I am excited to announce an ambitious project to record Charles Tournemire's complete L'Orgue Mystique, the massive cycle of chant-based organ music for the liturgical year. To save costs, the audio files will be primarily issued as downloads on the major sites, with a limited number of CDs available for those who prefer it. The goal is to have each suite and movement indexed on a website according to both the EF and OF calendars, for devotional use. The first volume will be recorded on the newly completed Lively-Fulcher organ at the Cathedral of St. Matthew in Washington, D.C., and released on Seven Eight Records: https://www.seveneightrecords.com/.
A suggestion - This is a monumental and important undertaking. I would suggest that each piece within each suite be preceded by the chant on which it is based. Done with a good schola this would add immeasurably to the scholarly value and cerebral apprehension of your project.
Too many recordings of even the French alternatim literature do not include the chant which is a congenital component of those works. L'Orgue Mystique is, of course, not alternatim and may or may not have been performed in connexion with the chant, but the chant and its piece would, in an undertaking such as yours, be quite satisfying and add to the comprehension of the piece.
Hello all - so far, this fundraising effort has gotten little traction, and I need your help. Why should you support a recording project by me, when there are so many other worthy causes to donate to? This is consistent with the "New Evangelization," by aiding in deeper devotion. This music is not terribly well-known, but it deserves to be heard. Unlike some of the organ showpieces of his contemporaries, Tournemire's music is subservient to the Mass. It is rarely extravagant, and indeed sometimes even a bit odd. It doesn't call attention to itself, but directs focus toward the divine. Quotes of Gregorian chant are abundant, and because these chants, and Tournemire's music based on it, are tied to specific days, it is not "absolute" music. My hope is that people listening to this will meditate on the texts and thus engage in a deeper understanding of the faith. To that end, each downloadable file will be indexed on a website according to the calendar, so listeners can simply go to the site, find the correct Sunday or holy day, and click on the links with the appropriate sound file and text. But haven't recordings of this been done already? Absolutely. To my knowledge, there are two complete sets commercially available: Georges Delvallee's, recorded on significant French organs, and Sandro Mueller's, recorded on organs in Germany. Both have their assets, but they can be difficult to find. This would be the first recorded on American organs, which can bring out certain characteristics of the music that organs in France and Germany cannot achieve. Through Seven Eight Records, the sound files will be on the major download sites. CD's will also be available for those who prefer that sound quality. So please help out!
You might think of asking for support in all the Organ magazines such as The Tracker, American Organist, Diapason, Choir and Organ to name a few...wide publicity can be achieved at little cost.
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