Charles Tournemires L’Orgue Mystique: La Haute Mission
By Richard C. Spotts
Published by The Leupold Foundation | Hardcover, 694 pages
Available in Library Binding and PDF Digital
The great organ at Sainte Clotilde Paris. Cmcmcm1, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
A Sacred Work Rediscovered
Charles Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique is one of the most ambitious sacred music projects ever composed: Fifty-one suites, one for nearly every Sunday of the liturgical year, rooted in Gregorian chant and meant to sanctify time through sound.
This book brings that visionary work back to life, contextualizes it, and makes it relevant to a new audience.
“Charles Tournemire’s L’Orgue Mystique: La Haute Mission” is the first comprehensive English-language exploration of this musical masterpiece. Part history, part theology, part performance guide, it is the culmination of a fifteen-year journey through study, performance, and prayer, combining performance insight, liturgical context, and cultural depth.
This is a book that makes an important work of organ music accessible, and invites the reader into a dialogue with tradition, mystery, and transcendence — whether you approach it from the console, the lectern, or the pew.
This magnificent book is not to be absorbed in a single sitting. It is a book to be read and re-read… gradually integrated into one’s understanding of the historical, political, aesthetic, and intellectual currents of the period.”
— William Renwick, McMaster University
Who Is This Book For?
A scholarly reference, a musician’s guide, a thorough historical document, and so much more.
Scholars & Musicologists
Explore the mystical aesthetics of early 20th-century French sacred music; access a rich resource on Symbolism, Guéranger, Solesmes, and the aesthetics of liturgical time; use as a primary text in graduate-level courses on French music, liturgy, or chant.
Organists & Performers
Learn how to interpret Tournemire’s challenging notation and spiritual architecture; gain practical guidance on registration, phrasing, tempo, and improvisational freedom; use the cycle to design recitals, sacred concerts, or liturgically rooted performances.
Church Musicians & Liturgists
Discover how Tournemire wove scripture, chant, and the Church calendar into a unified musical offering; reclaim a visionary approach to music ministry that transcends utility; reconnect music with mystery
Curious Readers & Theologians
Engage with Tournemire as a prophet of modern sacred art; understand the forgotten battle between Widor’s logic and Tournemire’s spirit; follow a narrative of cultural restoration through music.
This is not a dry academic monograph. It is a personal journey and an act of devotion.”
— Harold Stover
Spotts’ work helps revive a repertoire that deserves far more attention in academic and sacred settings.”
— Kevin Faulkner
The Structure of the Book
This richly structured book unfolds in three major parts, each offering something unique:
Part I — Spiritual & Cultural Foundations
A deep exploration of Tournemire’s influences: chant revival at Solesmes, the writings of Dom Guéranger, Symbolist aesthetics, and the mystical ambitions of post-Revolution Catholic France. Over 200 pages of cultural, spiritual, and political background spanning the French Revolution through the early 20th century.
Part II — Performance & Interpretation
Detailed insight into the structure of L’Orgue Mystique, with guidance on performing, adapting, and breathing life into the cycle — whether on grand cathedral instruments or modest parish organs. Spotts explores the liturgical architecture of the 51 Offices and their roots in the Messe basse tradition. Offers guidance on registration, rubato, rhythmic flexibility, and interpretive freedom — even for smaller organs.
Part III — Liturgical Texts & Chant Connections
Includes full chant incipits, scripture texts, and commentary aligned with each suite, helping readers uncover the rich interplay between liturgy and melody. Presents the chants, antiphons, and liturgical readings for each suite — with commentary that helps connect Gregorian themes to musical expression and theological symbolism. Based on Dom Guéranger’s L’Année liturgique.
“As someone who has performed L’Orgue Mystique extensively, Spotts is in a unique position to enlighten his readers concerning performance and interpretation.”
— William Renwick
Spotts encourages the performer to move beyond the notation — toward something more expressive, more fluid — closer to chant and improvisation.”
— Ann Labounsky
Why This Book Matters Now
This isn’t a mere reference text — it’s a call to rediscover sacred time, through music that was meant to lift the soul, not just accompany a rite.
Tournemire’s music is radical, reverent, and still radiantly alive. Spotts gives readers the tools to hear it, understand it, and bring it to others — in worship, on the concert stage, or in quiet reflection.
A thorough, detailed, and sensitive account… essential reading for all those interested in French organ music and the role of music in the Catholic liturgy.”
— Kevin Faulkner
Spotts writes with passion and humility, always allowing the subject to lead.”
— Harold Stover
This book will be of great value to organists who wish to better understand the nature of this vast musical and liturgical cycle.”
— Ann Labounsky
What Makes This Book Unique?
- First and only English-language guide to the complete L’Orgue Mystique
- Written by a performer who has played nearly every suite in recital
- Bridges scholarship and performance, research and live musical experience
- Offers interpretive and practical performance advice for organists at any level
- Includes chant sources and readings for every suite, making it usable for both performance and study
- Rich in comparative references, including Franck, Widor, Messiaen, and the Symbolists
Whatever its theological inspirations, the music succeeds exceptionally well in pure musical terms — on account of its originality, its brilliance, and its aura of spiritual transcendence.”
— Bynum Petty
Order Now
Hardcover | 694 pages
ISBN: 978-1-881162-88-9
This book reawakens a sacred musical tradition that still has the power to transfix and transform.”
— Harold Stover