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Here we go again with another busy, exultant sortie from the late Yves Devernay at the console of Notre Dame, sometime in the late 1980s. It should be noted that by this time, the instrumnet has lost virtually all of its registrational aids, apart from the General Cancel and the crescendo pedal. Msr Devernay had one or two registrants helping him out, a basic plan of the improvisation would be given to the assistants, and off he would go. This will be the last Devernay improvisation for a while, all my CDs are in storage until later next month when I'll put up some more, I just happened to have a few tracks on my laptop. Thankfully before he passed away, he did record an excellent CD on the Mitra label (its still in print) and I'll put up a few examples, including his wildly colourful and virtuosic reading of Dupré's Variations sur un vieux Noel.I should apologise for the sound quality of this track, the organ is so loud, its difficult to get the best quality whilst trying to keep the file small!

Author: JFSnail
Keywords: Notre Dame Paris Pipe Organ Yves Devernay Improvisation Alleluia
Added: July 6, 2008

Yves Devernay (1937-1990) studied the organ with Marie-Claire Alain and Rolande Falcinelli, and was awarded Premier Prix at Lyon and Chartres improvisation competitions. He was organist of St Christophe in Tourcoing from 1967 until he became one of four organists to inherit Cochereau's post as titulaire of Notre Dame in 1985. He died suddenly in 1990.This improvisation comes from a CD of various litugical improvations at Notre Dame on the Studio SM label. He was well liked and respected on the Parisian organ scene. His ability to extemporise in a variety of styles using the full tonal palette of this instrument was appreciated and revered by his contemporaries. Daniel Roth, Jean Guillou & Jehan Revert (musical director In ND for many years) wrote glowing tributes to him.He called himself the 'semi-quaver man', and listening to this you can see why! In this track, he plays with much of the same spirit as Cochereau, building tension and excitement, then finally unleashing full organ and chamades :-) I shall post a few more examples soon.

Author: JFSnail
Keywords: Yves Devernay Pipe Organ Notre Dame Improvisation Regina Caeli
Added: July 5, 2008

Marcel Dupré plays his own Carillon from Sept Pieces (Opus 27) in St Sulpice, Paris. This stereo recording from the Mercury label was made in 1959, the transfer was made from mint condition LPs (not master tapes) to CD by those clever people at Haydn House. The transfers from the LP are nothing short of remarkable, considering the master tapes are either lost or unavailable. I will put up the Final from Sept Piéces and a Prelude and Fugue Op36 from the same CD another time.In due course I will put up some relatively unknown recordings by Yves Devernay, Thierry Esciach, Leonce de St Martin, Pierre Cochereau, Xaver Varnus, Pierre Pincemaille and Jean Guillou amongst others.

Author: JFSnail
Keywords: St Sulpice Organ Marcel Dupre Carillon
Added: July 4, 2008