Widor, Charles-Marie

International Music Score Library Project [IMSLP] entry: Charles-Marie Widor

Charles-Marie Widor [1844-1937] was a French organist and composer. His pieces were often designed around the magnificent new organs built by Aristide Cavaille'-Coll, especially the one at Saint-Sulpice in Paris where he was `provisional' organist for over 60 years.

Piece	MP3	Midi	Genre
Toccata (Symphony No. 5)		MIDI	classical organ
	This Toccata is Widor's most famous work, a dazzling show-piece using the new swell capabilities of the Saint-Sulpice organ to full advantage. It constitutes the fifth movement of the Symphony pour Orgue, Op. 42 no. 5, and is marked as Allegro (MM = 100) Sequenced in 1996 from a library copy, checked more recently against the public-domain IMSLP copies. See also below. Despite the instruction, I sequenced this somewhat faster, at MM == 120. This is the speed favoured by Simon Preston, organist at Westminster Abbey; if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me! I have a magnificent recording of Xavier Darasse playing the Cavaille'-Coll organ at Saint-Sernin de Toulouse, version also available on YouTube; his recording is at MM == 100 and however good the sound, it seems slow to me. In addition, he comes to several full stops, which, again to me, spoil the flow. `Orchestrating' this piece is non-trivial -- computer sound-cards such as the SoundBlaster16 really don't give nice full-blooded pedal sounds, so you can't get the churchy effect. In this version, I've swiped the Bach organ template used for the Toccata, Adagio and Fugue, BWV564, in the Novello registrations. It is about the best I can do, and at least it pretty-much avoids the dreaded chuff-chuff effect of much sequenced organ music. Wait for the neighbours to go out, then connect your best speakers, turn the volume up and let rip!

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Andy Walker, anw [at] cuboid4.me.uk [remove digit to construct address]