The University of Michigan's 41st Conference on Organ Music, October 7-10, 2001, under the direction of Marilyn Mason, featured the music of France with the theme, "The French Connection." Most of the music presented was French or French-connected.
The conference opened at Hill Auditorium with a splendid performance of Johannes Brahms' "Ein Deutsches Requiem," featuring a choir of 300 from the University of Michigan Women's and Men's Glee Clubs and the Smith College Glee Club, conducted, respectively, by Sandra Snow, Jerry Blackstone, and Jonathan Hirsh. Stephen Lusmann, baritone, and Kimberley Dolan-ski, soprano, were the soloists along with the Brahms Festival Orchestra. Each conductor took his/her turn conducting.
On Sunday night graduate students in the School of Music, representing the studios of Robert Glasgow, James Kibbie, and Marilyn Mason, performed works by Bolcom, Vierne, Duruflé, Hakim, Messiaen, and Widor at Hill Auditorium. The organists featured were Gregory Hand, David Dockery, David Saunders, Noriko Ernst, Jean Randall, and Brennan Szafron.
James Wagner, candidate for the A. Mus. D. degree at Michigan, presented a lecture/recital: "The French Influence in Bach: Parallel, Contrary, and Oblique Motion." Mr. Wagner effectively mixed the lecture with performances on the C. B. Fisk organ in Blanche Anderson Moore Hall, and included works by Titelouze, Raison, de Grigny, and three works by J.S. Bach.
Robert Bates, associate professor of organ, Moore School of Music at the University of Houston, presented two sessions. The first, "Early French Organ Music," included works by Caurroy, Titelouze, Racquet, Louis and François Couperin, Guilain, Louis-Claude Da-quin, and two anonymous composers. Cantor David Troiano sang alternatim chants. During the second session, "Alternation Practice in Early French Organ Music," Dr. Bates took us beyond what is generally covered in a typical medieval music course! Providing various examples of chant, he worked with a group of better-than-usual sight-readers. Bates revealed himself to be a relaxed player and thoroughly knowledgeable about his subject matter.
Ralph Kneeream, organist and music director, Temple Sinai, Delray Beach, Florida, presented two lectures on Tournemire's Sept Chorals Poèmesd'Orgue pour les sept paroles du Xrist, Op. 67 and l'Orgue Mystique. Dr. Kneeream's admiration for Tournemire was clear as he showed him to be a great teacher as well as a prolific composer. We were given a notable insight into Tournemire's use of the chorale in the manner of Franck, as well as his use of simple meters and tempo changes. Organist Jean Randall performed Tournemire's Dominca X Post Pentecosten (#36) and the Paraphrase Carillon, In Assumptione B.M.V. (#35) (l'Orgue Mystique).
The conference was treated to a delightful, spontaneous, and informative lecture by Marie-Claire Alain on aspects of the life of her brother, Jehan Alain. Mme. Alain played passages of music as she discussed members of her family and provided other invaluable insights into their music. On Tuesday evening Mme. Alain presented a recital at the First Congregational Church on the Wilhelm organ featuring works by de Grigny, Marchand, Balbastre, J. S. Bach, Albert Alain, and five compositions by Jehan Alain, concluding with Litanies.
Jean-Pierre Lecaudey, organist at St. Martin, Saint-Remy-de-Provence, France, played a challenging program of the Three Chorals of Cesar Franck and the Suite, Op. 5, by Duruflé. A very accurate player, he was at home with these works and took the Duruflé Toccata at a breathtaking tempo.
Lecaudey was heard in an informative and helpful session, "Franck's Chorales: Tournemire, the Third Hand at the Piano with his Master." His handouts were of particular value as they dealt with important matters of registration and interpretation. This writer found his knowledge of the registers and couplers on the organ at St. Clotilde, the church in Paris where Franck presided, to be extremely useful.
Dr. Jesse Eschbach, chair, keyboard studies division, University of North Texas, presented an enlightening lecture on "Tournemire's Teaching Methods." He offered a detailed handout with such salient materials as: Significant Biographical Dates in the Life of Charles A. Tournemire; Principal Works for Organ of Charles Tournemire, a compilation from The New Grove (Darasse) and Catalogue (Fauquet); along with the specifications of six instruments that figured prominently in Tournemire's life. Armed with these and other materials and data, Dr. Eschbach proceeded to speak about Tournemire's perspective on such matters as organ building, technical preparation, and improvisation.
On Wednesday, October 10, the second lecture by Eschbach, "Rousseau, Revolution and Restoration," covered the historical setting and the influence of French culture upon the arts. Rousseau, commenting on imagination writes: "The world of reality has its limits but the world of imagination is boundless."
Michele Johns in her "Choral Reading Session" offered a varied packet of music by Charpentier, Vierne, Jordan, and included two published works by Michigan graduates Larry Visser and Kevin Hildebrand.
Three alums of the doctoral program were heard on the Wilhelm organ. Darlene Kuperas played de Grigny's Pangua Lingua and a Dandrieu Noël with careful articulations; Michael Elsbernde sang the alternatim. Huw Lewis gave us a broad palette of many colors in works by Gounod, Vierne, and Lefébure-Wély. Evelyn Lim evidenced solid understanding of the French manner with stylish articulations and inégales in the de Grigny Veni Creator, and David Troiano provided a satisfying alternatim to the five versets.
The lecture with Marie-Claire Alain and Norma Stevlingson focused on their work on the Alain Compendium. Mme. Alain's master class on Couperin's Convent Mass was inspiring and thorough.
On Wednesday evening, Christian Teeuwsen provided imaginative programming at the Fisk organ in the School of Music. Bach's Pièce d'Orgue, imitating with its shape the Offertoires of de Grigny and Couperin, is unique in its formal structure--it has no relatives in the Bach canon. Teeuwsen's registrations were imaginative, and utilized the many possibilities of the Marilyn Mason Organ.
This was an altogether wonderful conference with fine players and informed presenters who delighted attendees.
--Herman D. Taylor
Professor of Music
Eastern Illinois University
Charleston, Illinois
--Donald W. Williams
Faculty, Concordia College
Ann Arbor, Michigan
