Louis MARCHAND: Fond d'Orgue (Livre II) on Silbermann organ
Experience Louis Marchand's Fond d'Orgue, from the second book of organ pieces, performed by organist Nenad Leonart on the historic 1745 Silbermann organ in Wasselonne. This recording, made in early April 2023, features the foundation stops of the organ, which represent a less common aspect of French baroque organ music. Enjoy the rich sound of this beautiful instrument in the attempt to bring this mysterious music back to life. Video and Audio done by Leonart Studio.
There are a lot of anecdotes surrounding Marchand's life, who must have had a very interesting personality, to say the least. In the previous videos I have shared some already.
Another anecdote was first related in Dictionnaire des artistes (1776) by Louis-Abel de Bonafous, l'abbé de Fontenay:
'The desire to learn his art led him at a very young age to the capital; but without recommendations or friends, he was soon destitute of all kinds of assistance. He entered by chance into the chapel of the College of Louis le Grand at the moment when the organist was expected to begin the divine office. He asked to play the organ, which was granted to him only after repeated requests because they mistrusted his abilities. But scarcely had he put his hands on the keyboard than he astonished all the listeners. The Jesuits showed him great affection; they retained him in their college and contributed to his education by furnishing him with what was necessary to perfect his happy dispositions'.
By contrast, Titon du Tillet's biography states that, on Marchand's arrival to Paris he was offered virtually all of the vacant positions of the city's churches, because the composer's reputation was so high. But perhaps the most famous anecdote about Marchand is the account of the competition he was supposed to have with Johann Sebastian Bach in Dresden in September 1717. According to tardive accounts by Marpurg, Jakob Adlung and other German sources (who incidentally were not born at the time; besides, the story is not found in any French documents), the two composers were to have a contest in harpsichord performance, and Marchand fled before Bach's arrival, apparently out of fear of being defeated. The reality, however, is probably quite different: it was rumoured that Marchand, who had been in Dresden and had performed before the king, was to be offered a position as organist at the Royal Chapel, much to the chagrin of its musicians. The court Konzertmeister, Jean-Baptiste Volumier, probably invited Bach to compete against Marchand on behalf of colleagues annoyed by the latter’s arrogance and erratic behaviour and it was possibly sensing the political hornet’s nest he would be getting into if he were to accept a position at the chapel that caused Marchand to abruptly leave the scene. The story is only related in German sources, with a varying degree of embellishments by Bach's later biographers such as Johann Nikolaus Forkel. Bach's respect for Marchand's abilities, however, was recorded by the same Jakob Adlung, who witnessed Bach playing Marchand's harpsichord suites "ingeniously" and from memory.
If you enjoyed this content, make sure to subscribe to my channel and don't miss out on the next recordings! Also, feel free to check out my website and social for special news etc.
[Leonart Music]
► free concert tickets & exciting news: https://leonart.com/newsletter
For more content, see here:
► Patreon https://leonart.com/patreon for unreleased recordings
► YouTube https://leonart.com/youtube for full-length content
► Twitch https://leonart.com/twitch for interactive live-streams
For your daily dose of Baroque music, go to:
► Instagram https://leonart.com/instagram
► TikTok https://leonart.com/tiktok
► Facebook https://leonart.com/facebook
You can also find all relevant links in your browser at https://leonart.com/linktree
* * * * * * * * * * * * * *
📜ABOUT LEONART MUSIC:
🎹 The channel to bring you beautiful harpsichord music and baroque organ music. 🎹
I was put on this earth to play music from times long passed, and to be honest, there's nothing I'd rather do...
By the way: 👉 if you have access to a historic instrument and would like to invite me to come visit & play, just get in touch, we'll figure something out! 👈
Over the years, I began connecting early music & historic traditions with many of the new contemporary possibilities in technical development. Today's modern means of sound production offer endless ways to pursue true authenticity in performance practice, and I'm happy to be part of this journey! 🎶
Also consider supporting my channel on Patreon! Your support helps me free up time that I can ultimately invest into producing quality content on YouTube –which means more Baroque Music for everyone. And you will get access to special stuff etc!
► https://leonart.com/patreon
______________
#orgue #leonart #leonartmusic #baroque #organ #music #marchand #orgue #leonart #leonartmusic #baroque #organ #music #marchand #ClassicalMusic