Soubasse
New member
I've made no secret of the fact that I'm a huge afficianado of Jehan Alain's music (and life), and in quite the Jungian turn of synchronicity this week, it's been an interesting lead up to the 70th anniversary of Alain's untimely death (June 20, 1940).
Firstly, there was the posting I made in the "your local organ sounds like" thread wherin I found one of my best performances of Alain's Litanies, then there were my comments in other thread I started in regard to registration woes.
So yesterday, I played at my other church and after warming them up during communion with Alain's Dorian Choral and my own arrangement for organ of his Vocalise, it was off again with Litanies for the postlude (mainly because it's the only piece that I can play from memory!) played on their otherwise modest but very capable two-manual instrument. It was far from my best performance, but the response was highly encouraging, nothing but positive comments (that I heard anyway!). One of the best was from the oldest member of the crowd who enthusiastically shook my hand and said "It's been so long since I've heard that, thank you so much, that was fantastic!" And from those who'd never heard it before, there was still a "wow" factor from them which was even more encouraging.
It was nostalgically cyclic for me since I was playing at the church where I had my first organ lessons so many long years ago. It was that teacher who sat me down in front of a recording of Marie-Claire playing her brother's most famous piece which subsequently blew me away. I've just mentioned in the other thread about my conversation with Mme Alain, and I always recall her saying at that time, that there is "something magical about Litanies"
Regardless of anyone else's opinion (to which they are of course entitled ) I for one, am so glad that Alain's magic is still working, even on the unitiated! It's at times like these that I - perhaps a little wistfully - recall Jehan's own comment:
"When I am dead, will anyone remember me? Will I have managed to do a little good around me? It's good to imagine eternal mercy"
Matt
Firstly, there was the posting I made in the "your local organ sounds like" thread wherin I found one of my best performances of Alain's Litanies, then there were my comments in other thread I started in regard to registration woes.
So yesterday, I played at my other church and after warming them up during communion with Alain's Dorian Choral and my own arrangement for organ of his Vocalise, it was off again with Litanies for the postlude (mainly because it's the only piece that I can play from memory!) played on their otherwise modest but very capable two-manual instrument. It was far from my best performance, but the response was highly encouraging, nothing but positive comments (that I heard anyway!). One of the best was from the oldest member of the crowd who enthusiastically shook my hand and said "It's been so long since I've heard that, thank you so much, that was fantastic!" And from those who'd never heard it before, there was still a "wow" factor from them which was even more encouraging.
It was nostalgically cyclic for me since I was playing at the church where I had my first organ lessons so many long years ago. It was that teacher who sat me down in front of a recording of Marie-Claire playing her brother's most famous piece which subsequently blew me away. I've just mentioned in the other thread about my conversation with Mme Alain, and I always recall her saying at that time, that there is "something magical about Litanies"
Regardless of anyone else's opinion (to which they are of course entitled ) I for one, am so glad that Alain's magic is still working, even on the unitiated! It's at times like these that I - perhaps a little wistfully - recall Jehan's own comment:
"When I am dead, will anyone remember me? Will I have managed to do a little good around me? It's good to imagine eternal mercy"
Matt