Notes from Pro Organo's producer,
Frederick Hohman
Recording a Mass setting, with choir and organ in "alternatum" style, is not a new idea. Back in October, 1985, when H. Joseph Butler and I were in students in the organ department of the Eastman School of Music, we had the idea of presenting the organ music of the French Classic master André Raison (c. 1645-1719) in this authentic, "alternatum" style in an audio recording. So Joe played the organ, and I assembled several students from Eastman's organ department and led them in the plainchant that is interspersed with Raison's movements.
The original recording, produced with a super-analog system that actually outperformed the early digital audio recordings, was recently re-mastered with stunning results on this CD re-release: VIVE LE ROI! The Fisk organ, Opus 83, is located only about a mile from the Eastman School campus, at Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester, New York, and is one of the very last organs that Charles Fisk supervised personally before his passing.
This is a CD intended for organists and serious organ students. In the booklet, you'll find Joe's fine article on the topic, plus the organ specs AND all of the organ registrations used by Joe in the CD. The CD also contains a separate directory, that is, a folder of 6 PDF files, that can be accessed when the CD is placed into any common computer CD drive. Among the PDFs are facsimiles of Raison organ scores.
H. Joseph Butler is professor at Texas Christian University in Fort Worth, Texas. Click here or on any link for more details, to hear an MP3 audio sample and to purchase.
VIVE LE ROI!
Music of André Raison
Messe du Deuxiéme Ton
with Offerte "Vive Le Roi!"
and Messe Musicale of Henri DuMont
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