8: An Improviser of Genius

      His musical works were legion; yet despite Tournemire’s enormous and incredibly profound compositional output, he is still most famously known as an improviser extraordinaire. In fact, most organists fail to know him beyond his Cinq improvisations. Recorded on cylinder at Sainte-Clotilde in 1930, they were posthumously transcribed by Maurice Duruflé, one of Tournemire’s most renowned students, thereby bequeathing to the ages a veiled glimpse of Tournemire’s ephemeral art from its otherwise sepulchral silence. Remembering a post-Mass Sortie, Duruflé described one of Tournemire’s fervid improvisations:

Carried away by the music that sprang forth spontaneously from his fingers, he could no longer control his reflexes. He had departed elsewhere. When he played upon the Récit, he would close his eyes at the same time as the expression box. During a crescendo, he could be seen becoming animated little by little, emphasising with an involuntary grimace a particularly dissonant harmony. Then, as he reached the tutti, at the reëntrance of the themes in pedal octaves, he suddenly stood on the pedal keyboard for several measures, to the great astonishment of his guests, all the while continuing to improvise. He rarely finished the sortie on full organ. He generally preferred to conclude in softness and ecstasy. All organists knew the following anecdote: One Sunday, after Tournemire had finished his sortie very quietly on a Récit Bourdon, one of his guests discreetly moved to his ear, intending to do him a favour, and said to him in a low voice, “Maître, this is the sortie.” The Maître suddenly glanced at him and calmly replied, “Well, my dear friend, sortez.”

      Béranger de Miramon Fritz-James, founder of Amis de l’orgue, commented that “the feverish inspirations” of Tournemire’s passionately pious Symbolist organ improvisations had revealed him to be a “liturgical metaphysician, and illustrator, and musical preacher.”

30 April 1930: “Ave, maris stella” (Marian Office Hymn)

Hail, O star that pointest Towards the port of heaven, Thou to whom as maiden God for Son was given. When the salutation Gabriel had spoken, Peace was shed upon us, Eva’s bonds were broken. Bound by Satan’s fetters, Health and vision needing, God will aid and light us At thy gentle pleading. When the salutation Gabriel had spoken, Peace was shed upon us, Eva’s bonds were broken. That, O matchless maiden, Passing meek and lowly, Thy dear Son may make us Blameless, chaste, and holy. So, as now we journey Aid our weak endeavour, Till we gaze on Jesus, And rejoice for ever. Father, Son, and Spirit, Three in One confessing, Give we equal glory Equal praise and blessing. Amen. (IX century)

30 April 1930: “Victimæ paschali laudes” (Easter Sequence)

Christians to the Paschal Victim Offer your thankful praises! A Lamb the sheep redeemeth: Christ who only is sinless, Reconcileth sinners To the Father. Death and life have contended In that conflict stupendous: The Prince of Life who died, Reigns immortal. Speak Mary, declaring What thou sawest wayfaring: The Tomb of Christ, who is living, The glory of Jesu’s Resurrection: Bright angels attesting, The shroud and napkin resting. Yea, Christ my hope is arisen: To Galilee he now goes before you.” Happy they who hear the witness, Mary’s word believing About the tales of doubt and deceiving. Christ indeed from death is risen, Our new life obtaining. Have mercy, Victor King, Ever reigning! Amen. (Attributed to Wipo of Burgundy, circa 995–1048)

30 April 1930: “Pascha nostrum” (Communion for Easter Day)

Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us, alleluia: therefore let us keep the feast with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth, alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. (I Corinthians v)

March 1931: “Te Deum laudamus” (Matins Canticle)

We praise thee O God; we acknowledge thee to be the Lord. All the earth doth worship thee, the Father everlasting. To thee all Angels cry aloud, the heavens and all the Powers therein. To thee Cherubim and Seraphim continually do cry: Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth; heaven and earth are full of the majesty of thy glory. The glorious company of the apostles praise thee: the goodly fellowship of the prophets praise thee. The noble army of martyrs praise thee: the holy Church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee, the Father, of an infinite majesty, thine adorable, true, and only Son. Also the Holy Ghost the Comforter. Thou art the King of glory, O Christ: thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. When thou tookest upon thee to deliver man, thou didst humble thyself to be born of a virgin. When thou hadst overcome the sharpness of death, thou didst open the kingdom of heaven to all believers. Thou sittest at the right hand of God, in the glory of the Father. We believe that thou shalt come to be our judge: we therefore pray thee, help thy servants, whom thou hadst redeemed with thy precious blood. Make them to be numbered with thy saints, in glory everlasting. O Lord, save thy people, and bless thine heritage; Govern them and lift them up for ever. Day by day we magnify thee; And we worship thy Name ever, world without end. Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin; O Lord have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us. O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us; Our trust is in thee. O Lord, in thee have I trusted; Let me never be confounded. (Ambrosian Hymn, IV century)

November 1931: “Deus in loco sancto suo” (Introit for the Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost)

God is in his holy habitation, he is the God that maketh men to be of one mind in an house: He will give strength and power unto his people. Let God arise, and let his enemies be scattered: Let them also that hate him flee before him. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be: world without end. Amen. (Psalm lxvij/lxviij)

Video: Cantilène improvisée by Charles Tournemire – Richard Spotts