L. Vierne: Stèle pour un enfant défunt

From Triptyque, Op. 58

"Memorial for a dead child"

One of my favorite pieces.

Here is Vierne's description of the circumstances under which he wrote it:
„Stèle pour un enfant défunt was written in the memory of a poor urchin, who died at the age of ten, under dreadful circumstances. He was a precocious little being, sensitive far beyond his years, named Jean de Brancion. As an old friend of the family, I was grief-stricken at his tragic passing. In a kind of votive offering dedicated to his memory, I refrained from conventional obsequiousness; there was nothing appropriate to express my sorrow, merely a suggestion of sadness through an illusory poetry; that was what I tried to achieve."

Vierne died at the organ console of Notre-Dame de Paris, moments after finishing playing this piece, on June 2nd, 1937.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• louis
• vierne
• triptyque
• stele
• pour
• un
• enfant
• defunt
• hauptwerk
• notre-dame
• de
• metz
• virtual
• cavaille-coll
• organ
• orgue
• orgel
• organo

[organboi]

who's playing? it might have been nice if you included that in the info section. is it Vierne himself/

[mrSymphonic]

You can find such info on my channel.

[passacaglia28]

This piece is full of such emotion and lament. Vierne is fast becoming one of my favorite organists.

[mrSymphonic]

Indeed. I've now updated the info box with Vierne's own comment on this work.

[passacaglia28]

Your info at the top-right is very sad. I did not know that about Vierne. He was quite a musician wasn't he? May he rest in peace.

[bobnrainy]

Thanks. When Vierne himself performed this mysterious and sad piece, after he finished, he collapsed on the keyboards and died.

[suzettegm]

Awesome