Aaron Tan plays ten of seventy pieces published in the periodical L'Orgue Moderne published in Paris 1894-1930 by Leduc, with Widor and Guilmant as editors. Most of the works are by students, former students, or associates of Widor and Guilmant, though others are included, as well. Many are little-known composers, but some famous composers, such as Charles Tournemire and Louis Vierne, were published in L'Orgue Moderne before their fame arose. Aaron Tan plays the large organ built in 2024 as the magnum opus of Juget-Sinclair of Montreal, their Op. 55 of 3 manuals and pedal, 67 stops, 83 ranks, for the Cathedral of the Sacred Heart, Richmond, Virginia.

Henri Mulet 1878–1967: Prière, pub. 1902

Charles Tournemire 1870–1939: Sortie, pub. 1894

Ten Pieces Published in L’Orgue Moderne
by Aaron Tan

The late 19th century, known as the belle époque in France, was a time of peace and prosperity. Art and industry flourished, and Paris was the musical capital of the world. At the heart of France’s musical institutions was the Conservatoire National Supéri­eur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, established in 1795 as a singing school and eventually expanding to encompass all disciplines of music as well as dance. The Conservatoire turn­ed out elite young musicians and composers, and its faculty influenced the shape of European music-making. Among the faculty was Charles-Marie Widor, professor of organ and composition, who assumed this role in 1890 following the 33-year tenure of César Franck, father of the French symphonic organ tradition.

Between 1894 and 1930, Widor and his colleague Alexandre Guilmant curated a collection of 70 compositions for solo organ entitled L’Orgue Moderne and published them in 42 editions of the periodical. The vast majority of works published were by Widor’s or Guilmant’s students or colleagues, or by students from the other major musical institutions in Paris: the École Niedermeyer and the Schola Cantorum. Clearly, Widor was using his formidable influence as a famous organ recitalist throughout Europe, composer of widely performed works in many genres, professor of the elite Paris Conservatoire, and a Chevalier of the Légion d’hon­neur (1892), to give his and his colleague’s students a platform to launch their compositional careers.

The collection of 70 pieces by 49 composers demonstrates the largely conservative style of the Paris Conservatoire during the early years of the 20th century. Indeed, when Gabriel Fauré took over as Director of the school in 1905, he was regarded as ground­breaking in allowing the music of Wagner and Debus­sy to be performed in its hallowed halls.

In the preface of the first volume, all of which were published by Alphonse Leduc of Paris, Widor describes his goal: to present a series of contemporary organ compositions featuring young, prize-winning students of the Conservatoire. He also aspires to an eclecticism that welcomes works of genuine artistic interest by all who compose. Whether this lofty intent was propaganda is up for debate.

By the ninth edition in 1897, Guilmant had been added as co-editor of the series, a position which he retained until 1902, when L’Orgue Moderne took an 18-year hiatus. Likely reasons for the publication gap include the editors’ very busy schedules, Guilmant’s death in 1911, and World War I (1914–18) and its aftermath.
In his article for The Diapason magazine in December, 2015, musicologist Steven Young refers to L’Orgue Moderne as “arguably the premier publication of new organ music by young French composers in the early part of the twentieth century.” Yet, in his 600-page biographical book on Widor’s life and work, John Near mentions Widor’s involvement with L’Orgue Moderne in only one sentence. The disconnect between the high-profile status of the collection’s contributors and the lack of both published research and recordings of works from the collection suggested that this would be a potentially fruitful project to pursue, not only for the collection’s historical significance but also as a source for discovering interesting and accessible organ works that add to the grand story of the French symphonic tradition.

For me, the rewards of investigating this forgotten collection of repertoire have been worth the effort. These lesser-known composers lived alongside, worked with, and learned from the giants of the French symphonic tradition who organ music fans know and love: Widor, Louis Vierne, Marcel Dupré, and Charles Tournemire. In fact, Vierne and Tournemire made their com­posi­tional debuts in L’Orgue Moderne, and were published in the very first edition in 1894.

The ten works I have selected for this recording are immediately attractive and familiar in style if unfamiliar in name. The writing is tuneful and harmonically pleasing. Listen for simi­larities to the styles of Franck, Fauré, and Duruflé.

Pierre Kunc 1865–1941: Sortie Fuguée 1899
The Sortie fuguée is Pierre Kunc’s earliest known composition. He was born into a family of church musicians. His father, Aloÿs, was organ­ist at the cathedral in Lombez, France. His younger brother, Aymé, was a celebrated composer, director of the Tou­louse Conservatory, and is also published in L’Orgue Moderne.

While in Paris, Pierre frequented concerts of the Schola Cantorum and developed relationships with some of Paris’s great musicians, many of whom were devotees of Franck. This sphere of influence, coupled with Kunc’s devout Catholicism, may have influenced his style. Aside from being a keyboard professor at the St. Geneviève School in Paris, he played and conducted at several Parisian churches through­out his career.

· Education: École Niedermeyer (studied organ with Gigout and composition with Guiraud)
· Major positions: professor of piano and organ, St. Geneviève School, Paris (1899–1925); choirmaster, St. Louis Cathedral, Versailles (1891); choir organist, Ss. Eugène & Cécile and St. Étienne du Mont (1905); organist and choirmaster, Notre Dame de Bercy (1912); choirmaster of St. Sulpice, Paris (1928); organist, St. Pierre, Charenton-le-Pont, Paris (1928).
· Publication in L’Orgue Moderne: Sortie fuguée (1899); Adagietto (1902)

Alphonse Schmitt 1875–1912:
Pièce en forme de canon 1899
Born in Kœtzingue in the Alsace region, Alphonse Schmitt was a student of Guilmant (ca. 1901) and Widor. He succeeded Vierne as assistant to Widor at Saint-­Sulpice (1900–­1903) and afterward directed the choir of Saint-­Philippe-­du-Roule.

· Education: 1893, Paris Conservatoire (studied with Guilmant and Widor); 1898, 1st prize, organ
· Major positions: choir­master, Église Saint-­Philippe-­du-Roule, Paris (1903–1912)
· Publications in L’Orgue Moderne: Prèlude-­Choral (1898); Pièce en forme de canon (1899); Prélude-­Choral sur l’hymne Sacris solemnis (1901); Pièce romantique (1901)

Émile Bourdon 1884–1974: 
Choral varié sur l’Hymne Ave Maris Stella 1920
The Choral varié is Émile Bourdon’s first published work that survives. Joseph Antoine Émile Bourdon was a classmate of Marcel Dupré at the Conserva­toire, and they remain­ed lifelong friends. Bourdon would dedicate several of his compositions to Dupré. Shortly after graduating from the Conservatoire, he fell ill and needed to relocate to Switzerland from 1912 to 1917. Seeking a more tropical climate, he relocated to the town of Beaulieu-­sur-­Mer, just outside Nice on the French Riviera, and in 1922 won the position of organist at the cathedral in Monaco, where he would remain until his retirement in 1968. Bourdon was a skilled liturgical improviser. Somewhat mystical, Bourdon would kneel in the Sacré-­Coeur chapel, lost in long inner contemplation, before each of his morning sessions at the cathedral’s organ, recounts Henri Carol (1910 –1984), his successor at the cathedral.

· Education: 1902–1912, Paris Conservatoire (studied organ with Guilmant, composition with Widor); 1905, 2nd prize, harmony; 1907, 1st accessit, organ; 1908, 2nd prize, counterpoint
· Major positions: Cathedrale Notre-­Dame-­de-­l’Immaculee-Conception, Monaco (1922–­1968); professor of organ, Nice Conservatoire (1951– ­1954)
· Publication in L’Orgue Moderne: Choral varié sur l’hymne Ave maris stella (1920); Canzona (1923)

Henri Dallier 1849–1934: 
Offertoire In Deo Charitas 1895
Born in Reims, Dallier studied organ with César Franck at the Conservatoire and was organist of two important Parisian churches: Saint-Eustache (1875–1905) and the Madeleine (1905–­1934). He was a professor of harmony at the Paris Conservatoire and the Niedermeyer School from 1908 to 1928 and was known as a virtuoso performer and improviser. He was an organ­ist for the funerals of Camille Saint-­Saëns (1921) and Gabriel Fauré (1924).

Dallier’s contributions to L’Orgue Moderne occurred at a mature period of his career: he was 46 years old when his two compositions were published in Volumes 4 and 5 of the series. Perhaps the inclusion of a work by an older composer who held an important post as titulaire of Saint-Eustache was an attempt by Widor to gain traction for the series. Indeed, the following year (1896), Charles Lenepveu, another faculty member of the Conservatoire, would be published in the series.

· Education: 1876, Paris Conservatoire (studied organ with Franck); 1878, 1st prize, counterpoint and fugue
· Major positions: Saint-Eustache (1875–­ 1905); Church of the Madeleine (1905–1934); professor of harmony at Paris Conservatoire and École Niedermeyer (1908–1928)
· Publications in L’Orgue Moderne: Andante, op. 26 (1895); Offertoire In Deo charitas (1895)

René Vierne 1878–1918: Méditation 1901
René Vierne was born in Lille, the younger brother of Louis Vierne and the son of journalist Henri-Alfred Vierne and Marie-Josephine (née Gervaz). René entered the Catholic seminary at Versailles in 1889 where he studied music but eschewed the priesthood, becoming a student of his brother in organ, counterpoint and fugue. His death on the front lines in Austria was pro­foundly felt by his brother.

· Education: 1906, 1st prize, organ and improvisation (studied organ with Guilmant)
· Major positions: organist, Notre-Dame-des- Champs, Paris (choir organ, 1902–1904; main organ, 1904–1917)
· Publication in L’Orgue Moderne: Gavotte (after Bach; 1899); Méd­i­ta­tion (1901)

Paul Combes 1858–1921: 
Toccatina pour Grand Orgue 1897
A native of Bordeaux as was Charles Tourne­mire, Paul Combes studied at École Nieder­meyer and would later teach Joseph Bonnet and Henri Sauguet, among others. In 1880, he became organist at Notre-Dame, Bergerac, before moving back to Bordeaux in 1882, where he worked for the remainder of his life. The Toccatina is his earliest surviving composition.

· Education: École Niedermeyer
· Major positions: choir organist of St. André Cathedral, Bordeaux (1882–1884); organist, St. Michel basilica, Bordeaux (1896–1901); organist, Notre-Dame, Bordeaux (1901–1921)
· Publication in L’Orgue Moderne: Toccatina (1897)

Yvonne Hédoux 1890–1981?: 
Prélude et Fugue en Mi Mineur (E Minor) 1921
Very little is known of Yvonne Hédoux’s life or career. Recorded here is her only known published piece. It is dedicated “à mon maître, Charles-Marie Widor.” Hédoux is one of only two female composers to be published in L’Orgue Moderne (the other being Hélène Fleury, a student of Henri Dallier and Charles-Marie Widor at the Conservatoire, and first female winner of the Prix de Rome).
· Education: 1910, Paris Conservatoire; 1912, 1st accessit, harmony; 1913, 1st prize, harmony
· Major positions: Unknown
· Publication in L’Orgue Moderne: Prélude et fugue (1921)

Marcel Lanquetuit 1894–1985: Intermezzo 1923
Born in Rouen, France, Marcel Lanquetuit succeeded his father at the church of St. Godard in his hometown. He was Marcel Dupré’s first private student. In 1926, he, like many French organists, toured the United States, performing in New York City, Princeton and Philadelphia. Preferring to improvise rather than compose, only two works of his survive, and both of them are published in L’Orgue Moderne.

· Education: studied privately with Marcel Dupré (1906–1912); 1913, Paris Conservatoire (studied with Gigout); 1914, 1st prize, organ
· Major positions: substitute for Marcel Dupré at St. Sulpice and for the organ class at the Paris Conservatory; organist, St. Godard Church, Rouen (1910–1938); organist, Notre Dame Cathe­dral, Rouen (1938–1978); professor of sight-reading and organ, Rouen Conservatory (1946–1959)
· Publication in L’Orgue Moderne: Intermezzo (1923); Toccata (1924)

Henri Mulet 1878–1967: Prière 1902
Henri Mulet was born into a family of church musicians and was admitted to the Paris Conservatoire in 1889 at 11 years old to study cello. During these years, he played in a chamber trio with his near contemporary who would become a great pianist, Alfred Cortot (1877–1962). Only in 1893 did Mulet begin organ studies at the Conservatoire with Widor, and improvisation with Guilmant. He would later teach at the École Niedermeyer and Schola Cantorum.

A recluse and mystic, Mulet remained staunchly in the symphonic French Romantic idiom, resisting the winds of modernism sweeping the Parisian musical landscape; he treasured the music of César Franck. His most enduring composition, Esquisses Byzantines, dates from 1919, and was inspired by the great Parisian basilica of Mont­martre, where his father worked. Mulet’s two contributions to L’Orgue Moderne are his earliest surviving works.

· Education: 1888, Paris Conservatoire, cello; 1893, studied organ with Widor, improvisation with Guilmant; 1896, 1st prize, harmony
· Major positions: professor of organ, École Niedermeyer and Schola Cantorum (1923– 1931); professor of organ, École César Franck (1931–ca. 1937); organist, St. Pierre de Mont­rouge, Paris (1897–1901); organist, St. Marie des Baitgnolles, Paris (1901–?); organist, St. Philippe du Roule (1911–1922, choir organ; 1922–1937, main organ)
· Publications in L’Orgue Moderne: Méditation religieuse (1896); Prière (1902)

Charles Tournemire 1870–1939: Sortie 1894
Among the few well known composers published in the collection is Charles Tournemire, who began studies at the Paris Conservatoire with Franck and, after Franck’s death, completed his studies with Widor. Tournemire was appointed in 1897 as organist of the basilica of Sainte-Clotilde (where Franck had been organist for 32 years), serving there until his death.

Tournemire was a prolific composer of eight symphonies and other orchestal music, chamber music, piano music, opera, passions, and organ music. A celebrated concert organist and improviser, Tournemire primarily considered himself a liturgical organist and extensively used Gregorian chant in his compositions. His most performed work is the massive collection L’Orgue mystique, composed between 1927 and 1932, which provides five pieces for every Sun­day and feast of the church year.

Alongside his classmates Louis Vierne and Henri Libert, Tourne­mire was included in the first issue (in 1894) of L’Orgue Moderne, with his Sortie, op. 3.

· Education: 1890, Paris Conservatoire (organ, composition and fugue with Franck; organ with Widor after 1890); 1891, 1st prize, organ and 2nd accessit, harmony; also studied composition with Vincent d’Indy at the Schola Cantorum
· Major positions: professor of chamber music at Paris Conservatoire (1920–1935); organist, Sainte-Clotilde, Paris (1898–1939)
· Publications in L’Orgue Moderne: Sortie, op. 3 (1894), Andantino, op. 2 (1894), Marche nuptiale (1900)