Grande Pièce Symphonique

Background#

The Six Pièces are an important work of the composer, marking the beginning of the second period of his career and predicting the flowering in his later creative life. His long struggle on the comic opera Le Valet de ferme (1851–1853) ended with a disastrous failure of the production and a disappointment, which paralysed Franck’s activity as a composer for several years. The influence of the new Cavaillé-Coll organ at Sainte-Clotilde, Paris, for which he was appointed first organist in 1859, encouraged him to resume composing. Japanese composer Akio Yashiro found out that, in comparison to the C major Fantaisie Op.16 (Six Pièces, No. 1), Franck now makes extensive use of all possibilities of the organ. Grande pièce symphonique is written in a single movement, which may be divided into three parts, the second of them being the Andante with a scherzo-like middle section. This feature of the work, sometimes referred to as “organ symphony”, has induced comparison with his later chef-d’œuvre, the Symphony in D minor. Yashiro regarded this work as prototype of the symphony, based on the following four reasons: # Unity of the cyclic form, “thème cyclique” # Similarity of the cyclic themes in both works # Scherzo is embedded in the slow movement # Conclusion with “joy of faith” in parallel major. In addition, Yashiro pointed out that this work shares several features with some of composer’s later masterpieces. The work’s dedicatee, the virtuoso pianist and composer Charles Valentin Alkan, had written a symphony for solo piano a few years earlier, as part of the Douze Études dans tous les tons mineurs, Op. 39, published in 1857, which also included the celebrated concerto for solo piano. The score was published as part of the “Six pièces pour Grand-Orgue” by Mme. Maeyen-Couvreur, Paris. Around 1878, there was a reissue by Durand.

Structure#

Although the work is written as a single movement, it can be divided into three parts.

First part#

Andantino serioso, , F minor The work starts with an introduction, presenting the thematic material, which will determine the piece. :Excerpt 1 : \relative c’ \new PianoStaff 8 4 8 8 4 8 8 4 8 8 4 8 1\fermata _\markup (pedal) » :Excerpt 2 : \relative c’ \new PianoStaff > \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \key fis \minor \time 4/4 \clef bass 8( 4 8 4 ) 8( 4 8 4 \fermata) » :Excerpt 3 : \relative c’ \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \key fis \minor \time 4/4 > Excerpt 1 is played two times on Grand Orgue, and is answered by excerpt 2 on Récit. Excerpt 1 then appears on pedal and Grand Orgue, accompanied by excerpt 3. After a brief climax in the introduction, the first subject of the sonata form appears (excerpt 4), which ties the whole work as a cyclic theme. Yashiro pointed out the similarity between this theme and that of Franck’s symphony in D minor. :Excerpt 4 : \relative c \new Staff \key fis \minor \time 2/2 \clef bass \tempo “Allegro non troppo e maestoso” > A chorale-like second subject is introduced in A major after contrapuntal expansion of the first subject, as in traditional sonata form. A recapitulation of excerpt 2 follows and the concluding triplet is extended, forming a streaming accompaniment to excerpt 4, this time played in the Positif. Finally, the recapitulation begins with the first subject in the pedals, followed by the second subject in F minor. Excerpt 2 then reemerges and ends with a profound, lingering echo (molto lento, fermata).

Second part#

Andante, , B major The movement starts with a graceful melody (excerpt 5) deduced from excerpt 3, frequently switching between Positif and Récit. :Excerpt 5 : \new StaffGroup \with systemStartDelimiter = #‘SystemStartBar 4( 2 2 \new Voice \voiceTwo fis,4 2 4 4 fis2 » » \new Staff \relative c’ \key b \major \time 4/4 \clef bass b,1~ b1 dis4 gis, cis fis, fisis fis b2 » The conclusion of the melody of excerpt 5 is interrupted by a scherzo (Allegro, 2/4, B minor). It is filled with rapid semiquavers derived from the cyclic theme (excerpt 4). The end of the scherzo part, which in itself comprises a ternary form, leads into a shortened recapitulation of excerpt 5 in B major.

Third part#

“Beaucoup plus largement que précédemment”, , F major The third movement begins with a recapitulation of themes from the previous parts, in a similar way as Beethoven did in the finale of his ninth symphony. As with Beethoven, a recitativo from the basses (i.e. the pedals), formed from motifs of excerpt 4, links the reappearances of the theme from the introduction (excerpt 1 in G minor), the scherzo theme in B major and the Andante theme in C major). A long crescendo then prepares the triumphant entrance of the first part main theme in F major, accompanied by a virtuoso pedal part in quavers: :Excerpt 6 : \new StaffGroup \with systemStartDelimiter = #‘SystemStartBar r r 2 8 r r4 4. 8 r r 2 8 r r4 \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \relative c’ \key fis \major \time 4/4 \clef bass dis4.\ff cis8 r r 2 8 r r4 4. 8 r r 2 8 r r4 » \new Staff \with \remove “Time_signature_engraver” \relative c’ \key fis \major \time 4/4 \clef bass r2 fis,,8\ff gis ais b ais b cis dis cis dis eis fis eis fis gis ais fis,8 gis ais b ais b cis dis cis dis eis fis » The piece is concluded by a fugue, again based on the beginning of the main theme (excerpt 4), and a lengthy and joyful coda.

Sources#

• • Score Franck Grande pièce symphonique, Maeyens-Couvreur, Paris