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Marcel Dupre 1886-1971

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Marcel Dupre 1886-1971 THE DIA'PASON AN INTERNATIONAL MONTl1Ll' DEVOTED TO TIlE ORGAN AND THE INTERESTS OF ORGANISTS Slxl)"~UOll d )'l'ar, NO. 8 - "'" ole No. 740 JULY, 1971 SubJcri/Jtions $4 .nO a ),eRr - 40 Uti I! n cupy Marcel Dupre 1886-1971 Marcel Dupre tlil'd nn :\13\" 31 at :\Icudon. hanng rt,':lChctl the age uf M on ~f:lr 3. Hi!; d a ll~hlcr ~1;lrKn c l · itc (Mme. Emmanuel T oilet) prcccdcd him in death in 1963. ~lrnl'. Dupre anti .I.tee gr:1lllkhihircn suni\l'. Equally bmw as a "irlumo. a com · poser anel (cadlcr. Ill1prc W;15 the third J;clIcration 01 a Rnuen family o ~ n1tlsi · dans. His paternal grandf.lll1er, l\im;:Jh) c Dupre, was a friend uf C;l\'aiJIc·Coll :md organist at St.Madnu in Rout'n (rom !fHR· IRR;• • I-lis lIlah.'rnal grmnl­ ralher, Eticnne Cha""iere. W'IS (huh-· ma!ilcr ;at St. Patrice (or ~ W:lrs, W:IS a bass siuger, and was cspcc;alh' kuU\,'u (or his training of hon,' choirs. nllpn!·s father, Alhert Dupre; wa!ii organist :11 St, Ouen fur 111:111)' years. He WOIS OIn uUI~landing student and c1o~ friencl "f Alcxandre Cuilmant. Marcel Dupre's girti'l Wl"rc ll_'co~nilecl earh.. His falher aClh'ch' fostered the de\"clopml.'1l1 of lh~ gifis anti in IK!I'; had a two-manual. II -stllp organ huill hr Ca\'aille·Cnll in their hOIlH,', ,\lreacly in 1894 Dupre had played fur Guihnant. and fuur \'I.,'ars later he ht.'camc Guil­ mant's pupil. In 100;, Oil the age u£ 21. Dupre was awanll'C' firsl prill.' after a £n1ll1)('liliulI among the Guilmant c1as.~ 01' the I'aris CCUlscn':lIon·. In 1909 he WOII the £irsl prile rur fugue in Ihe Dupre at St_ Sulpice in a photo tahn last year, (Courtesy, Manhall G. Miles III. Chicago,) dass o£ \\' illor. He had, in Cact. heen \Vidor's as­ sistant at St. Sulpice since 1906, Fmtn A Tribute 1916 until 1922 Dupre al~o took the pmt of organist at Notte Dame Iu.... Tile JalloU' i"g ;5 a rep r;", uJ " tribute causc o£ the ilIne~~ or Vieme, In 19:1"1 to Marcel DUJm! "plm his 8UII, t.irll,dIlY Dupre succeeded Widur :11 St. SlIlpice. from the Mtl)', 19CKi ;llue hI TII£ DIA ­ In 1926 Dupre succeecled Gigoul a~ PASON wr;Ue" II)' hi5 pupil m,d lrieud, )lroreSSOr of Organ OIt the Cnnscnatury. Clare"ce WI,tter5, .\'ot Wi5hi"g lu r./uwgt: Dupre became Director of the Con­ it, Mr, ll',JttU5 iuu added 1m t'pilogut! M!rnlory in HI:;.I, stlcn'ecling Claude to his or;gi,wl trib,lle. lle}"incourl. The American debut or M:u"cel Du, Dupre uas all imetel';lIe recilalist pr6 took place in Ihe Wanamaker -\cconlillg lei ~lIl1c . Dupre, his 2,{)()(lth store in New York in 1921 hdorc an in· recil<ll Hc:cmecl un J:III. 193R. <It :n, \'iled audience comprising a. host Ihe L)on, (olllllleIllOl'alillg till..' 20th anni­ or most illustrious pcrfonnen. COllriuclon '"ersar,- or \\'idor'§ dl... .uh . II wa§ by no antI composers Tl'Sident ill lhe nitl'1l IIIt'aIlS his IdSI recit;,l, A fl'C ital pla}l.'tl States. The full impact of Ihal concert ;,l ahe age of R2, hefore all audience uf was not felt (or Ulall)' days, such wa..'i " ,000 pt.'tlple, \\'3§ rcpt'f"led In WiIli31U Self in Tllr IlIAl'ASOS , )1 ;1\, 19ftS. the stunned unl)('licf uf the a udiencc. Imperious rhythm, scllsational 1t.'Chniquc " }' coincidence, last 1II0111h 's is.'liue at mannals and pt.odals, and illcr(.'dihlc canlCd Rollin Smith'l; OI«(Unllt uf Du­ powen of impronsatioll unhalanced the pre's illtnKillctiul1 In lJ. "i . amlil'nct.'!'i III emotional control of the must l'xperi­ 1!l'21. He was h'Ccluently hl'.ml in this cnced and mature IIIlIsic:alls, (Ounln' in Ihe 1920'§ ami ':10\ .md "flt.'r In the weeks lhat folluwecl many of Wurhl Wilr II. H is I<lst al'llt.'arancc wa'i The Wanamaker cansal., New Yar •• circa 1921 , It was here that Dupr. made his in October, 19lil , in a Sl'ril'S of rt.'citals lhe great of the musical world were Ie) at the Cenlr:ll MethOflbl Chnnh, De· debut in the U,S. be found in the \\fanamal.cr auditorium truit. for the series of Dupre concerlS Ihat nupre's organ rc.'rfurmalu'e was, In­ were part of the inauguration of the his uwn accuunt, flTIIlly reHlted in pi:mi, Wanamaker organ. techniqut." ~Iargul' r ile Dupre was also A year later, after an I\merican ICHlr :1 finc pianist, :lIId f.uher ;lIul dallghlcl' of 94 recitals, the millie (If nupr': he· Inured wgether r. 'e(llIenll ~ in the HI:!!!"s. came a magic name 10 org;,nisls e\ l'ry­ including in tlwir programs composi­ where iu the countl')'. A lIe\\' ,'inuusu tions fur mgan and planu. had come 10 take his place wilh Casals Hul it was I)lIpl'C! 'S ahilit)" a§ an jm­ and Heintz and 1I;)chatls. pm\'isul'. e\'l'n mure limn his illler­ '\5 an organ ,irttlmo Dupre ha§ had "rel:uion or Ihe lill'T:lture. which no rh'als in his lime:"; SUIIIC hol'·C sa id ama1l'11 OIUel ill i'l pil'l'tl auclit.'l1cl"s ancl fd­ Ihat onl)' Ihe great nach mi~ht ha\c Inw IIIlIsicians <l1iL:e. The rools of the been his equal, Tn Ihusc whu £ulluwl'tl ahility la~· in a rigoTOusly IIIt.'lhuclial this man for the 3U )"eaTS he was aClh e sltul}" o£ challl , CUUnlcrlHunl. harlllulIY aJ a virtuoso (olklwing his American :nul (01111 . dcbut his facility brought onl)' despair, _"\IIIOll~ llulITc's 11I;)jm' (01111:t05itium The organ technique (I( Uuprc is :Ire piccl"; (UI' l,iOllIO. 1,i;1I111 :1IIt! \'iolill, finul)' based upon modem I:rellch piallu (lianu al~d (J1'chestra. C lUl'U'li, and urgan, lechniqur . ,\s a ooy less th:11I a thml or In paH1clllar. Ihe -[//1'(.'1' I'rt'/mlt'J k his practice hours were ghen 10 the rugllt'"f rur nrg-.lI1 . Op. 7 (HI21) m,nkl'c! organ, for as he said, " , , , lhe skill uf a Ic\'cI (I( stylistic de"t.'lopment and the organist depends upnn his skill ;IS prdnrm:lIIcc b cilil Y h:mlh· challenged a pianist." E\·en the great pedal lech­ c\'t.'n t()(la ~", nique that was so admired when Ilupre Fur a IHlmbl'r of )1';lrS T I-II' DI.\I'\sns was here in this countl')" is der"'ccl ~uggl'!'itt.'c1 In the "'n;lI'~ Ihat he set from principles of piano lechniljue. One dnwn in writing some personal expres· of Dupre's piano teadlel's hlaTUl'd him sion tlf hi~ long and brilliant GlTl.'e r. in his youlh of " . , . depri\·ing Ihe worlel Th~ rcpl)", indicalh'e of his intensel), of its finest pianisl" by cleclicaling him. aCln'c nalure, W3S always thc sallie: Dupre and Marguerite Dupre in the concert lalan adjacent to the villa at Meudon. circa self 10 the organ, "Still 100 busr for memoirs." 1937, The Gullmanl organ was installed here in 1927, (continued on page 2) Almost as fascinating as Dupr~'s kef­ step' to the lIIost imporlant organ gal. bond facility W~ his gr~al skill in ron­ lery in the world, indeed, the M«ca, "mIIK rh)linn Imllaliflll trolling the m:my mechanical move­ the Pam3.S5us of the world of organists. menu of the Arneru:a" console. ]n a few To tJle world at large the passing of minutes he appeared to be in (ull com­ Marcel Dupn! brings (0 an end the HEINRICH SCHUETZ m:md of a new console of moderate size. work of the great genius of Ihe organ With amazing muscular memory he since I iSO. To those who were his pu. The new STUTTGART COMPLETE EDITION nc\'cr failed to find instantly the exact pils. his intimatcs, it brings a "oid lootion of a stop, a piston, a pedal that in their lifetime can IIcn:r be VOLUME FOUR AVAILABLE: AUGUST 1971 stud. Often it seemed lhal he must ha"c filled. To the younger gcneralion it ti.lincd himsc)( to playas :I. blind m:m, should marl.; the beginning of a period C01llCtlls of the 36 " ollll11es: (or he seldom bothered to look (or a of re'evaluation of the grcalest luminary VolulIIC pedal stud hidden (rom sight by the of the org:tn since Bach: Ihe whole ra· SACRED WORKS: choir keyhoard. The console at lhe tionale of his ,..-ork, in composition, im­ Phil:uJclphia 'Vanamakcr Siore, the old provisation, performance, and pedagogy. I Christ 1Il;IS Oratorio (3 versions) consoles at St. Bartholomew's and , Vcst for all of us bercaled by the loss 2 P;lssions: 51. j\I:.ltlhew, St. Luke, St. John (2 vcrs ions) Poinl brought disaster to m.lOy a re­ of a great musician, teacher, friend, ~ ResurreClion Or;Ilol'io (1""'5 I. 2. 3) citalist; Dupre easily and quickly over· nothing could be more filling than a ·1 German Requiem (;\Iusik:llischc Exeqllicn) came the terrors these monster or paraphrase of the words of Chabrler at 5·8 The Psalms of David (Psalms .1-1. II(). 12i. 150) (1619) consoles. the grave of Cesar I.'ranck: "Farewell, What can one say about Marcel Du­ master.
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