Franck, C :: Seven Pieces from L'Organiste

L Organiste, published in two volumes, is a collection of mostly brief pieces for organ or harmonium composed by Cesar Franck toward the end of his life. The first fifty-nine pieces were issued in 1890, the year of Franck's death. Fifteen years later, another volume containing thirty-two harmonium pieces appeared. Though this second set was related to the first only by the choice of medium, the publisher Enoch decided to title them L Organiste, Vol. II.

We don t know what motivated Franck to compose these pieces or what use he intended for them. However, their brevity particularly suits them for use in worship where short musical interludes may be needed. The seven pieces in this set have been adapted and transposed to fit the organ and solo instrument format. They are not presented in the same order as they originally appeared. Rather, the order has been determined by the key relationships, thus making it possible to move easily from one piece to another when more length is required.