Grand-Chœur

Guy Weitz was born in Verviers, Belgium in 1883 and began studies at the royal conservatory of Liège where in 1906 he was a laureate. A year later he received the Vermeil medal with “greatest distinction” in the higher organ level competition. As a scholarship holder he then studied organ for two years in Paris with Widor and Guilmant, as well as composition with d'Indy, a disciple of Franck, and piano with Nin.
When he returned to Verviers in 1909, he taught at the Liège conservatory, was an organist at Saint-Remacle, at the Jesuit church, and began to compose. He also taught lessons in Gregorian chant which explains the appearance of Chant thematic material in many of his organ works.
In 1914 he emigrated to London and was for many years organist at the Jesuit Church of the Immaculate Conception on Farm Street in Mayfair. He taught at the Royal College of Music for many years.
His Grand-Choeur ‘Benedicamus Domino’ for organ was written in 1939 and is based on a fifth-mode melody. Fanfare-like chords are prominent in the opening section, and a brisk, cut time fugue leads by way of a dominant pedal to the brilliant French toccata-like writing in two sections with which the work concludes. The two bar pedal triplets just before the conclusion of the piece were called by Weitz "pedal rockets"(related to me by my teacher who studied with Weitz).