Doris Bertschinger - Franck: L'Organiste, FWV 41 (Excerpts Arr. for Accordion) (2021) Hi-Res

Those who are familiar with the great works of the great masters mostly have little knowledge of the miniatures or incidental and commissioned works that they also produced. And so it can happen that the Sibelius enthusiast, having experienced the symphonies, is disappointed by the piano Pieces and the Beethoven devotee is bewildered by the latter’s Bagatelles, even if this says nothing fundamental about their quality. Many here might feel similarly about César Franck, who created immortal masterpieces of outstanding stature with his only Symphony and his magnificent Variations symphoniques, the mighty Piano Quintet, the Violin Sonata (his most successful work to date) and the String Quartet. There are imposing works of great format among his piano and organ music as well. But who is aware of his miniature cycle L’Organiste for organ or harmonium, this unfinished late work that was evidently planned to be large-scale in its entirety?

As early as 1858–66, Franck had composed first an Offertoire and 5 Pièces for harmonium, then 44 further Petites pièces for organ or harmonium, about which his son Georges reported that his father had written them for use in church services by a pupil of many years who was now working as a village organist. These pieces, published posthumously, are assigned to the organ by present-day knowledge because of an obligatory pedal and various details regarding the registers; whereas the Offertoire sur un Noël breton and Quasi Marcia from 1867 and 1868 were clearly composed for the harmonium. So more than two decades followed, before Franck, in the last two years of his life, began a project for harmonium that remained unfinished only because of his death: a cycle of harmonium pieces comprising 12 suites of seven pieces on all 12 pitches. The posthumous publication of the unfinished cycle of 59 pieces, to be performed on either organ or harmonium, is entitled L’Organiste, Pièces pour Orgue-Harmonium par César Franck.

The accordion has been most shabbily treated in compositions by the great masters until well into the 20th century, and so it made sense to transfer this cycle to the instrument. Of course, the timbres are sharper and the whole character is more extroverted than on the harmonium, but the essence can be transferred if performed sensitively and with a sense of style. Due to the smaller range in the low register, some melodic lines have to be transposed up an octave, but this does not change the basic impression. And indeed, underscored here is the typically Franckian symbiosis of sacred mysticism and a sweet catchiness, which sometimes touches on a Chanson-like, almost Clochard-like, charming folksiness.