DISC NUMBER 1 DISC NUMBER 2 Mass of the Catechumens 9. Colle" 1:13 Mass of the Faithful 12. Improvisation: Dialogue 2:03 Edward Schaefer, soloist Nasard et Bourdon Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth 1. Bells of Saint-Sulpice 4:30 10. Epistle (1 Corinthians: 5. 7-8) 1. Salutation & Offertory Verse 1:48 Charles Barbier, soloist 13. Confiteor 1:20 2. Le matin de Pâques 4:17 Terra tremuit (Ps. 75. 9, 10) Edward Schaefer, soloist Hervé Lamy, soloist Improvisation on Vidi Aquam 11. Graduel: Hæc Dies (Ps. 117. 24, 1) 2:51 Chœur Grégorien de Paris, and Resurrexi (Introit) Chœur Grégorien de Paris, 14. Free Improvisation 1:12 Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth dir. Thibaut Marlin dir. Thibaut Marlin Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth Orgue de Chœur, Eric Lebrun 12. Improvisation based on Hæc Dies 1:00 2. Improvisation based on 3:48 15. Communion Verse (I Cor. 5. 7,8) 1:57 3. Vidi Aquam 3:45 Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth Terra tremuit Chœur Grégorien de Paris, Chœur Grégorien de Paris, Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth dir. Thibaut Marlin JACOBUS GALLUS (1550-1591) dir. Thibaut Marlin 16. Communion Improvisation 2:50 13. Alleluia: Alleluia, in resurre!ione 1:51 GIOVANNI GABRIELI (1555-1612) based on 4. Dialogue 1:31 tua Christe 3. Jubilate Deo 5:22 Pascha Nostrum Edward Schaefer, soloist Chœur d’Oratorio de Paris, Chœur d’Oratorio de Paris, (Communion Verse) Chœur Grégorien de Paris, dir. Jean Sourisse dir. Jean Sourisse Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth dir Thibaut Marlin LOUIS VIERNE 14. Sequence: Vi!imae Paschali 3:52 4. Salutation and Preface 3:09 17. Tantum Ergo, Op. 2 2:45 5. Improvisation based on Resurrexi 2:13 Chœur d’Oratorio de Paris, Edward Schaefer, soloist Chœur d’Oratorio de Paris, Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth dir. Jean Sourisse Chœur Grégorien de Paris, dir. Thibaut Marlin dir. Jean Sourisse 6. Introit, Resurrexi (Ps. 138, 18, 5, 6) 4:06 Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth 18. Postcommunion 1:04 Chœur Grégorien de Paris, 15. Gospel (Saint Mark: 15. 1-7) 2:36 5. San"us from Messe Solennelle 2:18 Edward Schaefer, soloist dir. Thibaut Marlin Hervé Lamy, soloist 6. Free Improvisation during 3:04 Chœur Grégorien de Paris, the Canon LOUIS VIERNE (1870-1937) 16. Free Improvisation :38 dir. Thibaut Marlin Messe solenelle, Op.16 Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth 19. Dismissal and Blessing 1:03 Chœur d’Oratorio de Paris, 7. Benedi"us 3:36 17. Credo 4:32 from Messe Solennelle Edward Schaefer, Hervé Lamy, soloists dir. Jean Sourisse Edward Shaefer, soloist 8. Improvisation: Récit de Cornet 1:54 Chœur Grégorien de Paris, Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth Hervé Lamy, soloist Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth dir. Thibaut Marlin Orgue de Chœur, Eric Lebrun Chœur Grégorien de Paris, 9. Dialogue and Pater Noster 1:34 20. Improvisation based on 1:57 7. Kyrie 5:28 dir. Thibaut Marlin from Messe Solennelle Edward Schaefer, soloist Gloria Patri, Psalm Tone V 8. Gloria from Messe Solennelle 7:05 Chœur Grégorien de Paris, Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth dir. Thibaut Marlin 21. Postlude Improvisation 7:23 Cover of Packaging: View down the Nave of Saint-Sulpice taken around 1900. 10. Improvisation: Chœur de :48 Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth Portrait of Louis Vierne from his 20s. voix humaines Orgue de Chœur, Eric Lebrun Cover of Booklet: Photograph of Louis Vierne sitting at his desk, taken in his early 20s. Grand Orgue, Daniel Roth 11. Agnus Dei from Messe Solennelle 4:58 2 3 work appeared, the Verset fugué sur “In exitu Israël.” In addition to this intensive training, Vierne continued private lessons with Widor until 1907. Vierne wrote: “These lessons continued even after I left the Con- Louis Vierne servatoire during which time I received coaching in composition and instrumentation and perfe!ed my writing and improvisation technique. Until 1907 I did not write one page without showing it to the Messe Solennelle maître.” The 1890s saw Vierne’s promising career as organ- Op. 16 by Mark Dwyer ist, teacher and composer unfold before him. The summer of 1899 found Vierne in Cayeux-sur-Mer with his new Louis Vierne standing wife, the beautiful 19-year-old Arlette Taskin. It was then at the console in The Messe solennelle, Op. 16 by Louis Vierne (1870–1937) rests squarely on the grand and there that he began work on his Messe solennelle, the Cathedral of tradition of the Church of Saint-Sulpice, Paris. It is often asserted that the work was writ- completed in 1900 and dedicated to Théodore Dubois (1837– Notre-Dame in Paris ten “with the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in mind” or even erroneously “in celebration of 1924). In February of 1900, Vierne began to substitute at Vierne’s new position at Notre-Dame.” It is more likely that it was influenced by the Notre-Dame and in May was appointed organiste titulaire. Widor encouraged Vierne to Messe à deux chœurs et deux orgues, Op. 36 written by Charles-Marie Widor (1844–1937) compete for this important position and had supported Vierne in competitions for several as well as Vierne’s eight years experience as Widor’s assistant at Saint-Sulpice. other important posts in the city of Paris; Vierne had been a competitor at the churches What organist-composer could possibly resist the opportunity to make composed music of Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Sainte-Clotilde. Vierne himself was relu"ant to apply for using all of the forces available at Saint-Sulpice together and in alternation: west-end organ, Notre-Dame. In his own words: east-end organ, four-part choir of boys and men and a unison choir of seminarian barytons? Saint-Sulpice organist Charles-Marie Widor wrote his mass for just these forces shortly “I confess at first I was unenthusiastic. I had been playing the organ at before assuming command of the organ class at the Paris Conservatory on December 11, Saint-Sulpice for eight years, had become attached to it, and was proud of 1890. And it was at this class that Widor first met the 20-year-old Louis Vierne, who was being the deputy of a man I admired and loved.” to become his new protégé. In 1901, the following year, Vierne’s Messe solennelle premiered at Saint-Sulpice on To the organ class at the Conservatoire Widor introduced the revolutionary play- Sunday, December 8. Widor played the grand orgue, Vierne returned from his new post ing technique of his Belgian virtuoso-teacher Nicolas-Jacques Lemmens (1823–1881); Louis at Notre-Dame to play the orgue-de-chœur. It is the work of a devoted disciple, composed Vierne became a dedicated pupil of Widor and advanced rapidly. In the fall of 1891, Widor during Vierne’s years of private composition study with Widor. The mood is serious but asked Vierne to teach technique and plainsong improvisation to the auditors of the class. In brimming with youthful promise; the tortured chromaticism of the third organ symphony February of 1892, Widor appointed Vierne his suppléant or deputy at the grand orgue of lay twelve years in the future. Widor’s own mass in f-sharp minor seems very much a Saint-Sulpice. Vierne was awarded his Premier Prix in July of 1894 and Widor immediately model for Vierne’s mass in C-sharp minor. Vierne’s work is scored for the same forces as appointed him his teaching assistant as well. In the same year, Vierne’s first published Widor’s but without the provision of a unison part for the seminarians from the Grand 4 5 LITURGICAL PRACTICE & TRADITIONS LITURGICAL PRACTICE & TRADITIONS There are many fine presentations of the Vierne Mass available, but this recording is Of course there was only one form of Mass that Vierne knew, the standard Traditional the only one performed in Saint-Sulpice, the church in which Vierne played while the Mass celebrated between 1570 and 1962. In reconstru"ing this Traditional Mass, we tried work was being composed. But we wanted to take things one step further, and present this as much as possible to preserve distin"ive French historical pra"ices while acknowledging Mass as it would have been heard at the time: not as a concert piece, each movement sung that between 1899 and 1937, these pra"ices were quickly evolving and present in varying consecutively, but as one part of the larger, more complex musical fabric that is the High degrees within the Parisian parishes. For example, the slower-paced Gregorian chant ac- Mass. Thus, we have taken the Ordinary that Vierne set to music, and programmed a Mass companied by a contrabass would have been more readily heard in 1899 than in 1937, when as it could have been heard between the year of its composition and the year of Vierne’s the Solesmes reform had taken hold. Louis Niedermeyer’s ancient-music revival was also death (1899–1937). This means you will hear five different pieces of music that make up spreading; people were rediscovering Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, Giovanni Gabrieli and this Mass, interspersed with organ solos, improvisations, motets, Gregorian chant in all its Josquin Desprez while continuing to program “new” works by composers like Théodore forms (the Proper, blessings, the Canon), and even the bells that the altar boys would have Dubois, Léon Bœllmann and Philippe Bellenot. rung. It should be noted that on our disc, the Vi!imae Paschali is sung by women. This Due to the nature of a modern CD recording, we had to make some compromises in certainly would not have been done at the time—women did not sing in the choir.