Bach @ Notre Dame de Paris Pipe Organ: Vierne Plays

Organ scholars alert !! Audiophiles beware !! This recording was made in 1929, the very first year that sound was recorded electronically. It's striking that, with all the musical alternatives in Paris at that time, the engineers thought that one of the most intriguing ways to use this novel invention was to squeeze their cumbersome equipment up the narrow stairway to Notre Dame's balcony/tribune to record Vierne. And yes, folks, the performance sounds lethargic & ponderous to our sophisticated ears. But this was the standard performance practice of baroque music in the early 20th century.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Notre Dame
• Paris
• Bach
• pipe
• organ
• orgue
• orgel
• organo
• Vierne

[peteacher52]

I see most of the comments were made a long time ago. For what it's worth, the first LP I ever bought in 1962, at age 15, was of Pierre Cochereau playing Bach at Notre Dame. It would have been recorded in the 50s, and the interpretation and tempi are remarkably similar. I'd post a portion on Youtube if I knew how, but it's so thoroughly worn now that folk wouldn't like it.

[a55b47]

@peteacher52  I've got quite a few old LP's like that ;-)

[megaswenson]

Glad I'm no cognoscente. The first part sounds heavenly to me. Good thing I don't know from ponderous and lethargic...

Thanks for posting this. What a rare privilege to hear some of the earliest electronically-recorded music; and from such a marvelous instrument.

[a55b47]

Some people earlier in this thread called it "stately," rather than ponderous. I kind of like that description. ;-)

[theshow2k]

"This recording was made in 1929, the very first year that sound was recorded electronically."

Can anyone explain this to me? The phonograph technique was invented long before so which equipment or format was invented in 1929?

[a55b47]

Recordings made before 1929 were acoustic recordings made by using a diaphragm to transmit sound to a wax cylinder. In 1929, they started using electrically-transmitted signals rather than acoustic -- hence the last word in the phrase you cited.

[kensingtonpalace]

this is a true treasure of history..that's really good sound for a 1929 recording! thx for sharing it w/ us.

[Arky83mi]

Many people forget that just because Bach's home organ didn't have a 32' reed DOESN'T MEAN HE WOULDN'T HAVE USED IT HAD HE HAD ONE!!! In those days they were very rare so more than likely he never would have included it in his registration. Weingarten has one, St. Bavo in Harlem has one, so they DO exist back in the day so to anyone who criticizes someone for using it in Bach should do their research. Not all Bach must be played like a typewriter in perfect time and with only Organ Plenum

[citzie]

@Arky83mi Bach would have used the shit out the big bombardes AND chamades if he had them. You best believe that :)

[bfs1888]

this is truely an amazing recording. (i've heard worse these days of organ)

[newgeorge]

hideously out of tune! its grotesque!

[lionelmercier]

lionel_mercier@bluemail.

Für das Jahr 1929 eine phänomenale Aufnahme. Kennt jemand das

Stück?

Lionel Mercier, CH-4123 Allschwil

[Biff947]

BWV 533 <3

[pipeup1]

Hmm its a bit plod plod alright!

[menschmaschine5]

@advisorC101 The organ was in abominable shape when this was recorded. It has a powerful sound, sure, but you can hear that much of the organ is out of tune, and indeed, much of it was unplayable at this point in time. The unpleasant parts of the sound aren't just the primitive recording technology.