FRANK MORANA
AmerOrganist 37/6

MARCEL DUPRÉ, Three Preludes and Fugues and Other Organ Works, selected and with an introduction by Rollin Smith. Dover Publications. $12.95. Marcel Dupré entered the spirit world in 1971, where he is probably still very much the pre-eminent composer, organist, and pedagogue. Though the expiration of copyright in some of his music will probably have escaped his notice, it has not escaped the notice of America’s foremost preservator of historic editions, and three important titles have now become available in a single popularly-priced reprint, thanks to the ongoing collaboration between Rollin Smith and Dover Publications, Inc. In addition to the Three Preludes and Fugues, op. 7, this volume includes the Scherzo, op. 16, and the 15 Versets pour les Vêpres du Commun des Fêtes de la Sainte Vierge, op. 18. The virtuosic Three Preludes and Fugues occupy the same high plane as Dupré’s Passion-Symphonie and Chemin du Croix; their only fault is perhaps in the title, where, as we all know, “prelude and fugue” can signify anything from the most hackneyed academicism to the most exalted spirituality. In this case (as Rollin Smith notes in connection with the second number), “after the exposition, one forgets it is a fugue,” and the progression of the six movements as a whole––when one has the good fortune to be able to hear or play them that way––has the effect of a sweeping symphonic fresco equal to anything in Strauss or Mahler. The 15 Versets began life as improvisations, and were written-out at the behest of Dupré’s patron, the English motor car executive Claude Johnson. They make for a good stylistic introduction to Dupré, since they are of only moderate technical difficulty. In the many instances of Dupré’s “improvisations, subsequently written-out,” one needs to come to terms with that rare combination of art and science that was not so much a matter of “total recall” in the modern digital sense, but rather, the cultivation of a musical sensitivity so fluent and inexorable that it didn’t much matter whether it emanated from the keyboard or from pen and paper. In the longstanding role of the art of the organ prior to its liturgical displacement by Roman Catholic church authorities, the organist played in alternation with the various sung versets of the plainchant. Here, the versets are from the Song of Solomon, the “Ave maris stella,” and the Magnificat, and Dupré’s original instrument-at-hand was none other than Notre-Dame de Paris, where he substituted for Louis Vierne in 1916–24. The Scherzo, op. 16 is probably the least well-known Dupré work in the collection. It is a seamless moto perpetuo that, according to Smith, is evocative of the postludes Dupré may have improvised at Notre-Dame. It first appeared in print in a series edited by Widor to promote compositions from the Paris Conservatoire. Even a brief description of the piece serves as a reminder of the true meaning of the word “great” in music: for over a dozen pages and nearly 400 measures, it never once departs from the given four-note motif and constant sixteenth-note accompaniment. It is hard to reconcile this degree of compositional intensity with the title Scherzo, except as a commentary on Dupré’s own legendary arch-musicianship. There is something almost inately elitest in all his work, and the fact that this music is now available at just a fraction of the original cost means that one need no longer be a card-carrying virtuoso in order to own a copy––an objectionable state of affairs for the few, but a golden opportunity for the many.