2001 Summer Institute for French Organ Studies
Credit for this article given to Arthur Lawrence and his report in The Diapason on the 2001 SIFOS experience.
Note: I attended SIFOS during the summer of 1987. Our first week was on the Clicquot at Souvigny, and our second week was on the 3 manual Cavaille-Coll organ at St. Michel in Castelnaudary. Other than that the report given below describes my experiences with sifos beautifully:
Since 1985, the Summer Institute for
French Organ Studies (SIFOS) has given American organists a unique opportunity
to play and study historic French organs in depth. Unlike the more usual organ
tours, which enroll many people and visit a large number of instruments
briefly, this institute is restricted to five or six participants and spends a
week each at an eighteenth-century organ in Souvigny
and at a nineteenth-century one in Lyon. In addition to attending daily classes
on the instrument and the literature appropriate for it, each person has at
least one daily practice session at the organ.
- by Arthur Lawrence
Since 1985, the Summer Institute for French Organ Studies (SIFOS) has given
American organists a unique opportunity to play and study historic French
organs in depth. Unlike the more usual organ tours, which enroll many people
and visit a large number of instruments briefly, this institute is restricted
to five or six participants and spends a week each at an eighteenth-century
organ in Souvigny and at a nineteenth-century one in
Lyon. In addition to attending daily classes on the instrument and the
literature appropriate for it, each person has at least one daily practice
session at the organ. It is, I believe, the only such institute that affords
this kind of opportunity to learn from the extensive playing of the instrument
itself, an experience not otherwise possible. It illustrates well the adage
that the organ has a great deal to teach the player.
Founded by organbuilder Gene Bedient of
Lincoln, Nebraska, and organist Jesse Eschbach of the
University of North Texas at Denton, SIFOS now operates in alternate summers.
The most recent sessions took place July 16-27, 2001, and were very well
organized; every effort had been made to ensure that all went
as it should. The participants ranged from advanced graduate students to
professionals long in the field; they were Parker Kitterman
(Lewisburg, Georgia), Arthur Lawrence (New York, New York), James Livengood (Dallas, Texas), Margaret Mulvey
(Dallas, Texas), Jane Smith (Portland, Oregon), and Stephen Warner (Ann Arbor,
Michigan). In this congenial group, all demonstrated good keyboard facility,
interest in learning, and enthusiasm for playing the instruments.
Souvigny
Souvigny-sur-Alliers is a beautiful small town ten kilometers west of Moulins, in the predominantly agricultural area of the
Auvergne, at the north edge of the Massif Central. It is a peaceful refuge from
commercialism; in addition to the Priory Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul
and the attached museum occupying a former monastery building, there are a few
stores and restaurants, a school, the town hall, a police station, and a post
office. Of course, there are also private residences, some of which housed the
participants, all of whom had local hosts. A place well off the tourist track,
this village is ideal for a week of quiet study.
In 916, Aymard, a magistrate of the Duke William the Pious of
Aquitaine and forebear of the Bourbon kings, ceded land to the Abbot of Cluny
to establish several Benedictine monasteries in the surrounding area of Bourbonnais.
The construction of the Priory Church, now at the center of Souvigny,
began in 994, and papal legate Pierre Damien consecrated the original
Romanesque building on August 10, 1063. The importance of this church at the
time of the First Crusade under Pope Urban II necessitated its enlargement in
1095. Two bell towers were added at the beginning of the thirteenth century,
other changes and additions took place during the seventeenth century, and a
new west faade was constructed in the eighteenth century.
Inasmuch as
the church at Cluny was destroyed early in the nineteenth century, the Souvigny church is now the finest remaining example of a
priory church from the Cluny epoch. The central nave, flanked by double columns
and side aisles, is a little more than 260 feet in length; with double
transepts near the crossing, the total width is just under
90 feet.
After
functioning as a typical twentieth-century parish for many years, this church
since 1991 has been administered by brothers of the Congregation of Saint Jean,
a Dominican order founded in 1978. Today, in addition to the celebration of the
Mass, daily offices (although not the complete historical spectrum) are
observed, to which the faithful are summoned by the joyful ringing of the tower
bells.
The Clicquot Organ
The organ,
located in the gallery, was built by Franois-Henri Clicquot
in 1782-83 and has interior inscriptions of 25 May 1782 and 1783. Despite an
1887 repitching by organbuilder
Goydadin in which pipes were moved down a half-step and equal temperament was effected, the instrument
is in remarkably original condition. (On August 26, 1880, Joseph Merklin had submitted a proposal to do restoration work,
noting that the instrument was one of Clicquot's best
and the only one remaining without having been subjected to modification. His
proposal to leave the organ without substantial change was not accepted.) In
1962, Philippe Hartmann placed it in a mildly unequal temperament, although the
original would have been meantone. From a cosmetic
standpoint, the only change seems to have been that the original parchment tags
giving the stop name under each drawknob were at some
point removed in favor of drawknobs with inset
porcelain faces bearing the stop names. The organ was classified as a national
monument historique in 1947, the same designation for
the case following in 1975.
The main case,
containing speaking pipes of the Montre and the PŽdale Flžte 4', has towers on
each side, with a lower one in the middle, outlining the rose window above and
behind the organ. Carved angel musicians crown the towers, which are separated
by two flats of pipes. In this case are the pipes of the Grand-Orgue, with those of the short-compass RŽcit
above in the center, and those of the PŽdale in the
side towers. The case of the Positif-de-dos follows
the same pattern on a smaller scale, but with only one flat between towers and
urns surmounting them. There is barely room between the two cases for the
recessed console and bench over the classic-style pedalboard.
The winding
system was replaced by a single horizontal bellows in 1887, the first item
on Goydadin's proposal. In 1977, Mr. Hartmann
reconstructed the original system of three cuneiform bellows, using Clicquot components which had been
preserved. The bellows are raised in alternation by an electric motor
controlled by a sophisticated computer application installed in 1995 by
Philippe Klinge. The wind pressure is approximately
80 mm.
Because of the
location of Souvigny, the organ has probably not
received the same attention it would have had in a more metropolitan setting,
but it is by no means unknown. Alexander Dumas visited in October 1834 and
praised the sound of the organ. FŽlix Danjou admired it in 1840 and Hamel in 1845. In more recent
times, the Association Saint-Marc commissioned a new composition by Guy Bovet,
who performed and recorded here. The organ has also been
recorded by Henri DeLorme.
Positif (I) (C1,
D1-D5)
8' Bourdon
8' Dessus de Flžte (C2)
4' Prestant
22Ú3' Nazard
2' Doublette
13Ú5' Tierce
Plein-jeu V
8' Trompette
8' Cromorne
Grand-Orgue (II) (C1, D1-D5)
8' Montre
8' Bourdon
4' Prestant
22Ú3' Nazard
2' Doublette
2' Quarte de Nazard
13Ú5' Tierce
Cornet
V (C3)
Plein-jeu VI
8 Trompette
8' Voix Humaine
4' Clairon
RŽcit (III) (C3-D5)
8' Bourdon
Cornet
IV
8' Hautbois
PŽdale (C1-A2,
flues)
PŽdale (F0, G0-A2,
reeds)
8' Flžte
4' Flžte
12' Trompette
6' Clairon
Tremblant fort (not presently operating)
Tremblant doux
Accouplement ˆ tiroir ( Pos/G.O.
shove coupler)
Except for the
oak bottom octave of the Grand-Orgue Bourdon and the PŽdale Flžte 8', all pipes are
metal, either a high percentage of tin or common metal (thirty percent tin,
seventy percent lead). The bourdons are chimneyed.
The scales of the cornets and the jeux de tierces are
very similar and rather wide. Because of the extended range of the pedals, what
would have been 8' and 4' reed stops are actually 12' and 6', providing
substantial bass. After more than two hundred years, the pipes have oxidized
but that does not affect the quality of the sound they produce.
The design of
the action--typical of this type of French organ--places the pallet box at the
front of the windchest, allowing the suspended key action
of the Grand-Orgue and PŽdale
to work efficiently. The keys are not bushed but have guide pins on either
side, beyond the playing surface. It takes a bit of doing to become accustomed
to this, so as to avoid excess lateral motion and unwanted noise, but once
mastered, the keyboards are friendly. The manual shove coupler is similar to a
dogleg coupler on a harpsichord; when the coupler is engaged, a piece of wood
atop the Positif key is in physical contact with the
Grand-Orgue key above it. The coupler can be
activated while one is playing on the Positif. The Positif key action is conveyed by backfalls
and passes very compactly under the pedalboard and
bench to the windchest, which is immediately behind
the organist.
This is an
organ from which one learns by playing--what blends with what, what works in
ensemble, how to depress the keys to get the best reed sound, as opposed to how
to depress the keys for the flues. One of my colleagues wrote in the
inscription book that he'd learned more in a week here than in four years at
college. Playing this organ is also an experience in auditory delight, because
every sound is satisfying and beautiful, and the big ensembles are thrilling.
Both the mounted cornets and those drawn from separate ranks are exquisite in
color and fullness. The grand jeu is exceptional in
its grandeur and power. For me, each hour at this organ was one to be savored,
albeit one which passed much too quickly.
Even though
this is still a French Classic organ, it is a late one and it betrays signs of
developments to come: there is no larigot, there are
no 4' flutes, the 8' rank of the RŽcit Cornet draws
separately, and there is an open flute on the Positif--a
particular harbinger of the nineteenth century. This flute, in fact, is a small
principal. In general, the smallest number of stops gives the best effect. For
instance, the grand jeu needs only the reeds and the
mounted cornet; the jeu de tierce is redundant and
only consumes wind unnecessarily.
A typical day
for the SIFOS participants began with a lecture by Mr. Bedient
on some aspect of the history and design of the instrument, with pipes, action,
winding, and tuning and temperament being the main areas of discussion. There
were several opportunities to look inside the organ, to view the pipework and the action. We also examined several of the
original pipes which had been removed when the organ
was repitched.
That first
hour was followed by a longer session at the organ, in which titulaire Henri DeLorme listened
to several people play, coaching them in the style and making observations
about the music. Mr. DeLorme, who studied with Michel
Chapuis at the Strasbourg conservatory, is a very
intuitive musician with a keen ear. He knows the Souvigny
organ and its literature intimately, and is well positioned to instruct others
in all aspects of playing the French Classic organ. He is also an excellent
improviser in the style of the period, which he demonstrated extensively the
first day to acquaint us with the organ. His effusive personality is infectious,
instilling joy in organ playing.
A grand
three-course luncheon followed at an excellent local restaurant, with the
afternoon and early evening being devoted to individual practice sessions or
enjoying the local scenery.
At the
conclusion of the week, the Association Saint-Marc sponsored a well-attended
public recital by the participants, with receptions before and afterward. This
association of local organ lovers is active in support and promotion of the Souvigny organ. The recital consisted of ClŽrambault, five movements from the Suite in the Second
Tone (Lawrence); D'Aquin, No‘l sur
les flžtes (Mulvey); D'Aquin, No‘l grand jeu et duo (Livengood); Couperin, two movements from the Convent Mass
(Smith); Balbastre, Marche guerrire
(Warner); and Couperin, Offertoire from the Parish
Mass (Kitterman). Except for the Balbastre,
the music predated the organ, but it all sounded most appropriate on this
magnificent instrument. The audience was enthusiastic in its applause for the
performers, the organ, and Mr. DeLorme's witty verbal
program notes.
Lyon
We left Souvigny behind, as a fast and efficient train took us
through the bucolic countryside which gradually became
mountainous, until we reached Lyon a few hours later. Arriving on Sunday
afternoon, we found France's second-largest city fairly warm and a little
sleepy, but the city sprang to life with great vitality the next morning.
Our activities
took place in the part of the city that developed on the peninsula between the
Rh™ne and Sa™ne Rivers, opposite both the old city
dating from Roman times to the west and the sprawling modern suburbs to the
east. We were conveniently housed a block from the church at the Hotel RŽsidence on a pedestrian shopping street which bustled
with activity all day and well into the evening. As in Souvigny,
we ate well, but this time in various restaurants in the evening.
The
nineteenth-century church of Saint-Franois-de-Sales is nestled in the midst of
this area. The edifice is surrounded by other buildings on two sides, with a
small park on the third, and the street on the fourth. The
main entrance, at the street edge of the park, is surmounted by a bell tower.
The interior is cruciform in shape, with pews in the nave and the two
transepts, the altar on a platform in the center, and the organ behind the
altar, at the far end of the choir. The windows in the dome over the crossing
light the whole area below.
The CavaillŽ-Coll Organ
The immense
organ faade is visually commanding.
At the impost level are three large flats; above this are two smaller
flats on either side of a central tower, which crowns the case. Flanking the
whole are two pedal towers, which, like the smaller central tower, are
surmounted by rich wooden carvings. The remaining space beside each pedal tower
is filled by another smaller flat. Unlike most large French organs, it is
placed on the main floor, where the whole area is protected by an electronic
alarm, installed to guard this monument historique.
It is said that the first organ in this church was high in the rear gallery and
that Aristide CavaillŽ-Coll was asked to build a
modest-sized instrument at the other end. Although having only three manuals
and forty-five stops, this installation of 1879 is monumental both in sound and
sight. It is a twin to the one built for the Brussels Conservatory. Like Souvigny, it is in relatively original condition.
Franois-Charles
Widor (1811-99), father of Charles-Marie, was an
organist and organbuilder, as was his father. He
assisted in the installation of a four-manual, forty-eight-stop Callinet organ at Saint-Franois-de-Sales in 1838, played
the inaugural recital, and became organist of the church. Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937) grew up here and was later sent to
Brussels to study with Lemmens, through the influence
of CavaillŽ-Coll (who had also sent the young Alexandre Guilmant to the same
teacher). Charles-Marie returned to Lyon to play the dedication at
Saint-Franois in 1880, probably playing his recently-composed
Fifth Symphony which had been premiered the previous year in Paris. The
principal organist since 1974 has been Louis Robilliard,
who has made a number of recordings here.
The tonal
design of this organ pays some homage to the past--the Plein
Jeu and Grand Jeu exist on
the Grand-Orgue, and there is a Cornet on the RŽcit. The Grand-Orgue mixtures
are classical in design, after Dom BŽdos, not the
progressive mixtures which CavaillŽ-Coll
had promoted in previous decades. Improvised versets
were still played when this organ was built, but the free works of Bach were
also in demand. The enclosed Positif is the most
remote from the Classic period; there is no principal chorus and no reed
battery. The Carillon, of which this is an early and controversial example, is
good chiefly for bell effects; it is 22Ú3' in the bass but 13Ú5' plus 1' in the
treble. Each manual has at least one harmonic flute and each enclosed division
has a celeste. Every division has reeds, with a
16'-8'-4' ensemble on the Grand-Orgue and the RŽcit, and 16'-8' on the PŽdale.
Compared to previous times, the pipes have more nicking and more open toes.
A tour of the
interior of the instrument reveals a spacious layout. At floor level directly
behind the console are the Grand-Orgue and Positif Barker machines, containing the pneumatic levers which
work the key action, permitting the organist to control higher wind pressures
and larger, multiple pallets without unduly taxing the fingers. They have glass
doors for sound proofing. Above them is the unison
coupler mechanism, while the sub-octave coupler mechanism, which works by
angled backfalls, is below them. At the back on
this level is the winding system, including the original pumping stations where
one stood on a large protruding lever to activate the feeders at the bottom of
the bellows. The Cummings-style reservoirs are in a double, connected set, each
with inverted ribs; the earlier evolution from cuneiform bellows to horizontal
ones had increased the wind capacity by one hundred per cent. There are
additional anti-concussion reservoirs above this assembly and above the Barker
machines. The wind pressures range from approximately 85 mm to 92 mm, with
divided pressures between the bass and treble on the Grand-Orgue.
In keeping
with the generous spacing of components, one ascends to the upper levels by
wooden staircases, not by ladders! At the second level is the Grand-Orgue at the front, with the enclosed Positif
behind it, where its sound is less prominent. At the top of the next staircase
is the RŽcit, in a commanding position
which crowns the installation. Its Barker machine is in front, clothed
in a large muffler to deaden the sound of its operation.
The design of
the windchests is particularly interesting,
especially from an American perspective. Reading books on the history of organ
construction leads one to think that the ventil
system--a designation not employed by the French, who instead specified appel--requires separate windchests
for the flues (Jeux de Fonds)
and for the reeds (Jeux de Combinaison).
(See, for instance, Peter Williams, A New History of the Organ, p. 173.) CavaillŽ-Coll, from Saint-DŽnis
onward, did indeed use multiple windchests on each
division, but this was in order to provide varying wind pressures in different
parts of the scale. The division of flue and reed stops in a given register,
however, is made on a single windchest which has an internal barrier running down the middle of
the chest, with pallets on each end of the channel. Thus, the organist can draw
flues and reeds, activating the reeds and upperwork
only when the proper pedal is depressed, which then admits air to the portion
of the windchest which houses the reeds and upperwork.
The detached,
reversed console is laid out with terraces of drawknobs
on either side of the keyboards, going from the RŽcit
at the top, the Positif next, then the Grand-Orgue, and finally the PŽdale. In
general, the flues are on the right, with the reeds and upperwork
on the left. The coupler and ventil controls (PŽdales de Combinaison) are placed above the pedalboard,
as indicated in the specifications. The use of these combination pedals is an
essential part of playing this organ.
Grand-Orgue (I) (C1-G6)
Jeux de Fonds
16' Principal
16' Bourdon
8' Montre
8' Salicional
8' Flžte Harmonique
8' Bourdon
4' Prestant
4' Flžte Douce
Jeux de Combinaison
2' Doublette
Fourniture IV
Cymbale III
16' Bombarde
8' Trompette
4' Clairon
Positif-Expressif (II) (C1-G6)
Jeux de Fonds
8' Nachthorn
8' Flžte Harmonique
8' Dulciane
8' Unda Maris
4' Flžte Octaviante
Jeux de Combinaison
2' Doublette
Carillon
I-III
8' Trompette
8' Basson
8' Clarinette
RŽcit-Expressif (III) (C1-G6)
Jeux de Fonds
16' Quintaton
8' Diapason
8' Bourdon
8' Flžte Harmonique
8' Viole de Gambe
8' Voix CŽleste
4' Flžte Octaviante
8' Voix Humaine
8' Basson-Hautbois
Jeux de Combinaison
2' Octavin
Cornet
V (C3)
16' Basson
8' Trompette
4' Clairon
PŽdale (C0-F2)
Jeux de Fonds
32' Basse
Accoustique
16' Contre
Basse
16' Soubasse
8' Flžte
8' Violoncelle
Jeux de Combinaison
16' Bombarde
8' Trompette
PŽdales de Combinaison
(in order from left to right)
1 Effets d'Orage
2 Tirasse Grand-Orgue
3 Tirasse Positif
4 Tirasse RŽcit
5 Anches PŽdale
6 Octaves
Graves Grand-Orgue
7 Octaves
Graves Positif
8 Octaves
Graves RŽcit
9 TrŽmolo Positif (above 7 and 8)
10 Expression Positif (balanced pedal)
11 Expression RŽcit (balanced pedal)
12 Anches Grand-Orgue
13 Anches Positif
14 Anches RŽcit
15 TrŽmolo RŽcit (above 12 and 13)
16 Copula Grand-Orgue sur Machine
17 Copula Positif sur Grand-Orgue
18 Copula RŽcit sur Grand-Orgue
19 Copula RŽcit sur Positif
The daily
morning class was structured much as at Souvigny,
with Mr. Bedient's information on the organ itself,
Dr. Eschbach's material on the music, and the playing
of the participants. Individual practice time occupied the afternoons and early
evenings. Late night practice was prohibited, since the sound of the organ
carries into the neighboring buildings. Being in such a large, historic city
provided countless opportunities for sightseeing and shopping in whatever time
was left.
Although Jesse
Eschbach's masterclasses
and coaching were exemplary, it was his lectures that were outstanding. He
provided a wealth of information on the organs, organists, and organ music of
nineteenth-century France, drawn from many well-researched sources. This
provided a valuable background for the performance of the music at hand. His
forthcoming publication of much of this material is awaited with great
interest.
Playing this
organ is a physical challenge. The manual keys are large and go down a fair
distance, much more so than on a Classic instrument. But the requisite aspect
of performance is in the setting and manipulation of the combination pedals.
The Copula Grand-Orgue sur
Machine must be down in order to have any sound; the other pedals must be set
according to the requirements of the music. However, one need only follow literally
the directions written in the score: doing exactly what is written in an authentic
edition of a Franck piece yields the desired combinations. All the composers who received CavaillŽ-Coll's heritage used this system: Franck, Guilmant, Widor, Vierne, Tournemire, DuprŽ, Langlais, Litaize, Messiaen, and many
others. Interestingly, in our classes and recital, assistants were more likely
to be changing the pedals than the drawknobs, but
that was at least in part due to our unfamiliarity with the system. Every
French organist, on the other hand, knows this system intimately, although it
is probably being rendered obsolete today by the use of solid-state controls.
The ventil system was, after all, the original
combination action which made the great symphonic
works of the French masters possible. The gradual crescendos and decrescendos
specified in their compositions are beautifully and effectively achieved on
this instrument.
Once again the
participants played a public recital at the conclusion of the week. The program
consisted of Bo‘ly, Fantasy and Fugue in B-Flat (Law-rence); Guilmant, Introduction
and Allegro from Sonata I (Warner); Franck, Prelude, Fugue, and Variation
(Smith); Widor, Variations from Symphony VIII (Mulvey); DuruflŽ, Fugue on the
Theme of the Soissons Cathedral Carillon (Livengood);
and Vierne, Adagio and Final from Symphony III (Kitterman). This music spanned the period from before the
building of the organ until much later, but this organ was the perfect vehicle
for each of the compositions. At the conclusion, Frank Vaudray,
the gifted assistant organist of the church, improvised in perpetual motion,
making a seamless crescendo from the softest stops to the full organ.
Our whole world has
changed dramatically since this wonderful institute in France last
summer--there could hardly be a greater contrast between the acrid, smoldering
ruins of lower Manhattan and the serenity and beauty of Souvigny
or the power and majesty of Lyon. Although September 11 has now made all our
lives very different, it is still possible to remember and revisit the
monuments of French organs. I hope I have the opportunity to return to Souvigny and Lyon, and I certainly encourage others to go
there. They will be amply rewarded by an institute which
fosters the understanding of our rich organbuilding
heritage and provides a unique educational experience, as well as a very
pleasant summer sojourn.