He resigned??? Retired??? He was about 26 when he started, and +63 years comes to right at 90.
You're right: retired is probably more appropriate. :cheers:
Supposedly, the story is that several 'bigwigs' recommended him at that tender age, so he was hired, if that's the word, for a year. Hah!! Apparently after the year was up the organ was still sounding, so they left well enough alone. He must have outlasted several priests.
Indeed, the story of Widor's appointment, as told by himself in 1934 after his retirement, goes as follows: when Lefébure-Wély died in 1869, it was essentially Cavaillé-Coll who used his influence to secure the position at St-Sulpice for his young
protégé Widor. This caused an upcry in some circles, complaining about such a young man being appointed to such a prestigious position (to which the great César Franck himself had applied). The clergy of St-Sulpice tried to be diplomatic and decided to appoint Widor on a temporary basis, for one year, starting in January 1870. But then, the Franco-Prussian war broke out, and people had other things on their minds then the status of Widor's appointment. In January 1871, when Widor paid a visit to the clergy to wish them a happy new year, they didn't mention the matter, so Widor thought it wise not to mention it either. And the old man to conclude that he had been on a temporary appointment for... 64 years! :lol:
It's said that he thought too many other organists played the famous Toccata too fast.
Actually, his views on speed actually changed over time: the 1887 edition is marked crotchet=118, but he reduced that to crotchet=100 in later editions.
But it is true that he often complained about it: steam and electricty have changed the world, all goes faster today. He also cited great musicians he knew in his youth, such as Liszt, who according to him
did not play fast(!).
I wonder if he ever had the chance to play an electric-action instrument.
Most certainly yes: already in the 1890s, electrical actions were not unheard of in France (for example, the 1891 Merklin organ in Valenciennes still exists today, with its original electrical action). Moreover, Widor is on record stating that mechanical action with Barker levers remained the best action despite the developments allowed by electricity.
There is a guy at a small (Christian Science) college in the midwest, John Near, who has really delved into studying Widor's music, its various publications, and Widor's own changes that he made over time. As always, such an endeavor is likely to produce results, such as some "authentic" version, that will be as controversial as accurate.
Indeed: John Near has written a Ph.D. thesis on Widor in 1985, and he has subsequently published a new
critical edition of all ten organ symphonies for A-R editions. I've used his edition to work on the
Symphonie Romane, and highly recommend it! :up: