon, France, 1979, with Pierre Cochereau as president of the
jury). His recordings include the complete organ works of J.S. Bach (1979) and
of Louis Vierne, a world première recording, released in 1994, a project he
shared with Pierre Cochereau. He has been awarded three French Grand Prix du
Disque, two of which were for his world première recording of the complete
organ works of Darius Milhaud. In 1995 his Vierne recordings won the coveted
Grand Prix Special du Jury from the Nouvelle Académie du Disque Français. In
2000, the same recording won a critic’s choice award from American Record
Guide. George Baker’s compositions have been performed in both the United
States and Europe. In addition, he has served on juries in several prestigious
organ competitions. Special areas of interest include the music of Louis Vierne
and Maurice Duruflé, improvisation in the French style, and the organ building
of Cavaillé-Coll. He is a member of the Comité International de Soutien de
l’Association Duruflé, and is serving as translator of the memoirs and writings
of Maurice Duruflé. He is in frequent demand for his expertise as a consultant
for organ building and renovation projects. Currently he serves as Associate
University Organist and director of University Worship Music, Perkins Chapel,
Southern Methodist University.
Perkins Chapel Pipe Organ
Southern Methodist University, Dallas, Texas
Aeolian-Skinner/Schudi/J-F Dupont pipe organ (2000)
Great (I)
32 Grand Bourdon
16 Montre
16 Bourdon
8 Montre
8 Diapason
8 Flûte Harmonique
8 Flûte
8 Bourdon
4 Prestant
4 Flûte ouverte
2 2/3 Quinte
2 Doublette
Cornet III
Fourniture IV 1 1/3’
16 Bombarde
8 Trompette
4 Clairon
Chimes, Zimbelstern, Harp, Celesta
(Walker voices)
Gt / Gt 16, 4; Unison Off; Ch/Gt 16, 8, 4;
Sw/Gt 16, 8, 4
Pedal to Great
MIDI on Great
Swell (III)
16 Bourdon
8 Diapason
8 Bourdon
8 Salicional
8 Voix Céleste
5 1/3 Gros Nazard
4 Prestant
4 Flûte octaviante
3 1/5 Grosse Tierce
2 2/3 Nazard
2 Octavin
1 3/5 Tierce
Plein Jeu III 2’
16 Basson
8 Trompette
8 Hautbois
8 Clarinette
8 Voix Humaine
4 Clairon
Tremblant
Sw/Sw 16, 4; Unison Off
MIDI on Swell
Choir (II)
16 Quintaton
8 Flûte
8 Cor de Nuit
8 Gambe
8 Unda Maris
4 Prestant
4 Flûte
2 2/3 Nazard
2 Doublette
2 Quarte de Nazard
1 3/5 Tierce
1 1/3 Larigot
1 Piccolo
Cymbale III 1’
8 Trompette Royale (chamades installed in gallery)
8 Trompette
8 Cromorne
Tremblant
Ch/Ch 16, 4; Unison Off; Sw/Ch 16, 8, 4
MIDI on Choir
Pedal
32 Montre (Walker voice)
32 Flûte (Walker voice)
32 Flûte Douce (Walker voice, expresses with Swell shoe)
32 Soubasse (Walker voice)
16 Contrebasse
16 Montre
16 Bourdon
16 Bourdon doux
8 Octave
8 Flûte
8 Bourdon
4 Octave
4 Flûte
64 Bombarde de Ravalement (Walker voice)
32 Contre Bombarde (full length resonators; ext. Grande
Bombarde 16’)
32 Contre Trombone (Walker voice, expresses with
Swell shoe)
32 Contre Basson (Walker voice, expresses with
Swell shoe)
16 Grande Bombarde
16 Bombarde
8 Trompette
4 Clairon
Gt/Pd 8; Sw/Pd 8,4; Ch/Pd 8, 4
MIDI on Pedal
Accessories:
Transposer
24 general pistons, 128 levels of memory
Piston sequencer (toe studs and pistons)
All swells to swell
Adjustable tutti, adjustable crescendo pedal, selected
reversibles
Transfer Manual I to Manual II
