L. MARCHAND: Fond d'Orgue, from 1er Livre [J. A. Silbermann]

Nenad Leonart, organist, performs Fond d'Orgue (premier livre) by Louis Marchand on the 1745 Silbermann organ in Wasselonne. The recording was made in April 2023 and highlights the foundation stops of the organ, a rather rarely heard element of French baroque organ music. Leonart's performance strives to bring out the beautiful sound of the instrument in a way that stays true to the historical sources.

Comparatively few works by Marchand survive, most of them dating from the early stages of his career. The most numerous and arguably most important are his organ works. The twelve that were published by the Boivin atelier in 1740 are likely to be a reproduction of a book of organ pieces that were published in January 1700, of which no extant copies are known. A further 42 pieces are to be found in a manuscript that was housed in the Bibliothèque royale at Versailles. These pieces include a number of important pieces: the massive Grand Dialogue (1696), a harmonically adventurous Fond d'orgue, the Quatuor, a four-part fugue that was quintessential to French organist-composers, and a Plein jeu with a canon in double pedals. Modern scholar Geoffrey Sharp divided Marchand's organ oeuvre into three distinct groups: pieces influenced by vocal genres, pieces influenced by instrumental genres, and vocal-instrumental hybrid works. He singles out Marchand's organ trios and non-contrapuntal works as the composer's most successful pieces.

The extant pieces for harpsichord are contained in two suites. The first was originally published 'chez l'auteur' in 1699 with plates engraved by Claude Roussel. It was reissued in 1702 under the auspices of Christophe Ballard as Livre Premier; a Livre Second was published simultaneously. Stylistically, the suites are disparate. Livre Premier begins with a measured prélude that is more reminiscent of Frescobaldi than any French paradigm, yet the dances are distinctly in le goût français; Livre Second begins with a prélude non mesuré yet its accompanying dances look forward to a more italianate style. In addition are two attributions in a Ballard publication of 1707 Pièces choisies pour le clavecin de différents auteurs: La Vénitienne and La Bandine. In 2005, a recording was released of a manuscript entitled Livre de Suittes pour le clavecin composé par Monsieur de Charman(t) [sic] cordelier, et arrangé par Renard, à Paris, 1754. This came to light in a private music collection in 2003 and reputedly contains a collection of pieces by Marchand in C major and minor. We are told that the current owners have no desire for the disclosure of their details or for its contents to be made available to scholars and musicians. No other reference to the works is to be found: its liner notes refer to a yet-to-be-published article by an untraceable musicologist. Although the recording’s contents are charming, it reveals a collection of works in the Italian style that could have been written by any number of composers. [The lack of cooperation from the owners has frustrated a number of musicologists, which has led to doubts concerning the collection’s authenticity.]

Source: Wikipedia.

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