National French Centenary Celebration of the Birth of Jehan Alain (1911–1940)

Thomas F. Froehlich

Thomas F. Froehlich graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Music degree from Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin, where he was a student of Miriam Clapp Duncan. He earned a master’s degree from Northwestern University, studying with Wolfgang Rübsam. Other teachers have included Anton Heiller and Jean Langlais (improvisation). During his second tenure in Paris he served as organist/choirmaster at St. Michael’s Anglican Church, where he oversaw the installation of their Kern organ and subsequently administered a recital series. He has served as organist at the First Presbyterian Church of Dallas since 1977.

The Rie Bloomfield Organ Series 2011–2012 presented Jehan Alain, 1911–1940: The American Festival at Wichita State University, September 28–30, 2011. The following is a personal reflection.

In January 2009, the church where I have been the organist for 34 years had a 20th birthday party for the organ in our chapel. It was built by Dan Jaeckel and inspired by the choir organs of Cavaillé-Coll, and we discovered quite accidentally that the stoplist is nearly identical to that of the choir organ at the Alain family church in St. Germain-en-Laye. That being the case, we decided to make the 20th-anniversary concert an “Alain Family Evening,” with music composed by, and in honor of, the Alain family. Organists participating were Lynne Davis, George Baker, Jesse
Eschbach, and I, all former students of Marie-Claire Alain.

The next morning, basking in the afterglow of what had turned into a magical evening, Lynne Davis commented, “You know, 2011 is the centennial of Jehan Alain’s birth—somebody ought to do something.” I replied, “Why don’t you?” Instantly Jehan Alain—The American Festival was born. After an hour of brainstorming, the entire symposium was planned! 

Flash forward to 2011, and the festival took place nearly exactly as we had envisioned. Our host was the Rie Bloomfield Organ Series in its 2011–2012 season on the campus of Wichita State University, home to a magnificent four-manual Marcussen organ. The room, Wiedemann Hall, around which the organ was built, was an inspiring venue for the concerts and recitals. Both were built exactly 25 years ago in 1986—another anniversary to celebrate. Across the street, the lectures and dialogue among festival participants took place in the Grace Memorial Chapel. The small room provided an intimate setting for these events without the need for any amplification.  

 

Wednesday, 28 September 2011

The first event of the celebration was the brilliant opening recital—and a festival highlight—on the 1986 Marcussen by Lynne Davis, Associate Professor of Organ at WSU, who holds the Ann & Dennis Ross Endowed Faculty of Distinction in Organ Chair. The substantial program, entitled “Jehan Alain and the Evolution of the French Tradition,” was physically and musically demanding, but one that Ms. Davis handled with great ease. It opened with the Vierne Toccata, followed by Franck’s Pastorale. The first half ended with Jehan Alain’s Trois Danses. After intermission was the Alain Suite pour Orgue and, in closing, the Dupré Variations on a Noël.

 

Thursday, 29 September 2011

Keynote speaker for the conference was Aurélie Decourt, niece of Jehan Alain and daughter of Marie-Claire Alain, and a noted musicologist in her own right. Her opening presentation, “Jehan Alain: Musician and Poet,” part 1, dealt with biographical details as well as personal reflections on the Alain family and of their home life in St. Germain-en-Laye. After a break, part two of her talk centered on Jehan Alain’s multi-faceted personality and how this influenced his creative output in music, drawings, and writings.  

After lunch, Lynne Davis gave a presentation on the Alain family’s organ, now housed in Romainmôtier, Switzerland. She started by showing the DVD on the organ produced by Guy Bovet and the Alain Association, and then opened the floor to a general discussion, questions and answers, and general comments. 

The next event was a musical one, the first of two recitals featuring the complete works of Jehan Alain, played by former students of Marie-Claire Alain on the Marcussen organ. Organists participating were James Frazier, Jesse Eschbach, Ronald Wyatt, and Thomas Froehlich. Following the recital was a gala cocktail reception at the WSU “Ulrich Museum,” which houses the famous mural by Joan Miró. The campus of WSU is home to one of the most important outdoor sculpture collections in the world.  

The gala recital that evening, “Autour de Jehan Alain,” featured students and faculty from the WSU School of Music, and included vocal, choral, and instrumental music of Jehan Alain. Of greatest interest to the organists were the original version of the Intermezzo for two pianos and bassoon (followed by Jehan Alain’s own arrangement for organ) and an arrangement of Litanies by Olivier Alain for two pianos (followed by a performance of the original organ version). Organists for the concert were Lynne Davis, James David Christie, Jesse Eschbach, and Thomas Froehlich.

 

Friday, 30 September 2011 

The morning began with another lecture by Aurélie Decourt, “Jehan Alain: His Creative Musical Inspiration,” which expanded on the two presentations made the previous day. Time was spent discussing sources, looking at manuscripts, etc. This led beautifully into a spirited dialogue between Norma Stevlingson and Jesse Eschbach entitled “New Editions, Critical Notes, and Anecdotes,” and also opened up the floor to seminar participants.  

After lunch was another former-student recital, this time featuring James Higdon, Robert Bates, Wim Viljoen, and Charles Sundquist. The afternoon ended with a panel discussion centered on understanding Jehan Alain through the teaching of Marie-Claire Alain. Panel members were several of her close friends and former students. Lynne Davis was the moderator for the panel, which included Thomas Froehlich, James Higdon, Norma Stevlingson, John Grew, and James David Christie. Aurélie Decourt also participated. 

The evening concert took place at Century II, the Wichita convention center, which houses the famous Wurlitzer organ built for the Paramount Theatre in New York. Resident organist James Riggs presented a program of music celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of Tin Pan Alley and the Big Band Era.  

Sincere thanks go to James David Christie for his invaluable help and insight in organizing the Thursday night concert as well as to Rodney Miller, Dean of the College of Fine Arts at WSU, for his invaluable support. Hearty congratulations and thanks are due to Lynne Davis, who had both the vision and stamina to organize a symposium that was incredible in every detail. The lectures were both fascinating and informative, and the music was memorable, inspirational, and at times even spiritual. Not only were we nourished musically, but there was also plenty of good food and time for socializing! Certainly all who were present left having had an intimate encounter with Jehan Alain, with his music, and with the legacy of the entire Alain family.

 

 

Marijim Thoene & Alan Knight

Marijim Thoene received a D.M.A. in organ performance/church music from the University of Michigan in 1984. She is an active recitalist and director of music at St. John Lutheran Church in Dundee, Michigan. Her two CDs, Mystics and Spirits and Wind Song are available through Raven Recordings. She is a frequent presenter at medieval conferences on the topic of the image of the pipe organ in medieval manuscripts. Alan Knight has been music director of Ss. Simon and Jude Church in Westland, Michigan, for the past 11 years, during which time he earned the D.M.A. in organ performance at the University of Michigan under James Kibbie. There, he did research into Renaissance methods of organ improvisation and performed contemporary works of Rorem, Messiaen, Schroeder, and Kenton Coe. He has served as sub-dean of the Ann Arbor Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, organized new music festivals, and contributed to this year’s successful POE. He coaches and writes reviews freelance and has recently written a memorial acclamation for the new English liturgical texts. Photo credit: Marijim Thoene, unless indicated otherwise.

 

With unflagging dedication, enthusiasm, and vision, Marilyn Mason planned and organized the 51st Organ Conference at the University of Michigan. European guest artists included Jaroslav Tůma, interpreter of Czech music; Almut Rössler, artist, scholar, and teacher of Olivier Messiaen; and Helga Schauerte, interpreter and scholar of Jehan Alain. It was exhilarating to hear these three artists perform, as well to hear them instruct students and lecture. Many other outstanding performers and scholars participated in the conference, which featured the music of Franz Liszt, Olivier Messiaen, Jehan Alain, Alan Hovhaness, and others. The overarching theme of the conference was celebration—of the bicentennial anniversary of Liszt’s birth and the centennial anniversary of the births of Jehan Alain and Alan Hovhaness.  

 

Sunday, October 2, Hill Auditorium

The opening concerts were played in Hill Auditorium on the Frieze Memorial Organ. Joseph Balistreri, student of James Kibbie, opened the conference, with a memorized master’s degree recital that featured Bach’s Fantasia et Fuga in g-moll, BWV 542, Alain’s Aria, Duruflé’s Prélude et fugue sur le nom d’Alain, and Widor’s Symphonie Romane. His playing reflected an impressive technique and a bristling enthusiasm for each work, especially the Symphonie Romane, which he introduced by singing the chant, Haec dies (after the first reading on Easter Sunday), upon which the work is based. 

The evening recital was played by Timothy Tikker, a doctoral student of Marilyn Mason. His all-Liszt program included Präludium und Fuge über
B-A-C-H, S. 260 (1885/1870), two meditative pieces from Consolations, S. 172 (Adagio IV, transcribed by Liszt, and Adagio V, transcribed by A.W. Gottschlag), Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, S. 180, and Fantasie und Fuge über den Choral ‘Ad nos, ad salutarem undam’, S. 259 (1850), Liszt’s first organ piece. Tikker’s careful preparation of these pieces was apparent, as was his emotional investment. His thoughtful comments described Liszt’s stages of grief in Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, S. 180, his anger and final resignation and acceptance of God’s will expressed in the Bach chorale, Whatever God Ordains Is Right. Tikker noted that the breakdown in western tonality began with Liszt’s Weinen, Klagen.

 

Monday, October 3,

Blanche Anderson Moore Hall

The day began with Czech organist Jaroslav Tůma, who presented a predominantly Czech program, along with Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A Minor, BWV 543, and O Mensch, bewein’ dein’ Sünde gross, BWV 622. It was a special gift to be introduced to the repertoire of Bohuslav Matej Cernohorsky, Josef Ferdinand Norbert Seger, Jan Křtitel Kuchař, Jan Vojtech Maxant, and Anonymous from Moravia by such an exuberant artist who made us want to dance. Tůma exploited every possible color on the Fisk organ. His pungent registrations and light touch were especially enjoyed in the eleven movements of Suite of Dances from the Region of Haná by an eighteenth-century anonymous Moravian composer. The reeds, cornet, and flutes shimmered in excited dialogues. Tůma ended his recital with Suite for Clavier (Organ, Harpsichord or Clavichord) by Maxant—a piece of irrepressible circus joy, filled with foot-tapping waltzes and calliopes. 

 

1:30 pm First Congregational Church

German musicologist and organist Susanne Diederich, who has examined over 150 French Classical organs in situ, lectured on “The Classical French Organ and its Music 1660–1719.” Her handout included a succinct summary of the specifications of an R. and J. Clicquot organ dated 1690/1794 as well as a cabinet organ dated 1671 by Etienne Enocq; tables listing the composition of mixtures for a small and large instrument; a table listing families of stops, the combination of ranks involved, and corresponding French title of the composition; and D’Anglebert’s table of ornaments, which J. S. Bach copied. 

Registration and ornamentation of the French Classical School were demonstrated on the Karl Wilhelm organ by Kipp Cortez, a first-year organ student of Marilyn Mason, and Christopher Urbiel, D.M.A., former Mason student and music minister at St. Sebastian Catholic Church in Dearborn Heights, Michigan. Both performers played with conviction and energy. Cortez played Plein jeu Continu du 7e ton by Jacques Boyvin, Kyrie from Messe du 2me Ton by G.G. Nivers, and Récit tendre from Messe du 8me ton by Gaspard Corrette. Urbiel played Fugue from Veni Creator by de Grigny, Tierce en Taille by Boyvin, and Dialogue in D Minor by Marchand.

 

3:15 pm Hill Auditorium

Jaroslav Tůma, with Karel Paukert acting as translator and general bon vivant, offered a masterclass in improvisation. Performers included Marcia Heirman (former student of Marilyn Mason), Joseph Balistreri, and Colin Knapp (students of James Kibbie). Tůma suggested experimenting with these techniques in developing a theme: repetition, retrograde, interval expansion, keeping the direction the same; strong rhythmic underpinning; meter change; ABA form; pedal ostinato; skeletal harmony for accompaniment or a regular scale; drone. 

 

4:15 pm Hill Auditorium

A recital of the music of Jehan Alain was played masterfully by students of James Kibbie. Professor Kibbie made this music especially poignant by prefacing each piece with an explanation of the piece, or reading from Alain’s diary. Each student clearly felt great empathy with Alain’s music. The recitalists and works included: Andrew Lang, Première Fantaisie; John Woolsey, Variations sur un theme de Clément Jannequin; Benjamin Woolsey, Fantasmagorie; Joseph Balistreri, Aria; Colin Knapp, Deux danses à Agni Yavishta; Monte Thomas, Choral dorien; Matthew Kim, Variations sur Lucis Creator; Richard Newman, Deuils from Trois danses; Daniel Mikat (organist) and Sara B. Mikat (soprano), Vocalise dorienne/Ave Maria. A recording of Alain’s music by Prof. Kibbie’s students is available on the U of M website, .

 

8 pm Hill Auditorium

It is a great privilege to hear Almut Rössler play an all-Messiaen recital. Her connection to Ann Arbor began in 1974, when both she and Marilyn Mason met as judges at the Chartres Organ Competition. In a very quiet voice, Prof. Rössler spoke about the evolution of Messiaen’s style, saying that he considered the Ascension Suite to be in his “old style” and that his true style did not begin until his Nativity Suite. He began his Easter cycle, Les Corps Glorieux, immediately before World War II. In it is the enigmatic vision of what Prof. Rössler calls “the resurrection of the successors of Christ.” She gave a brief analysis of each of the seven movements. Her assistant, Nancy Poland, a D.M.A. graduate of Michigan and former student of Marilyn Mason, read the text accompanying each work. Included here is the text that accompanies the seven movements of Les Corps Glorieux (1939), and a brief synopsis of Prof. Rössler’s analysis:

1. The Subtlety of Glorified Bodies. “It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body” (I Cor. 15:44). “For they are as angels of God in heaven” (Matt. 22:30).

A.R.: “The music is totally unaccompanied monody. It is played in alternation on three different cornet stops of varying volume.” 

2. The Waters of Grace. “For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of water” (Rev. 7:17).

A.R.: “The strangely ‘fluid’ character of the music is achieved in two ways—by polymodality and registration.”

3. The Angel of Incense. “And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel’s hand” (Rev. 8:4). 

A.R.: “A monodic main theme in the style of certain Hindu ragas played on clarinet and nazard.”

4. The Battle between Death and Life. “Death and life have been engaged in one stultifying battle; the Author of life after being dead lives and reigns. He has said: ‘My Father, I am revived, and I am again with you’” (Missal, Sequence and Introit of Easter).  

A.R.: “Two armies clash in battle, represented by big chords, the theme of death begins . . . ”   

5. The Power and Agility of Glorified Bodies. “It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power” (I Cor. 15: 43).

A.R.: “The ability to pass through walls and traverse space with the speed of lightning is conveyed in music of powerful vitality. Vehement and robust are the resurrected, agile and strong. This section is monodic.” 

6. The Joy and Radiance of Glorified Bodies. “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father” (Matt. 13:43).

A.R.: “Radiance or splendor is the first attribute of glorified bodies, each of which is the source of its own light and its own individual luster, which St. Paul explains in a symbolical way when he says: ‘For one star differeth from another star in glory.’ These differences in degrees of radiance are mirrored in the shifting tone-colors.”

7. The Mystery of the Holy Trinity. “Almighty God, who with the only-begotten Son and with the Holy Ghost art one God not in the unity of one person but in three persons of one substance” (Preface for Trinity Sunday).

A.R.: “This entire section is devoted to the number 3. It is three-voiced, its form is tripartite, each of the three main subdivisions being in itself in three parts. The middle voice (the Son) has the straightforward tonal color of the 8′ flute; the other two (the Father and the Holy Ghost) mix the 16′ and 32′ with the 2′, in other words the very lowest with the very highest. The whole piece is in a remote, blurred pp, against which the middle voice stands out: by his incarnation the Son alone came visibly close to us.”

Also included in the program were Chants d’Oiseaux (IV, Livre d’orgue, 1951), and VI from Méditations sur le Mystère de la Sainte Trinité (1969), the Offertory for Epiphany, based on the text, “In the word was life and the life was the light” (John 1:4). It was a rare privilege to hear Almut Rössler, who has devoted her life to this music, present a profound expression of Messiaen’s sacred beliefs.

 

Tuesday, October 4, Hill Auditorium

At 9:30 am, Helga Schauerte’s lecture, “Jehan Alain: A Life in Three Dances,” reflected her life’s commitment to the study of Alain’s organ music. She was drawn to his music the first time she heard it—she had never heard anything so free. In 1983 Ms. Schauerte wrote the first English and German biographies of Alain. In 1990 Motette released her 1989 recordings of Alain’s complete organ works. The 1990 CDs were reissued in 2004 and include the addition of newly discovered recordings of Jehan Alain playing at the Temple in the Rue Notre Dame de Nazareth in Paris. Schauerte’s years of research, which led her to discover unknown manuscripts, and rugged determination culminated this year in Bärenreiter’s publication of her edition of Alain’s organ work in three volumes.

Schauerte observed that Alain’s life was mirrored in his masterwork, Trois Danses—Joies (Joy), Deuils (Mourning), and Luttes (Struggles). His youth was reflected in Joies; his grief on the death of his 23-year-old sister, Odile, who died in a mountain-climbing accident while protecting her younger brother Olivier, in Deuils; and his life in World War II as a soldier volunteering for risky missions in Luttes. Schauerte said Alain had a premonition of his tragic death, this “coincidencia” he expressed in his music, drawing, and poetry, and he, like Mozart and Schubert, crystallized his whole life’s work within a short period of time. She illustrated biographical details of his life with photographs of Alain’s parents; his childhood home; himself as a child, music student, mountain climber, and soldier; his siblings; his wife and three children; and the place where he was killed in action in Saumur. These were powerful images, filled with the beauty and exuberance of a life ended too soon. Schauerte also showed some of Alain’s whimsical drawings and read from his poetry and diary, offering intimate glimpses into his personality. She said he could be lively and wild one minute and contemplative the next. 

Schauerte stated that among her discoveries are findings from 14 autographed copies of Alain’s work owned  by Lola Bluhm and Alain’s daughter, and they are included in the new edition.  She noted that the only pieces with Alain’s own metronome markings are the Intermezzo and Suite. 

 

11:00 am Hill Auditorium

In Almut Rössler’s masterclass, Joshua Boyd, a freshman student of Marilyn Mason, played The Celestial Banquet. Prof. Rössler pointed out that these were early sounds for Messiaen—drops of the blood of Christ. In abbreviated form, I include her comments, which are invaluable to anyone playing Messiaen: 

 

The sound of water drops is achieved not by legato playing, but by movement of the leg straight down into the pedal with a sharp release. In the second edition he uses in the pedal registration 4, 22⁄3, 2, 13⁄5, a kind of cornet without a fundamental. Messiaen can be played on a North German Baroque organ, English and American organs; one must know what is adequate, what is the character, atmosphere, and emotional expression of the work. One must know the inner idea and how to achieve it. The second edition, 1960, is the most important one. Pay attention to slurs; some end at the end of the line, others go to the next line.  Always follow the slurs. Also pay attention to thumb glissandos.  

 

1:30 pm Hill Auditorium 

With her characteristic light touch Marilyn Mason, “the maker of organists” for over a half a century, shared her good luck “secret” with us. She said after one of her recitals at Riverside a woman congratulated her, saying that she was envious of her being so lucky to play so well. Prof. Mason replied, “Yes, and the more I practice, the luckier I get.” She continued, saying, “I always tell my students when they feel like giving up, that’s the time they need to really practice. Never give up.” She then introduced four of her former students who had received the D.M.A. and who proceeded to demonstrate that she’s right! Each of them played with dazzling technique, assurance, and passion. The performers, dates of their degrees, and their pieces follow: Shin-Ae Chun (2006), Prelude and Fugue on the name of A.L.A.I.N., Duruflé; Joseph Galema (1982), Allegro deciso from Evocation, op. 37, Dupré; Seth Nelson (2006), Troisième Choral en la mineur, Franck; and Andrew Meagher (2010), Prelude and Fugue, Jerry Bilik (b. 1933). This was the premiere performance of Bilik’s work, which was commissioned by and dedicated to Marilyn Mason. It features the Michigan fight song, Hail to the Victors (!)—the composer’s grin was as big as ours. 

 

3 pm Hill Auditorium

Peggy Kelley Reinburg, recitalist and Alain scholar, presented an informative lecture, “The Liturgical Potential in Selected Organ and Piano Compositions of Jehan Ariste Alain.” She demonstrated how Alain was influenced by the colors of the French Classical School by playing Clérambault’s Suite du Deuxième Ton. Her description of her visit to the Abbey where Alain played and composed his Postlude pour les Complies allowed us to absorb its stillness and peace. She quoted from his letter, “The abbey organ (Abbaye de Valloires) was beautiful especially after 9 pm,” and commented that this was his first composition written for organ. She suggested that the following pieces be used in a liturgical setting: (organ) Postlude pour les Complies, Choral Dorien, Ballade en mode Phrygien, Berceuse sur deux notes qui cornent, Le jardin suspendu; (piano) Choral—Seigneur, donne-nous la paix eternelle, Romance, Nocturne, Suite Façile—Comme une barcarolle, and Suite Monodique. Reinburg’s elegant performance of these meditative and serene pieces offered convincing support for her argument.

 

8 pm Hill Auditorium

Helga Schauerte’s years of researching Alain’s life and music were abundantly apparent in her recital. Not only was she at one with his music, breathing into it a deeply personal interpretation, but by playing two of Langlais’ pieces—one written in his memory and one dedicated to him—presented Alain the man, the self-sacrificing citizen. Included in her recital was Langlais’ Chant héröique, op. 40, no. 4, inscribed, “To the memory of Jehan Alain, fallen for France as a hero in the Defense of Saumur, June 1940,” and his Resurrection, op. 250, no. 4, inscribed, “dedicated to Jehan Alain.” Of all the Alain repertoire in the recital, which included Fantaisies nos. 1 and 2, Variations sur un theme de Clément Jannequin, Deux Danses à Agni Yavishta, Fantasmagorie, Litanies, and Trois Danses, for me it was in the Trois Danses that Alain’s spirit seemed to dance and leap. One of Alain’s daughters has thanked Schauerte for bringing his music to life, saying that her father lived on because of her. We all say thank you, Helga Schauerte!

 

 

 

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

9:30 am Hill Auditorium Mezzanine

Damin Spritzer shared her extensive research on René Louis Becker, a compilation of many published works as well as original manuscripts. As an Alsatian-born and educated musician and organist, Becker seems to have fit well into the early 20th-century American scene, first joining the faculty of his brothers’ music conservatory in St. Louis, Missouri, and then in a series of church positions in Illinois and Michigan, including his appointment as first organist of the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit, Michigan. Spritzer is interested in studying the various organs of Becker’s experience, both in America and in Alsace, as a factor in shaping his organ compositions. It is not always possible to acquire information on these organs. Spritzer suggests his three organ sonatas, which are extended works, as a starting point to appreciate René Becker’s music. 

There are several choral works of Becker’s as well. Well-respected by his contemporaries such as Alexander Schreiner, Albert Riemenschneider, and others, Becker was one of the major organ figures of his day in America, though now largely forgotten and left to the past, even in the churches where he had ministered. However, renewed interest is beginning to flower with new recordings and publications. Becker’s works are not completely catalogued, partly due to discrepancies in opus numbers of works published in his lifetime and those in original manuscripts. Spritzer related that the selection of René Becker for research was suggested by Michael Barone. In this mammoth research task, the descendants of René Becker have lent their assistance. They were present for the lecture. 

 

10:30 am Hill Auditorium

Almut Rössler resumed the masterclass begun the day before on the stage of Hill Auditorium. With Nancy Deacon (Les Bergers) and Kipp Cortez (Le Verbe), she stressed counting the subdivisions of the beat to make the longer notes precise and the rhythmic texture secure as written. “‘Espresif’ does not mean ‘free’” was one of her comments. Also noteworthy was not breathing and lifting between phrases if there are no phrase marks (slurs) indicated. Always play a perfect legato with “old-fashioned” finger substitutions (from the methods of Dupré and Gleason) as well as the thumb glissando. All-important is locating the musical symbols and depictions and playing them according to their own nature, both by the manner of playing and in the registration. One must understand the titles and subtitles to execute the meaning and color of the piece, which is almost always objective. 

No matter who is on the bench in a Rössler masterclass, it is always a rewarding experience to receive her teaching, benefit from her inspiring musicianship, and to upgrade one’s awareness of Olivier Messiaen’s music, owing to her 20 years of close association and study with him. 

 

12:15 pm School of Public Health, Community Lounge

Brandon D. Spence performed for the audience of the Community Lounge, where those on Central Campus can enjoy an organ recital in the “Brown Bag” lunch recital series at the School of Public Health on the Létourneau organ. Included on his memorized program were Liebster Jesu, wir sind hier, BWV 731, Bach; Two Meditations, Ulysses Kay; Fuga C-Dur, BuxWV 174, and Praeludium und Fuga g-moll, BuxWV 149, Buxtehude. Spence gave helpful comments on each piece before playing.

 

1:30 pm Hill Auditorium

Marijim Thoene presented an in-depth and authoritative lecture/recital of Alan Hovhaness’s eight organ works, indicating which are unpublished, as well as the published works (C. F. Peters and Fujihara Music Co., Seattle, Washington). Hovhaness is perhaps known more for his orchestral (Mysterious Mountain) and choral (Magnificat) music more than for his organ works. Discouraged by the criticisms of Leonard Bernstein and Aaron Copland of his Symphony in 1943, Hovhaness took the advice of the Greek psychic and mystic painter Hermon
di Giovanno, who persuaded him to study the music of his Armenian ancestors. Hovhaness then became organist for St. James Armenian Church in Watertown, Massachusetts. There he studied his Armenian musical heritage, which was not passed down to him through his family. Thoene noted his “turn toward the East” in musical language and played a recording of the beginning of the Divine (Armenian) Liturgy as well as a few notes on the sho instrument, a handheld, Japanese pipe organ of ancient Chinese origin. Hovhaness strove to incorporate the musical idiom of Eastern peoples into his compositional style and make their modalities his own. 

Thoene performed Organ Sonata No. 2, Invisible Sun, op. 385, Ms.; three pieces from Sanahin Partita for Organ, op. 69: 2. Estampie, 4. First Whirling, and 7. Apparition in the Sky; Hermit Thrush (Sonata No. 3, op. 424); and her own commission, Habakkuk, op. 434 (1995), which is Hovhaness’s last organ work (1995). In this piece, Hovhaness was asked to reflect on Habakkuk 3:17–19: 

 

Even though the fig trees are all destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit; and though the olive crops all fail, and the fields lie barren; even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty. Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be happy in the God of my salvation. The Lord God is my strength, and He will give me the speed of a deer and bring me safely over the mountains. 

 

Thoene performed this stirring work in an exultant manner. Hovhaness created a new harmonic language in this last organ piece to express both the despair of the prophet and of the triumph of his enduring faith. Thanks to Thoene, this piece exists.

 

2:30 pm Hill Auditorium Mezzanine

Michael Barone celebrated other composers with anniversaries aside from those featured on the conference. Playing recordings of at least two examples each as well as some other discs of interest, Barone offered a very humorous journey from names such as Georg Boehm, Louis Couperin, William Boyer, Jan Koetsier, Nino Rota, Jean-Jacques Grunenwald, Enrico Bossi, Gustav Mahler, Gian Carlo Menotti, and Carrie Jacobs-Bond. In addition, the radio exponent of the pipe organ made a case for Franz Liszt’s influence on music in general and organ music being more extensive than commonly thought. Liszt envisioned the organ beyond a church instrument, giving an influential “push” for the organ in the music world. As inventor of the tone poem, he took the organ (as well as the piano) into the expression of emotional extremes. Several examples of Liszt’s smaller, meditative works intended for private reflection were played, showing that his output of organ music goes well beyond the “big pieces.”

 

8:00 pm Hill Auditorium

Gregory Hand completed the conference, sharing his project of recording the entire corpus of William Bolcom’s Gospel Preludes. He performed Preludes 1–6 (Books I and II) with intermission, followed by Preludes 7–12 (Books III and IV) in Hill Auditorium. Adding to the delight of this performance was the presence of the composer.

This conference was a mind-stretcher in organ literature. Each of the composers—Liszt, Alain, and Hovhaness—created a special musical language of their own. Additionally, their spirituality was wedded with their musicality, often taking on a very personal expression. Thus, a huge panorama of literature, much of it from our time, was offered to the conference participants for possible exploration. At the same time, the conference was a huge dose of spiritual music of a theological bent, from the Gospel Preludes of William Bolcom to the piano pieces of Jehan Alain to Messiaen’s Les Corps Glorieux to Langlais’ Resurrection to Hovhaness’s Habbakuk and many others—attendees took in much inspiration and food for thought. Thanks to Marilyn Mason, the presenters, and the attendees for another dynamic educational event for organ music at the University of Michigan.

 

 

The world’s most distinguished concert organist, Marie-Claire Alain, died at the age of 86 on February 26, 2013, in Le Pecq, France

James David Christie

James David Christie holds positions as the Distinguished Artist in Residence at the College of the Holy Cross, Worcester, Massachusetts, Chair and Professor of Organ at the Oberlin College Conservatory of Music, Oberlin, Ohio, and serves as College Organist at Wellesley College, Wellesley, Massachusetts. He has previously held positions at Boston Conservatory, Harvard University, M.I.T., and Boston University. He has served as organist of the Boston Symphony Orchestra since 1978. 

James David Christie has made over fifty tours of Europe and performs regularly in Canada, Asia, Australia, and Iceland. He has recorded for Decca, Philips, Nonesuch, JAV, Northeastern, Arabesque, Denon, RCA, Dorian, Naxos, Bridge, and GM and has received several awards for his solo recordings, including the Preis der Deutschen Schallplatten Kritik and the Magazine d’Orgue: Coup de Coeur. In the fall of 2010, he was on sabbatical in Paris, France, where he served as visiting Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatory.

 

The world’s most distinguished concert organist, Marie-Claire Alain, died at the age of 86 on Tuesday, February 26, 2013, in Le Pecq, a small French commune located next to her home city of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. She had been in failing health for several months and the cause of her death was reported as a cardiac arrest. Madame Alain performed around the entire world, but always held her many American friends and audiences in her heart as her favorite public. She performed over 2,500 concerts and made over 280 recordings during her lifetime.

Marie-Claire Alain was born in Saint-Germain-en-Laye on August 10, 1926. Her father was the organist-composer Albert Alain (1880–1971) and her mother was Magdeleine Alberty (1890–1971). She had three siblings, all excellent musicians, who preceded her in death: her older sister, Marie-Odile Alain (1914–1937), and two brothers—the renowned organist-composer Jehan Alain (1911–1940) and Olivier Alain (1918–1994). Her father, Albert, was the organiste titulaire of the Church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye from 1924 until his death in 1971. Marie-Claire began assisting her father at the church in 1937 at the age of 11. She was appointed her father’s successor upon his death in 1971 and faithfully served as organiste titulaire for the following 40 years. She resigned in 2011 because of her declining health. 

She studied at the Conservatoire national supérieur de Paris, where she was an organ student of Marcel Dupré; there she also studied harmony with Maurice Duruflé and fugue with Simone Plé-Caussade. At the Paris Conservatory, she won first prizes in organ, improvisation, fugue, harmony, and counterpoint. She studied organ privately with Gaston Litaize and André Marchal; both of these famous teachers were important mentors in her career and played a great role in her artistic development.

Marie-Claire Alain was an extraordinary teacher and her students have won a staggering number of international competitions. Today her students hold some of the most important and prestigious teaching and church positions around the world. Marie-Claire Alain was professor of organ at the Conservatoires nationaux de région in Rueil-Malmaison (1978–1994) and Paris (1994–2000). Prior to and even after 1978, she always had a very large private studio and taught many of the most famous organists of today on her Haerpfer-Erman house organ at her homes in L’Étang-la-Ville and Maule, as well as at the Church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Madame Alain taught every summer in the Netherlands at the Haarlem Summer Organ Academy with her close friends and colleagues Anton Heiller and Luigi Ferdinando Tagliavini from 1956–1972; after 1972, she returned to teach at Haarlem on three occasions in 1974, 1982 and 1994. She also founded and taught at the Académie Jean-Sébastien Bach de Saint-Donat from 1971–1991. From 1991 to 2009, she was a permanent member of the organ faculty for the Académie d’orgue de Romainmôtier, Switzerland. In 1985, Marie-Claire Alain donated the family house organ, built by her father between 1910 and 1971, to the Jehan Alain Association in Romainmôtier. Madame Alain’s last teaching in North America took place at the McGill Summer Organ Academy, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in July 2007, and her very last trip to North America was as a juror for the First Canadian International Organ Competition in Montreal in the fall of 2008.  She served on that jury with five of her former students: John Grew (Artistic Director of the CIOC), Dame Gillian Weir, James David Christie, Ludger Lohmann, and James Higdon.

The list of awards and honors given to Marie-Claire Alain is immense. She received honorary doctorates from Colorado State University, Southern Methodist University, the Sibelius Academy (Helsinki), the Boston Conservatory, McGill University, and Johns Hopkins University. She was awarded the Prize of Les Amis de l’Orgue, the Edison Prize (Holland), the Golden Disque Award (Japan), the Prize of the President of the Republic (Académie Charles-Cros), and the Buxtehude Prize (Lübeck). In addition, she was awarded the Grand Prix du Disque (Académie Charles-Cros) sixteen times, the Léonie Sonnig Foundation Prize (Copenhagen), the Franz Liszt Prize (Budapest), the Golden Laser Prize of the Académie du Disque Français, and 1984 International Performer of the Year (New York City chapter of the American Guild of Organists). She has received numerous “Diapasons d’or” for her outstanding recordings. Marie-Claire Alain was a member of the Royal Academy of Music, Stockholm and the Royal Academy of Music, London. She was made a Chevalier in the Royal Order of Danneborg (Denmark). She held the rank of Commandeur in the Légion d’honneur, the Ordre national du Mérite and the Ordre des Arts et Lettres. French President François Hollande promoted Madame Alain to the rank of Grand Officier in the Ordre national du Légion d’honneur on July 14, 2012.

Marie-Claire Alain’s impressive list of recordings includes three versions each of the complete organ works of J.S. Bach, François Couperin, Nicolas de Grigny, and Jehan Alain, two versions each of the organ concerti (with orchestra) of G.F. Handel and the organ works of César Franck, and complete recordings of the organ works of Buxtehude, D’Aquin, Bruhns, Böhm, and Mendelssohn. She recorded organ concerti by Poulenc, Charles Chaynes, Haydn, C.P.E. Bach, Vivaldi, Mozart (Church Sonatas), and two recordings of Symphonie III of Saint-Saëns. Madame Alain appeared as a continuo artist on dozens of recordings, many with the Jean-François Paillard Chamber Orchestra. She also has recorded many works by Liszt, Pachelbel, Vierne, Widor, Messiaen, and others. Madame Alain performed and recorded with the legendary flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal and the acclaimed trumpet virtuoso Maurice André. For a complete discography, please consult Alain Cartayrade’s thorough listing in the French publication L’Orgue, Cahiers et Mémoires No. 56, 1996; the listing may also be read online: www.france-orgue.fr/ (to access the listing, type in “Marie-Claire” in the box marked “Recherche rapide organist” on the right side in the middle of the page).

Marie-Claire Alain married Jacques Gommier, a musician and choral conductor, in 1950; he died in 1992. Monsieur Gommier was a wonderful husband and often handled her correspondence and did musicological research for Madame Alain. He never complained or corrected anyone when he was addressed as ‘Monsieur Alain’ when he accompanied his wife on her many North American tours! They had two children: a son, Benoît, who died in 2009 at the age of 57, and a daughter living in Paris, Aurélie Decourt, musicologist and author of several books on the Alain family. Dr. Decourt organized a national French celebration and festival held in Saint-Germain-en-Laye for the 2011 centenary of the birth of Jehan Alain; she also appeared at Alain centenary events in the United States. [See articles in The Diapason: “Marie-Claire Alain—80th birthday tribute” (July 2006), “National French Centenary Celebration of the Birth of Jehan Alain” (November 2011), “Jehan Alain—The American Festival: Wichita State University” (January 2012), and “Jehan Alain: His Life and Works” (July 2012).] She took extraordinary care of her mother in her last years, and this was greatly appreciated by Madame Alain’s family and friends. In addition to her daughter, Marie-Claire Alain’s survivors include six grandchildren, one nephew, and two nieces (the three children of Jehan Alain: Lise, Agnès, and Denis).  

Madame Alain’s funeral took place at the Church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye on Friday, March 1 at 10:00 am. Her coffin was placed under the Grand Orgue in the church before and after the service. The church was full and the congregation was filled with her many friends from Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Paris, as well as musicians and many organists from Paris, France, and western Europe. Several organists played works of J. S. Bach and Jehan Alain for the service, including former Marie-Claire Alain students Vincent Warnier, Daniel Roth, Bruno Morin, Jean-Baptiste Robin, and Jean Ferrard. A small Gregorian choir sang parts of the Requiem Mass. Her daughter, Aurélie, gave a touching eulogy and spoke lovingly of her mother’s last difficult weeks and how optimistic she was about life. When she would ask her mother how she was feeling, she would respond that she was getting ‘better and better each day.’ As Madame Alain held the rank of Grand Officier in the Légion d’honneur, an honor guard carried the French flag into the church and gave a military homage when her coffin was taken outside the church at the end of the service. Marie-Claire Alain was buried next to her husband in the Gommier family plot in the “New Cemetery” of Saint-Germain-en-Laye.  

The world has lost a great artist—we have lost a great inspiration, an exceptional human being, and a great friend. Thank you, Madame Alain, for making our lives so rich and so full of beauty—we will never forget you. May your soul rest in peace, now and forever—Amen.

 

 

On February 3, 2011, Jehan Alain would have been 100 years old

Aurélie Decourt

Aurélie Decourt, Jehan Alain’s niece and biographer, studied history and art history and holds a Ph.D. in musicology at the University of Paris-Sorbonne. She has published articles in journals such as L’Orgue, La Tribune de l’Orgue, Diapason, and in the New Grove Dictionary, a book on Albert Alain in 2001, and in 2005, Jehan Alain, Biographie, Correspondance, Dessins. In March 2011, she organized the French centennial of Jehan Alain’s birthday in Saint-Germain-en-Laye and published a book on the Alain family (Une famille de musiciens au XXe siècle, Paris, Hermann, 2011), including a new chapter on Marie-Claire Alain’s life. First translation of this article by Carolyn Shuster-Fournnier; new English translation by Laetitia Decourt.

Saint-Germain-en-Laye, 3 février 1911—Saumur, 20 juin 1940

On February 3, 2011, Jehan would have been 100 years old. But he met his death at the beginning of the Second World War, leaving a wife, three little children, and a great musical heritage. Last year, in many places in France, but also in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, and of course in the U.S.A., his memory was celebrated and numerous commemorations took place, one of the most important in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, his birthplace, with great musicians coming from all over the world, among them such famous Americans as Lynne Davis, James David Christie, and Norma Stevlingson, among others. The Alain centennial in Wichita last September was a very important opportunity because it took place in the U.S.A., where there are many fans of Jehan Alain’s music. I also gave two lectures at Oberlin College in October. The man, himself, gathers ever more fans.

I will try to present Jehan Alain’s rich personality and his original works in two articles: the present one will deal with his biography and personality; the second will describe the sources of his musical inspiration, focusing on orientalism, and will analyze his creative process.

In fact, Jehan Alain’s personality is extremely rich. In addition to his musical gifts, he also knew how to draw, and he wrote letters full of poetry, tenderness, and humor. These qualities make him an attractive man. Thanks to accounts of his family, his friends, and various musicians, but also through his own reflections on religion, love, and life in general, we can better understand his human and exceptional artistic qualities.

 

A prolific and original 

musician: 

Albert Alain, organist, composer, and organbuilder (1880—1971)

Albert Alain’s influence on his son Jehan was essential. He gave him an appreciation and love of music, that is to say serious music, well constructed and well performed. Albert was a prolific composer, with 469 opus numbers, primarily short religious vocal works. Thus, church music held a fundamental place in Jehan’s training; he retained an appreciation of Gregorian chant and its modes. Ever since he was old enough to turn the pages of a score, his father brought him along to church services; little Jehan thus learned at a young age the order of the liturgy. 

His father acquainted Jehan with well-written music. Albert Alain excelled in harmony (obtaining the First Prize in harmony at the Paris Conservatory in 1904). He also gave Jehan the opportunity to discover sixteenth- and seventeenth-century music. Finally, he directly conveyed to him his personal passion for music. In one of his letters, Jehan wrote, “Half of my head always thinks about music.”

Albert Alain was a remarkable teacher. He gave lessons to his four children—Jehan, Marie-Odile, Olivier, and Marie-Claire—who all became professional musicians; two of them were exceptional artists. His children are extremely indebted to him for his strong impact on their musical education.

 

The organ 

Albert Alain was a very original man. He developed such a passion for the organ that he undertook what seemed to be a crazy project: to build a home organ by himself. This home organ would keep him busy for his entire lifetime (1880–1971). Planned initially in 1910 for 19 stops, the organ amounted, in 1950, to 42 stops. 

One could say that this organ was Albert Alain’s fifth child. It influenced the musical life of the 20th century. As a matter of fact, Albert Alain was connected with all the famous organists of the 1920s and 1930s, from Marcel Dupré to André Marchal, and also Joseph Bonnet and Alexandre Cellier. 

This organ is very interesting for several reasons. It shows the technical prowess of a single man, who built everything in it (except metal pipes). The aesthetics of the specification show great originality, especially in the beginning, 1910—Albert Alain conceived a neo-classic organ, revealing himself as a precursor. What is more, the organ inspired many registrations in Jehan Alain’s works; it fostered Marie-Claire Alain’s vocation. It gave a testimony, at a time when electric action came into fashion, to mechanical action. 

Albert Alain carefully studied many instruments in the Parisian area, as well as an organbuilding method, entitled Roret et Guédon, a sort of abstract of Dom Bedos’ work, L’art du facteur d’orgues. Finally, he talked with his teacher at the Paris Conservatory, Alexandre Guilmant, who knew much about organbuilding and advised him to return to the typical stops of the 17th and 18th centuries. 

Here is the specification of the first organ in 1914, with the Cornet décomposé on the Positif. Later, in the 1920s, the organ would have three manuals, with a Récit (Solo).

Grand orgue

16′ Bourdon 

8′ Montre

8′ Flûte harm. 

4′ Prestant

Positif

8′ Cor de nuit

4′ Flûte douce

22⁄3′ Nazard

2′ Doublette

13⁄5′ Tierce

8′ Basson-hautbois

PЋdale

16′ Soubasse 

8′ Basse

4′ Flûte 

 

Albert and Jehan Alain were most influenced by the organ of the abbey of Valloires, built in 1845, but with several ancient stops. The sonorities of this instrument, very original for the time, enchanted Jehan and Albert. Here is an extract of a letter Jehan wrote to his friend Denise Billard in 1930:

 

There is a three-manual organ here which is splendid, and (which is) located in the most “acoustigenic” place I have ever met. It contains some old pipes two or three hundred years old that are “fully-flavored”. Unfortunately, it has a huge defect: it is not tuned according to our pitch. In order to play from memory, you have to think one measure ahead of time to transpose by ear. Finger memory is the only true memory. . . . But this instrument is marvelous to play around eleven at night, when silence is perfect in the countryside and you play pianissimo the low notes of the pedal which make the atmosphere quiver. It’s really moving.

Albert Alain wanted for his organ new sonorities and new registrations in order to play Couperin, Daquin, Clérambault, and above all J. S. Bach, Buxtehude, and Pachelbel. So the specification of his organ mixed together the post-romantic influence with a return to the 17th- and 18th-century French tradition. 

In the 1930s, Albert Alain planned a fourth manual, Récit-Bombarde, including a Plein-jeu and the typical batterie d’anches: Bombarde 16′, Trompette 8′, Clairon 4′. But Jehan Alain never saw this fourth manual completed. On the contrary, the organ was in perpetual transformation in the 1930s, with certain stops remaining mute. This is the reason for several registrations on Jehan Alain’s works. Albert Alain completed the fourth manual and the organ in 1950. 

Grand orgue

16′ Bourdon 

8′ Montre

8′ Flûte harm.

8′ Bourdon*

4′ Prestant

Plein-jeu III*

Positif

8′ Salicional

8′ Cor de nuit

51⁄3′ Gros nazard

4′ Flûte

22⁄3′ Nasard

2′ Doublette

13⁄5′ Tierce

11⁄3′ Larigot

Récit-Bombarde

8′ Principal (diapason)

8′ Flûte trav.

4′ Prestant

22⁄3′ Quinte

2′ Doublette

Plein-jeu III

16′ Bombarde

8′ Trompette

4′ Clairon

Récit-Solo

16′ Quintaton (sans 1^e octave)

8′ Gambe

8′ Voix cél.

8′ Flûte conique

4′ Flûte octav.

4′ Salicet

22⁄3′ Quinte 

Cymbale II 

8′ Cromorne

8′ Hautbois

Pédale

16′ Soubasse

8′ Basse 

4′ Flûte

4′ Bourdon

Mixture II

4⁄5′ Tierce

 * stops not yet connected

 

The four children—Jehan, Marie-Odile, Olivier, and Marie-Claire—were deeply affected by their father’s organ. How could they be offered a more beautiful toy? Since their early childhood, they had been nursed by the sounds of the instrument and their little fingers discovered the sense of touch, thanks to its accurate mechanical action. 

 

A precocious musician

Jehan put his hands on a keyboard as soon as he was able to stand up; his musical talents were evident at a very early age. He worked with his father, then with other professors. Finally, at the age of eighteen, in 1929, he entered the Paris Conservatory of Music, where he remained for ten years.

He studied harmony with André Bloch, fugue with Georges Caussade (who had taught his father), and composition with Paul Dukas. Jehan really appreciated Dukas but only studied with him for one year because Dukas died in 1935. Roger-Ducasse succeeded Dukas.

In 1936, Jehan entered the organ class of Marcel Dupré, one of his father’s old friends. In memory of their friendship, Dupré was very affectionate to Jehan. He appreciated Jehan’s gift for improvisation. According to a fellow student, one day Jehan was improvising during the class. He had not concluded according to the strict established rules. When he realized it, he cried out, “Ah! I am mistaken!” and Marcel Dupré responded with a smile: “Don’t hesitate to make such mistakes often!”

Jehan amused himself by decorating his harmonic exercises with hearts pierced by an arrow. During the 1933 exam, this resulted in his receiving a simple promotion instead of a first prize!

His humor, his pleasure at telling jokes and making people laugh, led him to write letters to several young women who became his favorite correspondents: Denise Billard, a pianist, with whom he discussed his pianistic technique, Aline Pelliot, and Lola Bluhm. He described his impressions, his feelings, his dreams, and all of a sudden, in the middle of a letter, he began to draw. You can see the first illustrated example in this letter addressed to his friend Denise Billard with a drawing, dated August 26, 1931 (see illustration above).

Jehan immensely benefited from his ten years of study at the conservatory. While still retaining his originality, he started writing in a more sophisticated and rigorous way and further developed his musical ideas. Far from being held back in his inspiration by the rules, he was, from then on, able to transcend them in composing a new and very personal music.

 

Various influences

Early music was an important source of inspiration; in his father’s vast library, Jehan discovered works by early French, Italian, and German masters. This inspired him to compose his Variations on a Theme by Clement Jannequin. He dedicated this piece to his friend Pierre Segond, saying: 

 

It ought to be possible for a musician of the twentieth century to retain the soul of this early music. The language does not matter, only the spirit speaks.

Jehan discovered François Campion’s lute tablatures, which he transcribed into modern keyboard notation. He said that he preferred the simplicity of this music to the complexity of works from the end of the nineteenth century, such as those by Vincent d’Indy, for example. Jehan said in a letter to Denise Billard, at the end of 1934: “Pure and simple music is often more beautiful than delirious richly dense music.”

Another source of inspiration, Gregorian chant, was of paramount importance. From his earliest childhood on, he was used to accompanying and paraphrasing it. He incorporated it into certain works such as the Postlude for the Office of Compline. It was composed in Valloires, inspired by the mystical atmosphere of the chapel at nightfall.

In the same spirit, monody was very precious to him and he composed several monodic pieces such as his Suite for piano, 1935.

The musicians he most frequently mentioned were J. S. Bach, César Franck, and Frédéric Chopin. Concerning Franck, he said that he was “extra terrestrial,” but for him Bach was the “greatest of all.”

Chopin was his favorite as a pianist. Jehan very often played his music. One anecdote: oftentimes his friend Aline Pelliot knew that Jehan had arrived at the conservatory because she heard somebody playing Chopin’s First Ballade—Jehan Alain, of course! 

Exotic music was in fashion at the time, but it was hybrid, a very confusing type of exoticism: Asian or Arabian, with combined sources. Jehan visited the 1931 Colonial Exhibition in Paris and the music that he heard there inspired him, but he transformed it, retaining only its spirit.

Oriental influence is very important, especially in the two fantasies for organ. I will write about the Second Fantasy at length in my next article; it is essential in Jehan Alain’s creation paths. (See illustration above: the manuscript of the First Fantasy.)

Jehan was not a theorist, contrary to Olivier Messiaen. He was interested in the impact of these sonorities upon his own sensitivity. In any case, he wrote several works under this rather oriental influence: Togo and Tarass Boulba, both for piano.

 

A committed man and a poet:

His friendships and 

his correspondence

Friendship was of utmost importance to him. His letters and his writings prove that he was faithful to his friends: “Affection is a totally inexhaustible rich type of poverty. I do give to you and, above all, I do not want any gratification.”

His friends’ opinions were very significant to him, as is shown by this anecdote he shared with Aline Pelliot concerning his piece Le Jardin suspendu, which he also called a chaconne: 

 

The chaconne which I played for you yesterday, do you really like it? Are you sure? Would you prefer a G-sharp? If it pleases you, I will use a G-natural.

In the same way, he wrote in the Preface of his piano works:

 

Here is a series of impressions. Don’t try to find there a lesson or an argument; just consider them as a passing vision . . . My goal would be achieved and I would experience great joy if each reader would suddenly find himself within one of these lines. Deeply moved, he might stop momentarily before continuing, touched by a bit of the pleasure one feels upon receiving a friendly glance.

 

The correspondence is essential in order to understand his development, his artistic state of mind and his sensitivity. In a letter to Denise Billard, dated August 15–20, 1933, Jehan wrote:

 

Downstairs, in the living room, an excellent violoncellist is playing with Papa. But his playing makes me nervous. Oh, it’s frightening what a string can render. This man expresses that which one should never express . . . this type of latent pain which each person carries deeply inside himself, which moans even in the midst of the greatest joys. . . . Now I would like to hear a diabolic music; something like jazz which contains only trumpets . . . something which flaps like a strong wind. I cannot stand music which sounds like drizzling rain that drizzles on for entire days, without respite. . . . 

No news from my friends . . . what have they been up to? Is it my fault? It’s true that people who pretend to know how to live are strong. I believe I will never know that. I feel like writing a letter to Destiny in order to receive some information. . . . Should we take our suitcases for the long trip? When I die, will someone remember me? Will I have known how to do some good around me? . . . It is beneficial to imagine eternal mercy!

 

His family and his Christian faith

In 1935, at the age of 24, Jehan decided to marry a childhood friend named Madeleine. Their marriage was very happy and very shortly afterwards they had three children: first Lise, followed by Agnès and Denis. (See illustration: Jehan and his daughter Lise.) 

Jehan adored little children. He was very sensitive to the childhood world. He drew many designs for them, of fairy tales and animals. He said: “Musician’s ears which have not heard the laughter of a child have only heard the sound of scrap iron.”

Jehan had a very solid Christian faith. During his service in the army, he tried to convert his fellow soldiers; otherwise, he spoke to them about Christian morals. In 1938, he wrote in his diary: “There are only two possible ways to live: either as a priest or an apostle, or, on the other hand, to have small children, to live as an artist and to have a firm religious faith.”

On the level of personal commitment, his Christian faith partially explains his ultimate gesture of sacrifice: he gave his life for his family, for his country. This can only be understood in the context of the Catholic faith in the 1930s. This was the way that he was brought up. These were his family values. His last words were: “May Providence especially protect small children in France!”

 

A poet: his passion, his humor and his dreams

Jehan had a wide-range personality, which varied from the deepest melancholy to a bursting joyfulness. His music expresses his inner anguish.

Jehan was an eminently changeable person, capable of being deliriously happy one minute and equally sad the following minute. Completely free from convention, he mocked routines, made fun of the “bourgeois,” being at the same time a good father to his family and a conscientious church organist. All who knew him remember the incomparable humor of his jokes, bordering on the ridiculous, whereas the dominant thought coming from his music is that of a profound sadness.

 He wrote: “The world creaks painfully like a giant windmill which indifferently crushes all good and bad acts, all the desires, all the passions, all the faults . . . ”

But he soon corrected: “And yet what a fire, what a thirst for living eats me up! I long to live an ardent life with all its suffering and irrepressible joy.”

Jehan never surrendered to melancholy. He wrote: “Everywhere the comic is mixed with drama. When we have suffered a great deal, we need to laugh a great deal.”

Physically very agile, he loved working with engines and acquired a motorcycle in 1932. (See illustration with motorcycle, above.)

He played saxophone when he was a soldier in 1933–34 (obligatory military service). At that time, on March 2, 1934, he confessed to his mother: “I am neither a pianist nor an organist, but a semi-acrobat, a sort of sincere charlatan.” 

He had a highly developed sense of humor, sometimes a bit too easy-going. He loved associating words with strange or harmonious sonorities:

A cataract-like cascade: une cascade cataractique

Flowing funny trickling water: l’eau dégouline rigoline dégoulinde

Jehan has drawn lots of fantastic cows. He saw these cows when he was in the family house in the Alps, near Chamonix. Every summer, the entire Alain family spent their holidays there. They were hiking in the mountains and, one day, they had to take refuge in a hut because of a violent storm. They sang by memory lots of things, and then Jehan wrote on a wrapping paper a short song, amidst thunder and lightning. He wrote letters to his little sister that were bristling with designs and humor, for example this one (see illustration above: a design of the console pedalboard):

 

I was mistaken, I put the console in place of the pedalboard and the pedalboard in place of the keyboard. You can see on the drawing how I manage to play now. In the end, it’s only a matter of habit: all I have to do is to play with my heels a little more, and there you go. The only disadvantage is that I’m always pulling Pedal couplers instead of manual couplers, but within a fortnight, everything will be all right.

 

Of course, little Marie-Claire was able to understand this. She already knew everything about the organ. 

 

Dreams and poetry

Many a dream can be found in his writings, tales, stories and imagination (see illustration: the Dwarf).

 

The later works: griefs 

and struggles

The masterpieces

The Suite for Organ, composed as early as 1934–35, was awarded a prize in 1936 by Les Amis de l’Orgue. This was a satisfaction for Jehan, who had not obtained a prize in composition at the Paris Conservatory. His Second Fantasy for organ also dates back to 1936. In August 1937, Jehan simultaneously finished Litanies and the second of his Three Dances.

There is a lot to say about Litanies, his most well-known piece. Litanies is a cry of anguish and distress. After the ethereal dream of Le Jardin suspendu and the classicism developed in the Variations, Jehan Alain confides in us his tortured soul, without mask and reserve. Doubtless, it is this absolute sincerity, this direct character that makes the work a success for all audiences, even on the first hearing. As Gavoty reports, Jehan added, 

 

This prayer is not a lament, but an irresistible storm which overthrows everything in its way. It is also an obsession: it must fill the ears of men and of the good Lord! If, in the end, you do not feel exhausted, it’s because you will neither have understood nor played as I wish.

 

Three weeks after the completion of Litanies, Jehan and Marie-Claire Alain’s sister, Marie-Odile, died in an accident in the mountains. Jehan wrote the dedication that appears in the 1939 edition: 

 

When the Christian soul no longer finds new words in its distress to implore God’s mercy, it ceaselessly repeats the same invocation with a vehement faith. Reason has reached its limit. Faith alone pursues its ascension.

In the same way, he added the subtitle to his Second Dance: “Funeral Dance to Honor a Heroic Memory.” And he wrote about this piece: “There is no contradiction between dance and distress. Dance, like music, expresses itself without a concept and it can translate in such a sublime manner that which words cannot say without brutality.”

This period of mourning made Jehan gloomier. His music also conveyed the tense pessimistic atmosphere in Europe at the end of the 1930s, as threats of war became ever clearer. He then wrote these premonitory words: “Always kiss your wife and your little daughter, as if it were the last time you would see them.”

In 1938, Jehan composed in just a few days the Modal Mass, then the Aria for organ. He completed the Three Dances, but the score for orchestra was lost with him in 1940, when he was in the process of completing it. Fortunately for us, not having had the time to copy it all, he decided to make a transcription for the concert organ and sent it by mail to Noëlie Pierront, only nine days before the German attack. And the mail miraculously arrived: this is the only remaining autograph version of this masterpiece.

The War

September 1, 1939—June 22, 1940

On the first of September, the German army invaded Poland; France and Great Britain, according to their commitments, declared war on Germany. But it was called “the phony war” because during nine months, there was no attack from neither French nor British armies against Germany. (See illustration: design of the 8th armored cavalry.)

One of the first to be mobilized, Jehan left as early as the first of September 1939 for northern France. A simple soldier, Jehan found himself in the middle of the men of his troop. Their equipment was very poor: the men slept on straw until December and did not have enough covers. The hygiene was deplorable and Jehan suffered from remaining wet for endless hours, with the cold weather that numbed his hands, and filth everywhere.

The “phony war” lasted for ages: France, although officially at war with Germany since September 3, 1939, did not launch any attack. On the contrary, the French troops stationed behind the Maginot line adopted a defensive strategy.

In these conditions, Jehan’s superiors appreciated his talents: in fact, he immediately proposed to animate recreation periods, religious services, and evening activities. He even founded a choir known as the “Small Singers with Loud Voices,” teaching them how to sing, making arrangements for them, and copying scores. He held several rehearsals and the Christmas Mass was a huge success. Meanwhile, he played the piano in the evenings for the officers.

He wrote to his wife every other day. He assured her of his love, spoke about his suffering from their separation, and made drawings for the children. His third child, Denis, was born on November 3, 1939; Jehan obtained three days of leave to come and see him. 

The German troops began their offensive on the Western front on May 10, 1940, by invading Holland, Belgium, and Luxembourg. The Blitzkrieg strategy was successful: in the north, the French and the English were trapped, surrounded by the German army. Under dreadful bombing, 350,000 French and English soldiers were evacuated through Dunkirk (from May 29 to June 4).

It was under these conditions that Jehan won his military medal: in May 1940, during the Dunkirk battle, he carried out (this is the text of the quotation) “a very perilous contact mission, completely defying the danger involved” and collapsed asleep upon returning. We have a photograph of this (see illustrations: a photo of the dunes, and a citation).

Defy all danger: this was the predominant driving force that fully appealed to Jehan Alain in the spring of 1940, following months of boredom. His physical agility, his skillful driving of the motorcycle, and his absolute courage compelled him to attempt anything. This context is essential to understand his final gesture: upon returning from England, he voluntarily enrolled in an irregular force, to continue fighting. The group advanced towards the Loire River, a major obstacle in the German progression towards the south. Jehan Alain, who had left on a reconnaissance mission, was confronted by an enemy troop. Trapped in a garden, alone, he made his decision: instead of fleeing, an unthinkable choice, or surrendering, Jehan emptied all of his cartridges, jammed his gun and encountered the Germans who shot him down. The German officer rendered him homage for his bravery. According to the inhabitants, for several days, sheets of music scores, which had slipped out of his sidecar, were carried away by the wind and found in the countryside.

Jehan’s gesture was a part of his entire life and can be better understood if one knows his personality and his social background. Today, mentalities have changed and the idea of sacrificing one’s own life for the sake of honor might seem unrealistic and unreasonable. But, beyond these opinion differences, Jehan’s death unquestionably remains a symbol of courage and total commitment.

 

Conclusion

A short yet full life: Jehan Alain died at the age of 29, but he has left us with an immense legacy. In my book, I have tried to give a faithful account, essentially including Jehan’s own works: his selected letters, his drawings, adding a biography and some critical notes. I hope that this book expresses Jehan Alain’s following sentiment: “If you love my music, if it speaks to you, that you think likewise, then my dream is fulfilled.” In the same way, I would like to say: “If you love Jehan Alain, if he speaks to you, that you think likewise, then my dream is fulfilled.”

 

 

Stephanie Sloan and Rebecca Marie Yoder

Stephanie Sloan and Rebecca Marie Yoder are undergraduate students in the sacred music degree program at Duquesne University.

 

On October 8, 2011, the organ and sacred music performance students at Duquesne University, who study under the direction of Dr. Ann Labounsky, participated in a special masterclass given by Helga Elisabeth Schauerte-Maubouet on the organ works of Jehan Alain. A masterclass of this sort was the first in the United States that she conducted along with her newest publication, a three-volume Bärenreiter Urtext edition of Jehan Alain’s music. These volumes are the first German publication of Alain’s music and were studied extensively over the course of this 8-hour masterclass at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh. During the masterclass, the Duquesne University organ students gained much valuable insight into the works of Jehan Alain through the research of Schauerte, organist of the German Lutheran Church in Paris.

Schauerte’s interest in the art of organ playing began when she was young, for at 13 years of age she became the chief organist at a local church in Lennestadt, Germany. The story behind her inspiration to study Alain’s music began with Litanies. The first time she heard this piece was during a performance by her brother in Frankfurt, during which she assisted him with page turns and registration changes. She was struck by the expressive tonality of the piece and desired to know more about it and its composer. Consequently, she began studying at the Conservatory of Rueil-Malmaison with Marie-Claire Alain in 1983, after finishing her degree at the University of Cologne. As she advanced in her studies, Schauerte noticed technical and numerical discrepancies in the available editions of Alain’s compositions.

Thereafter, she decided to perform her own investigations in search of an authentic interpretation of Alain’s works. Her Bärenreiter edition is the result of over a decade of intensive research. It critically compares the earliest versions of Alain’s music preserved in his family archives and scores from the French National Library with all other known manuscripts. As recently as 1975, additional autographs were discovered in the Alain family archives and in 1987 in his friends’ collections.¹ Schauerte made a careful effort to ascertain not only an authentic interpretation of Alain’s pieces, but also the correct chronological order of his works. Within this chronology, Schauerte disregards transcriptions and unfinished works. The great significance of this new edition is that it, for the first time, merges Alain’s full organ works with details of the discrepancies between the different manuscripts. The performer can see the reasoning behind the changes made to Alain’s original documents, and also make his own judgments of what Alain originally intended. In addition, these volumes of the complete works of Alain publish the composer’s biography and his commentaries on many of the pieces. There are also thoughtful enhancements for each piece, with a catalogue of all sources consulted. The edition brings Alain’s total compositional effort to 120 titles.

The music of Jehan Alain is important for an organist to study in such detail because of the unique modernist voice Alain brought to 20th-century French organ music. Jehan Alain—a musician, artist, and poet—was born on February 3, 1911, the eldest of four musical children. From his humble beginnings, taking lessons from his father on their homemade house organ, Alain went on to study at the National Conservatory in Paris under André Bloch, Georges Caussade, Paul Dukas, Jean Roger-Ducasse, and Marcel Dupré. When Alain was drafted for the Second World War in 1939, he was just blossoming into creative maturity. Even while performing his duties, he continued to write compositions for organ, piano, orchestra, and voice.² He drew inspiration from nature, imitating its purity and freshness, and was also influenced by Eastern music. Alain often composed polytonal music, seeking “new colorings created by unusual blends of registers. He experimented with soloistically employed mutation stops” and composed with unique timbres that require complicated registration changes.³ Seventy years after his tragic demise, Alain’s pieces are a staple in nearly every organist’s repertoire, including works such as Litanies, Le Jardin Suspendu, and Choral Dorien.

Litanies was written in August of 1937 under the initial title “Supplication.” On the original manuscript, Alain depicted a grotesque nightmare: a man pushing a three-wheeled cart, behind whom are twenty policemen pelting him with bricks. The students were fascinated by the fact that Alain, in the original manuscript, dictated that he wished the performer to double in octaves the pedal line in measures fifty-two to fifty-eight. This is so that the theme in the pedal will be more prominent than the accompaniment in the manuals. Litanies’ uneven theme, evocative of a tortured soul intoning a desperate prayer, is repeated unceasingly at a frantic pace while transitioning through several modifications that reach the point of breathlessness.⁴ Alain himself was enduring great hardships at this point in his life. While Alain was writing this piece, his wife and he suffered through a miscarriage. The piece’s creation may also have been preemptive: two weeks later, his sister Marie-Odile died in an Alpine climbing accident trying to protect their brother Olivier from a fatal fall. Both these events gave Alain and his wife personal cause to constantly lift their prayers to God.

Alain dedicated the exquisite Le Jardin Suspendu (1934) to his close friend Marguerite Evain. This was one of his favorite pieces, which describes a “land of cheerfulness and peace.”⁵ Schauerte told the students in the masterclass to observe that the piece has three distinct sections and to be aware of the variations of the theme throughout the piece. In regard to balancing the registration for the middle section of Le Jardin Suspendu, she mentioned that the triplets should not be so loud that the listener cannot easily discern the primary theme in the chords.

Alain generated the title of Choral Dorien (1938) from the Greek mode, “which refers to today’s Dorian as Phrygian and vice versa.”⁶ Performers of this piece and other Alain works often misinterpret his tempi indications. Alain did not like the constraints of bar lines and rarely denoted a particular, strict tempo. Instead, he was concerned primarily with the “living pulse of his musical thought” and wrote down the durations of his pieces to determine their relative tempi. Schauerte remarked that the tempo of Choral Dorien should not be too lethargic. She suggested that the performer sing the theme in order to correctly pace the tempo. These indications for Litanies, Le Jardin Suspendu, and Choral Dorien are critical to the correct interpretation of Alain’s pieces and, if applied, form important habits for the pupils of Jehan Alain’s works. 

The organ students at Duquesne University thoroughly enjoyed this intensive study of Jehan Alain’s music with Helga Schauerte as well as her recital the previous evening at St. Paul’s Cathedral. Many were impressed with the excellence of Schauerte’s research and were glad for her attention to detail and informed advice on each piece. Others were amused with Alain’s artwork and were interested to learn more about his life. The masterclass provided a fresh musicological insight into the works and life of an inspiring modern composer whose creative life was tragically cut short during his military service in World War II. 

The experience of a masterclass on the works of Jehan Alain with Helga Schauerte made a lasting impression upon those who participated. Alain’s life and music are inspirations that echo in the works of Jean Langlais and Maurice Duruflé, as well as in numerous organists’ repertoire. Whether through a masterclass, a celebratory dinner with friends of Jehan Alain meeting each other for the first time, or the National French Centenary Celebration of the Birth of Jehan Alain, musicians across the globe delight in studying and internalizing the musical expressions of this inspirational man and will do so for decades to come.⁷