Raven OAR-168
Stephen Price, organ teaching professor at Ball State University,
Muncie, Indiana, plays the 63-rank concert hall organ built there by
Goulding & Wood. This first CD of the organ features composers and
an organist who worked and studied in France.
Pierre DuMage1674-1751: Suite du premier ton (1708)
Jehan Alain 1911-1940: Suite pour orgue (1934-36)
Ned Rorem 1923- : Views from the Oldest House (1981)
Notes from Stephen Price
I
have chosen music to demonstrate the tonal palette of the Goulding
& Wood organ, Op. 45, in Sursa Hall at Ball State University. Having
served on the faculty beginning in 2018, it has been a joy exploring
the instrument. I constantly discover the variety of tonal colors
available, ranging from the French Classical, French Romantic, as well
as Germanic characteristics, to 20th-century schools of organ playing.
The theme, Paris Impact Organ Suites, centers around works by Pierre
DuMage, Jehan Alain, and Ned Rorem, all of whom studied composition in
Paris. The pieces featured represent the impact of their formal
education on their compositional output.
Pierre DuMage
(1674-1751) is a composer of the French classical organ school (French
Baroque period) who studied in Paris with Louis Marchand, organist at
the Chapelle Royale of Versailles. DuMage also was associated with a
prominent composer, Nicolas Lebègue (teacher of Nicholas De Gringy), who
helped him secure a position at Saint-Quentin collegiate church in
Aisne, northwest of Paris. His studies with Marchand, who is known for
composing five livres d’orgue (organ books), influenced DuMage’s Suite
du premier ton (1708), dedicated to the chapter of Saint Quentin, and
pays homage to Marchand in the preface.1 The Suite is not
based on chant correlating to a liturgical function, as was common in
this period’s organ works. Still, the individual titles adhere to the
period’s performance practice related to the registration appropriate
for each movement. According to Crivellaro, “The organ at Saint-Quentin
was rebuilt by Robert Clicquot between 1695 and 1703 under the
supervision of Lebègue, Nivers, and François Couperin.”2 A
second suite was dedicated to the post DuMage accepted at Laon Cathedral
in 1712 (south of Saint-Quentin), but the work has never been found.
Jehan Alain
(1911-1940) is a composer of the twentieth-century French organ school
who came from a musical family. His father, Albert Alain, was an
organist and composer; his brother, Olivier Alain, was a pianist and
composer; and his sister, Marie-Claire Alain, was a legendary
concert organist and teacher who recorded all of her brother’s organ
works and the complete organ works of J. S. Bach (three times). Jehan
Alain studied organ with Marcel Dupré, composition with Paul Dukas and
Roger-Ducasse, and fugue with Georges Caussade. Other influences
include Debussy, Messiaen, and music traditions from the far east.
According to a compilation of Critical Notes by Marie-Claire Alain, the Suite pour orgue (1934-36) won a prize in the composition competition sponsored by Amis de l’orgue in Paris.3 Albert Alain was involved in editorial adjustments between editions of the work. The Introduction et Variations (JA 69) and Chorale (JA 82) conceived for the organ can stand alone as individual pieces. According to Marie-Claire Alain, “the Scherzo (JA 70) was first composed for string ensemble and later adapted for the organ.“4
Ned Rorem
(b. 1923) was born in Richmond, Indiana, and represents the
twentieth-century American school. Rorem studied with Margaret Bonds,
the African-American female pianist and composer, in addition to Leo
Sowerby, Bernard Wagenaar, Virgil Thomson, and Aaron Copeland. Shortly
after WWII, Rorem received a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Paris,
where he encountered numerous composers who left a lasting impact on
him. The suite Views from the Oldest House (1981) is based on the
picturesque scenery of Nantucket island off the Massachusetts coast, one
of several places of residence for Rorem. The dissertation on Rorem’s
organ music by John David Marsh states, “Views from the Oldest House
falls into this depictive category of program music and titles that
inspired Rorem to compose.”5
“Sunrise on Sunset
Hill“ describes morning on the hill where the oldest house has existed
since its construction in 1686 as the home of Jethro Coffin. “Elms”
references the trees that surround the house. “The Nest in Old North
Church” represents a bird’s nest in a church seen from the house.
“Spires” represents the church spire viewed in the distance. “Rain Over
the Quaker Graveyard” represents rain falling over a burial site next
to the house. The final movement, “Sunday Night,” particularly shows the
impact of Rorem’s Parisian adventures with its opening chords
resembling the organ work Dieu parmi nous by Messiaen. The final
movement, composed in the passacaglia form with a jazzy bassline, can
be interpreted as a romping barn dance. Rorem chose the title in
contrast to his orchestral work Sunday Morning composed in 1977.
The early recordings of Views from the Oldest House
played by John Obetz and Catherine Crozier remain a great source of
inspiration for this project. Commissioned for the 1982 AGO National
Convention in Washington, DC, the work was premiered on July 1 by John
Obetz playing the 1969 Rieger organ at All Souls Unitarian Church.
Michael Barone recorded that performance and first broadcast it in 1984
on his Pipedreams radio program (available online in 2021 via a
1986 program no. 8602). Catherine Crozier recorded the work for the
Delos label, released as DE3076 in January, 1989, playing the 1986
Marcussen organ at Witchita State University.
1 Crivellaro, Paolo. Organ & Interpretation: the French École Classique, Blockwerk Editiones, 2020, p. 329.
2 Crivellaro, p. 330.
3Alain, Marie-Claire, Norma Stevlingson (translation). Critical Notes on the Organ Works of Jehan Alain, Leduc, 2003, pp. 26–39.
4Alain, pp. 26-39.
5
Marsh, John David. The organ works of Ned Rorem, 2002 Dissertation,
Rice University, pp. 34-40. Rice Digital Scholarship Archive,
3047339.PDF
Stephen Price
teaches organ, church music, and music theory at Ball State University,
Muncie, Indiana, and is Director of Music at Holy Trinity Lutheran
Church in Newcastle, Indiana. A native of Buffalo, New York, he began
organ studies in high school and was appointed organ scholar at St.
Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Buffalo, during his senior year. He attended
Western Connecticut State University, receiving a Bachelor of Music
degree in Organ Performance. Subsequently, a Fulbright grant enabled
study in Toulouse, France. At the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana
University, he received the Master of Music and Doctor of Music degrees
under the tutelage of Dr. Janette Fishell. Teachers and mentors include
Marguerite Robinson, Andrew Scanlon, Stephen Roberts, Vince Edwards,
Michel Bouvard, Jan Willem Jansen, Bruce Neswick, Elisabeth Wright, and
Dr. Wilma Jensen.
During his graduate studies, Dr. Price received
awards in several international competitions, including the Franz
Schmidt Organ Competition, the André Marchal Organ Competition, and the
Canadian International Organ Competition.
Dr. Price is
coordinator for the Sursa American Organ Competition, maintains an
active membership in the Indianapolis Chapter of the American Guild of
Organists and has served as its Dean and in other administrative roles,
and serves on the Organ Historical Society’s Membership Committee. He is
represented by Seven Eight Artists.
The Sursa Family Concert Pipe Organ
The
Sursa Family Concert Pipe Organ is a 50-stop organ with 63 ranks of
pipes and a three-manual console in amphitheatre terraces as built in
2006 by Goulding & Wood of Indianapolis. The low profile of the
movable console maintains an organist’s sight lines with a conductor and
other musicians, facilitating performance with ensembles, orchestras,
and choirs.
The organ is located in the
600-seat Sursa Performance Hall, named in honor of benefactors David and
Mary Jane Sursa. Sursa Hall is the cornerstone of Ball State
University’s Music Instruction Building and serves the community as a
concert, rehearsal, and recording hall. It includes a recording control
room on the building’s second floor and a recording booth at the back of
the hall. Musicians record concerts digitally, broadcast live to
Indiana Public Radio, record for delayed broadcast to television, and
broadcast live to the Internet.
Goulding & Wood Organ, Op. 45, 2006
Ball State University Sursa Performance Hall, Muncie, IndianaGREAT 16’ Bourdon
8’ Principal
8’ Gambe
8’ Flûte harmonique
8’ Bourdon (ext. 16)
4’ Octave
4’ Flûte conique
2-2/3’ Twelfth
2’ Fifteenth
1-3/5’ Seventeenth
1-1/3’ Fourniture IV
16’ Bombarde
8’ Trumpet
4’ Clairon
8’ Tuba Magna (floating)
Tremulant
Gt Reeds Off Gt
Gt 16 8 4
Sw to Gt 16 8 4
Pos to Gt 16 8 4
POSITIF 16’ Quintaton
8’ Flûte à cheminée
8’ Gemshorn
8’ Unda maris
4’ Prestant
4’ Flûte à fuseau
2-2/3’ Nazard
2’ Doublette
2’ Flûte à bec
1-3/5’ Tierce
1-1/3’ Larigot
2/3’ Cymbale IV
8’ Cromorne
8’ Tuba Magna (floating)
Tremolo
Pos 16 8 4
Gt to Pos 8
Sw to Pos 16 8 4
Gt Reeds on Pos
SWELL 16’ Cor de nuit
8’ Diapason
8’ Cor de nuit (ext. 16’)
8’ Viole de Gambe
8’ Voix céleste
4’ Prestant
4’ Flûte traversiére
2’ Doublette
2’ Piccolo
2-2/3’ Sesquialtera II
2’ Plein Jeu III—IV
16’ Basson—Hautbois
8’ Trompette
8’ Hautbois (ext. 16’)
8’ Voix humaine
4’ Clairon
8’ Tuba Magna (floating)
Tremulant
Sw 16 8 4
Pos to Sw 8
Gt Reeds on Sw
PEDAL 32’ Contre Bourdon (ext. Soubasse)
16’ Principal
16’ Soubasse
16’ Bourdon (Gt.)
16’ Cor de nuit (Sw.)
8’ Octave
8’ Flûte bouchée
8’ Bourdon (Gt.)
8’ Cor de nuit (Sw.)
4’ Choral Bass
4’ Cantus Flute
2-2/3’ Fourniture IV
16’ Bombarde
16’ Basson (Sw.)
8’ Trompette
8’ Basson (Sw.)
4’ Clairon
8’ Tuba Magna (floating)
Tremolo
Gt to Ped 8 4
Sw to Ped 8 4
Pos to Ped 8 4
Gt Reeds on Ped