Chorale #1 in E Major

You are hearing a performance whose registration is not as Franck had specified: after all, this is not a Cavaillé-Coll instrument. I chose a more orchestral registration and a more stately tempo so as to highlight the various themes and motifs in this marvelous piece.

Please Note: I did adhere to Franck's original score with the opening section being played exclusively on the manuals. The pedal does not enter until 5:46 into the piece. The 16' notes you hear in the beginning are, in fact, stops assigned to the manuals (although especially the 16' manual reeds sound scaled similarly to those of 16' pedal pipes).

Listeners beware: This performance contains a dynamic range in excess of 55 decibels. It's not that the organ is so "quiet"; rather it's that the instrument gets very loud.

I suggest that you set (i.e., turn UP) your volume, such that the quietest passages are audible to your normal level for enjoying soft passages. Then stand back when the piece gets really loud! Let's see how long you can refrain from backing off the volume control.

As always your opinions and comments are welcomed.

Cheers,

Joe