Suite Gothique

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Suite Gothique (Opus 25) is a collection of pieces for organ composed by Léon Boëllmann in 1895.

1. Introduction - Choral (C Minor)
2. Minuet Gothique (C Major)
3. Pierre a Notre-Dame (A Flat Major)
4. Toccata (C Minor)

Suite Gothique is an organ piece of 4 movements by Leon Boëllmann. The first movement (Introduction - Choral) is in C minor and is made up of harmonized choral phrases that are first played in large chords on the Great manual and pedals, and then repeated but in smaller form (i.e., less notes in each chord) on just the Swell manual. The second movement (Minuet Gothique) is in 3/4 time and in C major which Boëllmann uses to make this a lively and uplifting movement. The third movement (Pierre a Notre Dame) is an extremely beautiful and lyrical piece of music. In Ab major, it rarely uses dynamics above 'piano' and completely contrasts with and sets up nicely the fiery movement following. Because of its beauty, this movement is often played at weddings. The final fourth movement(Toccata) is probably the most well-known and is among the most famous finales ever written. This movement returns to C minor. The majority of the toccata is based upon a couple of themes and is one of the most menacing organ pieces ever written.

[edit] External links

• Scores on Werner Icking Music Archive
• Sleeve Notes