FITZENHAGEN: Resignation, for cello and harmonium Mustel1887 2024-03-14 | Wilhelm Fitzenhagen (1848-1890) was a German cellist, composer and teacher. In 1870, Franz Liszt invited Fitzenhagen to join the Weimar court orchestra, but the cellist had just accepted a professorship at the Moscow Conservatory. Fitzenhagen came to be regarded as the premier cello instructor in Russia, and was equally well known as a soloist and chamber music performer. He was solo cellist in the Russian Musical Society, and director of the Moscow Music and Orchestral Union. He formed a friendship with Tchaikovsky, giving the first performances of all three of that composer's string quartets, as well as the Piano Trio. This achingly beautiful Resignation--Geistliches Lied ohne Worte (a spiritual Song without Words) was published in 1872. Cellist Ingrid Bellman plays her Antonio Gagliano cello, made in Naples Italy in 1823, with a Eugene Sartory bow, made in Paris c. 1920. Michael Hendron plays his Mason & Hamlin chapel organ, made in Boston in 1915. Recorded in concert 10 March 2024, in the Mission Dolores Basilica, San Francisco, California.
van DURME: Supplication, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-12-17 | Oscar van Durme (1867-1925) was a Belgian organist and composer, part of a large and influential musical family. Oscar studied with Benoit, Mortelmans and Tinel, and was organist at the church of Notre Dame in Temse, Belgium. His albums for organ were "internationally distributed and frequently reprinted," and many of his sacred works were on the 'recommended' list of the Schola Cantorum. This Supplication in C minor is the third of van Durme’s “Trois Esquisses Funèbres,” made up of several short, contrasting sections. The music was published in 1914 in Vol. 6 of Joseph Joubert’s massive collection, “Les Maîtres Contemporains de l’Orgue” (now available at IMSLP). In that volume, Joubert describes van Durme as having published “une centaine” (about a hundred) works for organ and harmonium. Lacking registrations in the score, I chose to play this on the 16’ ranks, alternating between (2) alone and adding the (6) Voix Celeste; then adding the 8’ (4) rank for the cadences leading into the Grand Jeu final statement. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm of Paris, # 470, dated 1887. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 17 December 2022.
NOWOWIEJSKI: Procession, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-11-25 | Felix Nowowiejski (1877-1946) was a Polish composer, conductor, organist, and teacher. As a teenager, he joined the Prussian Regiment of Grenadiers, and became the sole support for his large family. Formal studies and prizes for his compositions ensued, and he was a successful and prolific composer. This “Einzug in den Dom” (Festive Procession to the Cathedral) was published in 1919, his Opus 8 No. 3, for organ or harmonium. Many thanks to my friend and fellow harmoniumiste Tomasz Walczak in Kepno, Poland for sharing this score with me. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm of Paris, # 470, dated 1887. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 25 November 2022.
Jerusalem the Golden 2022 Mustel1887 2022-11-25 | From the annual Requiem for All Souls at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco, here is the Offertory hymn "Jerusalem the Golden." I wrote the descant and orchestration for the final verse. Recorded 6 November 2022, with the cathedral's Choir of Men and Boys conducted by Gabriel Fanelli, Christopher Keady at the organ. (There's also a harp part...maybe we'll get that next year.)
van DURME: Lamento, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-11-21 | Oscar van Durme (1867-1925) was a Belgian organist and composer, part of a large and influential musical family. Oscar studied with Benoit, Mortelmans and Tinel, and was organist at the church of Notre Dame in Temse, Belgium. His albums for organ were "internationally distributed and frequently reprinted," and many of his sacred works were on the 'recommended' list of the Schola Cantorum. This lush Lamento in G minor is the second of van Durme’s “Trois Esquisses Funèbres,” published in 1914 in Vol. 6 of Joseph Joubert’s massive collection, “Les Maîtres Contemporains de l’Orgue” (now available at IMSLP). In that volume, Joubert describes van Durme as having published “une centaine” (about a hundred) works for organ and harmonium. Lacking registrations in the score, I chose to play this on the 8’ (1) and (4) ranks. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm of Paris, # 470, dated 1887. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 21 November 2022.
STEANE: Andante & March, played on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-11-15 | Bruce Steane (1866-1938) was born in London, a child prodigy who was playing the piano by age 3 and composing by age 7. At 8, he became a chorister at St. Augustine’s, Forest Hill, where he remained for nine years. He received instruction in organ and composition from his father and private tutors. He held several posts as organist/choirmaster, most notably at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, and was a well-known organ recitalist. In 1914, the French composer and publisher l’Abbé Joseph Joubert described Steane as “one of the most remarkable modern English musicians,” who at that time had published more than 350 works, including ten volumes of works for harmonium. These two pieces were published in 1909, in his “Ten Short Voluntaries for the American Organ or Harmonium.” The instrument heard here is a 1915 chapel organ built by Mason & Hamlin: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus the SubBase. I used the Seraphone and Vox Humana for the Andante con Moto; the March used the foundation 8’ and 4’ stops, and Octave Coupler, for the main statements; cancelling the coupler for the first interlude and adding the Voix Celeste for the second. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 14 November 2022.
van DURME: Cortège, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-11-01 | Oscar van Durme (1867-1925) was a Belgian organist and composer, part of a large and influential musical family. Oscar studied with Benoit, Mortelmans and Tinel, and was organist at the church of Notre Dame in Tamise, Belgium. His albums for organ were "internationally distributed and frequently reprinted," and many of his sacred works were on the 'recommended' list of the Schola Cantorum. This Cortège in C-sharp minor is the first of “Trois Esquisses Funèbres” by van Durme. They were published in 1914 in Vol. 6 of Joseph Joubert’s massive collection, “Les Maîtres Contemporains de l’Orgue” (now available at IMSLP). Lacking registrations in the score, I chose to play this on the 8’ (1) and (4) ranks, with the swell shades open. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm of Paris, # 470, dated 1887. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 31 October 2022.
LEFEBURE-WELY: Boléro de Concert, played on Estey chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-10-21 | Louis James Alfred Lefébure-Wély (1817-1869) served as titular organist in the Parisian churches of St. Roch, La Madeleine, and St. Sulpice. A popular recitalist and prolific composer, he was known as “the prince of organists” in the Second Empire, and he wrote music for reed organs throughout his career. This Boléro de Concert, Op. 166, offers the Spanish national dance as a concert piece for the drawing room harmonium. Lefébure dedicated the Boléro to his student Madame la Comtesse Bois de Mouzilly, a noblewoman living in Paris. The instrument heard here is a chapel-model reed organ, built by the Estey Organ Co. of Brattleboro, Vermont c. 1913, their Model O-94. Performed by Pam Robison, recorded in concert 16 October 2022 during the final concert of the Reed Organ Society Gathering in Belleville, Illinois.
WOODMAN: Cantilene, played on Estey chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-10-20 | R. Huntington Woodman (1861-1943) was a Brooklyn-born American organist, composer and teacher. He studied with Dudley Buck (who worked at Holy Trinity Church, Brooklyn 1877-1902) and with Cesar Franck in Paris, during the last year or so of Franck’s life. Woodman was organist at the First Presbyterian Church, Brooklyn from 1880 until 1941. The melody of this Cantilene is reminiscent of Franck, I think: the music is wistful, with a strong rhythmic underpinning, and an intriguing treble descant hovering over the re-statements. The Cantilene was included in “Vox Organi,” a compilation of pipe organ music edited by Buck, now available on IMSLP. (In that original pipe organ version, by the way, the right hand plays the melody on one manual, and the descant on the manual above!) The music in “Vox Organi” was all arranged for reed organ by Justus Weston and re-named “Laus Organi,” published in 1895. The instrument is a chapel-model reed organ built by the the Estey Organ Co. in Brattleboro, Vermont c. 1913. It was their Model O-94, with five ranks of reeds plus a one-octave 16’ SubBass. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded in concert 16 October 2022, during the final concert of the Reed Organ Society Gathering in Belleville, Illinois.
HEWITT: Fantasia, played on Estey chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-10-20 | Walter B. Hewitt Jr. (1839-c.1900) was a native of Ypsilanti, Michigan, where his parents were prominent merchants and philanthropists. They had a boot & shoe factory with a public auditorium above—Hewitt Hall—where concerts, operas, and cultural events took place; they also helped build the First Presbyterian Church in Ypsilanti. Walter Jr. studied music in Boston, and was the organist of Westminster Church in Toledo, Ohio for seven years. A prolific composer, he wrote several original works “expressly for the cabinet organ,” as well as sets of variations on popular tunes. Here is his “Fanatasia” in B-flat, dedicated to M. H. McChesney, and published in 1875 “at W. W. Whitney’s Palace of Music” in Toledo, Ohio. The instrument is an Estey chapel-model reed organ, their Model O-94, built in Brattleboro, Vermont c. 1913. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded in concert 16 October 2022 in the Belleville Union United Methodist Church in Belleville, Illinois, during a Gathering of the Reed Organ Society.
SCHUBERT: Marche Militaire, duo for harmonium & piano Mustel1887 2022-10-18 | The three Marches Militaires by Franz Schubert (1797-1828), his Op. 51, were published for piano-four-hands in 1826. The first of the three, in D major, was always the most popular, and has been arranged for many combinations of instruments. Renaud de Vilbac (1829-1884), a French composer, organist, and arranger, included his version for harmonium and piano in his 1879 volume “L’Harmonium Concertante,” along with several other popular classical pieces. (That volume is now available on IMSLP, well worth exploring!) Performed by Pam Robison playing a Kawai grand piano, and Michael Hendron playing an Estey chapel organ, Model O-94, built in Brattleboro Vermont c. 1913. Recorded in concert 16 October 2022, in the Belleville Union United Methodist Church in Belleville Illinois, the finale of this year’s Gathering of the Reed Organ Society.
WENZEL: Präludium, played on Epworth / Williams chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-10-16 | Hermann Wenzel (1863-1944) was a German composer, music teacher, and choirmaster. In 1913, the Saxon King Friedrich August III awarded Wenzel the title of Royal Music Director. He wrote much for piano and harmonium, including ten volumes of harmonium pieces entitled Allerseelen (All Souls)—all now available from B-Note publishers in Germany. From Band II, here is a Präludium in E-flat major. The instrument is a chapel-model Epworth reed organ, built by the Williams Organ Co. in Chicago, Illinois c. 1900, with three ranks of reeds. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 15 October 2022 during a free-time portion of the Gathering of the Reed Organ Society in Belleville, Illinois.
WENZEL: Pastorale, played on Estey chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-10-16 | Hermann Wenzel (1863-1944) was a German composer, music teacher, and choirmaster. In 1913, the Saxon King Friedrich August III awarded Wenzel the title of Royal Music Director. He wrote much for piano and harmonium, including ten volumes of harmonium pieces entitled Allerseelen (All Souls)—all now available from B-Note publishers in Germany. From Band II, here is a Pastorale in F major. The instrument is a chapel-model Estey reed organ (Model O-94), built in Brattleboro, Vermont c. 1913, with five ranks of reeds plus a one-octave 16’ SubBass. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 15 October 2022 during a free-time portion of the Gathering of the Reed Organ Society in Belleville, Illinois.
WENZEL: Huldigungs Marsch, played on Hinners chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-10-15 | Hermann Wenzel (1863-1944) was a German composer, music teacher, and choirmaster. In 1913, the Saxon King Friedrich August III awarded Wenzel the title of Royal Music Director. He wrote much for piano and harmonium, including ten volumes of harmonium pieces entitled Allerseelen (All Souls)—all now available from B-Note publishers in Germany. The last piece in Band II is this Huldigungs Marsch (Homage March) in E-flat. The instrument is a Hinners reed organ, their "Grand Chorale" chapel model, built in Pekin, Illinois c. 1880, with five ranks of reeds and a six-octave keyboard. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 14 October 2022 during a free-time portion of the Gathering of the Reed Organ Society in Belleville, Illinois.
FRANCK 2 Morceaux, played on Narcisse Martin pipe organ Mustel1887 2022-09-10 | Born in Liège, Belgium, César Franck (1822-1890) achieved fame in Paris, both as a professor at the Conservatoire Nationale, and as organist at the church of Ste. Clotilde. In his final years, he composed a great number of short pieces for harmonium entitled “L’Organiste.” This was intended as a great cycle of pieces in every key, but it was left not quite completed upon the master’s death in 1890. Shortly thereafter, Charles Tournemire compiled two collections of short works by Franck—some intended for harmonium, some intended for pipe organ. From "Pièces pour Orgue ou Harmonium (L'Organiste 2d Volume)," here is an Amen in D and an Offertoire in A. The book happened to be on the console of the Grand Orgue in the church of Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis in Paris, when M. Gabriel Bestion de Camboulas met us and demonstrated the two organs in the church. This pipe organ, with portions dating back to the time of Daquin and Charpentier, received major work c. 1870 by Narcisse Martin, and was inaugurated by César Franck in 1871. Sight-read (I will not say performed) by Michael Hendron, recorded 10 September 2022.
VIERNE, René: Elévation, on Christophe & Etienne harmonium Mustel1887 2022-09-07 | René Vierne (1878-1918) was an organist and composer, the younger brother of Louis Vierne. René Vierne worked in the Parisian church of Notre Dame des Champs, where his name is included on the memorials dedicated to parishioners who died during the First World War. This Elévation was included in Vol. IV of H. Delépine’s “Archives de l’Organiste,” published c. 1910; the same music appears as “Prélude en forme de canon” in Vierne’s "12 Pièces de différents caractèrs" in his 1913 Méthode pour Orgue-Harmonium. The instrument is a fine Christophe & Etienne harmonium, c. 1900. It has four bass ranks and 7 treble stops (1-5, a 16’ Voix Celeste and an 8’ Voix Celeste). The instrument is in the choir room of the American Cathedral in Paris. Thanks to our recently-retired priest friend Mary Haddad for arranging a rendez-vous with the cathedral's Canon for Music Zachary Ullery, and Organ Scholar Mitch Miller. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 7 September 2022.
JONGEN: Offertoire sur Alma Redemptoris Mater, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-08-16 | Joseph Jongen (1873-1952) was a Belgian composer, organist and teacher. He essentially grew up in the Liège Conservatoire, which awarded him the Belgian Prix de Rome in 1897. After his grand tour, he returned to his alma mater as a professor of harmony and counterpoint. After the Great War, the family moved to Brussels where Jongen was named professor of fugue at the Royal Conservatoire. Later he directed the Conservatoire from 1925 until 1939. Jongen wrote a good handful of compositions for the harmonium, including this Offertory based on the Marian chant tune “Alma Redemptoris Mater.” It was composed in August of 1911, and published in the same year, in Vol. 3 of Joseph Joubert’s massive collection, “Les Maîtres Contemporains de l’Orgue” (now available at IMSLP). The piece has several sections, contrasting the voices of the European harmonium. Two fugal sections frame a central Choral, played on the shimmering 16’ (2) Clarinette and (6) Voix Celeste stops; later the music builds and builds in lush, dense harmonies and extended cadences, never losing the opening phrase of the chant. This is one of my very favorite pieces of the harmonium repertoire. The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded on 15 August 2022, the Feast of the Assumption.
TRITANT: Grand Offertoire de lAssomption, on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-08-15 | Gustave Tritant (1837-1907) was a lesser-known French organist and composer, active in the second half of the 19th century (“méconnu” en français). Born in Mesneux, just south-west of Reims, he was a student in Reims, and evidently played the organ(s) at Reims Cathedral, and at the Basilica Saint-Remi in the same city. There followed several stints as organist or maître-de-chapelle at the cathedral in Châlons; Saint-Eustache, Saint-Augustin, and Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou in Paris; and in Pamiers in southern France. But it seems that most of his career was spent in Rethel, a commune north-east of Reims, where he was an organist, and a college professor. Besides some piano music, and choral music (both sacred and secular), his magnum opus was a 13-volume collection of church music for organ or harmonium, entitled “L’Office Pratique de l’Organiste,” published by Enoch in Paris over ten years, 1879-1889. This “Grand Offertoire de l’Assomption” (Offertory for the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary [August 15]) in A-flat is from Vol. 4 (Office du Matin). This volume is now available on IMSLP. Tritant was not a composer to build a festal offertory around a traditional chant or hymn; this music is simply his own joyous offering for a central feast of the Catholic church year. The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 15 August 2022.
TRITANT: Communion (A-flat), played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-07-19 | Gustave Tritant (1837-1907) was a lesser-known French organist and composer (“méconnu” en français), active in the second half of the 19th century. Born in Mesneux, just south-west of Reims, he was a student in Reims, and evidently played the organ(s) at Reims Cathedral, and at the Basilica Saint-Remi in the same city. There followed several stints as organist or maître-de-chapelle at the cathedral in Châlons; Saint-Eustache, Saint-Augustin, and Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou in Paris; and in Pamiers in southern France. But it seems that most of his career was spent in Rethel, a commune north-east of Reims, where he was an organist, and a college professor. Besides some piano music, and choral music (both sacred and secular), his magnum opus was a 13-volume collection of church music for organ or harmonium, entitled “L’Office Pratique de l’Organiste,” published by Enoch in Paris over ten years, 1879-1889. This Communion in A-flat is from Vol. 4 (Office du Matin). Many of Tritant’s Offertoires and Sorties are grand, rambunctious pieces; it is nice to explore his quieter, slightly more reverent side. I begin playing the treble chords an octave higher than written, using the 16’ (2) Clarinette; adding the 16’ (6) Voix Celeste for the repeat, then adding the muted 8’ (4) Hautbois on the last page, for a shimmering octave effect. The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 18 July 2022.
TRITANT: Communion (B-flat), played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-07-19 | Gustave Tritant (1837-1907) was a lesser-known French organist and composer, active in the second half of the 19th century (“méconnu” en français). Born in Mesneux, just south-west of Reims, he was a student in Reims, and evidently played the organ(s) at Reims Cathedral, and at the Basilica Saint-Remi in the same city. There followed several stints as organist or maître-de-chapelle at the cathedral in Châlons; Saint-Eustache, Saint-Augustin, and Saint-Pierre-du-Gros-Caillou in Paris; and in Pamiers in southern France. But it seems that most of his career was spent in Rethel, a commune north-east of Reims, where he was an organist, and a college professor. Besides some piano music, and choral music (both sacred and secular), his magnum opus was a 13-volume collection of church music for organ or harmonium, entitled “L’Office Pratique de l’Organiste,” published by Enoch in Paris over ten years, 1879-1889. This Communion in B-flat is from Vol. 4 (Office du Matin). Many of Tritant’s Offertoires and Sorties are grand, rambunctious pieces; it is nice to explore his quieter, slightly more reverent side. The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 18 July 2022.
HARRIS: Andante & Grand Chœur, on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-07-19 | Dr. Cuthbert Harris (1870-1932) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, based in London. He is mostly remembered for several church anthems, and I have two sets of his works for organ manuals only. These two pieces were among ten of his works published in “The Sanctuary Series of Voluntaries for the American Organ, Harmonium or Organ.” I play the Andante Sostenuto on the 4’ Viola and Flute stops, an octave down, with the Vox Humana, adding the 2’ Eolian Harp partway through. The Grand Chœur is a dialog between Full Organ and the 8’ and 4’ stops. The instrument heard here is a 1915 chapel organ built by Mason & Hamlin: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus the SubBase. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 18 July 2022.
CORNELIUS: Ein Ton, played on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-07-18 | Peter Cornelius (1824-1874) was a German composer, music critic, poet and translator. He was friends with Felix Mendelssohn, Richard Wagner, Franz Liszt, and Hans von Bulow. I’ve only known of Cornelius for “Die Könige” or “The Three Kings,” a Christmas aria for baritone and choir, which I’ve had the pleasure to sing. He also wrote three operas, string quartets, songs and choral works. Instead of giving this atmospheric piece a suggestive title, Cornelius called it “Ein Ton” (One Note), highlighting the alto G that sounds almost throughout. Whether composed for reed organ or not, this transcription was included in the second volume (Band II) of “Modernes Harmonium-Album,” edited by Paul Hassenstein and published in 1914. The instrument heard here is a 1915 chapel organ built by Mason & Hamlin: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus the SubBase. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 17 July 2022.
SUDDS: Soothing Sounds, played on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-07-10 | William F. Sudds (1843-1920) was born in London, but moved to Gouverneur, New York with his family when he was seven. He served in the Civil War with the 11th Regiment, N. Y. Cavalry, distinguishing himself as a cornet player and as a composer. He later studied at the Boston Conservatory, and published several volumes of music that he composed or arranged for the American reed organ. He had a music store in Gouverneur, and had his own line of parlor organs. Sudds gave the title of this piece in G-flat major as “Hear those soothing Sounds ascending,” noting that it also appeared as a Vesper Hymn in another collection. I play it with 8’ treble Seraphone and Corno, the bass 8’ ContraBasso, and the Vox Humana. The instrument is a 1915 chapel organ built by the Mason & Hamlin firm of Boston: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus a one-octave 16’ SubBase. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 9 July 2022.
SUDDS: Ave Maria, played on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-07-10 | William F. Sudds (1843-1920) was born in London, but moved to Gouverneur, New York with his family when he was seven. He served in the Civil War with the 11th Regiment, N. Y. Cavalry, distinguishing himself as a cornet player and as a composer. He later studied at the Boston Conservatory, and published several volumes of music that he composed or arranged for the American reed organ. He had a music store in Gouverneur, and had his own line of parlor organs. This “Ave Maria” in F is from Vol. 2 of “Sudds’ Organ Gems—Voluntaries and Selections for Church or Parlor Organ,” published in 1884. I begin with the 16’ treble Clarinet stop, supported by the 4’ Viola Dolce and 2” Eolian Harp in the bass. For the middle portion, I switch to the treble 8’ Voix Celeste, and add the bass 8’ Diapason, adding the treble 4’ Flute for the recapitulation. The instrument is a 1915 chapel organ built by the Mason & Hamlin firm of Boston: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus a one-octave 16’ SubBase. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 9 July 2022.
BYFORD: Vision dAmour, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-07-02 | Francis Georg Byford (1872-1952) was born and died in London. He composed much light music for various instrumentations. His “Vision d’Amour” proved very popular, published in 1903 for violin and piano, piano alone, and for orchestra. (It would be lovely in a salon arrangement for a string quartet and reed organ.) This transcription was included in the second volume (Band II) of “Modernes Harmonium-Album,” edited by Paul Hassenstein and published in 1914. Simply entitled “Vision,” Hassenstein’s transcription for reed organ solo is masterful, requiring much delicacy of expression. It works well on an American reed organ, but with a European harmonium’s treble 16’ Voix Celeste, it is ravishing. My favorite part is also the most difficult: for eight measures starting at 4:15, the melody is in the middle voice, played with the thumb and first finger of both hands. The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 2 July 2022.
STEANE: Prelude and Fuga, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-06-11 | Bruce Steane (1866-1938) was born in London, a child prodigy who was playing the piano by age 3 and composing by age 7. At 8, he became a chorister at St. Augustine’s, Forest Hill, where he remained for nine years. He received instruction in organ and composition by his father and private tutors. He held several posts as organist/choirmaster, most notably at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London, and was a well-known organ recitalist. In 1914, the French composer and publisher l’Abbé Joseph Joubert described Steane as “one of the most remarkable modern English musicians,” who at that time had published more than 350 works, including ten volumes of pieces for harmonium. This Prelude alla Handel and Fuga on the name BACH were published in 1909, in his “Ten Short Voluntaries for the American Organ or Harmonium.” The theme of the Fuga is the sequence B-flat, A, C, and B-natural; ask a German musicologist why this spells Bach. That musical sequence has inspired major pieces for organ and harmonium by Franz Liszt and Sigfrid Karg-Elert, respcetively. I play the Prelude on the 8’ (1) and (4) ranks; I add the 16’ (2) rank and the 4’ (3) rank for the Fuga (i.e. Grand Jeu), building to the climax with the treble 16’ (5) Musette and the 32’ (7) Baryton. The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 11 June 2022.
SAINT-SAENS: Ave Maria Mustel1887 2022-06-05 | The prolific composer, conductor, organist and teacher Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921) started his career as a church organist in Paris. His first job was at St. Merry, in the Marais district. From 1858, Saint-Saëns was organist at the church of La Madeleine, with its monumental Cavaillé-Coll pipe organ, and where an Alexandre harmonium still stands in the nave. In his 19 years there, he composed his serious organ works and numerous choral pieces. This Ave Maria in E major dates to 1859, and was included in the composer’s collection of Vingt Motets, published in 1885. The accompaniment for the second section features treble triplets, with the final note of each triplet sustained in an unusual counterpoint to the singer’s melody. The music is now available in the 2003 volume “Motets for One Voice by Franck, Gounod, and Saint-Saëns,” edited by Richard Benefield, published by A-R Editions, Inc., a valuable resource for keyboard players with singing friends. Performed here by Heather Garland, mezzo-soprano, accompanied by Michael Hendron, playing a W. W. Kimball chapel-model reed organ. The organ was Kimball’s No. 144912, dating to the early 1890s, with three ranks of reeds. Recorded during Sunday Morning Worship in the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, 22 May 2022.
ASHFORD: Abide with Me Mustel1887 2022-06-03 | Emma Louise Ashford (1850-1930) was born in Delaware and settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where her husband taught Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Mrs. Ashford was a prolific composer, a well-travelled conductor, and for many years she edited “The Organist—A Bimonthly Journal Devoted to the Pipe Organ and the Reed Organ.” This is her song setting of Henry Francis Lyte’s 1847 poem “Abide with me,” now usually sung to the hymn tune “Eventide” composed by William Henry Monk. Ashford’s sacred solo was published in 1891, dedicated to Charles C. Washburn, a popular singer in Nashville. Performed here by Michael Hendron, accompanied by Jerome Lenk on a 1915 Mason & Hamlin chapel-model reed organ. Recorded 30 May 2022.
ADAMS: The Holy City Mustel1887 2022-06-03 | Stephen Adams was the pen-name used by Michael Maybrick (1841-1913) when he published “The Holy City,” a sacred aria, in 1892. Maybrick was an English composer and singer, who studied with Carl Reinecke and Ignaz Moscheles. He composed several popular songs and was a successful baritone singer in concerts and opera. Many of his songs used poetry by Fred Weatherly, including “The Holy City.” The original publications, in several keys, furnished accompaniment for piano with an ab libitum organ/harmonium part. This is my own arrangement, with reed organ accompaniment, the middle verse in a minor key, and interpolated last-verse passages for the singer. Performed by my friend Sandra Dager; I (Michael Hendron) am playing a Mason & Hamlin chapel organ, built in Boston in 1915. Recorded 30 May 2022.
SHELLEY: The King of love my Shepherd is Mustel1887 2022-06-01 | Harry Rowe Shelley (1858-1947) was an American composer, organist, and professor of music. A native of New Haven, Connecticut, he worked at several Brooklyn and New York City churches. According to his obituary in the New York Times, Shelley “penned church music that won him wide popularity. For 60 years a host of English-speaking peoples throughout the worlk sang his hymns.” Shelley adapted the words of the 23rd Psalm for this sacred duet, “The King of love my Shepherd is.” The piece was published in 1886, with a two-stave organ accompaniment; I modified the accompaniment slightly to work on a single-manual reed organ. Performed by Sandra Dager and Michael Hendron, accompanied by Jerome Lenk on a Mustel harmonium, built in Paris in 1887. Recorded 30 May 2022.
THIMAN: Jesu, the very thought of thee Mustel1887 2022-04-26 | Eric Thiman (1900-1975) was an English organist, music teacher, and composer of many small-scale works. “Jesu, the very Thought of Thee” was published in 1926, using a translation of a prayer by St. Bernard of Clairvaux. I adapted the accompaniment to work on the reed organ. Performed here by Heather Garland, mezzo-soprano, accompanied by Michael Hendron, playing a W. W. Kimball chapel-model reed organ. The organ was Kimball’s No. 144912, dating to the early 1890s, with three ranks of reeds. Recorded during Sunday Morning Worship in the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, 24 April 2022. (I am often asked where I find my music; this piece was in my mother’s piano bench!)
HARRIS: Postlude on Jesus Christ is risen today, played on Kimball chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-04-22 | Dr. Cuthbert Harris (1870-1932) was an English composer, organist, and teacher, based in London. He is mostly remembered for several church anthems, and I have two sets of his works for organ manuals only. “Five Postludes for Organ (on two staves)” was published in 1947, including this Postlude on the Easter hymn “Jesus Christ is risen today.” I added a full statement of the hymn, since Harris never quite quotes the tune in its entirety. The instrument is a chapel-model reed organ built by the W. W. Kimball Company of Chicago, their No. 144912, dating to the early 1890s, with three ranks of reeds. The organ has recently come to the 1895 Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, where it is used occasionally for services. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 21 April 2022, in preparation for the coming Sunday.
RIPPL: Abendlied, played on Earhuff parlor organ Mustel1887 2022-04-22 | Otto Rippl (1884-1952) was an Austrian composer, organist, and teacher. He grew up and studied in Vienna, playing in several churches, and was briefly cathedral organist in Salzburg. In 1917 he founded the "Habertinum" music school in Linz, which he headed as director. In 1921 he was elected organist of the Heiliggeistkirche in Basel, where he remained until his death in 1952. This single-page “Abendlied” (Evening Hymn) was included in the second book of “Modernes Harmonium-Album,” edited by Paul Hassenstein, published in 1914. I love the moving middle voice in the second half, played by the thumbs and first fingers of both hands. The instrument is a 2-rank parlor organ built by J. G. Earhuff & Co. in St. Paul, Minnesota c. 1890. It was recently acquired by the Sam Mazza Foundation, which maintains “Sam’s Castle” in Pacifica, California. The building, built in 1908, changed hands several times before Sam Mazza bought it in 1959. It is now a historic property and arts venue. Many thanks to the Foundation, and their CEO, for access to this property and this instrument. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 20 April 2022.
LISZT: Prelude in B-flat, played on Mason & Hamlin Liszt Organ Mustel1887 2022-04-22 | The famous Hungarian composer and pianist Franz Liszt (1811-1886) used, owned and played various reed organs throughout his career. In 1876, the Mason & Hamlin Organ Co. of Boston made a custom instrument for him. Liszt received his instrument in January of 1877, and it is still in the Liszt Ferenc museum in Budapest. The Mason & Hamlin firm later marketed a revised model as the “Liszt Organ,” their top-of-the-line single-manual reed organ. I do not know the origin of this Prelude in B-flat, but this arrangement for manuals-only was part of a volume entitled “Gems of Masterworks,” by Paul Tonner, published in 1944. The instrument is a splendid Liszt Organ, built in Boston by the Mason & Hamlin company (Style 514, No. 186887), dated 1890. This particular instrument was in a Victorian mansion in San Francisco when Mr. Sam Mazza, a local house-painter and landlord, fell in love with it around 1960; the owner would not sell the organ, but needed to sell her home; Sam bought the entire house, moved the organ to his property in Pacifica, California, then sold the house. “Sam’s Castle” was built in 1908, and changed hands several times before Sam Mazza bought it in 1959. It is now a historic property and arts venue. Many thanks to the Sam Mazza Foundation, and their CEO, for access to this property and this instrument. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 20 April 2022.
MENDELSSOHNs Adagio from First Organ Sonata, on Mason & Hamlin Liszt Organ Mustel1887 2022-04-22 | Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847) was friends with the English Queen Victoria and her consort Prince Albert; they would sing and play for each other on the piano and the harmonium. There are a few harmoniums scattered among the English royal residences. As far as I know, Mendelssohn never composed for the harmonium, but his music was so popular that many of his works were arranged for reed organ. This Adagio is the second movement of his Sonata No. 1 for organ (Op. 65 no. 1), completed in 1845. This arrangement for manuals-only was part of a volume entitled “Gems of Masterworks,” by Paul Tonner, published in 1944. The reed organ heard here happily provides the Pedal Point of a low A-flat under the closing phrases. The instrument is a splendid Liszt Organ, built in Boston by the Mason & Hamlin company (Style 514, No. 186887), dated 1890. It was in a Victorian mansion in San Francisco when Mr. Sam Mazza, a local house-painter and landlord, fell in love with it around 1960; the owner would not sell the organ, but needed to sell her home; Sam bought the entire house, moved the organ to his property in Pacifica, California, then sold the house. “Sam’s Castle” was built in 1908, and changed hands several times before Sam Mazza bought it in 1959. It is now a historic property and arts venue. Many thanks to the Sam Mazza Foundation, and their CEO, for access to this property and this instrument. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 20 April 2022.
REEVES: Moderato & Allegro, played on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-04-10 | Ernest Reeves (1874-1940) was an English musician, a composer of songs, dance music and marches. With some violin lessons in his youth, he learned to play the piano by ear, and became an avid composer of light music. Known for his improvisations and arrangements, he also wrote music for small ensembles to accompany silent films. He contributed three of the eight volumes of church pieces that made up "The Orpheus Voluntaries for the Organ or Pianoforte." The music is printed on two staves, well-suited to the American reed organ or European harmonium. This tender “Moderato” in C, and the rambunctious “Allegro Pomposo” in F are from Book 7, published in London in 1938. (Many thanks to Jim T. in Pennsylvania for sending me several of these collections.) I was contacted recently by the composer’s grand-daughter, who lives in Shropshire, and who has put togther a website about Ernest Reeves: ernestreeves.uk The instrument is a Mason & Hamlin chapel-model reed organ, built in Boston in 1915. It was their Style 93BF, No. 239146, now # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus a one-octave SubBass. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website www.masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 10 April 2022.
MENDELSSOHNs Adagio from Scottish Symphony, on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-04-02 | I read somewhere that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were friends with Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and they would sing and play for each other on the piano and the harmonium. I know there are a few harmoniums scattered among the English royal residences. Mendelssohn never composed for the harmonium, but his music was so popular that many of his works were arranged for reed organ. This piece is adapted from the third movement of his 3rd Symphony, also known as the Scottish Symphony, which he completed in 1842. It is one of 30 pieces transcribed by Renaud de Vilbac (1829-1884) for his “Mendelssohn Harmonium-Album.” The volume is undated, but doubtless from the third quarter of the nineteenth century. De Vilbac was a Parisian composer, organist and teacher active in the mid-nineteenth century. For this piece, he specifies the treble 8’ Flute and Hautbois, and the 16’ Clarinette and Voix Celeste, above the 8’ bass Cor Anglais, adding Grand Jeu for the dramatic middle section. (From 1855 to 1871, de Vilbac was organist at the church of St. Eugène, a Gothic Revival gem in the 9th Arrondissement, where I am told there is still an Alexandre harmonium in the balcony.) The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 2 April 2022.
MENDELSSOHNs Nocturne, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-04-02 | I read somewhere that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were friends with Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and they would sing and play for each other on the piano and the harmonium. I know there are a few harmoniums scattered among the English royal residences. Mendelssohn never composed for the harmonium, but his music was so popular that many of his works were arranged for reed organ. This piece is from his 1842 suite of Incidental Music for A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Opus 61. It is one of 30 pieces transcribed by Renaud de Vilbac (1829-1884) for his “Mendelssohn Harmonium-Album.” The volume is undated, but doubtless from the third quarter of the nineteenth century. De Vilbac was a Parisian composer, organist and teacher active in the mid-nineteenth century; for this piece, he specifies the 16’ treble stops Clarinette and Voix Celeste, above the 8’ bass Sourdine. (From 1855 to 1871, he was organist at the church of St. Eugène, a Gothic Revival gem in the 9th Arrondissement, where I am told there is still an Alexandre harmonium in the balcony.) The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 2 April 2022.
FRANCK: Panis Angelicus Mustel1887 2022-03-28 | Born in Liège, Belgium, César Franck (1822-1890) achieved fame in Paris, both as a professor at the Conservatoire Nationale, and as organist at the church of Ste. Clotilde. “Panis angelicus” was composed in 1872 as part of a Mass in A, the composer’s opus 12. The original version calls for a tenor, cello, harp, and organ. This version for solo voice and organ (in G) was one of 23 arrangements made available by the original publisher. Although this music is widely available, we used the version included in “Motets for One Voice by Franck, Gounod, and Saint-Saëns,” edited by Richard Benefield, a valuable resource for keyboard players with singing friends. Performed here by Heather Garland, mezzo-soprano, accompanied by Michael Hendron, playing a W. W. Kimball chapel-model reed organ. The organ was Kimball’s No. 144912, dating to the early 1890s, with three ranks of reeds. Recorded during Sunday Morning Worship in the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, 27 March 2022.
van DURME: Cantabile, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2022-03-26 | Oscar van Durme (1867-1925) was a Belgian organist and composer, part of a large and influential musical family. Oscar studied with Benoit, Mortelmans and Tinel, and was organist at the church of Notre Dame in Tamise, Belgium. His albums for organ were "internationally distributed and frequently reprinted," and almost all his sacred works were on the 'recommended' list of the Schola Cantorum. This lovely Cantabile was sent to me by a friend; I can only tell you that it’s van Durme’s Opus 58, No. 9, probably dating to the 1910s. It’s marked Allegretto, but I heard it more as a prayer. With no registrations in the score, I chose to play it an octave up thorughout, on the 16’ (2) Bourdon/Clarinette rank, adding the 8’ (4) Basson/Hautbois for a time, and finishing with the treble 16’ Voix Celeste. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm of Paris, # 470, dated 1887. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 26 March 2022.
CHADWICK: Let not your Heart be troubled Mustel1887 2022-02-28 | George Whitefield Chadwick (1854-1931) was an American composer, organist and conductor. In America, he studied with George Whiting and Eugene Thayer; in Europe, with Carl Reinecke and Josef Rheinberger. From 1897, he was Director of the New England Conservatory. He was among “The Boston Six,” a group of composers dedicated to producing a significant body of concert music within the United States. “Let not your heart be troubled” was one of his “3 Sacred Songs,” published in 1887. The text is from John 14:1-2, when Jesus was speaking to the disciples immediately after the Last Supper. Performed here by Heather Garland, mezzo-soprano, accompanied by Michael Hendron, playing a W. W. Kimball chapel-model reed organ. Recorded during Sunday Morning Worship in the Swedenborgian Church of San Francisco, 27 February 2022.
ASHFORD: Opening Voluntary, played on Kimball chapel organ Mustel1887 2022-02-24 | Emma Louise Ashford (1850-1930) was born in Delaware and settled in Nashville, Tennessee, where her husband taught Mechanical Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Mrs. Ashford was a prolific composer, a well-travelled conductor, and for many years she edited “The Organist—A Bimonthly Journal Devoted to the Pipe Organ and the Reed Organ.” This Opening Voluntary was published in 1905, included in the slightly-later volume of “Thirty-Nine Organ Preludes for Pipe or Reed Organs” published by Lorenz Publishing Company. The instrument is a chapel-model reed organ built by the W. W. Kimball Company of Chicago, their No. 144912, dating to the early 1890s, with three ranks of reeds. The organ has recently come to the 1895 Swedenborgian Church in San Francisco, where it is used occasionally for services. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 23 February 2022, in preparation for the coming Sunday.
HUSS: Idylle Pastorale, for Mason & Hamlin Liszt Organ Mustel1887 2022-02-03 | Henry Holden Huss (1862-1953) was an American composer, teacher, and piano virtuoso. His piano music is wonderfully florid, but this Idylle, composed in 1890 for the Mason & Hamlin Liszt Organ, is beautifully serene. (Huss also arranged the Romanza from his 1886 Piano Trio in D minor as a duet for the Liszt Organ with piano. I’m still looking for that score…any help would be appreciated!) On the first page, Huss calls for the bass 8’ English Horn, with two notes held down with the Pedal Point. The treble melody starts with the 8’ Melodia and Seraphone, and the 16’ Corno and 4’ Piccolo are added for a passage. The second page changes to the 2’ Eolian harp in the bass, the melody contrasts the Corno alone and in combination with the 4’ Piccolo; then the first page is repeated. It took me 30 years to find this piece, now housed only in a Minneapolis library. We've just re-printed it in the Reed Organ Society Quarterly: Vol. XL No. 3, 2021, available via reedsoc.org. The instrument is a splendid Liszt Organ, built in Boston by the Mason & Hamlin company (Style 514, No. 186887), dated 1890. The instrument was in a Victorian mansion in San Francisco when Mr. Sam Mazza, a local house-painter and landlord, fell in love with it; the owner would not sell the organ, but needed to sell her home; Sam bought the entire house, moved the organ to his property in Pacifica, California, then sold the house. “Sam’s Castle” was built in 1908, and changed hands several times before Sam Mazza bought it in 1959. It is now a historic property and arts venue. Many thanks to the Sam Mazza Foundation, and their CEO, for access to this property and this instrument. Recorded 2 February 2022.
MENDELSSOHN: Andante Cantabile, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2021-11-27 | I read somewhere that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were friends with Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and they would sing and play for each other on the piano and the harmonium. I know there are a few harmoniums scattered among the English royal residences. Mendelssohn never composed for the harmonium, but his music was so popular that many of his works were arranged for reed organ. This piece is the opening of his “Andante Cantabile e Presto Agitato,” written for piano in 1838, Wo06. It is one of 30 pieces transcribed by Renaud de Vilbac (1829-1884) for his “Mendelssohn Harmonium-Album.” The volume is undated, but doubtless from the third quarter of the nineteenth century. De Vilbac was a Parisian composer, organist and teacher active in the mid-nineteenth century. (From 1855 to 1871, he was organist at the church of St. Eugène, a Gothic Revival gem in the 9th Arrondissement, where I am told there is still an Alexandre harmonium in the balcony.) The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 27 November 2021.
MENDELSSOHNs Allegretto from Lobgesang, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2021-11-27 | I read somewhere that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert were friends with Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and they would sing and play for each other on the piano and the harmonium. I know there are a few harmoniums scattered among the English royal residences. Mendelssohn never composed for the harmonium, but his music was so popular that many of his works were arranged for reed organ. This “Allegretto un poco agitato” is the central portion of the Sinfonia that opens Lobgesang, Mendelssohn’s extensive choral symphony, published posthumously. Renaud de Vilbac (1829-1884) transcribed 30 pieces by Mendelssohn for his “Mendelssohn Harmonium-Album,” undated but doubtless from the third quarter of the nineteenth century. De Vilbac was a Parisian composer, organist and teacher active in the mid-nineteenth century. (From 1855 to 1871, he was organist at the church of St. Eugène, a Gothic Revival gem in the 9th Arrondissement, where I am told there is still an Alexandre harmonium in the balcony.) The instrument heard here is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 27 November 2021.
HASSENSTEIN: O du lieber Augustin (Fugue) on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2021-11-20 | Paul Hassenstein (1843-1927) was a German composer, teacher and arranger based in Berlin. He was an important supporter of standardizing production of American-style reed organs (having suction bellows and an F-scale keyboard). The conceptual result, a “Normal-harmonium,” was introduced by several German builders and by the Mason & Hamlin firm of Boston. Paul Koeppen in Berlin published a number of pieces under the masthead “Normal-Harmonium-Literatur,” including fifteen works by Hassenstien. “Drei Fugenscherze” (Three Fugues) were published in 1915, including this one based on the Viennese folksong “O du lieber Augustin.” Despite the light character of the subject, this is a serious German fugue, very tricky to play! I use the two full 8’ ranks to begin (Diapason-Melodia and ContraBasso-Corno), adding the 4’ Viola and Flute for the recapitulation. The instrument heard here is a 1915 chapel organ built by Mason & Hamlin: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus the SubBase. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 19 November 2021.
MENDELSSOHNs Andante from Violin Concerto, on Mason & Hamlin chapel organ Mustel1887 2021-11-20 | I read somewhere that Queen Victoria and Prince Albert would entertain Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847), and they would sing and play for each other on the piano and the harmonium. I know there are a few harmoniums scattered among the English royal residences. Mendelssohn never composed for the harmonium, but his music was so popular that many pieces have been arranged for reed organ. Here we have part of the slow movement from his 1844 Violin Concerto, Op. 64, arranged for reed organ by William F. Sudds and published in 1883. Sudds (1843-1920) was a prolific composer and arranger for reed organs, and this Andante was included in “The Parlor Organ Treasury,” published in 1884. Sudds had a music store in Gouverneur, New York, and had his own line of parlor organs. The instrument heard here is a 1915 chapel organ built by Mason & Hamlin: Style 93BF, No. 239146, # 4874 in the Reed Organ Society database. The black walnut cabinet contains five ranks of reeds throughout, plus the SubBase. Our friend Casey Pratt restored this instrument; see his website masonhamlinorgans.com. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 19 November 2021.
BONIS: Quasi Andante, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2021-11-17 | Mélanie Bonis (1858-1937) was a French composer and amateur organist. She studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was forced to leave and submit to an arranged marriage. Nevertheless, as a lady of society, the mistress of her house and mother to her family, she was a prolific composer, prodicing works for piano, organ, chamber music, orchestra, masses and motets. Among her organ works—recently compiled and published by Editions Fortin-Armiane—are several pieces on two staves, suitable for harmonium. Bonis apparently intended this piece as an Offertory or a Communion piece, but we have only the tempo indication “Quasi Andante” as a title. Given the profound sadness of the music, I would have named it a Lament or “Éploration.” The high-C climax at 4:45 reminds me of Samuel Barber’s 1936 Adagio for Strings; Bonis dated this piece 1928, and it was first published in 1933. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 15 November 2021.
BONIS: Pastorale, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2021-11-17 | Mélanie Bonis (1858-1937) was a French composer and amateur organist. She studied at the Paris Conservatoire, but was forced to leave and submit to an arranged marriage. Nevertheless, as a lady of society, the mistress of her house and mother to her family, she was a prolific composer, prodicing works for piano, organ, chamber music, orchestra, masses and motets. Among her organ works—recently compiled and published by Editions Fortin-Armiane—is this lovely Pastorale in G major, her Op. 156. Although printed on three staves for organ, it is perfectly playable on a single manual. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 15 November 2021.
CHAMINADE: Offertoire ou Communion, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2021-11-16 | I am honored and amazed to announce that this channel has just gained its 1,000th subscriber. Thank you all for watching, and thank you for caring about American reed organs and European harmoniums!In her time, Cécile Chaminade (1857-1944) was a popular French pianist and composer. Born in Paris, she studied first with her mother, and was a protégé of Georges Bizet. She gave her first concert when she was eighteen, and from that time on her work as a composer gained steadily in favor. She wrote mostly character pieces for piano, and salon songs, but also instrumental and orchestral works, an important Flute Concertino, and an experimental opera. She toured England and the United States, and recorded a number of piano rolls. By the 1920s, she was a widow living near Toulon in the south of France, still actively composing and performing. Following years of success for her instrumental, secular music, she composed a Mass setting in 1927 (“Messe pour deux voix égales”), and a collection of church music “La Nef Sacrée” (The Sacred Nave) the following year. From La Nef Sacrée, here is an extended Offertoire or Communion in B major. Based on Chaminade’s rather perfunctory organ registrations, I begin on the 16’ (2) rank, so I can add the treble (6) Voix Celeste when indicated. Later I switch to the 8’ (1) and (4) ranks, adding the 4’ (3) rank toward the end. The instrument is an art-harmonium built by the Mustel firm in Paris, their # 470, dated 1887, and # 4321 in the Reed Organ Society database. Performed by Michael Hendron, recorded 15 November 2021.
QUIGNARD: 3 Morceaux pour la Toussaint, played on Mustel harmonium Mustel1887 2021-10-30 | René Quignard (1887-1978) studied with Louis Vierne at the Schola Cantorum in Paris. Quignard composed many pieces for harmonium while he was Maître de Chapelle and organist at the Église Notre-Dame at Versailles. Later he became director of the Conservatoire de Saint-Brieuc in Brittany. His compositions were mostly sacred: masses, cantatas and organ music. “L’Organiste Grégorien” comprised sets of pieces for organ or harmonium, based on the Gregorian chants used for the major feasts and vesper services of the church year, including these three pieces for All Saints’ Day (La Toussaint). The Entrée or Introit is based on the “Gaudeamus” tune, beginning and ending with Grand Jeu, reducing to (1) and (4) after four measures. Quignard specified that the incense-rich Elévation on “Justorum” be played on the 8’ (1) Cor Anglais-Flute rank alone, but the left-hand melody doubled the alto voice so much that I took the right hand up an octave on the 16’ (6) Voix Celeste, and took the left hand down an octave with the 4’ (3) Clairon and 2’ (5) Harpe Eolienne. The “Allegro giocoso” Sortie begins with (1) and (4), adding Grand Jeu halfway through, and Quignard had fun with the Prolongement (Pedal Point) as well, sustaining different low notes as the tonality shifts above. I would guess the music was written between the wars, and many thanks to our friend Niels in Belgium for sharing these scores with me. The instrument is a large harmonium built by the Mustel firm of Paris in 1887. Performed by Michael Hendron; recorded 30 October 2021.
