Notre Dame de Paris Vierne Plays Vierne (2) Pipe Organ

Recorded in 1929 -- one of the very first recordings of the electronic era. Louis Vierne improvised this Meditation for the recording session. Maurice Duruflé later transcribed the 1929 recordings.

Category:

Music

Tags:

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

[Markmusicusorganist]

Dear sir, madam,

With joy I found this video.

I placed a link into my weblog (blog) about musical instruments.

Would you be so kind and keep this video available on youtube?

Please do not remove it.

Thanks for posting.

Mark Kuijpers, musician, organist, author

[a55b47]

@Markmusicusorganist , Thank you for your interest. It's perfectly OK to link to your blog. The more people hear great organ music, the better ;-)

[Sinatra70]

Can anyone provide us with the information on where we might find a CD of this piece? I have one album of Widor, Dupre and Vierne performing their own works, but this is not included.

[a55b47]

I got this recording from an old boxed EMI LP set called French Organs & Organists: 1930. I bought the set about 30 years ago, & converted everything on it to CD several years ago -- when my turntable started giving me problems & I thought I'd better convert before I couldn't play the LP's any more ;-). I seem to recall seeing a CD set advertised on a European web site about a year ago, but I don't think it's ever been imported to the US.

[organman52]

My blunder - I just read the commentary on the upper right corner only to discover that he did in fact improvise this. Just leave it to the great Durufle to copy it down from the recording. As you probably are aware, he did this a lot with the improvisations of Tournemire - another unsurpassed genius. I hope in my next life I emerge into late 19th/early 20th century Paris.

[a55b47]

I can't decide whether i'd rather come back to Paris in La Belle Epoque or in the late-20's to mid-30's. Tough choice ;-)

[advisorC101]

It makes me cry. We know that Vierne spoke to the world through his music.

I can't imagine what must have possessed him to write such frighting pieces such as the Symphonie no. 3 Allegro maestoso.....

He lost so much but I think gained the whole world when he fell asleep at his great organ in 1937 which has now been so hideously mutilated.

I think the best thing we can do for him is never forget him as one of the greatest organists of our history.

[polsterj]

This piece is so wonderful! Thank god that this was recorded and trancribed later!

[russedav5]

@a55b47

Thank you!  Help, please and tell me how you converted your LPs to CD since I don't dare play them anymore and I'd love to, gems that some of them are, Marcel Dupré, Anton Heiller, etc. Please email me if you know how to convert: russedav@praize.com Thanks again, Russ Davis

[virginiaorganbuilder]

There's something about the poor sound quality and distant sound of this recording that makes it irresistible. It's like listening to the past through a long tube, and the fact that it's Vierne himself makes it even more mysterious and wonderful.

[bhuman123]

Do we know what Duruffle catogrised this piece in?

[BaronLoveburned]

Got any Bach playing Bach!

[graant71]

to a55b47: you can find this recording in EMI Classics box set "Composers in person" EMI 175752B (22 CDs). There was another box set but I believe it's no longer available: "Orgues et organistes françaises du XXème siècle" all focused on organ recordings EMI : 5 74866 2 (5 CDs).

[graant71]

hey people!, we have the privilege to hear Louis Vierne himself playing his own work on Notre-Dame's organ, and all you're talking about is elecrified consoles... hang on, and just enjoy the music, please!