As posted previously, I am a fan of big, booming pipe organ pieces, and particularly of the Widor Toccata. Charles-Marie Widor was the organist at St. Sulpice in Paris from 1870 to 1933. My favorite recording of Widor's Toccata is on "The Sounds of York Minster," a CD recorded in York, England. What is notable to me about that recording is the pace of the piece is much slower and deliberate than what is typically heard in performances of this work. I have gone so far as timing the piece by a metronome, and suggesting to Ray (otherwise known here as Organist Extraordinaire), as I handed him the number on a scrap of paper, that he try the Toccata more slowly. But when you are an Organist Extraordinaire, your artistic interpretation (including the meter at which you play pieces) does not necessarily yield to outside influences. Today, almost exactly one year after my first post about Widor's marvelous Toccata, my husband has sent me the following (from Wikipedia), specifically addressing the meter of the piece:
“Widor was pleased with the worldwide renown this single piece afforded him, but he was unhappy with how fast many other organists played it. Widor himself always played the Toccata rather deliberately. Many organists play it at a very fast tempo whereas Widor preferred a more controlled articulation to be involved. He recorded the piece, at St. Sulpice in his eighty-ninth year: the tempo used for the Toccata is quite slow.”
And here's Widor at the keyboard:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8vz1D_L_OE&p=11AADBF440782809&playnext=1&index=27
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Wanda: Does his age account for the tempo? I did not quite understand this piece, but I will try to find it played faster and see if I recognize something different. I teach an Integrated Arts course at a local university, and organ music is one of my weak points. This might be interesting to introduce to my class. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteJJ - I discussed the Widor with an organist friend this weekend, and she explained that a skilled organist will take a slower tempo when performing in a large open space, such as a cathedral. The size and acoustics of the space will cause fast passages with lots of notes to sound like a big blur. Even my friend, Ray, who prefers to play it quickly, admits that playing the Widor fast will cover up mistakes; it is "easier" to play it fast, more technically challenging to play it slow.
ReplyDelete-Wanda
Great explanation. Thanks.
ReplyDelete