Louis Vierne Organ Works
Louis Vierne (1870-1937), a student of César Franck and Charles-Marie Widor, was organist at Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris for 37 years, until his death at the console during a recital. The OrganScore edition covers the ’24 Pièces de Fantaisies’ and the six organ symphonies (to be published soon).
“24 Pièces de Fantaisie”, in two volumes
Louis Vierne’s twenty four “Pièces de fantaisie”, have been composed for a three manual organ and a pedal board. Published in 1926 and 1927, they constitute 4 suites of 6 pieces each. According to the composer, they are of “average difficulty” and their duration “varies from 3 to 5 minutes”. In practice, this depends on the performer’s tempo, and some of them can last up to 7 or 8 minutes. The OrganScore format is particularly suitable for these pieces, where hands may be unable to leave the keyboard during very long passages. The 4 suites are covered by 2 volumes.
VOLUME I
Suite 1 (Op. 51), Suite 2 (Op. 53)
VOLUME II
Suite 3 (Op. 54), Suite 4 (Op. 55)
Six Organ Symphonies
Louis Vierne six organ symphonies were written between 1899 and 1930, moving from a romantic style, close to that of Charles-Marie Widor, to a more chromatic style, including some nearly atonal dissonances. They are representative of a musical genre inaugurated by César Franck, the symphony for organ that was widely continued beyond Vierne in the French organ litterature. All symphonies except No 1 comprise five movements. They proceed in a key ascension from D to to A, all in minor.
