Marcel Dupré: Tantum ergo, Op. 9, No. 3
In his four Latin motets (Op. 9) composed in 1916, Dupré experimented with different instruments. He wrote the first piece of this cycle (O salutaris hostia) for mixed choir and organ; the second piece (Ave Maria) for solo voice and organ; and Tantum ergo and the last movement of the cycle (Laudate) for mixed choir and two organs. In the two-organ movements, the smaller organ accompanies the choir and plays a kind of continuo role while the large organ performs the function of instrumental preludes and interludes: When the singing stops, even if only for a few bars, the large organ comes to the fore, which creates an exciting and multi-layered dialogue between the choir and the instrument. The piece ‘Tantum ergo sacramentum’ was written to a text by St. Thomas Aquinas.
Frank Martin: Messe pour double choeur a cappella
“My mass for double choir”, wrote Swiss composer Frank Martin, “was written of my own free will, without commission or remuneration. I did not actually submit the piece to the Swiss Musicians’ Union to be performed at one of their annual events. In fact, I had no desire to have it performed as I was afraid it would be judged on a purely aesthetic level. As far as I was concerned, it was a matter between God and myself. I felt that religious fervour should remain private and not be influenced by public opinion.” The musical piece remained in the composer’s drawer for forty years and was not performed until as late as 1963. Written for double choir, yet composed in an incredibly personal and intimate tone, this mass composition is a real curiosity.
Daniel Roth: Quatre pièces pour le deux orgues – Communion
French organist, teacher, musicologist and composer François Daniel Roth (1942) was organist at Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris for nearly four decades. As a composer, Daniel Roth writes primarily for the organ, and has composed numerous solo pieces and works for two organs while most of his choral pieces (also) serve liturgical purposes. He premiered his ‘Four Pieces (Quatre pièces)’ for two organs at Saint-Sulpice Church in 2017 (with Pierre-François Dub-Attenti playing the choir organ). The individual movements of the composition fit into the order of service. The movements of the complete cycle are: Prélude (before the Kyrie), Offertoire (Offertory – Benedic anima mea domino), Communion (Communion) and Sortie (Dismissal).
Louis Vierne Messe Solennelle, Op. 16
I. Kyrie – Maestoso ma non troppo lento
II. Gloria
Et in terra pax hominibus – Risoluto
Domine Deus – Molto quasi doppio più lento
Quoniam tu solus sanctus – Tempo
III. Sanctus – Maestoso ma non troppo lento
IV. Benedictus – Poco più vivo
V. Agnus Dei – Andante
The piece ‘Messe Solennelle’ for choir and two organs was composed in 1899. According to Vierne’s plans, the setting to music, which does not include the text of the Credo, was originally intended for orchestra and choir. However, at the suggestion of organist at Saint-Sulpice Church in Paris and Vierne’s teacher Charles-Marie Widor, Vierne finally opted for an easier-to-perform version of the piece for two organs. ‘Messe Solennelle’ was first played on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception (8th December). Widor himself played the main organ while the choir organ was played by composer Vierne, who was organist at Paris’ Notre Dame at the time. The composition was performed again at Saint-Sulpice Church in 2009 as part of the Easter service with Daniel Roth playing one of the organs.