THE ~FE 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 Organ

Eastman School of Music

University of Rochester

Rochester, New York

1986
 ,tAl­
q~.'3

.vJ23~
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 w~ 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 ofEi ~ lambda.

Ms. Walton has also studied organ with Gladys Christensen of Wheaton College,

Wheaton, lllinois and Andre Marchal in Paris.

Since 1981, Ms. Walton has served on the music faculties of 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.

 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 des 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. For 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.
 Finally, I thank my wonderful family. Drew and Severin added a humorous

dimension to the dissertation process and have shown patience beyond their years. To my

husband, Craig J. Cramer, who has given me guidance, support and love throughout this

project, I give my deepest thanks and love.

 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 in France, his works are relatively

unknown in the United States. Barie's organ works are his only compositions which were

published: the Symphonie pour Ot:~ue, Op. 5, Trois Pieces. Op. 7 and the Elegie.

While this study examines the entire organ works of Barie, a major emphasis is

placed upon the organ symphony. The organ symphonies of Louis Vieme are played often

in this country, but Barie's Sympbonie pour Qwte. 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 of which 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.

 TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPlliR

I Biography........................................................................PAGE 1

II The Organs of St 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

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 obituaries of soldiers killed in action. There was no space to mourn or 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

of publication or were reporting events of much greater significance. It 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 correspondence of 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.
 2

piano faculty at the Institution. Barie was appointed organist at St Germain-des-Pres in

Paris in 1906, and also became professor of a secondary organ class at the Institution

Nationale des Jeunes Aveugles that same year. He 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 professor of organ. 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 to apprentice weekly at local Parisian churches as choristers,

assistant or choir organists, and as "d'organiste du grand orgue. II

Barie's first organ teacher, Adolphe Marty (1865-1942) was a student at the

Institution N ationale, where he studied with Louis Lebel. He later enrolled in the class of

Cesar Franck at the Conservatoire Nationale de Musique et Declamation and received a

Premier Prix d'Orgue from the Conservatoire in 1886. After the death of Louis Lebel in

1888, Marty assumed the duties of Professeur d'Orgue at the Institution Nationale. In

1891, he was appointed organist at St. Fran~ois-Xavier, a position he occupied for more
 3

than fifty years. In addition to Barie, his students included Louis Vieme, Andre Marchal
and Gaston Litaize, who succeeded his teacher at Sl Fran~is-Xavier. Pierre Denis writes
of Marty:

Vaste est son oeuvre de compositeur. dans laquelIe il aura

touche a tous les genres musicaux.; nombre de ses pages d'orgue
sont encore au repetoire de maints organistes. Irnprovisateur
sensible, illumine par une foir solide, il a maintenu longemps dans
sa classe la grande tradition franckiste et forme·des centaines
d'eleves...
(Vast is his compositional output in which he touched all
musical genres. A number of his organ pieces are still in the
repertoire of many organists. A sensitive improvisor enlightened by
a 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 de

1a classe ne changea rien a la technique d'execution; quelques
articulations supplementaires dans certains Preludes et Fugues de
Bach, certains mouvements un peu acceleres, voila ses apports
personnels dans ce domaine. Quant a 1a l'improvisation, il revint
purement et sirnplement a l'enseignement unique des fonnes
requises pour Ie concours; ses exemples t6moingaient d'un solide
metier d'ecriture, mais son imagination etait incomparablement
moins fertile que celIe de Widor; hentier plus strict et plus etroit
del'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 ses
qualit6s de savoir; i1 y donna de judicieux. conseils pour la
construction des episodes qu'iI voulait entierement dans la style a
imitations progressivement serrees, et dont il soumettait Ie
developpement 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 dans
ce demier pour supporter 1a strete veritable.

2Pierre Denis, "Les Aveugles et I'Ecole d'Orgue fran~aise," L'Oraue, No. 83 (April­
September, 1957), p. 15.
 4

(Like Widor a disciple of Lemmens, the new teacher of the class

changed nothing in the technique of performance; a few additional
points of articulation in certain preludes and fugues of Bach. certain
tempi slightly faster--those were his personal contributions in that
respect As to improvisation, he turned his attention purely and
simply to the forms required for the competition. His illustrations
demonstrated a solid ability in writing; but his imagination could not
compare in fertility with Widor's. A stricter, more circumscribed
disciple of the musical aesthetics of his master, he appeared old­
fashioned to the pupils whom we had attracted into modern and
more daring paths. Thus it was in the fugue that he could most
easily display his knowledge and ability. In that he gave us
judicious advice for the construction of the episodes, requiring that
the imitations be given stretto-like treatment and be built up on a
defmite tonal plan. The counter-exposition was omitted for subjects
which had a modulation at the end The pedal point on the dominant
before 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 and 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 ~u une solide formation
musicale. et etait pret afaire figure parmi les recrues de notre Ecole.
n n'y manqua point. En 1904, il vint me demander des l~ons et fut
au point tout de suite. C'etait un tres grand g~on , d'une
intelligence aigue, artiste dans l'ime, possedant des mains
gigantesques capables d'attaquer la onzieme, ce qui lui permit de
jouer Franck sans difficulte. Des sa premiere visite, je Ie jugeai
digne de suivre Ie cours comme eleve inscrit. En quelques mois il
avait acquis Ie fond de la technique rationnelle d'exCcution. Quant a
l'improvisation, il progress a sans discontinuer jusqu'au concours de

3Vieme, liMes Souvenirs," pp. 40-41.

 5

1906 ou il fut l'un des trois premiers prix. Dire ce que furent nos
seances particuli~res d'improvisation ne se peut gu~re par des mots.
Dans cette ame sombre, brillait une flamme ardente; il mettait
quelques instants a se chauffer, il semblait s'interroger, puis, tout a
coup, la musique jaillissait, emouvante, profonde, sans la moindre
prolixite. Je lui donnais parfois, pour Ie gener, un th~me tout a fait
quelconque, un de ceux dont nous disons qu'il n'y a rien a en faite.
Avec une habilete deconcertante, il trouvait Ie moyen, soit de
renvoyer Ie th~me au second plan en lui substituant un element plus
caracteristique, soit de faite surgir de nouveaux themes d'une cellule
de celui impose; une fois cette operation faite, etant entendu que Ie
theme quelconque etait a sa vraie place, illachait en rafale sa
musique et c'etait un enchantement. Harmonie audacieuse, riche
polyphonie, elegance de dessin, poesie du detail, telles etaient ses
qualites maitresses. II improvisait fort bien la fugue, mais preferait
de beaucoup Ie style libre; it dut, en fin de compte, son prix, ala
qualite superieure du theme qu'il improvisa au concours et qui
bouleversa Ie jury. Trois pieces separees, et sourtout une admirable
Symphonie qu'il publia ulterieurement, nous parurent les premices
d'une grande oeuvre d'orgue. Helas! en 1915, au mois d'aout,
alors qu'il se reposait a la campagne, marie depuis peu, une
congestion cerebrale l'emporta a 31 ans... n etait alors organiste
de 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... Ce n'est pas
sans une profonde emotion que j'evoque ici ces deux figures si
attachantes; et quand j'aurai dit que les deux hommes etaient Ie reflet
exact 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 been
Adolphe Marty. From him he had received a solid musical
foundation 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 was
ready for the class immediately. He was a very tall fellow with a
keen intelligence, and an artist at heart He had gigantic hands,
capable of stretching an eleventh, which allowed him to play Franck
without difficulty. At his very first lesson I felt that he was ready to
register in the class as a pupil. In a few months he had acquired the
elements of a rational technique. As for improvisation, he made
continual progress until the competition of 1906, when he was one
of three first prize winners.
It is almost impossible to say in words what our private
sessions in improvisation were like. Under his somber exterior
burned a glowing flame. It took him several moments to warm up;
he seemed to be questioning himself a little; then suddenly the music
burst 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'. With
disconcerting cleverness he would fmd a way either of putting the
theme in the background against an idea with more marked
characteristics, or of bringing forth new themes from the germ of the
 6

one given. Once this operation was perfonned, and the theme
having been 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 especial
qualities. He improvised well in the fugue fonn, too, but much
preferred. the free kind. As a matter of fact, he owed his prize at the
competition to the superiority of his free improvisation, which
overwhelmed the jury.
Three separate pieces and an admirable symphony which he
published later were the promising first fruits of composition for the
organ. But, alas, in 1915, in the month of August, while he was on
a vacation in the country, having been married but a short time, a
cerebral hemorrhage carried him off at the age of thirty-one. He was
then organist at Saint Gennain-des-Pres. His rival and friend, "fat
Schmitt", [Alphonse Schmitt] choirmaster at Saint Phillipe-du­
Roule, had died in 1912 at the age of thirty-five from a sudden
attack of appendicitis.
It is not without considerable emotion that I speak here of
these two engaging figures; and when I say that both of the men
were artists, that they were kindly, affectionate, enthusiastic and
absolutely 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 si

noble, si emue et si pittoresque symphonie de mon pauvre cheF
grand Barie. Quel musicien! Je me ressouvenais des profondes
joies interieures que rna donnait ce magniflque temperament d'artiste
pendant les trois annees ou je Ie guidais. Quelle misere affreuse de
penser qu'un parail Stre est parti sans donner la mesure de ce qu'il
avait en lui! 11 etait genial asa fa~n, ce grand g~on d'humeur
sombre, et qui reservait son expansion aceux, bien rares, dont il
sentait l'affection aller au devant de la sienne. QueUes heures
inoubliables il m'a fait passer quand, se sentant bien seul avec moi.
il q,anchait sa sensibilite passionnee en des developpements
improvises qui me faisaient frissonner! Chez lui, la trouvaille
hannonique n'etait que Ie truchement destine a illustrer la pensee.
Cette pensee riche et neuve etait toujours l'exteriorisation musicale
d'un sentiment genereux: qu'il soit la tristesse, l'effroi, la tendresse
ou la naive joie. 11 ne passe guere de jours que je ne visite la tombe
que je lui ai erigee dans Ie grand cimetiere de moo coeur, ou il dort
cOte acOte avec ses camarades disparus et que j'ai tant aimes.

4 l.b..U1.., pp. 63-64.

 8

nature artistique aeu la plus grande influence sur Ie development de

mon environment, parce que rime etait proche. C'etait Augustin
Barie.
Augustin Barie etait un an~ien eleve de l'Institute des
A veugles. n avait un brilliant premier prix au conservatoire en 1906
au meme temps que Bonnet et que Ie frCre Rene de Vierne etait
renomme. Et en suite it etait Ia titulaire organist de St. Germain-des­
Pres.
n s'interesse beaucoup amoi et pendant mes etudes de
conservatoire il m'inspirer beaucoup. Surtout apoint de veu couleur
musicale, profondeur, et vraiment c'est un ame exceptionelle.
Guilmant disait ases eleves, "Quand vous voulez entender
improviser, allez aSt. Germain-des-Pres." Donc, Barie aeu un
grand influence sur moL Je a eu quequefois sauter a St. Germain­
des-Pres. Malheureusement, en 1915, a rage de trente et un ans, it
est morte.
n est compose un magnifique symphonie que j'ai joue
beaucoup, joue beaucoup, et trois autres pieces dans un porte-a­
feuille enchanter.

(When I speak of my organ studies, I must tell you about

someone who directly became a professor, and in artistic nature had
a large influence on my development because he was close to me.
He was Augustin Barie.
Augustin Barie was a student of the 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-des­
Pres.
He took an interest in me, and during my studies at the
Conservatoire, 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 a
great influence on me, and I went several times to St. Germain-des­
Pres. 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.
 9

Manuscripts of several other Barie compositions exist in Maitre Marchal's personal

library. These include the following:

La 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 of works by Barie to seven, his last known opus number.

Marchal's library also contained a copy of three fugue subjects written by Barie:

II

~h ..I r I r a (Tr j I r I rf [f :J .. ,

ill

I~
 10

Two composers dedicated organ pieces to Augustin Barie. These are the Cortege

from the 24 Pieces en style libre, Op. 31 of Louis 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 violoncelle
furent ta seule expression,
Voyant aveugle, dont les mains
captaient les tuyaux eleves
de Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

Marche tragique, Lamento

Toccata exceptionelle,
Prelude sombre et liturgique
que suit une fugue magique,
une mixture ironique d'intermezzo
Adagio d'un Faure de LaIo
Final 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 violoncello
were your only expression,
Blindly seeing, whose hands
held captive the pipes raised
by St. Germain-des-Pres.

Tragic March, Lamento, exceptional

Toccata
Somber and liturgical Prelude,
followed by a magical Fugue,
An ironic mixture of Intermezzo
Adagio of Faure, of Lalo
A Finale with a cyclic freshness,
These are the eight open shutters
of your over:fiowing green heart.)

7 Alain Messiaen. Hjstoire de Ja musiQue, poemes. Paris, 1954.

 11

II

The history of the organs at St. Germain-des-Pres can be divided neatly into two

parts: before and after the Revolution. The construction of the abbey of St Gennain-des­

Pres took place mid-way through the sixth century. Childebert I, king of France, travelled

to Spain on an expedition against the Visigoths in 543 and had returned with holy and

liturgical relics and treasures. It was St. Gennain, early bishop of Paris, who suggested

that a new church be built to house these treasures. The church was fmt consecrated to St

Vincent and the Holy Cross in 558, but subsequently took its present name after the death

of the bishop, whose tomb is found at St Gennain-des-Pres. The Abbey at St. Gennain­

des-Pres was one of the most important centers of learning in the Middle Ages; it was one

of the oldest foundations in Paris and contained an outstanding library)

Construction of the fmt organ at St. Gennain-des-Pres was started in 1663 by

Thibaud, "faiseur d'orgues," and finished in 1667 by Alexandre Thierry, "facteur du

Roy."2 The organ contained thirty-three stops on four manuals and pedal. The organ

underwent two enlargements; the first by Jean Brocard in 1694 and the second by Fran~ois

Thierry in 1720. A frre at the Abbey in August, 1794 did little damage to the organ.

During the Revolution, the Abbey at St Gennain-des-Pres was converted to a salt-peter

refinery. The Commission Temporaire des Arts wisely received permission to cover the

case of the organ in order to preserve it from the corroding fumes of the refmery. In 1801,

IS. Sophia Beale, The Churches of Paris (London: W. H. Allen, 1893), p. 190.
2F~lix Raugel, Les Grandes Oreues des Ealises de Paris (Paris: Fischbacher, .. 1927),
p.43.
 12

at the request of the ~ of St. Eustache, the organ was moved from St. Germain-des-Pres

to St. Eustache. In 1820, Pierre-Fran~ois 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. Fran~ois-Henri 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 in 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 atrois 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.
 13

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 pedal

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 positif 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).
 14

TABLE I
CaBinet renovation (completed 1829):

POsrrIF
L Bourdon 8'
2. Montre 8'
3. Prestant 4'
4. Petite flute 4'
5. Nasard 2 2/3'
6. Quarte de nasard 2'
7. Tierce 1 3/5'
8. Fourniture V
9. Cymbale m
10. Trompette 8'
11. Clairon 4'
12. Hautbois 8'
13. Krumhom 8'
14. Basson 8'
15. Comet V

GRANDORGUE

1. Montre 16'
2. Bourdon 16'
3. 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 16'
14. Grosse Trompette 8'
15. 2eme Trompette 8'
16. Clairon 4'
17. Voix humaine 8'
18. Grand Comet V

-------------------------------------
 15

RECIT

1. Flute 8'
2. Comet V
3. Hautbois 8'
4. Trompette 8'

ECHO

1. Flute 8'
2. Trompette 8'
3. Clairon 4'

PEDAlE
1. Flute 16'
2. Flute 8'
3. Flute 4'
4. Bombarde 16'
S. Trompette 8'
6. Clairon 4'
 16

TABLE II
Organ at St. Germain-des-Pres during the tenure of Augustin Barie
(after Stoltz renovation)

GRANDORGUE

1. Montre 16'
2. Bourdon 16'
3. Montre 8'
4. Bourdon 8'
5. Flute hannonique 8'
6. Violoncelle 8'
7. Salicional 8'
8. Prestant 4'
9. Plein jeu m
10. Fourniture IV
11. Bombarde 16'
12. Trompette 8'
13. Clairon 4'
14. Doublette 2'

POSITIF

1. Bourdon 16'
2. Bourdon 8'
3. Keraulophone 8'
4. Gambe 8'
S. Flute 8'
6. Flute hannonique 4'
7. Plein jeu m
8'. Cor anglais 16'
9. Euphone 8'
10. Trompette 8I
11. Clairon 4'
12. Cromome 8 I
 17

RECIT

1. Flute hannonique 8'

2. Bourdon 8'
3. Gambe 8'
4. Voix celeste 8'
5. Dulciane 4'
6. Flute octaviante 4'
7. Octavin 2'
8. Bombarde 16'
9. Trornpette 8'
10. Clairon 4'
11. Basson-Hautbois 8'
12. Voix humaine 8'

PEDAlE
1. Bourdon 32'
2. Flute 16'
3. Soubasse 16'
4. Flute 8'
5. Bourdon 8'
6. Flute 4'
7. Bombarde 16'
8. Trompette 8'
9. Oairon 4'

. ----------------------------­
~.... ~-....
 18

TABLE III
Haerpfer-Erman restoration (1970)

POSITIF DORSAL

1. Montre 8'
2. Bourdon 8'
3. Prestant 4'
4. Flute 4'
5. Tierce 1 3/5'
6. Larigot 1 1/3'
7. Plein-Jeu VI
8. Cornet ill
9. Trompette 8'
10. Clairon 4'
11. Cromorne 8'

GRAND-ORGUE

1. Montre 16'
2. Montre 8'
3. Bourdon 8'
4. Prestant 4'
5. Doublette 2'
a
6. Flute cheminee 8'
7. Grosse Fourniture ill
8. Mixture VII-VIII
9. Voix Humaine 8'

BOMBARDE

1. Bourdon 16'
2. Flute conique 8'
3. Flute 4'
4. Quarte 2'
5. Grosse Tierce 3 1/5'
6. Nasard 22/3'
7. Tierce 1 3/5'
8. Siffiet I'
9. Cornet V from tenor C
10. Bombarde 16'
11. lere Trompette 8'
12. 2eme Trompette 8'
13. Clairon 4'
 19

RECrr EXPRESSIF

1. Voix celeste 8'

2. Basse de viole 8'
3. Bourdon 8'
4. Prestant 4'
5. Flute 4'
6. Flute 2',
7. Cornet V
8. Cymbale V
9. Bombarde 16'
10. Trompette 8'
11. Clairon 4'
12. Basson-Hautbois 8'

PEDALIER

1. Flute 16'
2. Gros Principal 8'
3. Principal 4'
4. Bourdon 8'
5. Quinte 102/3'
6. Mixture VITI (original mixture from the Grand-Orgue)

7. Bombarde 16'

8. Trompette 8'

9. Oairon 4'

. - - _...... _--------------------------­
 20

III

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 and 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.) In BariC's Marche in A B 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

 21

Senza tiNe (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 spirit of the march through the use of regular four-measure

phrases. The cadence points of the A section (mm. 1-16) may be outlined as follows:

Mm. 2 4 8 12 16
em 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.

 22

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 ones
from mm. 13-16:

POS..c.REC.
ace..,l':"
rJr.,. so:
"."",.,

In 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):

 23

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 of mm. 50-67 points out the ambiguities:
 24

-,
••

4J
A
~

r ~r
-
IVc;_..._..
J I I
.
I

I
I T:-I

c,.•. I
r-

.
.r.;,

I
I I I

. J;;;-:- 1 T.
-:-.J
~

J
r

-- L .. ~ ~ f!' ~~ ~~ b~ ,.... .. ~
:::l
fWa". Tir...." ~
I
,~
. •
POS,,,
~" . I
1 J-J I~I Rlt. kite

... • tI.
~~ J
'J

d~
tli~
l~! .tlJ .J
-
~#:
Ili'c:"
Sft'.
L,...... "4i. oj
rr 1:1.,.
/t.".

::j
I I I

Measure 50 4 6 4 4 4
Om3 Eb· Db4 C2 C·7 Bb2 Ab2 Bb(w/4-3 susp)
Cadence point: B-flat

Measure 54 4

Fm

Cadence point: E-flat 7

 25

Measure 58
same as rnm. 50-53
Cadence point: B-flat

Measure 62 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':
 26

....... I "'t
( ... J j 1 I_-=r:-, , 1
(g
.., "-I f I - r­

•
~~ J ~-~ ~~ J
,.,.... ",~4I- lit;: -~
Pf'4. Fond•••• f'
:::::-­ -::::: /'" 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" 1 I 1 "1-:--.. 1 1­ I 1 ................ 1

" ] I

w ' r .
'===-- .....I'
~,
.

~
1 I

~#:
I I- I
~
~e:
-~
~. be­ ,.Jq/L ~
~

,~n. •.
P".hl.. J'J.4. CJ"lr0ll4
C'lfrl... ""ttfiil~

.... ........ , •
 27

~
,­- -
~. J --I J­ ~ ~I 1­ J.. ..1r:­
4
r 'r I I 1­
~ ~
- --­
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:

• A
.... -p

.,l
=..~- DJ.
~ ""kI-: - j .

-
-- . .--:. 4C'
•
1) A . I

.­
- -
:;-~
I, -
",..".
t
II ..
U '-L-! ~
.,..7i:­ .L""
~

-b

u ..... - -
 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 of A material, twenty-nine measures of B material and thirty-five measures of C

material:

Andantino

mrn.I-8 9-15 16-31 32-39 40-44 45-59

A B B' A'

3+5 4+3 4+5+6+3 4+4+7

Em Em Bm-mod--A AmlEm CmlEbm Em
 29

Cantabile
mm.60-75 76-91 92-97
C C' C

4+4+4+4 4+4+4+4 4+4

EM-mod-BM Em---mod-­ 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.••((.~

f:
~

r r
J sa'
.
r'--- I'
- ffr
. ~

!....-::::=
R

~
I
,---h n­
I
RECIT
IIJrll'lL ...It•. "s,.u.j.....
..;...•. J 'fI> J ~ J 'fI> .
Tin.......... ,t
11....11 ,. , •••
..
I'I.DAU

This prepares the melding of E 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
 30

of the opening two measures at m. 9 clearly signals the new phrase, which concludes with

a half-cadence on G. The fmal phrase of the A section can be analyzed as follows:

I I V 7/bVII bVII
GMajor:
E Minor: N I V7 m6 IV7 I vii° i

Note again the position of strength that the F sharp has as it falls on the downbeat and

immediately precedes the tonic ''Ell:

:
7" I r r 'r [ J J I) tJ
The two B sections, B (mm. 16-31) and B' (mm. 32-44) open with similiar material. The

four-measure phrase in mm. 16-19 centered around B is heard in exact repetition one step

lower, on A (mm. 33-36). The only difference between these two passages is the

indication of phrase markings. In the fIrst phrase, one long slur extends over the entire

four measures:

PHRASE I

~~W~ _______________________

I j/Ii ) I J, 1£3 If' tv Ef IF Ptf len",'"

 31

In the second, Barie divides the phrase into two smaller units at the halfway point:

PHRASE II

The material at m. 20 is based on the B theme, heard in m. 16. During the

extension of the melodic material, a move is made through D Minor to F Major, with a y7-I

(C 7-F) cadential pattern at the end of the phrase. The bass line function is picked up in the

manuals at 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. In 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 Positif

manuals are coupled, the Diapason is taken off on the Positif and the Flute 8' and Bourdon
 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 ..
- .
~1J
(

jJ @)-J.
" . . . ~ "fI'"ir
J .J J~ )'Ll ~ ;. JI
.. I - I
.....,....., I I • .J
G·O••t pos. &ccoupl«.

- - ...
POll. I. CI. e*",I,,! ,-
0 A ;:::;;--. " 'I
-
7
--r~
- r' • .-p-
I r r~~f :f""--""-:wi ;J

1
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:
 33

r~s.

@ ---~~---
CI. __
,. ~J-}.,':J ~ -~
""II·tJ~, ~ J ~ j]

I ., - I I r 0"0.
./1.
( JI JI
P
II."""" - n
1?_J J .en -n
., ...... r Y. ~r
-I

_...
Tlr&O.~ 0 4 0.

.. .:...,
.:....
- _"'L. _.. :~

lIMfI Tl flj--

-
I ",/1 1..--:::-])
.---­
r-,-=
" I I ~I I ·W
" M f4 •
.....,
t
- ..
.. - -
~ -.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.

 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

A AI At!

8+8

A Bm

mm.75-144 145-54

B Avar

Bm------modulatory Em

mm.155-201 202-214 215-242

B Pedal solo A

Am 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
 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
-....:.-- ~ JI

.., y'" y-
- r......
~ ..-oo!!I

....... ... - . ..
~

..
~ .. -
..-!II

IfJfXo..flE if G"O. clavier!! .ccllupl~.

lit Oil. All ."'_rtllt (',.",,/,,1
I .-
-:;
l
Tir.I;~~ Rich
.....'11 I. /',,,.
PEDAlE
- . 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
 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. ,. $"'.
~(a.""fL ~ ,.". .. ~fL""l'- fLf:l'-~ .".1'- 1'"_!'-_
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 the F enharmonically as E-

sharp):
 37

I~~' .• f'­
/ L (;;0;
r
G"O."j~AnCh":
t;J(. 1It"IJ NN'J",
f':\
()
1
~q"~
~r:~~ t~,.. ,fI. • fL I.. f':\

,
-----­
Rail.
........(J. tOR)

aJ. Anc.... M
_"" It,.,,,.
H

,.......w1.._.. I.
'N.. JtH<l_ , ..

The shortened recapitulation marked Maestoso calls for full organ. The melody is

heard in the top voice and in octaves in the 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:

,~• • JJ 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
 38

melody is heard twice, fIrst in B followed by a phrase in D. At m. 229, the melody is

replaced by ascending chromatic movement in octaves from F-sharp to D. A D- Major

seventh and an E-Major seventh chord precede the final V-I cadence.
 39

IV

The Ele&ie was never published separately but as one piece in a collection entitled

Les Maitres Contemporains de l'o~ue. This work in eight volumes, edited by Abbe

Joseph Joubert, organist at the cathedral at Lu~on, contains music written by numerous
composers for the organ or 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 in~dites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"
Ecole fran~aise
Volume ill "Pi~es il1.&tites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"
Ecole Emmgeres
Volume IV "Pieces iDedites POW" Orgue ou Harmonium"
Ecole fran~aise
Volume V "Pieces inedites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"
Ecole Etrangeres
A Monsieur Alexandre Glazounoff
Volume VI "Pieces inedites pour Orgue ou Harmonium"
Ecole Etrangeres

Volume VII "Pieces inedites pour Grand Orgue avec Pedale

obligee"
A Monsieur Vincent D'Indy
Volume VIII "Pieces inedites pour Grand Orgue avec Pedale
obligee"
 40

The Elel:ie is found in volume one.

From its invention in the early 18408 until the 19308, the hannonium enjoyed a

period of popUlarity. It was "favoured for home music making alongside the piano, for

church music instead of the organ and in the cinema as a means of musical illustration in the

era before sound films:,l Churches housed hannoniums in the Lady Chapel or small side

chapels for use in smaller liturgies or devotions. Several obvious advantages regarding the

use of this instrument in liturgy should be mentioned:

1) The intimate sound was better suited to the smaller space of the chapels
surrounding the nave than was the large organ (in the back balcony).

2) The small physical size of the instrument allowed for variable placement
within the room.

3) The lack of pedal board enabled any keyboard player to serve as

liturgical musician.

A.P.F. Boely (1785-1858) was one of the first to publish a set of pieces for the

Ofl:ue e~sif, a forerunner of the hannonium2. The oraue expressif was invented by

Gabriel Jospeh Grenie in 1810. After much ex~rimentation with keyboard instruments

utilizing free reeds (the Aeoline, invented by Bernard Eschenbach in 1818; the

Physharmonika invented by Anton Haeckl in 1818; the Aeolodioon invented by Friedrich

Sturm in the late 18208; and the Poikilorgue, invented by Aristide Cavaille-Coll in 1834),

Alexandre Fran!tois Debain (1809-1877) patented the hannonium in 1842. Debain's

instrument is the only instrument which survives today.3

1Alfred Berner, "Harmonium." The New Groye Pictionacy of Music and Musicians.
VIII. p. 169.

2Pouze Morceaux pour J'Oraue Expressif. op. 14. 1846-1847.

3lh.i.d,., p. 172.

 41

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 Qn~ue 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, itA H' 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 etre 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
 42

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:

......f• •_t ,.,....,. J.a&

... =--­
..
....... ......,.. . ...u..c" ..... Ie ••1..........
........... "............
~; J

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:

1 if

The rhythmic motives serve to unify these two phrases. The first pedal note occurs at the

cadence in E at m. 16.
 43

Section B is signalled by a change in key signature from A Minor to E Minor, and

by a change from triple to 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 of mm. 17-18, but

the C-sharp introduced in m. 19 is missing at the corresponding place in m. 27:

_ J .. K. __ 1'"11 ,

~ JL
J. J
.;;
= ~ -J. J:
;:: --n-- t;
". a-4_ ......~, rl""~.' ~ .

- r
ii
I, r
t
.' i

~-»- .;;
.J. ! ~; A ~~fl ~

h : . 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

 44

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 instead of E 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 and A Major chords so that the progression is

as follows:

The final sonority at m. 64 is C Minor with an added raised-sixth degree:

 45

The pedal 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.

 46

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 Troisi~me

Symphonie pour or&ue. Genevieve De la Salle 1 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 date~ 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 in 1914, the flfth in 1924 and the sixth in 1930.

C~sar Franck (1822-1890), Camille Saint-Saens (1835-1921), Gabriel Faure

(1845-1924), Gabriel Pierne (1863-1937), Joseph Jongen (1873-1953), Jean Hure (1877­

IGenevi~ve De la Salle, "L'Orgue Sympbonique en France," La Reyue Musicale. No.

24-26, 1977, pp. 173-204.
 47

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. 81 (1926) for organ and orchestra. For solo

organ, he wrote several miscellaneous pieces including the Chant de Mai, Op. 53, Sonata

Erojca, Op. 94 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 Noel 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 of organ symphonies. At
 48

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. It 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 in Paris in 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 be 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'Or~ue 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
 49

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.) In
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 matter of
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 of organ
symphonies of the time in question do not fit this description at all, but rather resemble a
suite of pieces 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 of organ 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
 50

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, if we consider that the powerful, beautiful tone of an

orchestra made up of thirty odd instruments outshines the weak, thin
tones of an instrument containing several thousand pipes, we are
astonished to see that the organ, even with its greater resources,
produces no greater power in proportion to its size. the chief cause
of this weakness lies in the bellows, where none of the designs
known to date gives the instrument either the volume or quality it
ought to possess.
Here is the chief reason why the Trompette, the Clairon, and
other such stops do not possess the character of the instruments
whose names they bear. One reason of course lies in the fact that a
metal shallot takes the place of the lips, but another is the wind
pressure required to sound these instruments. Now if we blow on
a wind instrument such as the French hom or trumpet, we readily
observe to 50 cm. and more are required to make them sound. High
pitches demand the greatest pressures, low pitches the least, and the
intermediate pitches require pressures between the two extremes.
These observations suffice to account for the weakness of organ
stops in comparison with orchestral instruments: we have just seen
that the hi~hest wind pressure used in organs so far is 10. cm.,
whereas wmd instruments require pressures four of five times
greater.
This wind supply can have a profound influence on the
volume and quality of the organ's tone. By using only two different
pressures in the organ we built for the Exhibition, we achieved more
satisfactory 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--freedom
from the quavering sometimes produced in the melody by certain
accompaniments.
Since the principles underlying this new system permit
using as many different wind pressures as may be desired, we may
assume that an organ built according to this scheme would produce
sounds of an impressive and altogether original character.
The foundation stops are winded from one pallet-box; and
the mutations, mixtures, and reeds, from the other. As a result, the
two series of stops may speak simultaneously with no possibility of
 51

insufficient wind, and the tone and power of the organ are
enhanced. 2

We can conclude that Cavaille-Coll never intended his organ to sound like an
orchestra, or to be 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 of the instrument-- radically changed the
contrapuntal nature of the organ. As the clarity and independence of contrapuntal voices
diminished, a new style ofcomposition 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 In his Symphonie pour 0n:ue, Barie consciously tried to unify the work through
means of thematic transformation with the cyclic theme, he wrote movements of his
Symphonie in sonata-allegro form, and he formed some tonal relationship between key
centers of 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 of 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.
 52

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. So while we admire
this monumental work of Cesar 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 of our 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 of movements 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 Al1e~ro 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.

 53

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. ill 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 absence of a significant number of sonata-allegro movements substantiates

the claim of some writers that the organ symphonies of Widor are in 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.)

 54

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 lento

contains written-out
cadenza

III. Pastorale BbMajor Allegretto ABA

N. Allegro vivace A Minor scherzo movement

AbACA' xl D canonl x AbA'
coda
x= closing or transition
material

V. Andante FMajor Quasi adagio

AlrecitlA'lrecitlA'ltranslA"
DbM 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
 55

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 troppo

vivo
Sonata-allegro
II. Choral A-flat Major A B A' B' trans A"
ill. Scherzo EMajor ABAIB'CIAtrans I C
EM GM F#M A-flatM
AB Coda II Quasi presto
EM
IV. Cantabile C#Minor A A' trans B A II 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 than 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":
 57

I. Allegro Maestoso F#Minor Sonata-allegro

n. Cantilene A Major ABA coda

ID. Intennezzo D Major ABAABA

N. Adagio B Minor ABA 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.

 58

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. It carries the

dedication Ita 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 unaccompanied pedal solo in quarter-notes:

Ii I
LarC'o -
eJ-.»
'"

..,-­ --..
TI_1WIIt
, 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-flat of
 59

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 pedal 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 the~. 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:

 60

o era 0 =U~) ..­

----
I 11 l

I.. &i0.•, fOB• ....,....pliv • O/(KAr ..ifACI. ~.wI'INI

,r-..". If' 1= I~' :f::.~ .,.. --;::--r h 1!' ~I

Tiru..,G4 0.
t;r~'" 1. r.~:
PEDALE

--

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 ~ reminiscent of 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 of determining 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 restatement of 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 .

 61

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:

.3 D.,
'. -.,. .."
~
I

REC
....:
.'
p

I
-, - ---­ ,
~

ofII-""~ 1t:.~.(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.
 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
in mm. 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 of "x". At
mm. 84-85, it appears in stretto in the soprano and pedal lines:
 63

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 marked 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 entrance of 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 ttx" 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:
 64

p,,,, J:::

f.:'\
II--i~ ~ j l~lRall.
~ I I 1. h l t
,
~.

.
, ,

r
--
.;
Vf
,~r
I I I I
I t f
--:1. .J t· ~~ ~ ~ "'),,1.
f':\
-9:~ :
I .
.".

-
I ' f':\

.. •• ..

The third movement of the 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.
 65

mm. 1-16 17-34 35-54 55-62

A A' A transition
D-flatM unstable D-flatM modulatory

63-85 86-101 102-110

B A' A-fragments

B-flatM unstable B M--modulatory

111-118 119-134 134-137

B AlA' Coda
D-flatM D-flatM D-flatM

The opening melody of the Adaeio 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:

rEDALE

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
 66

groups (4 + 4 + 4 + 4), with the second group of 4 + 4 further subdivided as 2 + 2 + 4.

The second two-measure grouping is a sequence of the fIrst and together they constitute an
antecedent phrase. Most of the musical material found in the A' section is generated from
this two-measure group (a):

The flfSt eight measures of A' show the original motive "an in two melodic
transformations:

r fIJ ~o.. Uo.L 1

-
WJ4 ~ J' J j

.: • f, II
- . .. \

. "
 67

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 statement of 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
 68

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 pedal (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 of A 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 of melodic 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 Cinaui~me Symphonie is Teffil)o di
scherzo.
 69

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.el:~eramente. 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:

.,
~

.
-. -
.
r
POS• l~iertl""~lIte
.l£UflfALIl . ell:.
.~'.;. .c ").. t ~~ ..
I
til
p Tir.... Ric!,
S_II t.I'«• ~ ..

.........

The preparation and cadence in rom. 10-12 reinforce this harmonic uncertainty:
 70

The cadence in A Minor at m. 13 prepares the following eight measures in A Minor. The
four~measure phrase fIrst heard in m. 18 is heard again in m. 22 in D Major. It 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'" it IIlftf,_

. ""
,::).
1r- ~-------~).-------~~-------~
:ibA .. ~~"lI :~~~

!
--
-

Ia! '-""
pp
-~ ........... ~f!
~

I....::J ~ ~ I.....J -..... I.....J -..... -....!

IItf .- .­
f
 71

::.,. -'d~~JI ~k ... J-- -l

;ji:kJ!.!!.II. ". ". ~~#t~ ..I I . . ". ~ ':~~fl ..,... .. "to'
... -­ -­
-­ - -
"
... -.....J 1.....1
-­ - """-'
- - .­
- ......

!
"-J 1 1
-
Throughout these sixteen measures, Barie briefly touches upon many harmonic
areas but does not cadence in any of the areas (D MajorlB-flat Major, D Major, E Major, F
Major, A Major). Section C ends with a staccato flourish up to C-sharp/A, then
emphasizes the tritone relation AlE-flat before returning to a nearly exact repetition of the
material in section A:

~
D,..-- ' •
.:-+,- f"'.
~('(""
."
-.~-----
"/II./L­
.~
. ~-..---~
...f.!--~ ,;,.. ..
l~;.r-
REe.
SII".

-­
r­
-:;.­
~ ~ ... L----l

"
-/--... .
POS. rhitu 8 4!t • UII. Galllbn
t:1f FI.I." " .." . ""ill""" e"...."
It i~ ~ ~ .
I . ,
fJ . ~.
POS.
A ~ I • 3.. rK.
~ . .
fJ . ~
",!·~1. ~ .. .~~ .
. .
l. .IL. . .;. .."..

.
. -..."

Variations of this material in mm. 56-60 end with a cadence in F Major:

 72

In the flI'St section of the Intennezzo, Barle uses phrase structures built around six­
measure units. The B section subdivides the larger phrase of 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' D"
4+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:
 73

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:

t~ ~

~ 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
......-­ ......

, ,
 74

POS.m.....4
("II. " " ' ' ' , .

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 .c and F-sharp. This places the tritone in the context of

a diminished-seventh chord on A which resolves to G Minor:

 75

Mm. 46-47:

,. w
~

~.
~

ros .
I
A

fII
• rK.

.~

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 of B-flat) is reached by means of a

series of V-I cadences:

-
b,! I , fa , II , ~
,,--.
it .; J'jI.'~ I~ JI.--... i ~ FiJ
.
..
,
-­- -~
"­ ~
... ~

I
.. .
---­ .
--­ .
~ "! ~
• i ~ ,.....",

-­ ""J
 76

The cyclical theme of Barie's Symphonie is presented in the major mode in the

Finale. The movement, marked Anew> (d = 96), is a large sonata-allegro form:

EXPOSITION

m.I-12 13-16 17-24 25-40 41-52

A transition A'/closing B transition

B-flatM-DM ------- B-flatM B-flatM

DEVELOPMENT (Cantabile)

mm.53-68 69-76 77-93 94-102

C A B C
F#M F#M F#M

mm. 103-118 119-134 135-140 141-152

A material Affi T(pedal) transition

F#-Ab-Bb B Bb modulation
 77

RECAPITULATION
mm. 153-164 164-168 169-188 189-200 211-216
A transition B transition
Bb CM 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 of diversion. 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 in E-flat (m. 7) and C
(m. 9), we hear D-Major seventh and C-Major seventh chords over a stepwise descending
pedalline~ In the three measures that follow (mm. 12-15), D is emphasized by a series of

V7-I cadences:
 78

... ~~ .; .1&' d I I I

., POS.e' IlEC. I. 'I.

I. , •
'!'r.­
(';:,. j'i .J. 1 t t ~11 ! 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 of a 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 interval of two octaves. An intensification of the material is accomplished by the
repetition of B 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
of the development. But upon closer scrutiny, one fmds that the pedal line, moving
primarily in whole notes, states the cyclical theme in retrograde:

, I
I JV J " I;;
 79

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 is 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 is heard in inverted form.

In 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:
 80

f
,
~ --""'1
.­
',.a. I '~- ~ ~-

- r
'.L .n 1 r-1~
... - I r !...:rtf r I
n J

1,"­ ~ .L
--=­
I

This figure is modified and becomes the manual figuration for a toccata with the cyclical
theme in the pedal part (nun. 131-149). The modulation from F-sharp to ll-flat is
accomplished through a prolonged A-sharp pedal. At m. 135, the manual figuration is
centered around B-flat as the pedal states the A theme. Barie digresses from the theme at
m. 141 and creates the feeling that a modulation is needed before the recapitulation at m.

153. Actually, the music is never far from the B-flat tonal area which arrives in m. 135. In
the recapitulation, the A theme is stated straightforwardly and is followed by a transitional
passage which leads to the B theme, here stated in C Major. The second four-measure
phrase is stated not a step higher, but a third lower.
This is the only B material heard in the recapitulation. A two-measure phrase is
sequenced one time before we hear the cyclic theme in retrograde in the pedal part at m.
181, above which is played new material. The triplets which were present before the
opening of the development again precede the C theme, found in B-flat at m. 189. Again,
the cyclic theme is present in retrograde form in the pedal. At m. 205, the cyclic theme is
heard both in its original and retrograde forms, although the retrograde form is somewhat
altered:
 81

I­ <II
--­ -- =--=~ .. ­ .Q.

I ...1 ­

-­
I i...l
I I I ~
I­ ~

POS.et Uo.
Ran.of. .. ,s",

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.

 82

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 in 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 Minor

Fugue B-flat Minor
Adagio D-flat MajorlB-flat Major
Intermezzo F MajorlD MajorlB-flat Major
Finale 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
 83

emphasizes an important tonal area without compromising the sonata-allegro fonn of the

movement

D-tlat D
" B-tlat ./"

G /" '" G-tlat

 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. It would even
be feasible to assume that Barie took his compositions to Vieme before they were
published.
The five movements of Vieme's Quatri~me Symphonie pour orpe, Op. 32
(published 1917 and dedicated ff A. mon ami William C. 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 pedal presents a melody in G Minor:

ft , •

,-­
... .-­ -­ - -
-­
1111

I
R

-
~'\
P.dal
i.-.Jr­ . ~

1Louis Vierne, "Mes Souvenirs," in L'Oraue. No. 134b (1970), pp. 63-64.
 85

II I

- -
I"

-. - .... -
A V .A

...
-­. -.
"
u_ LA
"'-'
-"

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:

t
~ ...'1 f: 'f~-:f:'"

-,
I: Ii ""-)..::f ... -.. - r.-.
~,

t I
I" I
P
,
~
~it1 ~*
r
.4l1" ...-a
f'
fila
i.~~

I
ra.

r
~
.~ -;p..

~ .. U A
-~
"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 J

= 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

Alle~ro (mm. 62-125):

 86

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 Per 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:
 87

Minuet

mm.I-18 19-41 42-59

A Ai A'
EMajor 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 pedal 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:
 88

R _____________

.•.
h~

®
n r.•• ~"'~4! ~L.~.~
-­
~---------------

- - - ­ --:
-~--------~_u====~!=====~~~~~:~~=---=-----~J
u A .

At m. 11, the melody is heard in A-flat Major in a slightly varied form. The soprano

voice presents the melody over an A-flat pedal point The undulating figure heard

previously in the right hand is taken over by the left hand At m. 18, the melody is

ornamented, and at m. 20, a harmonic voice is added to the right-hand melody. The

modulation from A-flat to D-flat takes place in mm. 18-24 and leads to a restatement of the

melody in D-flat Major at m. 25. The left-hand melody, heard as the middle of a three-part

texture--with a D-flat pedal point and right-hand material similiar to that found in mm. 3­

ll--is a straight-forward repetition of that found in mm. 3-11 with the exception of the

cadence at m. 33. The v-iv6 cadence and a cancellation of the key signature of five flats

signal the end of the A section.

 89

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 pedal 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:
 90

,-~ ____________u ____________ ~ __________ ~r

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)
" I
~ ~ L~ '~7j '''~ 1 .."..- ..-.......
rer
:ZwY ..
.

A •.......:r"'!:-;~ ... ~ .. ~~ . • ... --..,

-- .........

iW
­
JIO'.
-
...
 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 all 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.
In 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
half of the measure:
 92

The remaining measures of the development (mm. 94-105) make use of extreme

chromaticism and employ a gradual crescendo to the downbeat of m. 106, the beginning of

the recapitulation in G Minor. The harmonic progression in the four measures preceding

the recapitulation is an example of Vieme's typical harmonic writing in his later organ

symphonies:

In 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 the three times theme A is heard, the

soprano-line is altered chromatically. The coda begins at m. 140. The harmonic

progression which concludes the symphony is marked Lareamente.

 93

Louis Vieme's QuatrH~me 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

, FlilW. 8 '" 4­
,re,..re.,
• toaa 8
""'.1011'" 111.8 I. Prelude
Ol...ln. &00",111•. Tlr...... 0 - P.
S .....II: 8' f"...4 ••Iop... Obo.. (pr.. p ..... Tnmpel)

Choir: PI"t... If .. 4-'

Gr.aI: If fotlD4. atopa

Pedal: 111' .. 8' 10l1li4, atopa

Loul. Viorne. Op. 32
W......,l. _pla4, GI.. .. Cla-Io PM.

1\ Quasi lento (J·.u)

- - -- -
-- --
I

.... .-­
~

MaBuals ~ " B p
I

~'\
Pedal

.~ 1

~
-
- r
- ----
A U
"
ft A
-- U -A
u_ LA ~ ~

-II

- - -
 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:

@ p
Ffl.. :h
n ...... a.. b-.." -
-­
'l)
~v I "--"'"'V '-­ _"--I...J I

, ..=­ =­
Ji-=--V
I'
P

~~..:-~
-­
. .'--..:.....-..---_#.
dJM..
1:\.

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
 95

In the Alle~ro, the second cyclical theme becomes the A theme of the exposition:

-------------~
:>
JlJ.. ,- ,...,-/\ "J ft ~I\ f! ~ .,...,.. .. " • .". L"'_~

I~ I V
. 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:

II"

I'­
-
." " l I ' _ -
II"':
-=­ ...-:-­

r.:-:: 1;)-_-_...-;;.,. 11!1!:,..... _1fI. I ft

-­
."
,.;;-,. .r
-="'"'

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
 96

of transitional material (mrn. 34-42) and generates the musical material in the B section

(mm. 43-73):

A@ ~~ -..(-'

161 0 - r ~r ,. IIILJ ~r r
r!'-._oif, ~ .I. 1;' -Ire 1'1
:==---,

,-g'
j

u . u ~.
-­. - -.
(':\
\:I

;'dfpR' All . ~. T·
.......1. , ........

Fbco··
. plU L.U ·matOfJ=_1
A .­ ..........

,., J'#;4f-....;...4t.,~ ~~.1i ~;UW"L1,f

:

!ePR
~ .. - -.,... ~ 1::..

....... "'. u
• u ......-- ",.
"'----.:­
. • . u
"

Vieme uses both cyclical themes in the closing movement of the fourth symphony.

The frrst cyclical theme reappears in G Minor as the opening theme of the Einal:

Allegro (J.•"'
,.. ~ i---.. ~ L~ I......-:=::::., t "l ! ,..,.:::--.,.
I­ GP VB
-'CL
- -

•• .4"-- . I
- .. - -.......-;
"',
 97

The B theme of the exposition is an altered version of the second cyclical theme:

D ~ ~
::::.­ . L--­ ~ J:­ 1 -
..j
1\ ~ tIIa.
•
...... - , --'
'-.: - ~

;I ".;iI­ -...... _-fl­

:t~'::.. ...
~

-­ -~-......J,."~"
....­ -
p"i,I' Jw • i , I
I •• s ,.) ,1 .-5! d ,P1,l
I
'II

Vieme's CinquiCme Symphonie pour Or.&ue, Op. 47 carnes the dedication"a mon
6lCve et cher ami Joseph Bonnet" and was published in 1925. The movements have only
tempo markings as identification, with the exception of the concluding movement entitled
Final. This symphony also has two cyclical themes which are introduced in the opening
movement (Grave, = 60): J

~---

I"
1'1 ;~

r
- ''­ I II
-­
"I

:: 11,1;&· hilt­ '1='

-
 98

Vierne composed themes with vastly different properties--the fIrSt theme is tonal
and makes frequent use of the interval of a third, while the second theme is chromatic and
is characterized by the skip of a minor seventh combined with movement by half-steps.
Although it is a through-composed piece, the movement can be 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 material (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 of A and B. The fmal part of the
movement opens with the B theme which completes the modulation from F# back to A .
Minor. The pedal A theme is heard accompanied by chromatic octaves in the manual
voices. After a short statement of the B theme (mm. 87-90), the fIrSt cyclical theme is
heard over a repeating quarter-note "A" in the pedal to close the movement
The second movement, marked Allegro motto marcato. is a sonata-allegro
movement in A Minor. Both of the cyclical themes are used as themes A and B. The A
theme is the inverted form of the fIrSt cyclical theme:
 99

Allegro " ... lto ...... ro... c.o

-1'- -.-
~
~. ~~.
.) =80
.'-- I -­
l ..

//

-; .:. ....

, " I.)1
pi '=7=~.
-.....
T-
- .:.

The B theme of this movement corresponds to the second cyclical theme of the symphony:

I ­
J- .....
IUt. ------
~

t(-i' ___:@l;t=i.;~j$'
J-=-= -JiI r L I F-J-in
-
]
...~------+

--
L

EXPQsmON
mm.I-26 27-38 39-70 71-79
A trans x B closing x
 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

f}
Tempodl ..oborxo
~
". ,. U1U. nOll
01 •• ~.
troppo ,·I\.. u
. ~
J .= 100
:.r r--- >­

411 ~
. . . ' ...
G.n.
ill
p
..
.., . ~'!~~ -4f' ~' 'fI":'~':' ' ~':'.~~~
 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:

J\ - .
RH.
.;.1 ~ ~. tt.; #;: ~~ j. ~. JI. ~~
,­ - ,. ­ --:-~
I" ~ '. -,

. II

it} ,­ p~. ~
.. .. . .. . ~.-,;-
: -.. ~~ ."_<fi.
G. SaUd"mal, Fllit". Re... rd ..... CurD.. t

red. P.
- ....

-,
r---1 I- d;"~" II"; .. ­
---
J\ ~ ll!.L
.
It}
. ~

-.

- -­
J\

.r.r-" ":i....~.:..q~.".~~ '~ ".::... ' - I

'""--' ­
--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:
 102

.lJ; .~!. -. ~J~ ~ .

~i~~~~~~~~--~~--- .~:~r~:.;).~~~~··,
j)
"~1'.,•.,j. It.
l.P' .,

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

A trans B trans A coda

F#Major F#Major F#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):

 103

I P.R·t:_J. .,!.. J .• J.----J

...
- -.
),. ~J J..J
r­ ....

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"
 104

I I I' I I
J'-----=========~=====
~-:
.~. ~~, q, ~~= ....

I =
1""I.II.J~jp j
> r -ijff B

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):

'-­
======--­ pp
~: ...
~
. . nr-r-I':\
. ,.,.:
.~ .-~,~.
.-­ . =8:', --....:::
I I

--"

....-
.

-­
 105

The A Major Ein.al (Alle~ro moderato j = 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

in key signature and/or tempo marking:

EXPQsmON
rom. 1-63 64-87

menomosso

A B
A Major F# Major

DEVELOPMENT
88-134 135-154 155-157 158-173
Tempo 1­ menomosso a tempo

A material B material trans A material

C minor------­ D Major------- DMajor

RECAEITULATIQN CODA
174-192 193-201 202-224 225-235

A B A

A Major A Major A Major A Major

 106

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 lI.,grn ...CHlurc"o )I '= a••

'Q~~~~~~*~r.~.I~e·~~~~~~~~~~~~~F~~~~~~~_~~~~~~~9
< /

O.P.R.

Prd. P.R.

" .. * ~- -..... ~~ ~ .............. ~- .............. .,;:-- -., .;:-- ............

1-.1
- - - - - -
- ~i- ,:;-' -r; r;­

....­ .

~Ieno n.o....o )I = J3~

R.Follds

11" ;iI . ti
.
-----------­ -----------­
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
 107

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 aNew York, U. S. A. En t6moignage de rna profounde
admiration pour Ie grand musicien et l'incomparable virtuose disparu
prernawrement en pleine gloire.
(To the memory of my much missed friend, Linwood Farnam,
organist in New York, U. S. A. In witness of my profound
admiration 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 Sixi~me Symphonie pour Grand Orave. Op. 59, Paris: Editions Henry
Lemoine, 1931.
 108

.... - - -
The second cyclic theme is also heard two times in the second section of the introduction:
 109

A four-measure transitional section leads to the Alle~ro 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. R.
fW.C4.S •.

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,
 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 93-102 103-119 120-129 130-133

Ai+Bi Ai+Bi A Ai A

C# D Gminor B-flat minor

134-141 142-151 152-159 159-163

B Ai+B A transition

D-flat Major--------­ modulatory

RECAPITVLATION CODA

164-182 183-191 192-205 206-209 210-219

A 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):

 111

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 and pedal part as in the A section.
The melody of the 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:

·ftlftJlNf

The insertion of the flISt cyclic theme is barely noticeable at mm. 67:
 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 fran~ais 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 of disorientation:

 113

If I V l . _ ..............-~, I. .~ . • • ".- -

II a .... ' . JI •

IUIfUILS
I
.,
" I
' .u..ilJ~"..-
:.P.~il ~"._" . . ,.- ,..~ n..u 1 ~
I .. !""'U
,...J ",,~ ,..~

.... it- o 0
~
ire. .. . .

-- ~ -IIJf! hi .
••C4.
OP. .. __f!!!!!.i ,'.i.
f!J ~~ :~,.
-"
.
A 0 • /fI.~

t
" o.p.)
A ~A.(
'""" I"
-'!!!!!!

( .:
"" _..G.p. i f
d't("", 1
..L ,.

(j
I
a'"
~.
liliiii
1­
.
~ -
I" ... '. ,
::ii". . T •
P.
r.>' . ~y.

~..".
Ck.

A. .",--". I . ". ""---IR . ".~

~A •. C~I
Gop. _
,
.1 "",...
4:
.......J . ,....~ ~.- ltwtll~
•
.J....oIII ".,~ r"'!~ ;...~
... :wi" ~. II,,¥, q~ . . ~tl -;r q~

In contrast to this material is the form of the fIrst cyclic theme found in the B

section:
 114

,,

19'd J .tl.,,, 'v'Id" tJ •'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 theme

tenor voice soprano voice
mm.I-38 39-40 41-56 57-72

Gminor Eminor Eminor

~ ~-~~~~-~~-------------------------------
 115

A transition B

cyclic theme cyclic theme

tenor voice soprano voice
73-110 111-112 114-128 129-144
A minor E-flat minor F#minor

transition B

cyclic theme cyclic theme inverted

pedal 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 is heard, followed by a statement of the cyclic theme in original form (mm. I­
11). The entire flfSt section is tonally ambiguous due to the fact that each presentation of
the cyclic theme begins on B-flat:

~~~-~~~-~~-~---------------------------
 116

ill •
.......het40 J ... .
'-t)

'

.,
Md1JILS P'-:'"

a. 1 'I ,'I I '

,-.---:­
I ,I I
'-'
1
-
I ---:'"
II..

:::::l: -.....:.::::::: .......... ....

I T
~.

'"-'*---­
,

. i ':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):

--,~--~---------------------------
 117

A ,,/I ---=::::::--.. It~ .

,--------------~-----~

... ~ '~

~ ...JS" ~
__c.
- .. -- ....
'W
LJI- -
.-
di",..
~ ::".,. . ~ ~-~ ....... ~. fL-..
·~ L~

- ......
A_ ,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

---------------------------­
.----~-..
 118

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.,."..,... . . . ®
"'..n. ,..
P.~
.. ~l'--""""
~
, ~. , "

--­
,::t""-'..... ' ""
.......
~

II ,.
~. ~~-,. .:. oM ~~ .. .¥ ..
~
lei'
<II ..
.. r I - I 1 J I
, -
I
~ t1'" , ,,­ o .. ______

~
r ..

-­
 119

A.~
" ... ~
I"
'Ii •
IiIIIIII-"""
- -
.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):

...-----------:---. <"'" ~

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):
 120

-----.-----------------~-.------
J.~J

At m. 225, themes A and C alternate in the manual voices in juxtaposition with sixteenth­

note B Major pedal scales. A coda based on the opening measures of the movement begins

at m. 311.

SECTION
I
-----------------------------------------------------­
29-36 37-48 49-60 61-68

A B - soprano B-pedal B - soprano A material

transition

B Major Eminor mod\llat~ -----------------------------­

 121

69-104

B Major---E-flat Major

SECTION
II

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

SECTION
ill

223-238 239-262 263-274 175-310

A C + cyclic theme A A C + A material

over pedal scales
BMajor BMajor BMajor B Major

CODA._______________________________

311-326

A material

BMajor

It 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. In the fIfth symphony, Vieme develops two cyclical themes more

extensively than in any of his previous or subsequent works, while in the sixth symphony,
 122

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 of organ composition which demonstrates the principal
of development of a cyclic theme throughout a multi-movement form.
 123

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 124

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