Organ, vol. 3
Anthology of French Baroque music
The Découvertes collection is intended for students from the end of cycle 1 and cycle 2 of music schools and conservatoires, i.e. from the third to the eighth year of study. Each collection corresponds to one level and offers a wide panorama of the French baroque repertoire. The volumes contain between fifteen and twenty pieces selected by recognised professors, in modern editions. In addition to these musical pages, there are a few illustrations (iconography of the period) and critical notes to raise awareness of the history of the instrument and the quality of the musical text.
The three volumes constitute a precious reservoir of pieces from which teachers will be able to draw material for their teaching and thanks to which students will discover French baroque repertoire and encounter the composers of the Sun King and the Age of Enlightenment.
The third volume of this organ series is intended for high-level students (end of second cycle, 7-8 years of study) just before they are able to tackle the entire French baroque repertoire. It contains difficult pieces that present the stylistic and musical notions characteristic of this entire period. The selection comprises 16 works by the composers Pierre Dumage, Nicolas de Grigny, Jean-François Dandrieu, Michel Corrette, Louis Marchand, Guillaume-Gabriel Nivers, Nicolas Clérambault, Jean-Adam Guilain and Claude Balbastre.
French organists were known throughout Europe for the precision of the notation of their art and the way in which they could describe the playing style, which was called "cleanliness" of playing. Thus, French music is well documented on questions of registration, ornamentation and touch, elements that are often missing in other European traditions. Each piece is thus written for a specific registration and a particular instrumental timbre.