Marcel Dupré
Synopsis
French organist, composer, teacher, editor
- 1886 born in Rouen, France
- 1904 began formal study at the Paris Conservatory
- 1907 received first prize for Organ
- 1909 received first prize for Fugue
- 1920 performed over ten recitals, playing the complete organ works of Bach from memory
- 1926-1954 professor of organ performance and improvisation at Paris Conservatory
- 1934-1971 titular organist at Sainte-Sulpice in Paris
- 1971 died in Meudon (Near Paris), France
- A student of Guilmant, Vierne, and Widor
- Became famous as an improviser and composer in a French symphonic style
- Some of his most famous compositions began as concert improvisations
- He performed more than 2000 concerts, including ten tours in the United States
- "His organ technique was considered formidable in his day"[1]
Biography
Born in 1886 to a family of musicians, Marcel Dupré was immersed in music early in life. He was admitted to the Paris Conservatory in 1904, studying with Guilmant, Diémar, and Widor. He received first prize in three contests there – fugue, organ, and composition. In 1916 he was appointed interim organist at the great Notre Dame Cathedral. In 1926 he returned to his Alma Mater, this time as a professor of organ. He succeeded his former teacher Widor as the organist of St. Sulpice in 1934, where he remained until his death in 1971.
Throughout his life Dupré performed and taught extensively, including ten concert tours to the United States. Dupre had an excellent memory, and in 1920 performed the complete works of Bach by memory in a ten-concert recital series.[2] He was even appointed General Director of the American Conservatory in 1947. Many of Dupré’s own compositions have overt pedagogical purposes. For example, both the Tombeau de Titelouze and the 79 Chorales use chorale and chant tunes found in the works of other composers (Titelouze and JS Bach), and are meant to be introductions to that music.
Dupré's compositions develop from his extraordinary improvisations. For example, his Symphonie-Passion was first improvised in 1921 on the Wanamaker organ in Philadelphia. It was not written down and performed until three years later, at the Westminster Cathedral. Dupré's compositions reflect the trend towards concert repertoire, rather than liturgical pieces.
Representative Works
- Preludes and fugues
- Organ Symphonies
For details, see the Wikipedia article on Marcel Dupré.
List of Organ Works
Background and General Perspectives on Performing Dupré Organ Works
"Dupré's harmonic style was based upon early Twentieth-century common-practice harmonic style, with occasionally -added sixths and ninths that sometimes suggest elements of quartal harmony. His harmonic progressions were enriched by a delightfully unpredictable angularity that continue to make his style sound fresh and inviting, and certianly distinctly late Twentieth-Century to today's listener."[3]
Registration and Organs
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See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page. [4]
Fingering and Pedaling
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Articulation and Phrasing
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Ornamentation
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Tempo and Meter
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Scores and Editions
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Recordings
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Free Online
- Prelude and Fugue in B Major (Op. 7 No. 1) as performed by Daryl Robinson
- Antiphon III (Op. 18 No. 3) as performed by Linda Margetts
- Cortege et Litanie (Op. 19 No. 2) as performed by Marcel Dupre
- Crucifixion from Symphonie-Passion (Op. 23 No. 3) as performed by Marcel Dupre
Pay to Listen
- The Stations of the Cross (Op. 29) as performed by Stephen Tharp on NAXOS
- Cortege et Litanie (Op. 19 No 4.) and Symphonie Passion (Op. 23) as performed by Peter Richard Conte on NAXOS
- Cortege et Litanie (Op 19 No. 2) as performed by Daniel Jay McKinley and the Columbus Indiana Philharmonic, under the direction of David Bowden
Other Resources
"Marcel Dupre': The Man and His Music." B. The Musical Times, Vol. 61, No. 934 (Dec. 1, 1920), pp. 814-816.
Marcel Dupré, the work of a master organist. Murray, Michael 1943 March 19, Boston: Northeastern University Press, 1985, xxv, 259 p.: ill.; 25 cm., English. ML 416 .D83 M9 1985
The organ works of Marcel Dupré. Steed, Graham. Hillsdale, N.Y.: Pendragon Press, 1999, xviii, 271 p.: ill.; 24 cm., English. MT 145 .D76 S73 1999
Recollections. Dupré, Marcel 1886-1971. Melville, N.Y.: Belwin-Mills Pub. Corp, 1975, xiv, 162 p.: ill.; 23 cm., English. ML 410 .D947 A33
Notes
- ↑ Biographical information found prior to the preface in Dans la Gloire des Invalides, Wayne Leupold edition.
- ↑ Rollin Smith, Louis Vierne: Organist of Notre Dame Cathedral, 161. The Complete Organ No. 3. Hillsdale, New York: Pendragon Press, 1999.
- ↑ Biographical information found prior to the preface in Dans la Gloire des Invalides, Wayne Leupold edition.
- ↑ This footnote was entered in the "Registration and Organs" article
This space is for automatic insertion of footnotes. To enter a footnote from anywhere in the article, start by typing the tag <ref> and then enter the text, and type the tag </ref> to end the footnote. The footnote will then appear in this "Notes" section automatically.
