The French word ‘noël’ is closely associated with the organ, and this new recording from the Breton organist Christian Lambour introduces the listener to works from the 17th to the 20th century. Noëls provided organists with the opportunity to introduce variations on popular tunes, often making use of Christmas carols and shepherd songs. The evocative sound of these traditional melodies – sung around the fire during advent – are assured to get you in l’esprit de Noël! The album takes in some of the country’s most assured writers for the instrument, from the well‐known figures of César Franck and Théodore Dubois to lesser‐known his contrapuntal style names like Michel Corrette and Alexis Chauvet – notorious among his contemporaries as ‘le petit Bach,’ - whom the listener may be not so familiar with. Many of the contributors held distinguished organist positions in Parisian churches, such as Claude Balbastre at Notre‐Dame de Paris and two members of the Dandrieu family – both at one time organist at Saint‐Barthélemy en Cité, Paris.
The melody incorporated into Puer nobis nascitur by Pierre Dandrieu will be recognised by many as a popular Christmas carol still commonly sung today. The music of Père Franck, as his students affectionately knew him, and Alexandre Guilmant provide a contrast with their noels which were revived in line with the emerging symphonic tradition of the 19th century. Christian Lambour’s masterful recital is rounded off with movements from Boëly’s Messe du jour de Noël, published in 1842 for performance on Christmas Day.
The historic organ used on this recording in the former Benedictine Abbey of Neu St Johann in Switzerland, built in 1779, is instrumental in bringing the music alive.
