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Alexandre GUILMANT (1837-1911)
Noël au Salon
La Crèche, Pastorale et Adoration (1877) [6:14]
Pastorale, duo pour harmonium et piano (1870) [4:07]
Communion sur le Noel languedocien "D’où viens-tu bergère, d’où viens-tu?" (1886) [2:52]
Offertoire no 6 sur un Noël espagnol (1886) [5:42]
Offertoire no 2 sur duex Noëls: "Chantons, je vous prie, noel hautement" et "Le Messie vient de naitre" (1884) [3:03]
Offertoire no 1 sur les Noëls "Grand Dieu!" et "Allons Pasteurs, qu’on s’eleille" (1884) [2:51]
Cantique - Coeur de Jésus enfant (1876) [9:35]
Prièe et Berceuse pour harmonium op 27 (1870) [6:36]
Noel brabancon alla Haydn (1886) [4:15]
Berlioz: Repos de la Sainte Famille (transc. Guilmant for harmonium and piano) [2:52]
Elevation no 1 sur un Noël de Saboly: Pastre del mountagno. Alla Mozart (1884) [2:21]
Puer natus est (harmonisation 1898) [3:07]
Introduction et variations sur un ancien Noël polonais (1884) [3:18]
Elevation No. 3 Variations sur le noël "Entends ma voix fidèle" (1884) [2:14]
Finale alla Schumann sur un Noël languedocien "Bergers venez voir une chose qui est veridique" op 83, transcription de l’auteur pour piano et harmonium (1895)
Kurt Lueders (harmonium); Francoise Masset (soprano) (Coeur de Jésus enfant, Puer natus est); Francois Lambret (Pastorale, Berlioz, Finale alla Schumann)
rec. l:église lutherienne de l:Ascension, Paris, 10-13 September 2005. DDD
HORTUS 044 [63:08] 		Error processing SSI file

 

Here is something typically inovative from Hortus. A collection of Christmas music for the Parisian salon by Alexandre Guilmant, performed on the composer's own Mustel harmonium, dating from around 1870. The instrument had, in fact, not been played since Guilmant's death in 1911, and was specially restored to playing condition by Yves Fossaert for this recording.

The Mustel harmonium was apparently especially useful to Guilmant during his early years as organist in La Trinité, as the Cavaillé-Coll was unplayable following the Franco-Prussian war. Guilmant performed regularly with Saint-Saëns at the Société National de Musique, and well-known Christmas songs were a core influence on his prodigious output as a composer. He was of course not incidentally famed for his improvisations. Here, the influence of other composers also plays its part, for example Mozart and Haydn, as Kurt Lueders suggests "perhaps to recall for the young lady the memory of some particularly appealing piece for piano studied during her youth...." In any case Mozart and Haydn are clearly dressed in 19th century Parisian attire.

It is difficult to imagine today the popularity enjoyed by the harmonium after its invention in the 1840s. In the salons it rivalled that of the piano, through its mobility and expressivity. Lefébure-Wély described it, not unreasonably, as a 'symphonic' instrument. Further testament to its popularity is given by the scale of its repertoire from composers such as Guilmant, Lefébure-Wély, Chauvet, Karg-Elert, Vierne and even Bizet! Guilmant himself commented in a book published in 1903 about the history of the instrument, "my admiration for the marvellous harmoniums by Mustel is well known! … one day your organs will be snatched up like Stradivarii". His faith in the instrument's future perhaps doesn't quite rival Alkan's fervent faith in the 'pedalier' in terms of being misplaced, but readers will get my point.

How good then that the current movement towards heightened awareness of all aspects of the relationship between literature and specific instruments in the organ world has encompassed the harmonium. Leading figures include the Belgian, Joris Verdin, and, in Britain, Anne Page. The American-born musicologist and organist of Paris's Reformed church of the 'Saint-Esprit', Kurt Lueders, is another leading figure in the championing of the harmonium and his exquisite playing here, matched by the beautiful contributions of soprano Francoise Masset - 'Coeur de Jesus' especially irresistible - and the young pianist Francois Lambret, playing a 1905 Pleyel, make this an essential purchase.

This is quite brilliantly conceived, performed and presented. Well done, yet again, Hortus.

Chris Bragg

 


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