Interludes de Procession pour l'Hymne "Pange Lingua"

Today, June 15th is the Feast of Corpus Christi.

The Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for "Body of Christ") is the Roman Rite liturgical solemnity celebrating the reality of the Body and blood of Jesus Christ Son of God in the Eucharist. It emphasizes the joy of the institution of the Eucharist. The feast is liturgically celebrated on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday.

At the end of Holy Mass, there is often a procession of the Blessed Sacrament, generally displayed in a monstrance, and one of the great hymns sung is "Pange lingua, "Sing, my tongue, the Saviour's glory, Of His Flesh, the mystery sing;".

This "piece" is designed to be played as interludes during the procession and singing of the plainsong hymn. As a solo performance, I've played it "like a suite."

René Vierne (1878–1918) was born at Lille in France on 11 March 1878 and was the younger brother of Louis Vierne. Pushed by his mother, he entered the Catholic Seminary at Versailles in 1889 where he studied music with Canon Poivet. But not feeling a vocation to the priesthood, he left and instead devoted himself to music, taking lessons in organ, counterpoint and fugue with his brother Louis. Then he studied with Alexandre Guilmant at the Paris Conservatoire, and was awarded first prize for organ and improvisation in 1906.

In 1897, he obtained a post as organist at the Chapel of the Convent of the Dominicans, the Annunciation, rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré in Paris. In 1904, he succeeded Camille Andres (1864-1904), as organist titulaire at Notre-Dame-des-Champs.

At the outbreak of World War I he was mobilized and moved to the front on 8 August 1914. On May 29, 1918, at 8 am, on the Plateau Branscourt (Marne), he was killed by Austrian shrapnel.

I was not able to find ANY photos of him, but I have attached several photos of Notre-Dame-des-Champs, as well as a painting of a grand Corpus Christi procession.

The timings of the individual "movements" are given in the First Comment.