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THE AND ORGAN WORKS OF
AUGUSTIN BARIE (1883-1915)
by
Gail Lynne Walton
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the
Requirements for the Degree
DOCTOR OF MUSICAL ARTS
Supervised by Prof. Robert Bailey
Department of OrganEastman School ofMusicUniversity of RochesterRochester, New York
1986
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,tAl
q ~ . 3J 3
CURRICULUM VITAE
Gail Lynne Walton was born on June 11, 1954 in DeKalb, Illinois. In 1976 she
received the Bachelor of Music degree, Ma2na Y.m in Organ Performance from
Westminster Choir College, Princeton, New Jersey where she studied organ with William
Hays. Ms. Walton earned the Master of Music degree in Organ Performance from the
Eastman School of Music in 1977 and entered the Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ
Performance and Literature in the Fall of the same year. She completed the residence
requirements for this degree in 1981. While at Eastman, Ms. Walton held a graduate
teaching assistantship in the Preparatory Department Ms. Walton s organ study at
Eastman was with Russell Saunders and David Craighead. Prof. Robert Bailey of the
Department of Musicology supervised Ms. Walton s dissertation research.
Ms. Walton awarded the Performer s Certificate in Organ Performance at
Eastman in 1978; she was a fmallst in the Twenty-second National Organ Playing
Competition sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church, Fort Wayne, Indiana; and in
1982, she was awarded second prize in the Gruenstein Memorial Organ Competition
sponsored by the Chicago Club of Women Organists. She has played recitals throughout
the Eastern and Midwestern United States. Ms. Walton is a member of i lambda.
Ms. Walton has also studied organ with Gladys Christensen of Wheaton College,
Wheaton, lllinois and Andre Marchal n Paris.
Since 1981, Ms. Walton has servedon
the music facultiesof
St. Mary s College,
the Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminaries, Goshen College and the University of Notre
Dame. She is currently adjunct instructor of music at Goshen College where she teaches
organ and at the University of Notre Dame where she teaches organ, undergraduate sight
singing and ear-training and serves as organist at Sacred Heart Church.
Ms. Walton is married to the organist, Craig J. Cramer.
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people have helped me during my research and writing on Augustin Barie.
The late Maitre And re Marchal suggested the topic for my dissertation and graciously
played the Symphonie for my husband and me during a lesson in Paris in the Summer of
1977. His daughter, Mme. Jacqueline Englert, has worked on my behalf with curators at
the Bibliotheque Nationale and the library at the Institution Nationale es Jeunes Aveugles
in Paris. She also spent a great deal of time sorting through her father s library and papers
in search of material which might be helpful to this project. It is largely through her efforts
that I am able to present the biographical information and list of Barie s manuscripts
contained in Chapter 1 or this interest in my work and her friendship over the years, I
thank Mme. Englert. Mr. Felix Aprahamian, London, kindly shared some notes he had
taken for a recital of Barie s works. I am extremely grateful to my advisor, Prof. Robert
Bailey, for his excellent guidance and encouragement Prof. David Craighead and Prof.
Melvin Butler of the Eastman School of Music gave me much advice after thorough
readings of the manuscript
To Prof. William Hays of Westminster Choir College for his interest, advice and
encouragement goes my sincere gratitude.
Lois Ann Cramer and Geoffrey Myers lent their expertise with translations found
throughout the text My collegues at the University of Notre Dame have been supportive of
this endeavor. I am especially grateful to Prof. Calvin Bower, chairman of the Department
of Music, who volunteered to teach one of my classes so that I could complete my
dissertation, and to Prof. Carl Starn and Prof. Paul Johnson, whose technical assistance
was invaluable.
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Finally I thank my wonderful family. Drew and Severin added a humorous
dimension t the dissertation process and have shown patience beyond their years. o my
husband Craig J Cramer who has given me guidance support and love throughout this
project I give my deepest thanks and love.
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ABSTRACf
Augustin Barie, whose compositions include four pieces for organ, an organ
symphony, two songs, a sonata for cello and piano and a work for flute and strings, was
born in Paris on November 15, 1883. He attended the Institute Nationale des Jeunes
Aveugles where he studied organ with Adolphe Marty. Subsequently, Barie studied with
Louis Vieme and Alexandre Guilmant at the Paris Conservatoire where he received the
Premier prix d Orgue in 1906.
Although Barie is regarded with great esteem n France, his works are relatively
unknown in the United States. Barie s organ works are his only compositions which were
published: the Symphonie pour t : ~ u e Op. 5 Trois Pieces. Op. 7 and the Elegie.
While this study examines th entire organ works ofBarie, a major emphasis is
placed upon the organ symphony. The organ symphonies ofLouis Vieme are played often
in this country, but Barie s Sympbonie pourQwte. Op. 5 (1911) is seldom heard. Yet
Barie s symphony is the fU St organ symphony to make use of a cyclical theme throughout
the entire work, thus paving the way for Vieme s fourth, fifth and sixth organ symphonies,
all ofwhich are cyclical compositions. An in-depth analysis of the symphony is followed
by short analyses of the Vieme symphonies which were written after Barie s Opus 5. This .
study shows that the extent which Vieme incorporated cyclical themes into his organ
symphonies increased dramatically after the appearance of Barie s work. A discussion of
the organ at St. Germain-des-Pres is included.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPlliR
I Biography........................................................................PAGE 1
II The Organs ofSt Germain-des-Pres .........................................PAGE 11
III Trois Pieces, Opus 7 ...........................................................PAGE 20
IV Elegie.............................................................................PAGE 39
V The French Organ Symphony .................................................PAGE 46
VI Symphonie pour Orgue, Opus 5 ..............................................PAGE 58
VII Barie's Influence On His Contemporaries ...................................PAGE 84
BmLIOGRAPHY.......................................................................PAGE 123
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The absence in the literature of an extensive biographical entry for Augustin Barie is
indicative of the times in which he lived and, more importantly, died. As it happened,
Barie death occured at a time when Parisian newspapers were fIlled with reports from the
front lines and obituariesof
soldiers killed in action. There was no space to mournor
even
to report the death of the organist at St Germain-des-Pres. In peace time, the event would
have been newsworthy, since Barie was organist at a fashionable Parisian church, but as it
was--barely one year into the First World War--the newspapers either were temporarily out
ofpublication or were reporting events of much greater significance. is regrettable that
nothing appeared in print at the time of Barie's death. or we might have more than the very
sketchy biographical information culled from references in correspondenceof
the
composer's personal and professional friends. We are fortunate to have some biographical
information as well as personal images documented for us in Louis Vierne's
Souvenirs and in the correspondence of Louis Vierne and Andre Marchal.1
Augustin Barie was born in Paris on November 15, 1883, the son of an architect
Blind from birth, he attended the Institution Nationale des Jeunes Aveugles, (National
Institution for Young Blind Students) where he studied organ in the class of Adolphe
Marty. Subsequently, he studied with Louis Vierne and Alexandre Guilmant at the
Conservatoire N ationale de Musique et Declamation where he won the Deuxieme accessit
d'Orgue in 1905 and the Premier prix d'Orgue in 1906. Joseph Bonnet and Rene Vieme
(brother of Louis) also won frrst prizes that same year. In 1905, Barie was named to the
l Mes Souvenirs, Bulletin trimestriel des amis de l'0Nue. Nos. 19-31 (1934
1937). Reprinted in L Oreue. No 134b (1970). pp. 1-121.
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piano faculty at the Institution. Barie was appointed organist at St Germain-des-Pres in
Paris in 1906, and also became professorof a secondary organ class at the Institution
Nationale des Jeunes Aveugles that same year. e married Mlle. Jeanne Favier in
December, 1912. Barie died suddenly on August 22, 1915, due to a cerebral
hemorrhage, while walking with his wife in the country at Antony, near Paris. Shortly
after Barie's death, his son (birthdate unknown) drowned in a tragic accident. After these
great personal losses, Mme. Barie returned to Chambery in the province of Savoie.
The Institution Nationale des Jeunes A veugles was founded in the late-eighteenth
century by Valentin Hatiy in an effort to provide practical job training for blind students.
Dr. A.-R. Pignier, Director of the Institution Nationale from 1821-1850 placed a great
emphasis on organ study. Pignier had been the physician at the seminary of St Sulpice.
Consequently, he developed personal relationships with several Parisian clergy and set up a
church music field-work program with parishes in Paris (Saint Medard, Saint Nicolas-des
Champs, and Saint Etienne-du-Mont). An organ class was formally introduced in 1826
with M. Marius Oueit as professoroforgan. By the year 1835, nineteen students had
graduated and held positions as organists at cathedrals and churches in France. Gradually,
with the formation of classes in harmony and composition in 1827 and 1848 respectively,
the music section of the Institution Nationale resembled a musical conservatory for blind
students. To this day, the music students receive practical training in all aspects of church
music and are required t apprentice weekly at local Parisian churches as choristers,
assistant or choir organists, and as d'organiste du grand orgue.
Barie's first organ teacher, Adolphe Marty (1865-1942) was a student at the
Institution N ationale, where he studied with Louis Lebel. e later enrolled in the class of
Cesar Franck at the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique et Declamation nd received a
Premier Prix d'Orgue from the Conservatoire in 1886. After the death ofLouis Lebel in
1888, Marty assumed the duties ofProfesseur d'Orgue at the Institution N ationale. In
1891, he was appointed organist at St. F r a n ~ o i s - X a v i e r a position he occupied for more
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than fifty years. In addition to Barie, his students included Louis Vieme, Andre Marchal
and Gaston Litaize, who succeeded his teacher at Sl r a n ~ i s X a v i e r . Pierre Denis writes
of Marty:
Vaste est son oeuvre de compositeur. dans laquelIe il auratouche a tous les genres musicaux.; nombre de ses pages d'orguesont encore au repetoire de maints organistes. Irnprovisateursensible, illumine par une foir solide, il a maintenu longemps danssa classe la grande tradition franckiste et forme·des centainesd'eleves
(Vast is his compositional output in which he touched ll
musical genres. A number of his organ pieces are still in the
repertoire of many organists. A sensitive improvisor enlightened bya solid technique, for a long time he maintained within his class the
tradition of Franck )2
Barie entered Guilrnant's class at the Conservatoire in 1903. Louis Vieme, who
was a close personal friend and student of Alexander Guilrnant, writes in Mes Souvenirs:
Disciple de Lemmens comme Widor, Ie nouveau titulaire de1a classe ne changea rien a la technique d'execution; quelquesarticulations supplementaires dans certains Preludes et Fugues deBach, certains mouvements un peu acceleres, voila ses apportspersonnels dans ce domaine. Quant a 1a l'improvisation, il revintpurement et sirnplement a l'enseignement unique des fonnesrequises pour Ie concours; ses exemples t6moingaient d'un solidemetier d'ecriture, mais son imagination etait incomparablementmoins fertile que celIe de Widor; hentier plus strict et plus etroitdel'esthethique musicale de son Maitre, il parut retrograde aux.eleves que nous avions engages voie d'un modemisme plus ose.
Aussi, est<e dans la fugue qu'il put plus aisement deployer sesqualit6s de savoir; i y donna de judicieux. conseils pour laconstruction des episodes qu iI voulait entierement dans la style aimitations progressivement serrees, et dont il soumettait Iedeveloppement a un plan tonal de marche reguliere; la contre-exposition fut supprimee pour les sujets a mutation fmale, 1a ¢dale
de dominante disparut avant l'entree du tlstrettore; elle prit place dansce demier pour supporter 1a strete veritable.
2Pierre Denis, Les Aveugles et I'Ecole d'Orgue f r a n ~ a i s e , L Oraue, No. 83 (April-
September, 1957 , p. 15
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(Like Widor a disciple of Lemmens, the new teacher of the classchanged nothing in the technique of performance; a few additionalpoints of articulation in certain preludes and fugues of Bach. certaintempi slightly faster--those were his personal contributions in thatrespect s to improvisation, he turned his attention purely and
simply to the forms required for the competition. His illustrationsdemonstrated a solid ability in writing; but his imagination could not
compare in fertility with Widor's. A stricter, more circumscribeddisciple of the musical aesthetics of his master, he appeared oldfashioned to the pupils whom we had attracted into modern andmore daring paths. Thus it was in the fugue that he could mosteasily display his knowledge and ability. In that he gave usjudicious advice for the construction of the episodes, requiring thatthe imitations be given stretto-like treatment and be built up on adefmite tonal plan. The counter-exposition was omitted for subjectswhich had a modulation at the end The ped l point on the dominantbefore the beginning of the stretto was abolished, but occurred
during the stretto as a foundation for it)3
When Guilmant took over the class at the Conservatoire, he asked that Vieme stay
on as assistant. Vieme's duties involved teaching students who wished to become
members of the organ class but who were not technically or musically prepared to become
Conservatoire students. Vieme also was to assume the duties of teacher of the organ class
when Guilmant was on tour. In 1904, Barie went to Vierne and asked to study with him.
Vierne and Barie became close friends during the three years that Barie studied with Vierne.
It is evident from Vieme's description of Barie nd his playing that Vierne had a great deal
of respect for him and admired his skill and musicianship.
n (Augustin Barie) etait aveugle et avait ete eleve comme
moi-meme al'Institution Nationale de Paris. Son premier maitre
avait donc ete Adolphe Marty; il en avait une solide formationmusicale. et etait pretafaire figure parmi les recrues de notre Ecole.n n'y manqua point. En 1904, l vint me demander des ~ o n s et futau point tout de suite. C'etait un tres grand ~ o , d'uneintelligence aigue, artiste dans l ime, possedant des mainsgigantesques capables d'attaquer la onzieme, ce qui lui permit de
jouer Franck sans difficulte. Des sa premiere visite, je Ie jugeaidigne de suivre Ie cours comme eleve inscrit. En quelques mois ilavait acquis Ie fond de la technique rationnelle d'exCcution. Quant al'improvisation, l progress a sans discontinuer jusqu'au concours de
3Vieme, liMes Souvenirs, pp. 40-41.
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1906 ou il fut l'un des trois premiers prix. Dire ce que furent nosseances r t i c u l i ~ r e s d'improvisation ne se peut u ~ r par des mots.Dans cette ame sombre, brillait une flamme ardente; il mettaitquelques instants a se chauffer, i l semblait s'interroger, puis, tout acoup, la musique jaillissait, emouvante, profonde, sans la moindre
prolixite. Je lui donnais parfois, pour Ie gener, un t h ~ m tout a faitquelconque, un de ceux dont nous disons qu'il n y a rien a en faite.Avec une habilete deconcertante, il trouvait Ie moyen, soit derenvoyer Ie t h ~ m au second plan en lui substituant un element pluscaracteristique, soit de faite surgir de nouveaux themes d'une cellulede celui impose; une fois cette operation faite, etant entendu que Ietheme quelconque etait a sa vraie place, illachait en rafale samusique et c'etait un enchantement. Harmonie audacieuse, richepolyphonie, elegance de dessin, poesie du detail, telles etaient sesqualites maitresses. II improvisait fort bien la fugue, mais preferaitde beaucoup Ie style libre; it dut, en fin de compte, son prix, l
qualite superieure du theme qu'il improvisa au concours et qui
bouleversa Ie jury. Trois pieces separees, et sourtout une admirableSymphonie qu'il publia ulterieurement, nous parurent les premicesd'une grande oeuvre d'orgue. Helas en 1915, au mois d'aout,alors qu'il se reposait a la campagne, marie depuis peu, unecongestion cerebrale l'emporta a 31 ans netait alors organistede Saint-Germain-des-Pres. Son emule et ami, le"gros Schmitt",Maitre de chapelle de Saint-Philippe-du-Roule, etait mort a 35 ans,en 1912, emporte par une appendicite foudroyante e n'est passans une profonde emotion que j'evoque ici ces deux figures siattachantes; et quand j'aurai dit que les deux hommes etaient Ie refletexact des deux artistes, qu'its eetaient bons, affectueux,enthousiastes et d'une absolue droiture, on comprendra que ne n'aie
jamais cesse de les regretter.(He was blind and, like me, had been a student at the
Institution Nationale de Paris. His first teacher therefore, had beenAdolphe Marty. From him he had received a solid musicalfoundation and was ready to cut a considerable figure at the Ecole.He did not fail. In 1904 he came to ask: me for lessons and wasready for the class immediately. He was a very tall fellow with akeen intelligence, and an artist at heart He had gigantic hands,capable of stretching an eleventh, which allowed him to play Franckwithout difficulty. At his very first lesson I felt that he was ready toregister in the class as a pupil. In a few months he had acquired theelements of a rational technique. As for improvisation, he madecontinual progress until the competition of 1906, when he was oneof three first prize winners.
It is almost impossible to say in words what our privatesessions in improvisation were like. Under his somber exteriorburned a glowing flame. t took him several moments to warm up;he seemed to be questioning himself a little; then suddenly the musicburst forth, moving, profound, never long-winded or complex.Several times, just to annoy him, I gave him a very ordinary theme,one of those about which we say that 'there is nothing to it . Withdisconcerting cleverness he would fmd a way either of putting thetheme in the background against an idea with more markedcharacteristics, orof bringing forth new themes from the germ of the
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one given. Once this operation was perfonned, and the themehaving een given its rightful place, he unleashed a torrent of music,and it was an enchantment. Audacious hannonies, rich polyphony,elegance of design, imagination of detail--these were his especialqualities. He improvised well in the fugue fonn, too, but much
preferred. the free kind. As a matter of fact, he owed his prize at thecompetition to the superiority of his free improvisation, whichoverwhelmed the jury.
Three separate pieces and an admirable symphony which hepublished later were the promising first fruits of composition for theorgan. But, alas, in 1915, in the month of August, while he was ona vacation in the country, having been married but a short time, acerebral hemorrhage carried him off at the age of thirty-one. He wasthen organist at Saint Gennain-des-Pres. His rival and friend, fatSchmitt , [Alphonse Schmitt] choirmaster at Saint Phillipe-duRoule, had died in 1912 at the age of thirty-five from a suddenattack of appendicitis.
It is not without considerable emotion that I speak here ofthese two engaging figures; and when I say that both of the menwere artists, that they were kindly, affectionate, enthusiastic andabsolutely dependable, you will understand why I have never ceased
to mourn them.}4
From the personal correspondance of Andre Marchal, we find another reference to
Barie from Louis Vieme (after Maitre Marchal's frrst recital at the Salle Gayeau, letter dated
January, 1925):
C'est avec une poignante emotion que j'ai reentendu la sinoble, si emue et si pittoresque symphonie de mon pauvre cheFgrand Barie. Quel musicien Je me ressouvenais des profondesjoies interieures que rna donnait ce magniflque temperament d'artistependant les trois annees ou j Ie guidais. Quelle misere affreuse depenser qu'un parail Stre est parti sans donner la mesure de ce qu'ilavait en lui 11 etait genial asa a ~ n ce grand ~ o d'humeursombre, et qui reservait son expansion ceux, bien rares, dont lsentait l'affection aller au devant de la sienne. QueUes heuresinoubliables il m'a fait passer quand, se sentant bien seul avec moi.l q,anchait sa sensibilite passionnee en des developpements
improvises qui me faisaient frissonner Chez lui, la trouvaillehannonique n'etait que Ie truchement destine aillustrer la pensee.Cette pensee riche et neuve etait toujours l'exteriorisation musicaled'un sentiment genereux: qu'il soit la tristesse, l'effroi, la tendresseou la naive joie. 11 ne passe guere de jours que j ne visite l tombeque je lui ai erigee dans Ie grand cimetiere de moo coeur, ou l dortcOte cOte avec ses camarades disparus et que j'ai tant aimes.
4l b U1 , pp. 63-64.
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nature artistiqueaeu la plus grande influence sur Ie development demon environment, parce que rime etait proche. C'etait AugustinBarie.
Augustin Barie etait un n ~ i e n eleve de l'Institute desA veugles. n avait un brilliant premier prix au conservatoire en 1906
au meme temps que Bonnet et queIe frCre
Rene de Vierne etaitrenomme. Et en suite t etait Ia titulaire organist de St. Germain-desPres
ns'interesse beaucoup amoi et pendant mes etudes deconservatoire l m'inspirer beaucoup. Surtout apointde veu couleurmusicale, profondeur, et vraiment c'est un ame exceptionelle.
Guilmant disaitases eleves, Quand vous voulez entenderimproviser, allez aSt. Germain-des-Pres. Donc, Barie aeu ungrand influence sur moL Je aeu quequefois sauter aSt. Germaindes-Pres. Malheureusement, en 1915, arage de trente et un ans, t
est morte.nest compose un magnifique symphonie que j'ai joue
beaucoup, joue beaucoup, et trois autres pieces dansun
porte-afeuille enchanter.
(When speak ofmy organ studies, must tell you aboutsomeone who directly became a professor, and in artistic nature hada large influence on my development because he was close to me.He was Augustin Barie.
Augustin Barie was a studentof th Blind School. He
obtained a brilliant fIrSt prize at the Conservatory in 1906 at the same
time as Bonnet and Vieme's brother, Rene were praised. Following[his studies] he became the titulaire organist at St. Germain-desPres.
He took an interest in me, and during my studies at theConservatoire, he inspired me greatly. From the point of view of
musical color and depth, he was an exceptional man.Guilmant would say to his students, When you wish to
hear improvisation, go to St. Germain-des-Pres. Thus, Barie had agreat influence on me, and I went several times to St. Germain-desPres. Sadly, in 1915, at the age of thirty-one, he died. He
composed a magnificent symphony, which I have often played, and
still play, as well as three other charming pieces.)6
6 Augustin Baric L'Oeuyre pour or ue: Sympbonie. op. 5: Eleeie: Trois Pieces. OJ). 7:
Marche, Lamento. Toccata. Marie-Therese Jeban, organ. Solstice SOL 17, Stereo,
patent 1980.
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Manuscripts of several other Barie compositions exist in Maitre Marchal's personal
library. These include the following:
a Voix des Cloches melodie pour baryton (sans paroles) 1 112 p.
Ballade melodie pour Contralto Jean Petithuquenin 5 p.
Scherzo legende pour flute et instruments acorde 15 p.(flute, 1st 2nd violins, viola, violoncello,and contrabass) Composed in Antony, 1902.
In addition to these pieces, Barie composed a Poeme for cello and piano for which
no manuscript is extant Barie played this work at the Institution Nationale. Although the
Symphonie pour Omue and the Trois Pieces are the only compositions that were assigned
opus numbers, the pieces listed above, coupled with the organ works (op. 5 op. 7 and
E1¢' ie) bring the total number ofworks by Barie to seven, his last known opus number.
Marchal's library also contained a copy of three fugue subjects written by Barie:
I I
~ h I r Ir Tr j I r Irf [f :J .. ,
I
l l
~
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Two composers dedicated organ pieces to Augustin Barie. These are the Cortege
from the 24 Pieces en style libre, Op. 31 ofLouis Vieme (1914) and Marcel Dupre's
Prelude et Fu ue en fa mineur published in 1920.
It is fitting to conclude this discussion of biographical details with a poem written
about Barie from the Corte e dEuterpe by Alain Messiaen7, brother of Olivier Messiaen:
Trois pieces, une symphonie d'orgue,un poeme pour violoncellefurent ta seule expression,
Voyant aveugle, dont les mainscaptaient les tuyaux elevesde Saint-Germain-des-Pres.
Marche tragique, LamentoToccata exceptionelle,Prelude sombre et liturgiqueque suit une fugue magique,une mixture ironique d'intermezzoAdagio d'un Faure de LaIoFinal d'une fraicheur 'cyclique'ce sont les huit volets ouverts
de ton coeur debordant et vert
(Three pieces, a symphony for organ,a poem for violoncellowere your only expression,
Blindly seeing, whose handsheld captive the pipes raisedby St. Germain-des-Pres.
Tragic March, Lamento, exceptionalToccata
Somber and liturgical Prelude,followed by a magical Fugue,n ironic mixture of Intermezzo
Adagio of Faure, ofLaloA Finale with a cyclic freshness,These are the eight open shutters
of your over:fiowing green heart.)
7 Alain Messiaen. Hjstoire de a musiQue, poemes Paris, 1954.
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at the request of the of St. Eustache, the organ was moved from St Germain-des-Pres
to St Eustache. In 1820, i e r r e F r a n ~ o i s Dallery made additions to the instrument, but the
most important revision and reconstruction work was done by the fIrm of Daub1aine et
Callinet under the supervision of the orl:anist titulaire, Felix Danjou. A fire, started by a
lantern used by Charles Barker as he was adjusting a mechanism inside the organ,
completely destroyed the instrument in December, 1844, barely six months after the
completion of the reconstruction. (Fenner Douglass gives a fascinating account of this
incredible tragedy.3 )
The parish of St. Germain-des-Pres was formed in 1802, and the church was
reclaimed at that time. Because the organ at St. Eustache had been destroyed, the parish at
St. Germain-des-Pres obtained the organ at the abbey of St. Victor. The instrument was
built in 1512 (builder unknown) and underwent restorations in 1566 and 1616. In 1653,
renovations including the addition of flute stops and a I:fOsse tierce were completed by
Heman. F r a n ~ o i s H e n r i Cliquot worked on the organ at two different times (1778 and
1786). It was stored at the Conservatoire des Arts et Metiers from 1795 until it was
moved to St. Germain-des-Pres in 1805. The reconstruction was completed by Jean
Somer n 1810. A large renovation under the direction of the organist Jacques-Marie
Beauvarlet-Charpentier was completed in 1829 by the buildef Callinet. The disposition of
the instrument after the 1829 renovation may be found in Table I
The church building was restored during the years 1842-1861, and during this time
the organ fell into disuse. The organbuilder Jean-Baptiste Stoltz was commissioned to
restore the organ to a playable state. He reduisit trois Ie nombre des claviers, dota
l'instrument des perfectionnements de la facture moderne, mais lui enleva malheureusement
une partie de ses jeux de mutation. ,4 (He reduced the number of manuals to three,
endowed the instrument with improvements of modem workmanship, but unfortunately he
3Penner Douglass, CavailJe-Coll and the Musicians (Raleigh: Sunbury Press, 1980),pp. 35-42.
4Raugel, Les Grandes Draues des EeJises de Paris. p. 49.
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3
removed some of the mutation stops.) The ambiguous reference to perfectionnements de
la facture modeme included the abolition of the positif dorsal in favor of the expressive
positif, as well as the inclusion of several new ranks. The specification of the organ at St.
Germain-d.es-Pres during Barie's tenure may be found in Table II.
Since the death of Augustin Barie, the organ at St Germain-d.es-Pres has
undergone two major renovations. The work of the first renovation, in 1923, was
completed by the Gutschenritter firm and supervised by Eugene Gigout and Andre
Marchal, organist at St. Germain-des-Pres. The pedal board was extended, new ped l
couplers were added, several new stops--as well as the mutation stops which had been
deleted in the Stolz renovation--were integrated into the specification of the organ, and an
electric blower was added. The instrument contained fifty-one stops on three manuals and
pedal.
The renovation undertaken in 1970 was an attempt to restore the instrument to its
original disposition. The Haerpfer-Erman firm worked in conjunction with Gaston Litaize
and Andre Isoir, current organist at St Germain-des-Pres. They restored the fourth
manual, and returned the posit if division to the railing. The manual compass was extended
to fifty-six notes, but the pedal compass remained thirty notes. The organ is a mechanical
action instrument of fifty-seven stops on four manuals and pedal (see Table ill).
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14
TABLE I
CaBinet renovation (completed 1829):
POsrrI
L Bourdon 82. Montre 8'
3. Prestant 44. Petite flute 4'
5. Nasard 2 2/3
6. Quarte de nasard 2'
7. Tierce 1 3/5
8. Fourniture V9. Cymbale m
10. Trompette 8'11. Clairon 412. Hautbois 8'
13. Krumhom 8'
14. Basson 815. Comet V
GR NDORGUE
1. Montre 162. Bourdon 163. Montre 8'
4. Bourdon 8'
5. Grosse flute 8'
6. Prestant 4'
7. Q.rosse tierce 3 liS
8. Nasard 2 2/3
9. Doublette 2'
10. Tierce 1 3/5
11. Foumiture IT V
12. Cymbale IT V
13. Bombarde 1614. Grosse Trompette 8'
15. 2eme Trompette 8'
16. Clairon 4'17. Voix humaine 8'
18. Grand Comet V
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5
RECIT
1. Flute 82. omet V3. Hautbois 8
4. Trompette 8
ECHO
1. Flute 82. Trompette 83. Clairon 4
PEDAlE
1.Flute 162. Flute 8
3. Flute 44. Bombarde 16S. Trompette 86. Clairon 4
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16
TABLE II
Organ at St. Germain-des-Pres during the tenure of Augustin Barie(after Stoltz renovation)
GRANDORGUE
1. Montre 162. Bourdon 163. Montre 84. Bourdon 85. Flute hannonique 86. Violoncelle 87. Salicional 88. Prestant 4
9. Plein jeu m10 Fourniture V11. Bombarde 1612. Trompette 813. Clairon 414. Doublette 2
POSITIF
1. Bourdon 162. Bourdon 83. Keraulophone 84. Gambe 8S Flute 86. Flute hannonique 47. Plein jeu m8 . Cor anglais 16
9. Euphone 8
10. Trompette 8 I
11. Clairon 412. Cromome 8 I
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RECIT
1 Flute hannonique 82 Bourdon 83 Gambe 8
4 Voix celeste 85 Dulciane 46 Flute octaviante 47 Octavin 28 Bombarde 169 Trornpette 810 Clairon 411 Basson-Hautbois 812 Voix humaine 8
PEDAlE
1 Bourdon 322 Flute 163 Soubasse 164 Flute 85 Bourdon 86 Flute 47 Bombarde 168 Trompette 89 Oairon 4
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TABLE III
Haerpfer-Erman restoration (1970)
POSITIF DORSAL
1 Montre 82. Bourdon 83. Prestant 44 Flute 45 Tierce 1 3/56. Larigot 1 1/37. Plein-Jeu VI8 Cornet i l l9. Trompette 8
10. Clairon 411. Cromorne 8
GRAND-ORGUE
1 Montre 16
2. Montre 83. Bourdon 84 Prestant 45. Doublette 2
6. Flute acheminee 87
Grosse Fourniturei l l
8 Mixture VII VIII9. Voix Humaine 8
BOMBARDE
1 Bourdon 16
2. Flute conique 83. Flute 44 Quarte 2
5. Grosse Tierce 3 1/56. Nasard 22/3
7. Tierce 1 3/58 Siffiet I9. Cornet V from tenor C
10. Bombarde 16
11 lere Trompette 812. 2eme Trompette 813. Clairon 4
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RECrr EXPRESSIF
1. Voix celeste2. Basse de viole3. Bourdon
4. Prestant5. Flute6. Flute7. Cornet8. Cymbale9. Bombarde
10. Trompette11. Clairon12. Basson-Hautbois
PEDALIER1. Flute2. Gros Principal3. Principal4. Bourdon5. Quinte6. Mixture7. Bombarde8. Trompette9. Oairon
19
8'8'8'
4'4'2 ,
VV16'8'4'
8'
16'8'4'8'102/3
VITI (original mixture from the Grand-Orgue)16'8'4'
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20
Barie's Opus 7 contains three character pieces, the fIrst of which is entitled Marche
and is dedicated to Marcel Dupre. The march was a popular form of organ composition in
late-nineteenth and early-twentieth century France. Among outstanding examples of the
march are those by Alexandre Guilmant (Pieces d'Oreue dans differents styles, Opp. 15,
17, 25 44 72, 74 and 75; various titles), Louis Vierne (Pieces en style libre, Op. 31;
Marche funebre ; Pieces de fantaisie, Op. 51; Marche nuptiale ) and Charles-Marie
Widor (Symphonie I and Sympbonie ill). Most of these pieces found in the above
collections adhere to the usual form of alternating march nd trio sections. (The Marche
nuptiale, Op. 25 from Pieces d'Or&ue dans differents styles, 8e livraison by Alexandre
Guilmant is a notable exception. The piece is in sonata-allegro form, with a trio-like
second theme.) n BariC's Marche in A A form, the rousing A sections frame a slower
moving lyrical theme in the B section.
Alle fO maestoso (MARCH)
mm.I-6 17-36 37-49
A B
a a b b a transition
em EbM Gm DM Cm EM AbM modulation Cm
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21
Senza t i e (fRIO)
mm.50-66 67-74 75-92 93-99
C sequence C new melody transition x
transition x
Fm--CM Db-E---- Fm--Cm Db-E-----ext
1 Tempo {MARCH}
mm.l00-115 116-124 125 127
A B--transition 2-pt. canon sequence/closing
Cm EM AbM Cm C-D-E / Cm
Batie captured the spiritof the march through the use of regular four-measure
phrases. The cadence points of the A section (mm. 1-16) may e outlined as follows:
Mm. 2 4 8 12 16em E-flat M Om DM CM
E-flat Major, 0 Minor and C Major are obviously closely related to the tonic, C Minor.
The relationship of D Major to C Minor is more distant. Perhaps Barle wanted to highlight
the third relationships in the opening section, in which case, C and D are more closely
related, through E-flat, 0 and B-flat.
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The pedal line of the A section serves not only as an integral motive of the melody,
but also functions as the hannonic bass line. This is easily seen in phrases like the onesfrom mm. 13-16:
POS..c.REC.ace..,l :rJr. . so
. ,.,
n the B section, the pedal line is almost completely absent, where it serves only to
punctuate cadence points. The frrst phrase of section B mm. 17-20) is heard in sequence a
third higher in mm. 21-24 with cadences on E and A-flat, respectively. The third phrase of
section B is Closely related to the final phrase of section A mm. 13-16):
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3
The cadence at m 28 on A-flat precedes a return to the opening theme of A which is
sequenced and extended over a G pedal point. Material heard during the extension acts as
a transition to the return of the A section.
At m. 37, the opening measures of the piece return in exact repetition with the
exception of the cadence at m 40. Here instead of the E-flat chord which the listener
expects, Barie inserts a deceptive half-cadence on B, which leads to the two closing
phrases of the A section. From mm. 41-45, Barle sets up another two-measure sequence:
the fIrst centered around E, the second around D-flat. The modulation back to C is made
through the use of a diminished-seventh chord on D m. 45 , the A-flat of which resolves
to G and continues to C.
The trio section is marked Senza rieore at m. 50. At this point, Barie also calls for
Grand Orgue, Positif and Pedale reeds to be taken off. Although the key signature changes
from three flats to four flats, it is diffIcult to assign a specifIc tonality to these measures. A
harmonic analysis ofmm. 50-67 points out the ambiguities:
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••
24
-,
.r.;,- rJ I I I I T:-I I I I : .JA
4J IVc;_..._..r . Ic .•
I I . J;;; : 1 T J
.
--L
~ ~f '
,....
:::l
IWa . Ti r "
. •OS
1 J-J ~ ~ Rlt. k i te
I I I
" I .
...• tI.
J t l i ~ -Ili'c:
L ..... 4i. oj rr~ ~ l ~ lJ .J1:1.,.
Sft'. /t. .
::j
Measure 50 4 6 4 4 4
Om3 Eb· Db4 C C·7 Bb2 Ab2 Bb(w/4-3 susp)
Cadence point: B-flat
Measure 54 4
Fm2
Cadence point: E-flat 7
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5
Measure 58same as rnm. 50-53
Cadence point: B-flat
Measure 6 4 4
Eb2 Db2 Db CM
Cadence point: CMajor
Barie s use of diminished-seventh chords and seventh chords in third and fourth inversions
cleverly obscures any sense of tonality that might be established. This section is perhaps
best understood as a study of hannonies which have, at the most, transient cadences on
tonalities a minor third higher and one step lower than the primary tonal center of the
piece--C. Another two-measure sequence begins at m. 67. The short phrase serves as a
transition back to the material heard at the beginning of section C: first at the pitch level of
D-flat, then on E and fmally on G, although the sequential material is extended (nun. 71
74 and a cadence on G is missing. Mm. 75-92 are almost an exact restatement of material
heard in rnm. 50-67. There is some embellishment of the soprano part at m. 84 but more
importantly, a countermelody is heard as accompaniment to the manual parts. The
countermelody is played in the pedal on the stops Flute 4 and Clairon 4 :
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't( J j 1 I_-=r:-, , 1
g....... I
-I f I - ..,
• ~ ~ Jlit;: ~ ~ ~ ~ J.,.... , ~ 4 I -
Pf'4. Fond••••
:::::- /' F. IUi. I'f.-:::::
I
This melody line fits into the texture well by functioning at some places as a secondary
melody and at other times as a prominent bass line. It does not relate to any of the material
heard previously. In fact, Barle has indi€ ated another method of perfonnance (Ossia) with
no reason given:
J r-I I ] I 1 I 1 1-:--..1 I 1
w ===-- .I . ' 1 I I I r .~ e : .... ~ ~ # : be ,.Jq/L ~
P . h l. . J'J.4. CJ lr0ll4~ n C'lfrl t t f i i l ~
.... , •
26
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~ ~J --I J - - J.. ..1r: -
r r - I I
~ ~- L . . - : ~ ~
...----:; -- ... Pi- :::-
-
In the alternate fonn, the pedal stops indicated are foundations at 16 ,8 and 4
pitches. Instead of a countennelody, the pedal only plays V-I at the E-flat Cadence in mm.
81-82 (corresponds to the above chart at mm. 56-57). The sequence heard in m. 67 begins
again at m. 92. It seems as if the sequence is used for modulatory purposes, when in fact
Barie has used it merely to add hannonic interest to a passage which is transitional in
nature. At m. 100, the march section is presented in C Minor for a fmal time. Mm. 100
115 contain some soprano-line embellishments and several new hannonies, but for all
practical purposes present the material heard fll St in mm. 1-16 in almost exact repetition.
The B section, beginning at m. 115, likewise repeats material heard in mm. 17-24. At m.
123, however, a short quasi-imitative section leads to a short coda. The A theme (frrst two
measures) is heard at m. 125 in canon between the soprano and bass voices:
-p = . . ~ - ~ kI-: - j .
-. .--:. 4C
• A
DJ.,l
- - •
1 ) A . I
- - - I, - t '-L-: ; - ~ ,.. . .. .,..7i: bL""
- -
27
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28
The second two measures of the A theme are sequenced on C, D and E, with the E
statement extended by a Ritardando. The final harmonic progression is marked MQltQ
rallentando. The piece closes with an elongated plagal cadence.
The second piece of opus 7, entitled Lamento, carries the dedication A. la memoire
de mon cher Maitre Alexandre Guilmant . The piece is divided into two large sections
followed by a section of closing material, which contains the opening melody. In the larger
section (mrn. 1-59), Barie uses two melodic ideas--A and B. In this way, he is able to
balance the first section with the second and smaller section (mm. 60-98 : there are thirty
measures ofA material, twenty-nine measures ofB material and thirty-five measures ofC
material:
Andantino
mrn.I-8 9-15 16-31 32-39 40 44 45-59
A B A'
3+5 4+3 4 5 6 3 4 4 7
Em Em Bm-mod--A AmlEm CmlEbm Em
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29
Cantabile
mm.60-75
C
4+4+4+4
EM-mod-BM
76-91
C'
4+4+4+4
Em---mod-
92-97
C
4+4
GM--mod-
mm. 99-107 108-110
A coda
Em Em
Upon examining the opening fifteen measures we fmd that Barie has marked four
phrases. The fll'St eight measures contain one continuous melodic idea and contrast with
the third and fourth phrases which work as an antecedent-consequent structure. Barie
emphasizes F-sharp in the opening measures through duration strong metrical placement
and repetition:
A.d.•• saR ---h
" . - .J
* . f: r r r'--- I' ffr....-::::=
I I
RECITIIJrll lL .. .It• s,.u.j.....
J'fI> J J 'fI> .. ;. •
Tin t ...
I I.DAU
This prepares the melding ofE Minor and G Major in mm. 34 which helps sustain the
long melodic line. Despite the elision between the second and third phrases the repetition
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31
n the second, Barie divides the phrase into two smaller units at the halfway point:
PHRASE II
®
The material a t m. 2 is based on the B theme, heard in m. 16. During the
extension of the melodic material, a move is m de through D Minor to F Major, with a y7-I
(C7-F cadential pattern at the end of the phrase. The bass line function is picked up in the
manuals a t m. 26 and ascends chromatically from F to the cadence in A Major at m. 30.
Following a transition of three measures, the B theme is heard in A Major. The second
phrase is again based upon previous material (mm. 20-23) but heard here at a pitch level
one step higher. n effect, then, Barie has surrounded the dominant B by emphasizing an
upper and lower-step key area:
1\A C
The primary difference between mm. 20-23 and 37-40, disregarding register, is
again one of phrasing. Barie marked one long slur over mm. 20-23 and two shorter
markings over the material in mm. 37-40. Modulatory material is heard from mm. 40-44,
where a descending chromatic line is shared between the tenor and bass lines. At m. 45,
the A theme material is heard again in almost exact repetition: the only exception occurs in
m. 47 and involves melodic ornamentation. The C section begins with a key change to E
Major, a Cantabile marking and a registrational change: the Grand Orgue and Posi tif
manuals are coupled, the Diapason is taken off on the Positif and the Flute 8' and Bourdon
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32
8' are added to the Positif. The phrase structures in this section are regular; all are
multiples of 4 measures. The lyrical quality of the music found in mm. 60-75 contrasts
with the musical material found in the previous sections:
C t IJII - .@ - J.
(
;.jJ " fI ' ir J .J ~ ) L l J I ~ J
-.-p- :f :wi
;J7 r ~ •
I r r ~ ~ ---r1
I - I..... ..... I I • .J
G·O••t pos. ccoupl«.
POll I CI e*",I,,0 A ; : : : ; ; - - . I - -
I ) : f j ~ ,{ J ~ I I I J. i£ JJ12
1 J 1
The first phrase is heard over an E pedal point. At m. 66, the pedal moves to F
sharp, which serves as the dominant to the cadence in Bat m. 67. The following phrase
begins a stepwise sequence which seems to be preparing a cadence in G-sharp. However.
the fourth phrase moves back again to B Major and cadences there in m. 75. The B in
the soprano voice is tied over into the C' section and becomes the tenor voice. The move
from B Minor toE Minor is accomplished by outlining the E Minor triad in the bass line at
m. 75. The primary difference between the fIrSt two phrases of the C section and the C'
section (mm. 76-83) is the modal change from major to minor:
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33
r ~ s .@ C II I · t J ~ , ~ J ~ . :J ~ J - } . , ~I . - I I r 0 0.
/1
P ?_J J n -n( JI JI II. -
., ...... r Y T l r O . ~ 0 40.
...:...,_.. : - _ 'L. _. ~
lIMfI l f l j - -I , / 1 1..--:::-] .---
t
r - , - =
I - I ~ I I ·W
M f4 •.....
~ .J - '-- '
-
-. ..:.:::::;:: -
The sequence heard in nun. 68-69 serves as the basis for the material at In. 84. The
sequence heard from mm. 84-88 moves by ascending minor thirds with strong metrical
placement given to the pitches C-sharp, E and G-natural. At m. 88, the sequence is
broken, and Barie marks the measures 88-90 Aeitato and follows in the middle of m. 90
with a Ritardando. The motive used in these measures emphasizes another diminished
triad: G-natural, B-flat and C-sharp (D-flat). The chord on the downbeat of In. 91 is a B
Major ninth chord. But instead of moving to E MajorlMinor, Barie transposed the fIrst
phrase of the C section into G. The following four measures contain transitional material
leading to a short restatement of the opening theme found in the A section. The second
phrase of the A theme is modified at m. 104 and cadences at mm. 106-07 in E Minor.
Again, the appoggiatura F-sharp is present The short coda (nun. 107-110) highlights this
appoggiatura for the final times and closes with a sub-dominant-tonic cadence on E, with
an appoggiatura from A-G-sharp as the fInal melodic movement.
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34
The last of the Trois Pieces pour Greue, Op. 7. is a Toccata in B Minor dedicated a
ami Joseph Bonnet". This work divides into four sections (A B B A) of unequal lengths.
The opening A section subdivides further into five sections, four of which are based
entirely on the material presented in mm. 1-16. The monophonic line which comprises the
B material is stated twice. A short variant of the A material is heard before the second
appearance of B one step lower. A pedal cadenza leads to a shortened statement of the A
material where the opening melody is heard in pedal octaves.
mm. 1-16 17-32 33-48 49-58 59-74
AI At!A
8 8
A Bm
mm.75 144 145-54
B Avar
Bm------modulatory m
mm.155 201 202-214 215-242
B Pedal solo A
m Fm---modulatory Bm
The melody of the first section is grouped into three phrases totalling sixteen
measures: 8 4 4. The first eight measures of the left-hand melody center around B
while the right hand plays arpeggiated chords. Barie produces a parallel octave effect by
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I
35
repeating the melody notes as the last notes of each figure. This practice is continued
throughout the entire first section f'A"- mm. 1-7):
-. . I IJI -
IfJfXo flE
PEDAlE
: ..-oo I
.y ' r. . . . . . - .
if G"O. clavier c c l l u p l ~l i t Oil All . '_rtllt (',. ,,/,,1
I .
l T i r I ; ~ ~ Rich
11 I / ,,,.
- .
:;
The second and third phrases of the melody can be grouped together. The frrst four
measures ascend chromatically; the second four-measure phrase descends by disjunct
motion and sets up the return of the melody in B. The melody returns (8 + 4 + 4) in varied
form. The second four-measure phrase serves as a chromatic transition to new material in
m. 32. Here Barie experiments with differences in harmonic color by changing one note of
a triad or chord. The material from m. 32 to m. 40, frrst heard in F-sharp, is repeated in A
(mm. 40-48). After a nine-measure transition passage the opening meIody is heard again in
a varied form. The section cadences in B.
The second section (mm. 75-144) is set off from the first by a contrast in texture.
While the A section contained a melody, accompanimental triads and some supporting
pedal notes, the B section is an example of harmonic progression achieved by a
monophonic line. The most outstanding example of this type of writing in the organ
repertoire is found in the opening section of J. S. Bach's Piece d'Ot:eue, BWV 572
[Fantaisie in G Major]. Marcel Dupre used a similiar technique to great effect in the frrst
movement of his Deuxieme Symphonie pour Oreue, Op. 26. The monophonic writing
found in the second section of Barie's Toccata is characterized by repeated note groups,
arpeggiated chords and smooth shifts in register. In this specific instance, as in many
I
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36
places in keyboard toccatas of different historical periods, the composer seemed less
concerned with the thematic and musical content of the section than with the technical
difficulties which highlight the virtuoso performer:
- - - - pos •• Ric. -
eN . $ '.
.. ~ f L l - f L f : l - ~ . .1 - 1' _ '-_~ ( a . f L , . .
I
The theme from the first section is recalled in mm. 145-154 before the material from
section B mm. 75-144) is heard again in a varied form one step lower from C-sharp to
B). The last manual arpeggio m. 2(0) is centered around C Major C Major chord with a
flatted seventh) and the pedal solo which concludes the monophonic B section begins by
outlining a C-Major seventh sonority. Barie returns to B Minor through a diminished
minor seventh chord on G G-B-flat-D-flat-F) followed by a French augmented sixth chord
on G achieved by altering B-flat to B-natural and writing theF enharmonically s E-
sharp):
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/ L ;;0;
)
~ r : ~ ~ t ~ . . fI. • fL
I ~ ~ .•f -
G O . j ~ A n C h : r
t ;J(. 1It IJ NN'J ,
1 f :\
~ q ~I..
f :\
-Rail.
J. tOR
aJ. Anc ... M_ It . . H
.. 1.._...w JtH<l_ , ..
The shortened recapitulation marked Maestoso calls for full organ. The melody is
heard in the top voice and in octaves in th pedal. The left hand plays ascending triplet
triads as the right hand plays the same triads in descending sixteenth-note motion:
aJ. A.ell If:• • liN .
The fast legato writing coupled with awkward. hand positions and difficult stretches
reflects the composer s large hand span and long fingers. The fmt eight measures of the
37
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38
melody is heard twice fIrst n B followed by a phrase nD. At m. 229 the melody s
replaced by ascending chromatic movement n octaves from F-sharp to D. A D Major
seventh and an E-Major seventh chord precede the final V-I cadence.
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9
V
The Ele&ie was never published separately but as one piece in a collection entitled
Les Maitres Contemporains de o ~ u e . This work in eight volumes, edited by Abbe
Joseph Joubert, organist at the cathedral at u ~ o n , contains music written by numerous
composers for the organor
harmonium. Other composers who are represented in the large
collection include Rene Vieme, Joseph Bonnet, Eugene Gigout, Marcel Dupre, Jean Hurt ,
Albert Alain, Arthur Foote, Wilhelm Middelschulte, Paul Pieme and Louis Vieme, as well
as over one hundred other well known and lesser known composers. The volumes were
published by Senart in 1914:
Volume I "Pieces inedites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"Ecole fi'an taise
Volume IT "Pieces n ~ d i t e s pour Orgue ou Harmonium"Ecole r n ~ i s e
Volume l l P i ~ e s il1.&tites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"Ecole Emmgeres
Volume IV "Pieces iDedites POW Orgue ou Harmonium"Ecole f r n ~ i s e
Volume V "Pieces inedites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"
Ecole EtrangeresMonsieur Alexandre Glazounoff
Volume VI "Pieces inedites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"Ecole Etrangeres
Volume VII "Pieces inedites pour Grand Orgue avec Pedaleobligee" Monsieur Vincent D'Indy
Volume VIII "Pieces inedites pour Grand Orgue avec Pedaleobligee"
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The Elel:ieisfoundinvolumeone.
From itsinventionintheearly18408untilthe19308,thehannoniumenjoyeda
periodof popUlarity. It was"favouredforhomemusicmakingalongsidethepiano,for
churchmusicinsteadof theorganandinthecinemaasameansof musicalillustrationinthe
era beforesoundfilms:,l ChurcheshousedhannoniumsintheLadyChapelor smallside
chapelsforuseinsmallerliturgiesor devotions. Severalobviousadvantagesregardingthe
useof thisinstrumentinliturgyshouldbementioned:
1) The intimatesoundwasbettersuitedtothesmallerspaceof thechapelssurroundingthenavethanwasthelargeorgan(inthebackbalcony).
2) The smallphysicalsizeof theinstrumentallowedforvariableplacementwithintheroom.
3 The lackof pedalboardenabledanykeyboardplayertoserveasliturgicalmusician.
A.P.F.Boely(1785-1858)wasone of thefirsttopublishasetof piecesforthe
Ofl:uee ~ s i f aforerunnerof thehannonium2. The oraue express wasinventedby
GabrielJospehGreniein1810. Aftermuch x ~ r i m e n t a t i o n withkeyboardinstruments
utilizingfreeree s (theAeoline,inventedbyBernardEschenbach n 1818;the
Physharmonikainventedby AntonHaecklin1818;theAeolodiooninventedby Friedrich
Sturmin thelate18208;and thePoikilorgue,inventedbyAristideCavaille-Collin1834),
AlexandreFran!toisDebain(1809-1877)patentedthehannoniumin1842. Debain's
instrumentisthe onlyinstrumentwhichsurvivestoday.3
1Alfred Berner, "Harmonium." The New Groye Pictionacy o Music and Musicians.
VIII. p. 169.
2Pouze Morceaux pour J'Oraue Expressif. op. 14. 1846-1847.
3lh.i.d . p. 172.
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The harmonium has eight stops, four for the treble and four for the bass register.
The split keyboard enables the perfonner to solo out a melody line on a louder stop while
accompanying with a softer sound Stop combinations are indicated in the score by
numbers enclosed in circles. After the invention of the harmonium, composers began to
write organ pieces without pedal parts or with minimal pedal (doubled by the lowest voice
played in the left hand), with instructions that these were to be played either on the organ or
harmonium. This seems to have been a fairly common practice for over a half of a century
and obviously would have increased sales of the published music. After Booly, those who
have written pieces for the organlharmonium or harmonium alone include cesar Franck
a./Or.&aniste, CinQ Pieces, 44 Petites Pieces, Quasi Marcia, Op. 22, Qffertoire sur un air
breton), Charles Toumemire 40 Pieces pour Harmonium, Op. 21; Petites Fleurs
Musicales, Op. 66), Louis Vieme (24 Pieces en Style Libre pour n ~ u e au Harmonium
Op. 31, 1914, Messe basse), Alexandre Guitmant O./Oreaniste pratiQ.ue, Opp. 39 41 46
47 49 50 52 55-59; L'Oreaniste litureiste, Op. 65; Opp. 23, 26-32, 35, 60 61 68;
with various titles) and Karg-Elert, who wrote over one hundred pieces for the harmonium
between 1903 and 1915, and a treatise on registration of the instrument (J)ie Kunst des
Reaistrierens,op. 91, Berlin, 1914).
The Eleeie is written in binary form with a varied repetition of each section: A B I
A' H . Both of the A sections are in A Minor and contain modulations which prepare the
tonal areas found in the B sections. The phrase lengths in sections A and A' are regular:
A contains sixteen measures, itAH repeats those sixteen measures and continues with
transitory material for another eight measures. In contrast, the phrase lengths of the B
sections are somewhat irregular. The opening interval of a tenth between the bass and
tenor voices offers proof again that Barie had large hands. The composer's instruction
Cette partie peut tr executee avec la main gauche (This part may be played with the left
hand) is placed over the staff for the pedal line, which is printed in half-size. The
registration calls for foundation stops at eight-foot pitch in the manuals and softer stops of
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sixteen- and eight-foot pitch in the pedal. The melody line is centered around the A Minor
triad and is characterized by a syncopated rhythm which changes from duple to triple
subdivisions:
t . J.a
-...
....... , ...u..c e 1 ~.
The soprano-line melody descends diatonically from e to e and cadences in A (mm.1-8).
In the second eight measures, the move from e to e is characterized by chromatic rather
than diatonic movement:
if
The rhythmic motives serve to unify these two phrases. The first pedal note occurs t the
cadence in E at m. 16.
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Section B is signalled by a change in key signature from A Minor to E Minor, and
by a change from triple t duple meter. Barie adds a new metronome marking from =58
to = 96) and a new registration indication Bourdon de 16 et Flute de 4 pieds). The
phrase structure of the B section is 8 + 9 + 7, and may be further subdivided into [ 4 + 4 ]
+ [ 4 + 5 ] + 7 The texture of the B section is almost entirely homophonic. The
harmonies change only at the bar line, and the rhythm is predominately quarter-note
motion. The first phrase moves from E Minor to a half-cadence in B Minor at m. 24. The
second phrase is a variant of the first: mm 25-26 are exact repetitions ofmm. 17-18, but
the C-sharp introduced in m. 19 is missing at the corresponding place in m. 27:
_ J K 1' 11J. J J J n
JL .;; = ~ - ;:: - - t
" . _ r l ~ . '.
- r I, r
.
J~ - » - ; ; ~ f lh : . t
-
Instead of moving away from E, the second phrase cadences on E. Barie follows this
cadence with the final phrase, which begins in C Major. This abrupt juxtaposition of
tonalities seems curious, however short-lived. The phrase moves from C through G and
cadences on E Major. At m. 41, the A material is heard in an embellished form. From
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mIn. 41-51 the melody is heard with added passing tones and varied rhythms. The
harmony remains almost unchanged throughout this fIrst section. At m. 52 the similiarity
between the two A sections is less striking.The shape of the melodic line and the dynamic
and performance markings found in Mm 52-56 correspond to those in Mm 12-16. In the
later measures Barie moves to A Major insteadofE Major. The material in Mm 57-65 is
based on small motives in the melody and inner parts from the A section. In this chromatic
transition passage marked Capricieusemem Barie places chords over short motives played
with the left hand. Most often the left-hand motives outline a diminished chord and the
right-hand chords are grouped in twos creating a feeling of dissonancelresolution. There
are two dissonant chords in various guises--B-flat7 and B7 and two chords ofresolution-
A Major and C Major. Barie alternates the C nd A Major chords so that the progression is
as follows:
The
final sonority at m.64
is CMinor
with an added raised-sixth degree:
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The ped l line C-A-G leads to the second B section which begins with an F Major
chord The F chord is only a substitute for the real tonic chord of A Minor which occurs in
the second phrase at m 74. This phrase corresponds to the cadential phrase at m. 33 and
contains ten measures. The piece concludes softly on a four-foot flute.
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v
It is easy to trace the development of the organ symphony in France from its
inception to 1911, the year that Barie published his Symphonie and Vierne his r o i s i ~ m eSymphonie pour or ue. Genevieve De la Salle1 includes a list of French symphonies
from 1873 (Lalo's Symphonie espa&nole, for violin and orchestra) to 1939 (Milhaud's
Symphonie I for orchestra and H. Puig-Roget's Sinfonia Andorrana). Although very few
composers wrote organ symphonies during this time, these compositions comprise an
important part of the organ repertoire. Widor was (and is to this day) the most prolific
writer of organ symphonies: his contribution to this genre numbers ten, composed over the
twenty-four year period 1876 to 1900. In 1890 and in 1908, Widor also wrote
symphonies for organ and orchestra--Symphonie pour Qmue et Orchestra (1890) and
Sinfonia sacra (1908). Although he lived until 1937 Widor completed most of his
compositions before 1910. Mter that a t e ~ he wrote severa] sonatas, pieces, and a suite for
organ as well as a few chamber works. Louis Heme published his firs. organ symphony
in 1899 and the second in 1905. From 1903 unti11911,. when bisTroisieme Symphonie
pour Draue , Op. 28 was published, Vieme wrote one symphony for orehestra:
Symphonie en la mineur, Op. 24 (1908). Like Widor, Vierne died in 1937; however the
composition of his organ symphonies is more equally distributed throughout his career-
the fourth was published n 1914, the flfth in 1924 and the sixth in 1930.
~ s r Franck (1822-1890), Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), Gabriel Faure
(1845-1924), Gabriel Pierne (1863-1937), Joseph Jongen (1873-1953), Jean Hure (1877
I e n e v i ~ v e De la Salle, L'Orgue Sympbonique en France, La Reyue Musicale. No.
24-26, 1977, pp. 173-204.
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1930) and Charles Toumemire (1870-1939), all organists, composed symphonic works
but did not write organ symphonies during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries.
Franck had written the Grand Piece Symphoniq:ue, Op. 17, in 1860-62 but never followed
it with an organ symphony. Saint-Saens wrote a symphony for orchestra, (his third, Op.
78) with a prominent organ part in 1876, but the remainder of his output for organ
includes only the six preludes and fugues (Opp. 99 and 109), two fantasies (Opp. 101,
157), the Sept Improvisations, Op. 150 and several miscellaneous pieces. Faure and
Pieme each wrote a symphonic work: Faure s Symphonie en re minuer. 1884
(unpublished), and Pieme s L An Mil, a work for orchestra and chorus dating from 1897.
Although Faure was organist at the Madeleine in Paris from 1896, his Improvisation from
c. 1900 is his only published organ composition. Pieme, who succeeded Franck at Ste.
Clotilde and was organist there from 1890-1898 published nothing but the Trois Pieces,
Op. 29 for the organ. Joseph Jongen wrote his Symphonie I, Op. 15, in 1895 and later
composed the Symphonie concertante, Op. 8 (1926) for organ and orchestra. For solo
organ, he wrote several miscellaneous pieces including the Chant e Mai, Op. 53, Sonata
Erojca, Op. 9 and Two Pieces, Op. 108. Jean Hure, who succeded Gigout at St
Augustin in 1925, wrote three symphonies for orchestra (1896---organ and orchestra, 1897
and 1903) but wrote only a Communion sur en oel for solo organ which was published
in 1914. Tournemire did not write his fIrst organ symphony until near the end of his life.
His Symphonie-choral. Op. 69 and Symphonie sacree. Op. 71, composed in 1935 and
1936 respectively, are Tournemire s only ventures into this genre. Yet, he was perhaps the
most prolific writer of orchestral symphonies in France during his lifetime, having
composed eight between 1900 to 1922.
Is there any explanation for the seeming incongruity of this situation? Several
important conclusions can be drawn and substantiated from the above evidence. First is the
consideration that the liturgical and social requirements of an organist in late nineteenth and
early twentieth-century France did not include the composition oforgan symphonies. At
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this time in France, but more specifically Paris, most parish churches had some form of an
Organ Mass offered on Sunday morning, during which the organist was the featured
musician. Many organists chose to improvise most or all of the music needed during the
Mass. It was no coincidence that at auditions for church positions, organists were
required to demonstrate their proficiency in this art.) Therefore, it seems possible that
perhaps the above-named organist-composers who have no published organ symphonies to
their credit improvised pieces which could have been collected and presented as an organ
symphony, except for the fact that the composer saw no need, and maybe more
importantly, no immediate monetary profit in such an endeavor. Also, the art of
improvisation was perfectly suited to the needs of the liturgical action. t is probably safe
to assume, then, that the organ symphonies which survive today were written not as
liturgical music, but rather as virtuoso concert pieces. This leads to a consideration of the
social climate n Paris n the early twentieth century.
If we look again at the composers who wrote organ symphonies--Widor, Vierne,
Barie and later Tournemire and Dupre--we find a group of men whose primary distinction,
with the exception of Charles Tournemire,was as organ virtuosi. Each held teaching
positions: Widor taught organ and composition at the Paris Conservatoire and was
succeded in the organ post by Vieme; Barie taught organ at the Institution Nationale des
Jeunes Aveugles and was widely considered to e one of the most gifted young organists
in Paris. Half a century later, we find this trend continuing in the figure of Marcel Dupre,
who was famous as an organ virtuoso-composer not only in France, but in North America
as well, and who taught at and held the position of Director at the Paris Conservatoire.
Tournemire, who taught the chamber music class at the Paris Conservatoire, was more
concerned with writing liturgical music for the organ as witnessed by his monumental work
L O r ~ u e mystique, a collection of fifty-one offices based on plainchant for each Sunday of
the church year. Even the two organ symphonies which Tournemire wrote are based on
chant melodies. Each of these men was also renowned as an improvisor. One might
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conclude that they stood to gain more from publishing organ symphonies than did Saint
Saens, Faure, Pieme, Jongen and Hure, who held church jobs and played the organ as
supplements to their other interests. Widor, Vieme and Dupre were particularily in demand
as recitalists for most of their lives; one can only hypothesize that Barie might have become
as important a perfonner-improvisor as these three men. It made sound fmandal sense for
the well-known concert organists of the day to publish their own organ symphonies: the
works would be heard in a secular musical setting, the composers could perfonn their own
music, and consequently, it would probably sell well. (This was much the same situation
in which pianist-composers found themselves in the early-nineteenth century.) n
conclusion, we can state that one reason for the general lack of published works by such
organist-composers as Saint-Saens, Faure and Hure may have been the matterof
practicality, both fmandal and liturgical.
Secondly, and of much greater importance is the fact that there is no historical basis
upon which to compare the nineteenth-century orchestral symphony with the organ
symphony of the nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. The primary identifying
characteristics of a symphony for orchestra includes related key centers among movements,
predominance of sonata-allegro fonn as a fIrSt-movement fonnal plan, inclusion of thematic
transformation, and the typical number of four movements, with a slow lyrical and a faster
scherzo movement between opening and closing movements. The majority oforgan
symphonies of the time in question do not fit this description t all, but rather resemble a
suite ofpieces for organ. This misconception that all works labelled symphony fall into
the same category has colored our perception of the extant symphonic literature for organ.
Can it be that Franck, Hure, may not have written organ symphonies precisely
because they were orchestral symphonists as opposed to composers oforgan suites?
The tenn organ symphony may have been coined as a reflection of the type of
organ building seen in the work of Aristide Cavaille-Coll (1811-1899). But there is some
ambiguity in the tenn symphonic organ even today. Although many people consider the
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addition of orchestral-sounding stops to the organ as Cavaille-Coll s primary contribution
to organ building, it seems clear from Cavaille-Coll s writings that his goal, although
related, was not the inclusion of these stops, but rather the perfection of the wind supply to
these stops:
Indeed, we consider that the powerful, beautiful tone of anorchestra made up of thirty odd instruments outshines the weak thintones of an instrument containing several thousand pipes, we areastonished to see that the organ, even with its greater resources,produces no greater power in proportion to its size. the chief causeof this weakness lies in the bellows, where none of the designsknown to date gives the instrument either the volume or quality itought to possess.
Here is the chief reason why the Trompette the Clairon andother such stops do not possess the character of the instrumentswhose names they bear. One reason of course lies in the fact that ametal shallot takes the place of the lips, but another is the windpressure required to sound these instruments. Now we blow ona wind instrument such as the French hom or trumpet, we readilyobserve to 50 cm. and more are required to make them sound. Highpitches demand the greatest pressures, low pitches the least, and theintermediate pitches require pressures between the two extremes.These observations suffice to account for the weakness of organstops in comparison with orchestral instruments: we have just seenthat the h i ~ h s t wind pressure used in organs so far is 10. cm.,
whereas wmd instruments require pressures four of five timesgreater.
This wind supply can have a profound influence on thevolume and quality of the organ s tone. By using only two differentpressures in the organ we built for the Exhibition, we achieved moresatisfactory results as regards volume and uniformity of tone,reinforcement of the trebles of reeds, and--thanks to the ease of
dividing the wind among flues and reeds, treble and bass--freedomfrom the quavering sometimes produced in the melody by certainaccompaniments.
Since the principles underlying this new system permitusing as many different wind pressures as may be desired, we mayassume that an organ built according to this scheme would producesounds of an impressive and altogether original character.
The foundation stops are winded from one pallet-box; andthe mutations, mixtures, and reeds, from the other. As a result, thetwo series of stops may speak simultaneously with no possibility of
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insufficient wind, and the tone and power o the organ are
enhanced.2
We can conclude that Cavaille-Coll never intended his organ to sound like an
orchestra, or to e played like an orchestra, with string, brass and woodwind stops playing
in opposition to each other. He did hope that each stop could come closer to sounding like
its orchestral counterpart, and hoped for a more powerful cohesive sound in the full organ
passages. This interest on Cavaille-Coll s part--namely to be able to produce the same
volume of sound throughout the compass o the instrument-- radically changed the
contrapuntal nature of the organ. As the clarity and independence of contrapuntal voices
diminished, a new style o composition evolved. Cesar Franck was the fll St to realize the
potential and exploit the possibilities of this instrument
With these considerations in mind, one looks at Augustin Barie with even greater
interest n his Symphonie pour 0n:ue, Barie consciously tried to unify the work through
means o thematic transformation with the cyclic theme, he wrote movements o his
Symphonie in sonata-allegro form, and he formed some tonal relationship between keycenters o the different movements. Vierne incorporated these compositional techniques
into his last three organ symphonies, but neither the Widor symphonies nor the fll St three
Vieme examples demonstrate this kind of compositional thought to the extent found in the
Barie work.
Cesar Franck s Grand Piece Symphoniqye has been considered by some as the first
cyclical symphony for organ. That the organ works o Franck, perhaps even this work in
particular, had a direct influence on the French school of organ composition in the last
quarter of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century is a fact beyond dispute.
Written in 1860-62, the Grand Piece Symphoniqye is an enormous work which extends to
595 measures in four separate sections. However, Franck used the term symphoniqye as
2Penner Douglass, CayaiJI6-ColI and the Musicians. Raleigh: Sunbury Press, 1980.
pp. 19-20. 93-94.
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an adjective to the noun a clue perhaps that he did not consider this to be an organ
symphony at all. In view of the fact that Widor had published four organ symphonies in
1876, and that Franck surely was aware of his use of the title" Symphonie pour Orgue",
one is led to conclude that Franck did not wish to write organ symphonies or felt that the
composition of an organ symphony would be unsuccessful.
Issue must also be taken with the claim that Franck wrote the frrst organ
symphony. Simple restatements of a theme at various points in a composition as in the
Finale of the Beethoven Ninth Symphony) do not necessarily create a "cyclical" theme. In
order for a theme to be cyclic, it must undergo some transformation from the beginning of
the work to its conclusion. In his Grand Piece Symphoniqye, Franck has recalled the main
theme, but has not developed it throughout the course of the work. o while we admire
this monumental work ofCesar Franck and acknowledge its importance in the development
of the organ repertoire, we must be careful to view the piece as Franck has written it and
not through any misconceptions ofour own.
Before we assign Barie's Sympbonie a place of importance in the organ repertoire,
it is necessary to place the work in an historical context The groundwork for the
composition of all organ symphonies was laid by Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937).
Several general observations will serve to codify this large body of works. In his ten
symphonies,3 the number ofmovements varies from four to seven. Widor varied the
order of types of movements in the symphonies: while the opening movements are most
often through-composed forms at a marked tempo of l e ~ r o or Moderato4 the 8econd-
movement forms, for example, follow no set pattern. Although A B A forms are found as
second movements in four of the symphonies (this includes the Minuetto in Symphony No.
llD, other second movements have the following forms: A B A C A, ABC B , through
3Nos. 1-4, op. 13, 1876; nos. 5-8, op. 42, 18801; no. 9, op. 70, 1895; no. 10, op. 73,1900.
4 Symphonie I with an opening movement and Symphonie VI with a set of
variations in G minor as the first movement are exceptions.
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composed, variations, A A' B A", The inner movements of the Widor symphonies often
alternate between fast and slow tempi. Of the ten Widor organ symphonies, five contain
variation movements. The movements of symphonies after Symphony No often have
no title, and can be identitfied only by a tempo marking. Widor never used the term
"scherzo". The fmal movements of the symphonies are almost all labelled Finale, but
demonstrate a variety of formal plans: I-Fugue, IT-Toccata, m-through-composed, IV
through-composed, V- Toccata, VI-Sonata form, VII-through-composed, VIIT-ABCDA,
IX- variations on chant, closing with chorale-like setting ofPuer natus est. X-through
composed.
There are very few movements in the Widor symphonies that are in sonata-allegro
form. It seems unclear whether Widor had any formal conception for determining key
centers of the movements within each symphony. The fifth symphony is very
straightforward in this respect, with movements based on F Minor I and ll), A-flat Major,
C Major and F Major. However, the third symphony demonstrates Widor's more typical
approach to tonal areas--E Minor, B Minor, F Major, A Major and E Minor. Widor often
used parallel major/minor keys within a work: seven of the symphonies contain
movements based on parallel key centers.
The lack of a cohesive tonal plan, along with the random organization of
movements and absenceof a significant number of sonata-allegro movements substantiates
the claim of some writers that the organ symphonies ofWidor are n actuality "organ
symphonic suites"5. With the important exception of Symphonies IX and X based on the
chants ruer nams est and Haec dies respectively, there seem to be very few unifying
factors within the symphonies. The importance of these pieces lies in Widor's ablility to
conceive a form which was well-suited to the instrument(s)6 at his disposal and which
5F6lix Raugel, "Widor," The New Groye Dictionary of Music and MusicianS. London:
1980, Vol. 20, p. 398.
6Most of the symphonies were written specifically for the five-manual Cavaille
ColI organ at St.-Sulpice. (Raugel, "Widor," p. 398.)
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made use of the new tonal and mechanical resources of these instruments. These works
provide the groundwork for the compositions of Vierne.
Louis Vierne (1870-1937) published his Premiere Symphonie pour oreue, Op. 13,
in 1899. It is his only symphony written in six movements:
I Prelude DMinor Maestoso Through-composed
II. Fugue DMinor Moderato non troppo lentocontains written-outcadenza
III. Pastorale BbMajor Allegretto B
N Allegro vivace A Minor scherzo movementAbACA' xl D canonl x AbA'codax= closing or transition
material
V. Andante FMajor Quasi adagioAlrecitlA'lrecitlA'ltranslADbM EbM FM
VI. Finale DMajor Allegro
The pairing of the Prelude and Fugue, both in D Minor, is reminiscent of the first two
movements of many French Classical suites for organ, in which composers such as
Guilain, Clerarnbault and DuMage began with a Plein Jeu (i.e., Prelude) and Fugue. The
key centers of the movements of Vieme's Op. 13 revolve around D Minor: both the lower
and upper third relations are included, as well as the dominant and parallel major. The
tempo markings of the movements alternate slow-fast throughout the symphony. Although
there is no strict cyclic principle present in this work, the use of the interval of a perfect
fourth in prominent positions in the fIrst, second and sixth movements is noteworthy.
The Deuxieme Symphonie pour Oreue, Op. 20, dedicated to Charles Mutin, was
published in 1903. The beginning of the cyclical element in Vierne's symphonies can be
traced to this fIve-movement work. The fIrst theme of the Choral is adapted from the
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second theme of the opening movement Again in this symphony, Vierne uses the upper
and lower third relations as tonal centers for the inner movements:
I Allegro EMinor Allegro risoluto rna non troppovivo
Sonata-allegro
II Choral A-flat Major A B A' B' trans A
i l l Scherzo EMajor ABAIB CIAtrans I CEM GM F#M A-flatM
AB CodaEM
Quasi presto
IV Cantabile C#Minor A A' trans B A Larghetto
V. Finale EMinor Sonata-allegro; Maestoso
Vierne's Troisieme Symphonie pour Oreue and Bari6's Opus 5 were written at the
same time. Vierne's use of chromatic harmonies in the flI'St, third and fifth movements
often borders on the dissonant. This writing produces passages of technical virtuosity
which, along with the technical difficulties in Vierne's fourth, fIfth and sixth symphonies,
equal anything written in the entire organ repertoire. In his third symphony, Vierne also
develops the tonal centers within a movement and uses the upper and lower third relations
to a greater extent th n was demonstrated in the flI'St and second symphonies. In the
Intermezzo , the opening A section is in D Major. The flI'St B section is in F-sharp Major,
the upper major third relation to D. The return of A is in B-flat Major, the lower major
third relation to D. The A section material is heard again in D before the next appearance of
the B section material in F Major, the upper minor third relation to D. A short return to the
A section material in D closes the movement. The third symphony is dedicated to Mon
eleve et cher ami, Marcel Dupre :
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57
I Allegro Maestoso F Minor Sonata-allegro
n Cantilene A Major AB A coda
IDIntennezzo D Major
B B
N Adagio B Minor A B A coda
V. Final F Minor Sonata-allegro
Vierne s ftrst three organ symphonies show the development of a compositional
style and fonn that was rooted in the works of Franck and influenced by the symphonies of
Widor and the sonatas of Guilmant To this heritage of French organ music, Vieme
incoIpOrated the use of a more contemporary hannonic vocabulazy and a more cohesive
tonal plan for the multi-movement works. His technical writing in Opp. 14,20 and 28
surpassed anything which had come before this time. It was into this climate of
composition and perfonnance that Barie entered: his study with Vieme had begun when
Vieme s second organ symphony was published. While the technical writing in Barie s
organ symphony cannot approach that found in the third of Vieme, the complexities of the
cyclical theme, the uniftcation of key centers and the hannonic language place Barie s work
side by side with those of the more experienced composer.
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VI
Barie's Symphonie pour Greue. Op. 5 was published in 1911, five years after he
had been awarded a Premier Prix d'Orgue at the Paris Conservatoire. t carries the
dedication ta mon Maitre et Ami Louis Vieme. Barie may have played or improvised
parts of his Symphonie during his three years of study with Vierne (1904-07). The
opening movement, entitled Prelude, presents a cyclical theme in B-flat Minor, which is
first heard as an unaccompaniedpedal solo in quarter-notes:
LarC o eJ-.»-i I
'
.. - --..I _ WI I t I I
As the pedal reiterates this theme in the manner of a passacaglia, the manual parts
enter unobtrusively on octave B-flats. The slow harmonic rhythm (one chord per measure)
of the second statement of the theme gradually increases during the third statement
Between the third and fourth statements of the cyclical theme, Barie introduces a four
measure interlude for manuals alone. A crescendo starts at the beginning of the fourth
statement and is sustained through the interlude between the fourth and fifth statements
(manuals alone). The climax of this movement comes in mm. 23-24 during the fifth and
fmal appearance of the cyclical theme. The closing phrase is heard above the fmal B-fla tof
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9
the theme. Instead of the expected cadence on B-flat, Barie brings the movement to a close
on a half-cadence. In the penultimate measure, the manuals sustain an octave F over the
pedal point B-flat. The inner voices play (also in octaves) C-B-flat-C, and at the last
eighth-note of the measure the ped l moves from B-flat to G and on to F at the downbeat of
m. 29. The movement closes with an open fifth on F:
This short introductory movement simply serves to present the cyclical theme.
This same technique was used to great effect later in the first movements of Vieme s fourth
and fifth organ symphonies. Barie notated a fermata over the last rest in the final measure
of the Prelude. A fermata over the last chord would have indicated great length on the open
F sonority, effectively halting all momentum and necessitating a pause of proportionate
length between the Prelude and h e ~ The careful placement of this fermata indicates
Barie s desire to have these movements played in close succession to each other.
The fugue subject stated at the opening of the second movement derives directly
from the cyclic theme of the symphony:
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----
--
6
I 11 l o er 0 = . . -
The 3/4 meter signature is retained, but Barie indicates a tempo marking of Moderato, J=
112--exactly double that of the Largo J=56 in the opening Prelude, thus establishing a 2: 1
tempo relationship between the Prelude and reminiscentof relationships between
free and fugal passages in the works of many Baroque composers (e.g., the preludes and
fugues of Buxtehude, Lubeck, Bohm, Bach). Although we have no accurate information
concerning Barie s method ofdetermining metronomic markings, we do know that Louis
Vieme carefully notated metronomic markings in his compositions and was adamant that
his pieces be performed at the printed tempos. 1 It is reasonable to assume that Vieme and
Barie discussed this matter at some point during their time together.
The fugue divides into six sections: the exposition, an episode, a second exposition
followed by a second episode, the restatementof the fugue subject and the coda. The first
episode m. 31) uses the melodic material of the cyclic theme in running eighth-note
1Personal interview with Andre Marchal, June, 1977 .
I .. &i 0.•, fOB ...., pliv • O/ KAr ACI ~ . w I ' I N Ih ~ I 'r-.. . If 1= : f : : ~ . .. ;:: r
Tiru..,G 4 0.t ; r ~ ' 1 . ~ :
PEDALE
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phrases and modulates from B-flat through F to D flat The second exposition begins in m.
49 with a statement in D flat A new motive (x) is introduced in conjunction with the fugue
subject, and later it combines with the fugue subject in inverted form (m. 69). The second
episode (m. 84) develops the x motive in its inverted form. After a straightforward
restatement of the fugue subject, the coda begins in m. 112. It is only in the coda that the
inverted forms of the subject and the x material are heard simultaneously.
The fugal exposition is thirty measures long:
mm. 1-4 5-8 9-12 13-20 21-24 25 30
S tenor Saito Ssop Sbass Ssop S pedal
CS tenor CS alto CS soprano CS alto noCS
The JISt episode begins with a short section in invertible counterpoint (mm. 31-
40). The left-hand eighth notes present the cyclical theme (marked by a slur) against which
is heard new descending material in the right hand:
.3D., --- - - ,
. - RE I,
' :
.,. . f I I - ~ 1 t : . ~ . ( t .. . Io. : ~ . , . . . . -,.r ..
A modulation from B-flat to F in mm. 37-40 leads to a rhythmically altered statement of the
fugue subject The second measure of this version of the subject is sequenced downward.
At m. 49, thesubject is heard in D-flat in the original rhythm (alto), while at thesame time
the soprano voice presents the subject, also in D-flat in an eighth-note version.
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62
The second episode (m. 55) begins with the x motive which accompanies the
pedal fugue subject (original rhythm) in A-flat Major:
The soprano and tenor voices begin a short point of imitation at m 56. The material found
inmm 65-98 is freely based upon the cyclical theme. The subject appears in varied or
straightforward forms at m. 65 (pedal), 70 (tenor), and 76 (alto). At m. 69, the subject is
fIrst presented in inversion (soprano voice) against the subject in original form (tenor voice)
and the x material (pedal). The countersubject is heard in the tenor voice at m 77.
The third episode (mm. 84-98) is based entirely upon the inverted form o x . At
mm 84-85, it appears in stretto in the soprano and pedal lines:
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6
r l
This same compositional technique is used two measures later in the tenor and alto voices.
The material in rnrn. 90-98 develops the opening four notes of the ttxtt motive. This
episode concludes with a cadence on F Major m rked Allar:ando.
The concise restatement features stretto entrances of the fugue subject in rnrn. 99
and 102 (alto and tenor) and again in rnrn. 106 and108 (soprano and bass). At the
beginning of the coda (m. 112), the subject is heard in the alto voice over a pedal point on
F. Another stretto entranceof the subject (in inverted form) occurs in m. 114 (soprano
voice). A crescendo to FFF prepares the appearance of the inverted subject in the pedal and
the simultaneous playing of the inverted x material in the alto voice. A move from F to
G-flat at m. 127 serves to intensify appearances of the subject and x material, both heard
here in their original forms. Immediately following a cadence in B-flat in m. 135, Barle
presents the subject for the final time in stretto between the tenor and soprano voices:
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I
64
i
p J:::
f.:'\j l ~ l R a l lI I - - i ~ I I 1 h l t
.
;
.J :1.
,
, ,
I I I I I t f f ~ r r f :\
· ~ ~ . . ~ "') , ,1. 9 : ~ :.T
- f :\
The third movementof th Symphonie--an Adagio--resembles an improvisation that
later was written down, for the majority of the music is generated from the opening sixteen
measures. This movement occupies a central position in the symphony and is the longest
movement in the work. These characteristics are typical of slow movements of organ
symphonies in the subsequent works of Vieme and Dupre, and Bari6 s work may have
influenced composers of organ symphonies.
Although this piece does not submit readily to a formal structural plan, the general
scheme may be outlined as below. The important move from D-flat Major to B-flat Major
at m. 63 and the return to D-flat Major at m. 111 serve to delineate the tripartite structure.
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mm. 1-16
A
D flatM
63-85
B
B flatM
111-118
B
D flatM
17-34
Aunstable
86-101
A
unstable
119-134
AlA
D flatM
35-54
A
D flatM
102-110
A-fragments
B M--modulatory
134-137
Coda
D flatM
55-62
transition
modulatory
65
The opening melody of the daeio is heard in canon between the pedal and manual
voices (soprano and tenor). The melody is an altered version of the retrograde form of
the cyclical theme:
rED LE
The discrepancy between the theme in retrograde and the altered version is easily
identifiable. By m. 6, Barie discontinues the imitation, and the pedal assumes in m. 9 the
role of harmonic support. The opening sixteen measures divide into four four-measure
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66
groups 4 + 4 + 4 + 4), with the second group o 4 + 4 further subdivided as 2 + 2 + 4.
The second two-measure grouping is a sequence o the fIrst and together they constitute an
antecedent phrase. Most o the musical material found in the A' section is generated from
this two-measure group (a):
The flfSt eight measures o A' show the original motive an in two melodic
transformations:
f J ~ Uo L1
-WJ J J j
.: • f, II- . \
.
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7
Mm. 25 and 26 (b) are varied in m. 27-30 before the nail motive returns (2 2).
This entire A' section is harmonically unstable: it moves toward a cadence in B Major, but
with the return of the A section at m. 35, the tonality shifts from B to O-flat through the use
of an enharmonic G-sharp/A-flat The manual parts in this section (mm. 35-54) include
new material which is subserviant to the cyclical retrograde theme in the pedal. Barie
accomplished the modulation from D-flat Major to B-flat Major by sequence during the
transition of nine measures between the A and B sections.
The material in B divides into two distinct parts--mm. 63-69 and mm. 70-85. The
opening six measures of this section--characterized by the pedal solo, a flute counter
melody, and an upper-voice pedal point on P in the manuals--are heard only once in the
movement and function as transitional material to the principal melody of section B at m.
70. The single statementof this lyrical seven-measure melody contributes to the brevity of
the B section. Some fragmentation of the melody occurs in mm. 77-85. A Ritardando at
m. 84 prepares the open futh cadence on B-flat in m. 85. The A tempo on beat four
signals a return to the A material, now slightly varied. The short two-measure phrase is
varied here as before, but the appearance of an E-natural in m 89 leads away from B-flat
Major into a section of harmonic instability (as heard in the flfSt A' section). Both motivic
transformations of A precede the B material, again accompanied by an increased tempo
marking (Poco animatQ). The A motive is heard twice in varied form: the flfSt prefigures
a cadence on B, but the second statement abruptly shifts from the B-ninth sonority through
a passing 0 7 chord to a p7 chord. The resolution of the E-flat (top note) to O-flat
accomplishes the move to an A-flat ninth sonority which is arpeggiated over five measures
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and resolves to D-flat Major at m. 111. The melody of the B section is truncated: only the
first four measures are heard in the soprano part, and the melody is heard in varied form in
the ped l (m. 116). At m. 111, the shortened B section melody is heard over the retrograde
form of the cyclical theme (tenor voice). The antecedent-consequent phrases ofA appear
once more in mm. 119-126, immediately before the B material, presented here for the
first time in D-flat Major, without the earlier Poco animato marking. A coda over the
repeated pedal D-flat concludes the movement
The Intermezzo, marked Allearetto. QlliSi allcam (.J= 96), resembles the scherzo
movements in Vierne's organ symphonies, especially the Allearn vivace of the Premiere
Symphonic, Op. 14. Works in this genre usually make use of short melodic ideas,
frequent sequences ofmelodic material, and abrupt tonal shifts. There is no doubt that
Barie's work belongs to the scherzo genre. Vierne often used titles other than scherzo for
these movements, but there seems to be no difference in compositional style between
movements entitled variously Allearo vivace (I), Intermezzo (III), Menuet N) and the
movements labelled Scherzo (Symphonies II, V, and VI).2
The scherzo-trio-scherzo form of the Intermezzo is delineated by the tonal structure.
The opening section (A) explores both the upper and lower third relations ofF (A and D).
Both key centers A and D are important in their relationship to the central tonality of the
Symphony, B-flat--A as the leading tone and D as the upper third to B-flat (Barie used the
other side of the upper third, namely D-fla1, extensively in the previous movement.) The
material presented here in D Major (themes B and C represents the only time in the
symphony that Barie moves to D. The upper-third relationship is further pointed up at the
beginning of the Trio, which begins and ends in B-flatMinor. The absence of theme C in
2The full title of the third movement of the i n a u i ~ m e Symphonie is Teffil)o di
scherzo
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the return of the scherzo accounts for the shorter fmal section. The key centers F A and D
are preserved.
Barie marked the opening bar of the fIrSt six-measure phrase to be played
I e l : ~ e r a m e n t e The first large section of this A B A movement may be subdivided into
four sections each of which may be further subdivided:
rom. 1-12 13-31 32-47 48-60
A B C A
4+4+4+6 6+6+4 6+6
FM--Aro Aro--DM D---trans FM
Because of the emphasis on G Minor chords on strong beats and F Major sonorities in
positions of relative unimportance the opening two measures are ones of harmonic
ambiguity:
l£UflfALIl
.........
The preparation and cadence in rom. 10-12 reinforce this harmonic uncertainty:
A - .
. . . r
POS l ~ i e r t l ~ l I t e
t ell: . ~ . ; .
.c ).. ~ ~
..I
pTir Ric ,
til
S_ t I « •
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70
The cadence in A Minor at m. 13 prepares the following eight measures in A Minor. The
f o u r ~ m e s u r e phrase fIrst heard in m. 18 is heard again in m. 22 in D Major. t is then
extended and fonns a transition to the new section at m. 32. A registration change f'Unda
marls salicional ou Flute 8 seule") contrasts the following sixteen measures with material in
sections A and B. Legato hannonic fIguration in the manuals accompanies the lyrical pedal
melody. This is the only place in this movement where the cyclical theme is in evidence.
The pedal melody at m. 32 is a version of the retrograde fonn of the cyclical theme. It is
shorter than the fonn of the theme found in the preceding movement:
POS. U"da Karia S.licio....1 0" Flute 8 .eul.
CH O,.d JI ,.,.. s lleifJflflll . '1M' t IIlftf _
,:: . 1r ~ - - - - - - - ~ ) . - - - - - - - ~ ~ - - - - - - - ~. :ibA .. ~ ~ l I : ~ ~ ~!
a ' - ""
...........~ -- . . . .I....::J I.....J ..... I.....J -.....
IItf -f
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7
In the flI St section of the Intennezzo, Barle uses phrase structures built around six
measure units. The B section subdivides the larger phraseof twelve measures into groups
of 4 4 4 but the section concludes with a transitional group of six measures in D Major.
In the second large part of this movement, Barle uses phrase groupings of 4 4 4 almost
exclusively:
mm. 61-72 73-84 85-101
D D' D4 4 4 4 4 4 4+4+10
B-flat m--Fm--Bm Em-Bm-Fm B-flat m--modulatory
Each of the flI St two D sections are in the fonn A A B where the A melody is:
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7
The melody is fIrst heard in the left hand with staccato right-hand accompaniment. In the
repetition Barle states the melody in the right hand with legato accompaniment. The third
statement of the altered D melody is heard in B-flat Minor. New transitional material is
generated from the pedal motive and manual chords flI St heard in m. 67:
~-
I
ql. . J .-
-- .
The sequence in mm. 91-101 is unusual in that it begins with a repetition one step higher
but each subsequent repetition is at the interval of a minor third. This transitional section is
a fme example of the abrupt tonal shifts frequently found in the scherzo genre:
Agltalo - ......
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POS.m 4
( II. ' ' ',.
74
Of particular interest is the tritone E flatlA in nun. 1()() 101, which precedes the return of
the A material at m. 102:
POls nio • • Tempo 1°C I. .
The ambiguity of the same melodic tritone found earlier in mm. 46 47 is made clear in m.
100 with the addition of the pitches and F sharp. This places the tritone in the context of
a diminished seventh chord on A which resolves to G Minor:
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75
Mm 46-47:
wros
A
•rK
I
fII ~t.
Because it is not crucial to the hannonic stability of the passage, the pedal fifth D-G is
absent in these later measures. The material heard in mm. 102-125 is an exact repetition of
nun. 1-24. Mm. 126-131 correspond to mm. 54-59 except for the deceptive cadence at m.
131. The plagal cadence emphasizing the importance ofB-flat) is reached by means of a
series ofV-I cadences:
-b, I fa I I
,,--.t .; J j I . ~ JI. ... i FiJ
- - ...
- "-I
. ." ~
• ~ . ,.....",
J
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76
The cyclical theme of Barie's Symphonie is presented in the major mode in the
Finale. The movement, markedAnew d =96), is a large sonata-allegro form:
EXPOSITION
m.I-12 13-16 17-24 25-40 41-52
transition A'/closing B transition
B-flatM-DM ------- B-flatM B-flatM
DEVELOPMENT (Cantabile)
mm.53-68
C
F M
mm. 103-118
A material
F -Ab-Bb
69-76
F M
119-134
Affi
B
77-93 94-102
B C
F M
135-140
T(pedal)
Bb
141-152
transition
modulation
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RECAPITULATION
mm. 153-164 164-168 169-188 189-200 211-216
A transition B transition
Bb M BbM
CODA
mm.217-226
B material
BbM
At several points in this movement, Barie diverges from the strict textbook
defInition of a classical sonata-allegro fonn: the B theme is stated in the tonic key in the
exposition; at the outset of the development, we hear a new theme C); and as one might
expect, the B theme is heard in a distantly related key during the recapitulation. Certainly.
Barie was not blazing any new paths with these points ofdiversion. It is perhaps more
interesting to examine the transfonnations of the cyclical theme as they are found within
this traditional form.
In the opening eight measures of the Finale. the cyclical theme is stated twice: first
in B-flat Major, and two measures later in G Minor. After cadences nE-flat m. 7) and C
m. 9), we hear D-Major seventh and C-Major seventh chords over a stepwise descending
p e d l l i n e ~ In the three measures that follow mm. 12-15), D is emphasized by a series of
V7-I cadences:
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78
~ ~ d I I I; .1 '
.
POS.e IlEC. I I .I , • ' 'r.-
( ;:,. j i J 1 t t ~ j j
I
An abrupt tonal shift signals the reappearance of A (cyclic theme), here heard in altered
form as transitional material to the B theme. Barle s use ofa pedal point B-flat in the
lowest voice in the manual writing acts as tonic by assertion in the first statement of the B
theme. This theme was presented flI'St as the A theme of the third movement. B is heard
here, and in all of its statements, as a canon between the soprano voice and pedal bass line
at the intervalof two octaves. An intensification of the material is accomplished by the
repetition ofB in mm. 28-32 centered around C--a pitch level one step higher. A four-
measure transition leads to two non-legato statements of the flI'St part of B--in G Minor and
F Minor. This quicldy degenerates into a transitional section of some length (mm. 40-52).
Barle uses altered descending Dorian scales to acheive a modulation here from F to C-
sharp.
The development is clearly signalled both visually and aurally: the key signature of
six sharps and Cantabile marking contrast with what has been heard up to this point. At
flI'St glance, it seems that Barle has only introduced a new lyrical theme (C) at the beginning
ofthe development. But upon closer scrutiny, one fmds that the pedal line, moving
primarily in whole notes, states the cyclical theme in retrograde:
, IJV J " I;;
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9
The C theme is grouped in phrases of 8 4 4. The fIrst eight measures are heard
over the cyclical theme in retrograde, while the second group of 4 4 is heard over a
descending bass line which moves to the dominant C-sharp.
At the second appearance of the retrograde version of the theme in the pedal part,
Barie inserts theme A in the manuals mm. 69 and 73) in F-sharp Major. The retrograde
theme includes two altered pitches--D-natural and A-natural. At this point, Barie has
combined two different forms of the cyclical theme and presented them simultaneously. It
is perhaps no coincidence that Barie marks this with a Rallentando and cadences in F-
sharp, marked with a fermata. At the A tempo in m. 76, the B theme is heard in F-sharp
Major in its completion before a modulation begins. The move to F Major is accomplished
through the use of an enharmonic C-sharplD-flat which then moves to C with a dominant
seventh chord above the pedal C. At m. 94, the C theme s heard in an altered form,
beginning solidly in F Major, but moving back to F-sharp by the cadence in m. 103. From
this point until the recapitulation at m. 153, Barie creates an intensillcation of the musical
material by ascending stepwise repetitions. This intensification can best be seen by
viewing the measures from 103-153 in two sections. At m. 103, the fIrst phrase of cyclical
theme A is heard in F-sharp. It is followed immediately by a statement in A-flat and an
altered statement in B-flat mm. 107, 111). A chromatic soprano line leads to the statement
of the cyclical theme in B Major at m. 119. There are two very important events at this
point: the move to B Major from B-flat Major represents an intensillcation of the musical
material, and the cyclical theme here s heard in inverted form.
n m. 124, the inverted form is heard, still in B Major, in the pedal part. At m.
128, a sequence based on the inverted theme is heard, fIrst in E-flat followed by statements
in F and F-sharp:
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- ~ - - II I ...
I i l I I I
I- POS.et Uo.
Ran.of. .. ,s ,
r
A transitory passage is marked by Rallentando, accel. poco a poco and rit. molto
before leading to the short coda marked Quasi adaeio, The coda recalls the Adaitio: a
variant of the retrograde version of the cyclic theme is heard in the pedals while the B theme
is played in the manuals. This fIrst part of the coda is in D-flat Major, the key area of the
third movement of the symphony, A move back to B-flat Major marks the fmal measures
of the symphony.
A somewhat more general overview of Barie s Symphonie may help to pull
together the smaller details of the analysis into a more cohesive understanding of this work.
Barie s organ symphony is the fIrst work in this genre which develops a cyclical theme
throughout the entire work.
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8
The opening movement presents the theme and is followed closely by the Fugue.
This movement, also in B·flat Minor, presents the cyclic theme in original and inverted
forms. In the Adagio, the cyclic theme is heard in a shortened retrograde form which
appears briefly in the D·flat Major sections of the movement. The theme appears in the
Intermezzo as the pedal melody in section C. Here, the retrograde form is further
shortened (by one note) and is stated in D Minor. The theme is heard in original,
retrograde, and inverted forms in the Finale in B-flat Major. In addition, the A theme of the
Adagio appears as the second theme of the exposition in the closing movement. The
original version of the theme is heard twice in the fIrst eight-measure phrase: fIrst in B-flat
Major, followed by a statement n G Minor. The development contains the retrograde
statement of the theme in F-sharp Major, as well as the inverted cyclic theme in B Major
and F-sharp Major. In the recapitulation of the Finale, the retrograde and original versions
of the cyclical theme are presented in B-flat Major.
This examination of the appearances of the cyclic theme points out not only the
extent to which Barie developed the theme, but also provides the basis for an undertanding
of the harmonic framework of the Symphonie. The tonal centers of each movement are as
follows:
Prelude B-flat MinorFugue B-flat MinorAdagio D-flat MajorlB-flat MajorIntermezzo F MajorlD MajorlB-flat MajorFinale B-flat MajorlF MajorlB-flat Major
In the fmt four movements of the work, Barie developed the two upper third
relationships to B-flat, namely D and D-flat. The fmal movement presents the two sides of
the lower third relationship to B-flat, a and a flat (F-sharp). Barie never includes a
section or theme in the Ein ak based on a but instead uses a paired statement of the cyclic
theme. In the exposition, development and recapitulation, the cyclic theme is stated fmt in
B-flat Major and followed immediately by a statement in a Minor. In this way, Barie
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8
emphasizes an important tonal area without compromising the sonata allegro fonn of the
movement
D tlat D
/B tlat
/ ' G tlat
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84
VII
The influence that the works of Barie had on subsequent composition for the organ
can be demonstrated by a study of the last three organ symphonies of Louis Vieme. By
Vieme's own admission, he was impressed by the improvisational capabilities which Barie
exhibited in his lessons with Vieme.1 Although many of Barie's friends and colleagues
became acquainted with Barie's published works it seems most likely that Barie and
Vieme would have discussed in some detail these works written for organ. I t would even
be feasible to assume that Barie took his compositions to Vieme before they were
published.
The five movements of Vieme's u a t r i ~ m e Symphonie pour orpe, Op. 32
(published 1917 and dedicatedA
mon ami WilliamC. Carl ), are entitled Prelude ,
Allegro , Menuet , Romance , and Final . Vieme's Prelude evokes the same mood in
the beginning measures as the opening movement of the Barie symphony. The manual
parts play an octave G as the ped l presents a melody in G Minor:
ft , •
1111 - -
. - -
~ \i Jr -
P dal
1Louis Vierne, Mes Souvenirs, in L Oraue. No. 134b (1970), pp. 63-64.
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85
II I
I - -- - .... -
.A V .A
LA
-u ' - '
-. -
The frrst movement of Vieme's Fourth Symphony is much longer than the thirty measures
which Barie composed, but the principle of melodic repetition found in Barie's passacaglia
like Prelude is also present throughout this movement Vieme, like Barie, closes his
Prelude on an open fifth sonority:
r.-....'1 f: ' f ~ - : f : ' I: I i -)..::f ... -.. -
tI t
, ~ i t 1 ~r I rf
.. U A ~
- I I Pi la ra
.4l1 a i ~ ~ . ~ -;p..
4 ,,-- ' r - u Ir '-'u .. •
The tempo marking of the second movement, in sonata-allegro form, is Allem
risoluto ~ =120 . The metronome marking of the frrst movment ( =42 ) becomes
= 126, yielding an approximate relationship of2:1 between the two movements, as in
Barie's opus 5. The G Minor key signature is retained in the second movement; we also
find this in the Barie work. However, the most striking similiarity between these two
works is fugal composition: Vieme includes a fugue in the development section of the
A l l e ~ r o (mm. 62-125):
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The movement closes with the recapitulation of the opening material and a short coda. The
dovetailing of the coda and the recapitulation of the second theme is reminiscent of Weber s
Overture to r Freischiitz.
The Menuet replaces a scherzo movement in the Vieme Fourth Symphony. The
movement divides into minuet trio minuet form with a coda, which uses material from both
section:
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87
Minuet
mm.I-18 19-41 42-59
A Ai AEMajor C minor E Major
Trio
60-76 77-88 89-102
C D C
A-flat Major CMajor A-flat Major
Minuet Coda
103-120 121-143 144-161 162-176
A Ai A C +A material
EMajor C minor EMajor EMajor
The Romance begins with a solo in the tenor register which sets up the tonality of
D-flat Major. The ped l melody mm. 3-11) is heard below an undulating pattern in the
right hand, while an open fifthD-flatlA-flat sounds in the bass voices, played by the left
hand:
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The B section begins with a transitional section of eight measures grouped 4 4.
The frrst two measures of each four-measure phrase are a pedal solo. The manuals enter in
the third measure and cadence with a Ritardando and a fermata. The second ped l solo
sounds one step higher but the material presented in the manuals is heard at the same pitch
level. In both mm. 37 and 42 the fmal sonority is an E9 chord. The chromatic material
heard in mm. 43-52 is sequenced a fourth higher in mm. 53-62. The only key area
established in section B occurs in m. 69 at the beginning of the transition back to the A
material. The five-measure solo played in the tenor range is heard in the context of an A
flat7 sonority.
At m. 74 the A material in D-flat Major is varied slightly from mm. 3-11. The
right-hand material heard with the expected pedal-point and broken-chord material is
accompanied by a second pedal voice. In the frrst four measures of the melody the pedal
voice plays in parallel octaves with the melody line. At m. 78 this voice presents a
countermelody. Another deceptive cadence at m. 84 signals the beginning of the coda.
The material from the opening two-measure pedal solo provides the basis for most of the
coda:
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90
- ~
The Ein.al a rousing movement in sonata-allegro form is in G Minor. The four-
measure A theme of the exposition moves in constant eighth-notes in a time signature of
12/8:
AIle«ro J •H ~ ~ 7 j ' ' ' ~ 1 . . ..- ....... I
r r wY
.• . . . . . . : r " ' : - ; ~ .. ~ --..,I •JIO'.iW - .........
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91
The A theme is heard four times in the opening twenty-five measures:
Mm. Voice Accompaniment
1-4 soprano unaccompanied
5-8 tenor soprano voice sustained Os
9-12 soprano pedal point Os, alto counterpart
13-18 x material
19-25 bass, A ext ll manual voices. octave Os
Thematic reiteration is also a characteristic of the second section of the exposition. The
soprano voice presents the B theme mm. 26-29) in D. followed by a statement an octave
lower in the tenor voice. At m 34. a shortened version of the B theme is heard in B-flat.
A short section of transitional material leads to the closing section of the exposition at m
43, signalled by a change in key signatures from two flats to two sharps. Vierne alternates
statements of the A and B themes in B Minor mm. 43-53). The move away from B Minor
begins with the appearance of the chromatically altered A theme at m 54. Another change
in key signature to three flats) and a cadence in 0 Major concludes the exposition.
n the development, Vierne continues the dialogue between statements of the A and
B themes with new material interjected between the two themes. The B theme is stated in C
Minor mm. 61-69). The A theme at m 75 in E-flat Major begins a move away from the C
MinorlE-flat Major tonalities heard at the beginning of the development The music comes
to a complete stop on an A7 harmony at m 93--Vierne places a fermata over the second
halfof the measure:
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The remaining measures of the development (mm. 94-105) make use of extreme
chromaticism and employ a gradual crescendo to the downbeat ofm 106, the beginning of
the recapitulation in G Minor. The harmonic progression in the four measures preceding
the recapitulation is an example ofVieme s typical harmonic writing in his later organ
symphonies:
n the recapitulation, the A theme is stated twice--in the left hand (mm. 106-109)
and in the pedal (mm. 113-116). The double statement of the B theme follows at m. 120 in
G Minor. The fmal appearance of the A theme occurs at mm 132-137. Instead of the
duplicate statements is various voices, Vierne divides the fIrst two measures of the theme
between the tenor and soprano voices. Each of th three times theme A is heard, the
soprano-line s altered chromatically. The coda begins at m 140. The harmonic
progression which concludes the symphony is marked Lareamente
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- - - ---
93
Louis Vieme's u a t r ~ m e Symphonie pour Grand Qmue is based on two cyclical
themes, both of which are introduced in the opening movement. The ftrst cyclical theme is
the basis for most of the musical material in the Prelude:
.. fOD4. 8 at U.. .tboi. tTro_petle ,re,..re. ,
, FlilW. 8 ' 4-
• toaa 8
""'.1011'" 111.8 I. PreludeOl .. .l n . &00",111•. Tl r. . . . . . 0 - P.
S .....II: 8' f .. .4 • •Iop Obo . (p r.. p .... Tnmpel)
Choir: PI"t. . . I f .. 4-'
Gr.aI: I f fotlD4. atopaPedal: 111 .. 8' 10l1li4, atopa Loul. Viorne. Op. 32
W. . . . . ., l . _p l a4 , GI .. Cla-Io PM.
1\ Quasi lento J· .u)
I
- - - BaBuals
.... . -
~ \Pedal
1
-A
-
- r
A U
ft A U
-
--u LA
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94
Given the chromatic motion of this theme, it is not surprising that the first phrase contains
eight different pitch classes, and that in the first two phrases, all twelve chromatic pitches
are heard. (Vieme's fifth and sixth organ symphonies contain themes which include more
of the chromatic pitches within one phrase.) The second cyclical theme of the fourth
symphony is stated only twice in the Prelude, each time on the solo Trompette stop in the
Btfili division:
@ pn a.. b-.. Ffl.. - :h
- l)
=- =- ~ I -- ' 'V - _ --I...J IJi = V dJM..- 1:\.
I ~ ~ : ~ -- : ---_ .Rb a_T. . (': '\
-, -:-Y
It is interesting to note that when divided in half, each part of this theme contains the same
intervallic distances--the second half of the theme is a retrograde of the first half.
A - C - D - E-flat F# - G - A - C
m3 M2 m2 m2 M2 m3
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In the A l l e ~ r o the second cyclical theme becomes the A theme of the exposition:
~- ...-/\ "J f t I \ f ~ . ... .. " • . . :>
JlJ. . L ' _ ~I
.t l ' I
fl .... .>
....---....
- .- . Ii
The B theme of the exposition does not relate to either of the cyclical themes of the
symphony. The fugal section of this movement uses another variation of the second
cyclical theme:
I I
--= ... : - -
-= ' '
I II ': .. l I _- r : ::1;)-_-_...-;;.,. 11 1 :,..... _1fI I ft ,.;;-,. r
95
Neither of the cyclical themes appears in the third movement of the symphony. In
the B section of the Romance, the first cyclical theme is transformed in the eight measures
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98
Vierne composed themes with vastly different properties--the fIrSt theme is tonal
and makes frequent use o the interval of a third, while the second theme is chromatic and
is characterized by the skip o a minor seventh combined with movement by half-steps.
Although it is a through-composed piece, the movement can e divided into three sections:
mm.I-41 42-73 74-100
A minor F minor A minor
The fIrSt section presents the themes (A and B) in alternation with each other. The second
section combines the fIrSt cyclical theme with new m teri l (mm. 42-52). At m. 53, the B
theme is elided with the A theme. Vieme combines both cyclical themes in m. 58--the flfSt
theme is heard in left hand eighth-notes while the second theme is heard in the upper
voices. The section conludes with consecutive statements o A and B. The fmal part o the
movement opens with the B theme which completes the modulation from F back to A .
Minor. The ped l A theme is heard accompanied by chromatic octaves in the manual
voices. After a short statemento the B theme (mm. 87-90), the fIrSt cyclical theme is
heard over a repeating quarter-note A in the ped l to close the movement
The second movement, marked Allegro motto marcato. is a sonata-allegro
movement in A Minor. Both o the cyclical themes are used as themes A and B. The A
theme is the inverted form o the fIrSt cyclical theme:
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99
llegro l t o . . . . . . r o ... c.o .) =80~ ~ ~ . -- I -
//
.:. ....
1
;
, pi I ~T- .)1 =7= - .:.
.....
The B theme of this movement corresponds to the second cyclical theme of the symphony:
I
IUt.
t(-i J @ l ; t = i . ; ~ j ' -JiI r L I F-J-in ]- - - - - --
L
-
EXPQsmONmm.I-26 27-38 39-70 71-79
A trans x B closing x
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100
DEVELOPMENT
80-183
A + B material
RECAPITULATION CODA
184-195 196-209 210-237 238-250 251-270
A trans x B closing x A material
The tonal center for much of this movement is ambiguous due to the character of the B
theme. This large-scale sonata-allegro movement is the flrSt example of the tonal
complexities which characterize Vieme's mature organ works.
The second cyclical theme is transformed in the Tempo di scherzo ma non troWO
Yim. to become the basis for almost all of the musical material heard in the third movement
empod l obo r xo U1U nO l l t r o ppo ·I \ u J = 100
f }.
.01• • . : r >-
411 . . . '
G nill ..
... ~ ' ~ ~ -4f ' f I : ' ~ ' : ' ~ ' : ' . ~ ~ ~
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-
101
The fonnal plan of the scherzo is A B A' B' A coda, with chromatic transitional material
linking each section. In the B sections, the first cyclical theme is heard in the pedal in
dotted-quarter notes, while the top voices play the transfonned second cyclical theme:
RH.
- . .;.1 ~ tt ; #;: ~ ~ j . JI\
I '. -,
i t } p ~G. SaUd mal, Fllit . Re... rd ....CurD .
-
-
.. ~ . ;
,.
..
: ~
. _<fi.
....
-,J\ r 1 I- d ; ~ II ; ll .L
..t }
- --.
-\
.r.r- :i... . : . . q ~ . . ~ ~ ' ~ .::... ' ' --' ...
I
- .--
red. P.
- - 9 ~ .
'
At In. 97. in the A' section, the inverted fonn of the second cyclical theme is
played. This is the only time in this movement that Vierne uses this fonn of the theme. It
is also the only time that both hands play on the closed swell division until the fmal
Pianissimo cadence:
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102
.lJ; . ~ . . ~ J ~~ i ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ - - ~ ~ - - - . ~ : ~ r ~ : . ; . ~ ~ ~ ~ · · , ~ 1 ' l.P' .
• j. It. j)
The fourth movement (Lar, hettQ, . =40), in A B A form is written in F Major.
Vierne uses both of the cyclical themes in the B section:
mm.I-27 27-28 29-51 51-56
trans B trans coda
F Major F Major Major
The I .anthetto opens with an unaccompanied pedal solo. In m. 2, the melody of the A
section is heard in the soprano voice. Although the presence of a major seventh at the
beginning of the melody is reminiscent of the chromatic cyclical theme, there is no formal
relationship between this phrase of four measures and the second cyclical theme of the
symphony. Throughout the A section, the pedal line alternates between disjunct motion
e.g. Mm. 1-10) and chromatic movement e.g. Mm. 11-15):
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I P.R·t:_J . ., .. J •J. J
...- - .
, . J J
....
A change of tempo Pill mosso =56) signals the beginning of the B section.
The inversion of the fIrst cyclical theme is heard in varied fonn alternating with the fIrst
phrase of the second cyclical theme:
1· 11 • - i 1\1
I .n.- I J::U
. _ - ,
-'1
103
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J - - - - - = = = = = = = = = ~ = = = = = I I I I I. ~ . ~ ~ q ~ ~ = ....
I > = r ijf B1 I . I I . J ~ j p j f
104
Beginning in m. 33, Vierne generates most of the musical material in section B from the
inverted fonD. of the flISt cyclical theme. Use of the second cyclical theme is confmed to
the ftrst four notes:
The return of section A is varied from the opening section only slightly--the
melody appears here in the pedal and is accompanied by an undulating sixteenth-note
pattern in the top voice. The fmal phrase of the coda marked Pill lentQ) recalls the
opening measure of section B inverted fonD. of the flISt cyclical theme):
- ====== -
~ . . .. . - . nr-r-I :\. =8: , ....:::
. . .:I
. - ~ ~ .I
--
..... -
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105
The A Major Ein al A l l e ~ r o moderato = 152 is in sonata-allegro form. The A
theme corresponds to the frrst cyclical theme and the B theme to the second cyclical theme
of the symphony. Each section of the exposition and development is marked by a change
n key signature and/or tempo marking:
EXPQsmON
rom. 1-63 64-87
menomosso
A B
Major F Major
DEVELOPMENT
88-134 135-154 155-157 158-173
Tempo 1- menomosso a tempo
material B material trans material
C minor------ D Major------- DMajor
RECAEITULATIQN CODA
174-192 193-201 202-224 225-235
B
Major Major Major Major
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The fIrst cyclical theme (A) appears in this movement in nearly-original fonn, while the
second cyclical theme (B) is heard only in an inverted fonn:
A l I . g rn .. .CHlurc o )I =
Q ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ * ~ r . ~ . I ~ e · ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ F ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ _ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 9< /
O.P.R.
Prd. P.R.
..*
..... ~ ~ .,;:-- -., .;:-- ............
1 .1 - - - - - -- ~ i ,:;- r ; -
.
~ e n o n .o ....o )I =
R.Follds
11 I t; i .----------- -
106
When comparing the changes in Vieme s compositional style between the fourth
and fIfth organ symphonies, the most distinguishing factor is the increased use of
chromaticism in both melodic composition and harmonic progression. Many passages of
the fIfth symphony defy a traditional harmonic analysis, and at times, it is difficult to
establish any tonal center for the larger sections of movements. In the Cinquieme
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1 7
Symphonie pour Or ue, Vieme reaches the apex of his use and development of cyclical
themes--in the sixth symphony, a less extensive use of the cyclical themes is demonstrated.
Louis Vieme s Sixjeme Symphonie pour Grand OWIe , Op. 59, was published in
1931 and carries the following dedication:
A la memoire de mon ami tres regrette Linwood Farnam,Organiste New York, U. S. A En t6moignage de rna profoundeadmiration pour Ie grand musicien et l incomparable virtuose disparuprernawrement en pleine gloire.
(To the memory o my much missed friend, Linwood Farnam,organist in New York, U. S. A. In witness o my profoundadmiration for this great musician and incomparable virtuoso who
died prematurely into full glory.)2
The five-movement work opens with an Introduction et AlleW. The introduction
is divided into two sections with different tempo markings and meter signatures. The flI'St
cyclic theme is stated twice in the flI'St section (mm. 1-19):
2Louis Vieme i x i ~ m e Symphonie pour Grand Orave. Op. 59, Paris: Editions Henry
Lemoine, 1931.
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1 8
The second cyclic th m is also heard two tim s in th second section of th introduction
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A four-measure transitional section leads to the l l e ~ r o at m 32. Both of the cyclic
themes are used in this sonata-allegro movement and appear in the exposition in the
following fonns:
_- ---------:---
Pr< . P RfW C S •
-
- - - .
1 9
The fIrst cyclic theme uses all twelve chromatic pitches, and the second theme uses
ten pitches--E and F are not included. This movement demonstrates Vieme s mature style
of composition for organ: his skillful use of chromaticism, both melodic and hannonic,
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110
within the classical sonata-allegro form appears here as a cohesive whole, instead of the
more disjunct style seen in the fifth symphony.
eXPOSITION
mm.32-54 55-62 63-76 77-81
A transition B closing
B minor DMajor
DEVELOPMENT
82-91 93-102
Ai+Bi Ai+Bi
C# D
103-119
A
Gminor
120-129
Ai
130-133
A
B-flat minor
134-141 142-151
B Ai+B
D-flat Major--------
152-159
A
modulatory
159-163
transition
RECAPITVLATION CODA
164-182 183-191 192-205 206-209 210-219
transition B closing A material
B minor BMajor BMajor
The second movement, entitled Ari.a. is in D Minor. The piece is divided into four
sections-A, AI, development of A material and a coda using the A material and the flI St
cyclic theme. A five-measure chordal introduction precedes the chromatic soprano-line
melody mm. 6-9):
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The melodic material is heard again in mm. 9-17 in an ornamented and extended
version. The chordal material in mm. 18-22 signals the beginning of the A' section and is
an exact repetition of mm. 1-5. The chromatic melody found in the tenor voice appears
with the same hannonies nd ped l part as in the A section.
The melody ofthe A section repeats at different pitch levels throughout the development
section (mm. 35-70). Statements of the melody begin on E, E , F , F (varied statement),
G and G. At m. 59, the transition from the chromatic melody to the coda begins. Vieme
makes extensive use of the whole-tone scale both in the soprano-line melody and in the
accompanimental voices:
·ftlft lNf
The insertion of the flISt cyclic theme is barely noticeable at mm. 67:
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112
The coda (mrn. 71-87) begins with a shortened statement of the chromatic melody
followed by a chordal passage similiar to that found at. the beginning of the movement.
This four-measure phrase is repeated in mrn. 75-78, where the melody is heard one-half
step higher and the chordal harmonies are a major third higher. At m. 79, Vierne indicates
a change in tempo and registration. The movement concludes with the ftrSt cyclic melody
of the symphony (marked Cor r n ~ i s ou Ophicteide ) over a pedal point on D.
The Scherzo. labelled Vivace 1:= 1(0), is a bizarre and whimsical movement in G
Minor. The alternation between duple and triple subdivisions within the 6 16 time
signature combined with the extremely chromatic staccato chords heard on the comet stop
(A section) create an effect ofdisorientation:
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114
,,
19 d J .tl. 'v Id t • Itil •Ci •The material of the final section of the movement is closely related to that found in
the two previous B sections--mm. 41-72, and mm. 113-144. In m. 169 however, the
inverted cyclic theme is heard in the soprano voice:
,,:o.P... 0.1: .
After a brief return to A section material, a short coda over a G pedal-point begins in m.
202.
A transition B
cyclic theme cyclic themetenor voice soprano voice
mm.I-38 39-40 41-56 57-72
Gminor Eminor Eminor
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115
A transition B
cyclic themetenor voice cyclic themesoprano voice
73-110 111-112 114-128 129-144
minor E-flat minor F minor
transition B
cyclic theme cyclic theme invertedpedal voice soprano voice
145-152 153-168 169-184
B minor Gminor
A Coda
185-201 202-210
Gminor Gminor
The Ada io in E-flat Minor divides into three sections--the fIrst two sections
balance each other while the third section serves as coda to the entire movement. Both of
the cyclic themes of the symphony are used in the Ada io. In the A section, the opening B
flat octave in the manual voices with the theme stated in the pedal is reminiscent of the fIrst
movement of the Barie symphony. Here, a statement of the inverted form of the second
cyclic theme s heard, followed by a statement of the cyclic theme in original form (mm. I
11). The entire flfSt section s tonally ambiguous due to the fact that each presentation of
the cyclic theme begins on B-flat:
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. '
het4 J... '-t)ill •
.
Md JILS P'-:' ,-.---: - -'I , I I ---:'' I I I 1.1
-.....:.::::::: ....,:::::l:I T
. i - *---
An extension of the melodic material concludes with a cadence on F-flat. The soprano
voice presents the second cyclic theme in both the original and inverted forms in mm. 18-
25, with an extension of the melody leading to the cadence at m. 32. From mm. 33-64,
Vierne alternates phrases marked A piacere with phrases in strict tempo which contain
material related to the cyclic theme. At m. 65, the cyclic theme is heard ftrst in the soprano
voice inverted form) followed by a statement in the pedal original form). A three
measure transition leads to the B section in B Major. The frrst cyclic theme of the
symphony appears in original form in mm. 79-84 soprano voice) and is immediately
followed by a statement in inversion mm. 85-90):
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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - ~ - - - - - ~'W
...JS - LJ - c.di ,..
:: .,. ~ ~ - ~ ....... fL ........
A_
A /I ---=::::::--.. I t ~ .... ~
,1-
The key signature change at m. 91 precedes the pedal statement of both fonns of the
theme in C Major (mm. 91-102). The remainder of the B section (mm. 103-126) is a
chromatic fantasy, the musical material of which bears no resemblance to either of the
cyclic themes. At In. 127, the key signature reverts to the six flats of the A section. The
octave B-flat is heard over the second cyclic theme in the pedal (inverted form). At m. 132,
the soprano voice presents the theme in original form. It is not until m. 148 that the tonality
of the movement becomes obvious--the pedal statement of the second cyclic theme begins
and concludes on E-flat
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In the fifth movement of the Vierne's last organ symphony. only the frrst cyclic
theme is in evidence. The harmonic language of the E.i.nal seems elementary compared to
that found in the first movement of the same work.
Vierne composed the movement in three large sections. The frrst section (mrn. 1:.
104) contains two melodic ideas--A and B--and is a tripartite form:
>
c:4.,. ..,.. ®P ~ ~ l - -'..n. ..
,,}
- ,::t - '
II ,.~ ~ ~ - . .:. o ¥ ..
lei , - -
II .. r I I 1 J II
t1' , - o
r
-
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A ~ ~I IiIIIIII- - -' I i • iL I I
I ... 'I
The second section in B-flat Major (mm. 105-209), is also a tripartite fonn, but each
section is based on the same melodic material (C):
... : . < '
119
A transition of thirteen measures leads to the third section (mm. 223-310), In the
third section, Vierne presents the A material from the ftrst section and combines the C
material from the second section with the fIrst cyclic theme mm. 239-255):
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69-104
A
B Major---E-flat Major
SECTION
105-144 145-183 184-210 211-222
C pedal C - soprano C - chordal transition
E-flat Major E-flat Major E-flat Major--G Major BMajor
SECTIONi l l223-238 239-262 263-274 175-310
A C cyclic theme A A C A materialover pedal scales
BMajor BMajor BMajor B Major
CODA.______________________________ _
311-326
A material
BMajor
t seems clear from this cursory analysis that Vieme shows an increased awareness
of the uses of cyclical themes from the date of his third organ symphony 1911) to 1917
the publication date of the fourth organ symphony). Unlike Barie, he chooses in the
fourth symphony to concentrate on two separate cyclical themes rather than different fonns
of a single theme. n the fIfth symphony, Vieme develops two cyclical themes more
extensively than in any of his previous or subsequent works, while in the sixth symphony,
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Vieme develops the ftrst cyclical theme to a much greater extent than he does the second
cyclical theme. Barie s compositions may have been the means by which Vieme was able
to assimilate some of the compositional principles which were so common throughout
Europe during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries; i e use of twelve-tone
themes and serial principles. It seems that the cyclical principle in composition would have
been taught during the years that Vieme received his education. However, it is important to
remember that in France, the blind and visually impaired students who were sent to the
Institution Nationale des Jeunes Aveugles were considered to be of inferior capabilities.
and perhaps of inferior intelligence. In addition to this particular type of discrimination, we
must remember that the most current scholarship and music was rarely available in Braille
editions until years after its appearance or composition. Considering that a large percentage
of the faculty at the Institution Nationale was blind, it would not be surprising if Vieme had
not been exposed to the most basic ideas regarding composition using cyclical motives
and/or themes. Consequently, it seems very feasible that Vieme could have been greatly
influenced by Barie s compositional techniques. Certainly, Barie s symphony was the
earliest work in the French school oforgan composition which demonstrates the principal
of development of a cyclic theme throughout a multi-movement form
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