Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral (The Complete Organ Series Vol 3) [Hardcover]

Rollin Smith (Author), Louis Vierne (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1576470040 | ISBN-13: 978-1576470046 | Publication Date: December 1, 1998 | Edition: annotated edition

Louis Vierne (1870-1937), a student of César Franck and Charles-Marie Widor, was organist of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris for 37 years, until his death at the console during a recital. Widor's successor as the organ's great French symphonist - an assessment the passage of time has proved correct - Vierne's music has remained in the repertoire of organists throughout the world, never undergoing the periodic eclipses experienced by his contemporaries. Vierne's autobiography, Mes Souvenirs, originally published serially in the 1930s, is here available in a profusely illustrated, extensively annotated English translation. Rollin Smith's Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral is the first major study of the great organist of Notre-Dame and includes chapters on his American tour, recordings, contemporary reminiscences, definitive textual corrections, the organ symphonies, his death and succession, and a thematic catalogue of his organ works.

Winner of the first Max B. Miller Book Award, established by The American Guild of Organists to recognize distinguished scholarship in the fields of organ literature and performance.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"An absolute must for any organist and avid admirer of Louis Vierne." --Frederick James Kent in Penn Sounds, Fall, 2000.

...no francophile organist can afford to be without this book and it will certainly be the definitive reference book about Louis Vierne for many years to come. --John Henderson in RSCM --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 840 pages
• Publisher: Pendragon Pr; annotated edition edition (December 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1576470040
• ISBN-13: 978-1576470046
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,799,479 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars SUPERB!, February 21, 2000

By 

Michael Murray (Boston, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral (The Complete Organ Series Vol 3) (Hardcover)

This is the most complete book on Vierne to date. Highly recommended. The majority of the book is Vierne's own Memoirs translated into english. The remainder constists of some analization of the organ works, textual corrections of the symphonies, improvisation themes written by Vierne, etc. Most complete, and a fanscinating read as well as being highly useful. No organist should be without a copy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Vierne and the world of French romantic organ music, August 6, 2009

By 

Jim Tee - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral (The Complete Organ Series Vol 3) (Hardcover)

A fascinating account of both the struggles of this blind organist as well as the French organ school at the turn of the nineteenth century. This exhaustive chronicle of the life and music of Vierne includes autobiographical details on how he overcame his infirmities and performance anxiety to become one of the most outstanding French organists and composers of all time. There are some remarkable insights into his method of improvizing, and the study interweaves his career with those of his teachers Franck and Widor, as well as pupils Dupre and others. The deep tragedies of losing a brother and son in WWI are described, and his dramatic death at the console of the Notre Dame organ. Organists will appreciate the performance notes on most of Vierne's own works, plus a measure by measure analysis of his interpretation of Bach's Toccata and Fugue in d minor. A very readable format features autobiographical narrative on right hand pages, with notes and photographs on the left. Overall, paints a portrait of a very sensitive, intelligent composer, and heightens one's appreciation for the richness of his music.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Of special note are the chapters dedicated to his American tour, November 14, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Louis Vierne (Paperback): Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral (The Complete Organ) (Paperback)

The Max B. Miller Book Award was created by The American Guild of Organists for the specific purpose of honoring works of seminal and academic importance in the field of organ literature, history, and performance. Academician and music historian Rollin Smith has won this prestigious award for "Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral", a comprehensive and seminal history of Notre-Dame Cathedral organist Louis Vierne (1870-1937) who served in that capacity for 37 years. A dedicated organist, Vierne was to die still at his console, leaving behind an impressive legacy of performances and catalogue of organ works. Of special note are the chapters dedicated to his American tour. Enhanced with informative and insightful contemporary anecdotal stories by those who worked with him, as well as others who were to be influenced by him, "Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral" is especially recommended as a core addition to academic library Music History reference collections in general, and the supplemental reading lists for dedicated students of the organ in particular.