He's 88, he wrote it, he played it, he owned it. Genius.
@organchoirman9698 Жыл бұрын
I played this for one of Widor's students, Arthur Poister of Syracuse University and he told me Widor wants it played like this recording. He also said Widor was insulted by the know-it-all Americans that think it should be played at the speed of light. I'm proud to have the insight of the composer from this organ lesson.
@krischan67 Жыл бұрын
It's glorious. Played at exactly the right speed, simply because he decides which speed is right.
@cletedavis58492 жыл бұрын
For all of you people who think this is being played too slow, you need to understand that the reverberation time in St. Sulpice is somewhere between seven and eight seconds. Anything faster than this and the music would be total mush! Widor understood his organ, his church, and his music better than any one else!
@Tocsin-Bang Жыл бұрын
Most organists today, play like they want to finish yesterday. This is how it should be played, majestic and full of character. The way the maestro wanted it. Even at 88 he was still a master of composition and performance.
@neilgordon8145 Жыл бұрын
Hé is playing the Toccata at a speed that takes into account the acoustic properties of the church. I have heard it, notes indistinguishable from one another, by being played too fast in a cathedral with an impressive. echo.
@rongoodwin8636 Жыл бұрын
At the tempo that the composer played this Toccata, the melodic tapestries become apparent, akin to a curtain slowly undulating in a very light breeze. This is awesome and it is God's Providence that the recording has survived to the present day. Wonderful! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
@alanendel15827 ай бұрын
Agree
@audibloke3 ай бұрын
Yes, it's like they've got a bus to catch and they're already late.
@robmarais Жыл бұрын
This is an historic relic of great value. I am so grateful that this even exists.
@krischan67 Жыл бұрын
Widor is in a dimension of his own here. He knows he's old, he knows his performance won't be perfect, but he played it anyway. It's his music, he can do whatever he wants with it. And it's grand!
@elizabethgrant70 Жыл бұрын
Sounds perfect to me....
@originaltommy9 ай бұрын
F*** YEAH!!!!!
@donlunn79210 жыл бұрын
I cannot believe that certain people think this is played too slowly.He was the Composer for Gods sake.If he didn't know how to play it,who would.Unbelievable.
@HBK-hp1gd9 жыл бұрын
Don Lunn First of all, he was 88 at the time of the recording. A piece like this takes a significant amount of physical exertion to play on a large French tracker organ. Secondly, one can hear all kinds of mistakes (wrong notes) in the performance. Thirdly, by the time he gets toward the end, his tempo is a good bit faster than when he started. Finally, he's in a huge reverberant building. Saying that this is "THE" tempo is like saying you'd play a hymn with the same tempo and articulation in Westminster Abbey as you would in a 100 seat hotel ballroom. Makes no sense.
@donlunn7929 жыл бұрын
I think if you read through the comments,you are in the minority.I play the Organ,admittedly not as good as he could.My comment still stands,Even if it makes no sense to you.HE was the composer,HE played it how he wanted it to sound.
@HBK-hp1gd9 жыл бұрын
Don Lunn Minority or not, my comment takes into account very important context that the other [very simplistic] comments do not. The fact is that he ends the piece at the tempo at which most good organists do in fact play it is of interest, even at age 88. All that said, a large percentage of organists who attempt this piece don't play it accurately enough to do it justice at any tempo -- and those organists do tend to be the super speed demons.
@dixiescored609 жыл бұрын
HBK30075 Maybe he had a good reason for upping the tempo. I think it adds to the piece. There are times in life when things move slowly & quickly. At 88, this is without doubt a masterpiece.
@donlunn7929 жыл бұрын
Thank you Duncan.Someone else who thinks the Man who composed it,knew how to play it.I'm sure HBK will call your remark,simplistic though.Because "his" comment takes into account a very important context that the other (very simplistic ) comments do not.
@rowgli3 жыл бұрын
It's not often you get to hear one of your favourite compositions played by the very person that created it. I love this.
@aliasdeputydog2 жыл бұрын
:Dianne Bish. Please note that THIS is how this beautiful music should be played.
@dolphharmonics Жыл бұрын
Thank you, God, for this composer, this piece, and this revelatory recording.
@johnny.3693 Жыл бұрын
The difference between his tempo then, and the speed demons who play it now, is amazing. Especially in the pedal.
@vanmusician2 жыл бұрын
I too love his tempo. He marked the arpeggios with slurs and staccatos which can't be done clearly if too fast. Apparently he also played the entire piece on the grande orgue manual - the crescendos and diminuendos were done by adding and subtracting the couplers to the other divisions, plus the use of the shutters of the enormous swell organ. I recently heard the first mvt. played at St. Sulpice by Daniel Roth. I'm sure Widor enjoyed it - he's buried in the crypt beneath the organ.
@tonyashbridge2910 Жыл бұрын
This sounds truly majestic at the tempo the composer himself plays it at. Sick of hearing it played too fast. Brilliant transfer of a 90 year old recording of a brilliant near 90 year old player!!
@lindaatzenhoefer8536 Жыл бұрын
This composer was genius. He wrote this magnificent piece of music that has captured the heart,soul and ear of all musicians and those whom love organ and music of grace. What dignity, Devine music. Bravo to the composer, to the Spectacular performance.
@richardkallio3868 Жыл бұрын
It is a blessing that we have this recording of “the” Widor Toccata, played by none other than THE Master himself, Charles Marie Widor! This is to be treasured and, I think, ought to be an aiming point for any organists who have this piece in their repertoire.
@MrPdmus Жыл бұрын
Poor sound quality by today's standards, fumbled chords and missing notes but, OMG I was a wreck by the end of this. Such majesty, such power, such expression. It turns a "virtuoso" piece into a true work of art. I just listened to a couple of other renditions on KZbin after this and had to cut them. They sounded trite, an ego trip for the performer. This is real music. It has made my day. Thank you.
@mikecooper5604 Жыл бұрын
it was recorded in 1932 so it wont be up to today's standards stop complaining and just listen to the great m music idiot
@michaelsummerell86183 ай бұрын
What a pompous sounding twat you are.
@paulalexander29289 жыл бұрын
Played at this tempo it is regal and majestic. Thankyou Mr. Widor !
@Boneyardbound9 жыл бұрын
Ulrich Janßen Today's world is much too fast, with a "I want it and I want it now,"...perhaps the internet has done that to us but,I prefer it a little faster than Widor is playing...IMO, it's a personal musical taste.
@christianukr9 жыл бұрын
+Ulrich Janßen c'est vrai Ulrich mais dans la V.O on s'ennuie un peu ..non ??
@Boneyardbound9 жыл бұрын
The original is always the template...
@MrLolo50508 жыл бұрын
+christian matuszewski Non!
@smileallthetime2998 жыл бұрын
paul Alexander+ Played at this tempo is NOT regal and majestic, more like something you would play for a funeral. I am a master organist, and organist play the tempo faster to make it more regal and majestic as well as it is the way majority of the people want to hear it, and not just organists. I helped several large churches hire new organists, and this piece is quite popular for interviews. The Organists that played this slow, did not get hired, but those that played it faster to what we are use to and preferred, were hired. My organ teacher, she was more traditional and played the hymns and music to slow. Palm Sunday came, and she asked me to play All Glory Loud and Honor, and the whole service for pratice playing with the congregation. Her next words are "I know you, you will pick up the speed and improvised to much, and play it more majestic on full organ, and the congregation and pastors prefer the traditional so play it like I would. When the time came, she could see that I was going to do, what I feel is right. so she gave in and said..."do what you want". So the bells rang and I introduced the melody on Full Pedal, with some improvising, and played the 4 verses very festive. She was shaking her head the whole time, and in between 3rd and 4th verse I played a improvisation build up to the last verse, and she was getting angry, and I did this to all the hymns, all of a sudden the packed congregation stood up at the end of the service, turned around and gave me a standing ovation including both pastors. After service, people were asking the organist and the pastors if we enlarged the organ, and got a new fantastic organist, or a guest organist because that is just what they want for hymn singing, because before it was to slow and boring. I could see my organist teacher felt uneasy and felt out of place. She acted like her whole career was crushed. Next thing I know, the congregation asked me to be the organist, and do something more with the almost non music program. Before, the adult and youth bell, and choirs would sing/play a couple times a year, but spent a lot of time practicing for just a few times. Also no organ concerts as well, except for the one when they dedicated the new organ. So I picked things up, had the bell and choirs play much more, and not just for Christmas and Easter only. We did many more concerts with packed houses and people standing due to lack of seats, and always did collections and that money was used for the new and improved music program. It was all traditional, but far more majestic. The first year, we collected enough money to not just pay for the whole music program, but put in a totally new PA system and more mics for the music program, and expand the organ from 56 ranks to over 120 ranks with a gallery and a front Antiphonal organ. and in 3 years by the time for the final payment on the organ was made, it was paid off. We also had recording equipment installed and started making CD's. The traditional music program grew so large, so did the membership and we built a new Gothic Sanctuary that was 3 times the size as the original, and much higher, and expanded the organ from 120 to over 230 ranks. All because I played Hymns faster. The Church went from 4,200 communicate members and with 2,000 members present in 4 services on the weekends to over 2,500 members present in each service x 2 services a weekend. We had to add video and more audio in the whole church campus, because the full pre-K -12 grade school, gym, fellowship hall, chapel [old sanctuary] was a packed house, including every class room. All because I played Hymns faster. So slower is not always better or favored by every one else.
@ARFRC114 жыл бұрын
As a National Councillor of American Guild of Organists, thanks for this post. This is the tempo that I prefer this particular piece played, because as you play faster you get a workout, but your audience can't hear the piece in a whole. When slowed down, it allows for the audience to really understand what the music or "pipes" is saying. A very wise man told me this and have put into practice. Who? My Deceased Father, a Former National President and Regional & National Councillor
@tonyallen32534 жыл бұрын
This is amazing. For those who criticise the tempo , two things to remember...1 He was 88 years old, and 2 He hated it being played too fast. He knew how to use the acoustic surroundings to draw out the true majesty of the music. Edit: I will also add the the speed would of course have been influenced by the very heavy tracker action on the organ In St Sulpice. With couplers on, it would have been very heavy for 88 year old hands to cope with!! Any way, this for me is one of the great performances, despite all of the imperfections. Compare it for example, with the massacre of the work as performed by Ms Bish!!
@Markenanwalt3 жыл бұрын
Absolutely true! Many people forget that this is "Musique Royale" and not "Mickey Mouse"
@leonietaylor70543 жыл бұрын
It's the masters music he plays it how ever he want.I totally agree.I love this way.When I am exiting the temple after my wedding.So majestic!!!Or at my funeral exiting the temple.
@leonietaylor70543 жыл бұрын
At age 88 that was awesome!!!!
@aroncoetzee88833 жыл бұрын
How would he feel about the great Diane Dish and her tempo😂
@leonietaylor70543 жыл бұрын
And 3 it's his dam song!!!!!
@Jessyefan6 жыл бұрын
The end made me cry. As if the aged composer played his own ascension to heaven.
@originaltommy9 ай бұрын
So true! You make me cry in a good way.
@ThomasCBooth Жыл бұрын
The piece as played by him has great nobility and the rich harmonies and melody comes out perfectly! Wonderful to listen to this master organist and composer!!! Bravissimo
@patriceauffret42402 жыл бұрын
I agree his tempo is his tempo. It brings emotion, majesty, elegance, the force, the passion, and beyond it all the true connection of the composer with his work.
@Retrographer11 жыл бұрын
After listening to God knows how many interpretations, and after a life in music, i can only agree that this IS the the right feeling and the right tempo. Agressive though hesitating and majestic. Never forcing, but holding back until the last breath, aand thus unleashing the massive controlled power in his comnposition. Truly epic !!
@ElizabethMoon-n8m Жыл бұрын
Leaving aside the sound quality (nobody's fault), this has the majesty we usually hear plus a delicacy in the quieter passages and a varied character that makes it very special indeed. Wonderful. So glad to have heard it.
@rufus8888 жыл бұрын
At this tempo you get to hear of the beautiful colors of each arpeggio outlining each chord. Great care was taken in writing and playing his own piece. Very diligent and steadfast.
@mountainsong1005 жыл бұрын
Yes, and steady tempo...great pedal "a melody of it's own" in a sense...
@missmusica824 жыл бұрын
Sean .R I LOVE this! You can hear everything, way to many times, it’s so fast you can’t make much out of it!
@madameschnupperfein3 жыл бұрын
That’s true indeed.
@kasha193210 жыл бұрын
At age 88, this wonderful composer plays his own work! The tempo is HIS TEMPO! I truly believe that this is how he wanted this to be performed. If he could not play it the way he wanted it to sound, it would not be right here! MARVELOUS!!! Thanks you very much.
@judithsochor97556 жыл бұрын
Kathleen Hazeldine j
@djmotise6 жыл бұрын
Kathleen Hazeldine BS. He's 88. Have you ever heard Rubenstein play at 90? He plays slower and with much less energy and accuracy. You cannot tell by a recording of someone at age 88.
@padraicfanning70555 жыл бұрын
@@djmotise Tell that to Colette Maze, who turns *105* this July.
@padraicfanning70555 жыл бұрын
@@djmotise Also, have you ever heard of a Barker lever? Widor probably would have had to retire earlier than the age of 89 had the Barker lever never been invented.
@mountainsong1005 жыл бұрын
Yes, Widor's Tempo in the Grand Style of his era ! ! ! we forget and only want to show off how fast we can play leaving musicality behind, playing as if we needed to catch the last train out of town, so we rushed through playing displaying our technique...where is the musicality ??? Metronome setting at 50 interesting. And, tracker keyboards with assistance of the Barker Leaver system...
11 жыл бұрын
Not sure how many times I've heard this recording now, but no one beats Widor playing his own Toccata!
@umbertofilineri46355 жыл бұрын
I am glad that I am not the only bassoonist who appreciates organ music!! XD
@clovislabritannia33914 жыл бұрын
@@umbertofilineri4635 Other bassonist here
@NJPurling4 жыл бұрын
Dianne Bish plays everything far too fast. If I were an organist and Mr Roth had invited me sit at the console where Monsieur Widor had sat and play the same piece... I am sure i'd be a bag of nerves & in desperate need of peeing. But damn it i'd wear diapers & let nothing ruin the moment. Playing one of the most famous pieces of organ music on the same organ it was written for is an incredible honour. I am sure C.M. Widor would have known the acoustics of the church and the peculiarities of the organ and he wrote the music accordingly. Did he ever write any commentary on the manuscripts about the tempo?
@ranavalona24 Жыл бұрын
@@NJPurling The Bish recording on KZbin should be removed. An insult to a great composer.
@dominionlad8468 Жыл бұрын
Bish plays nothing well. She's a "show pony", like E. Power Biggs was.@@NJPurling
@ZitaMenyhart7 жыл бұрын
It´s a masterpiece by him. It is very deeply touching to listen to his own performance
@reeblesnarfle54435 жыл бұрын
Zita Menyhárt Agreed.
@cnsedgwick4 жыл бұрын
Thank you - I agree.
@geofffikar34172 жыл бұрын
Could you imagine being able to have heard Liszt play?
@ZitaMenyhart2 жыл бұрын
@@geofffikar3417 It would be great!
@elizabethgrant70 Жыл бұрын
Absolutely majestic and beautiful.
@dieselheart00112 жыл бұрын
This is truly the definitive performance of this work- Widor performing Widor. Can you imagine if he had access to a pristinely maintained instrument commensurate to this one, or if he could have performed this after the organ was restored to full capacity? This is epic as it stands. Anything else is mere conjecture.
@Nobilangelo5 жыл бұрын
The thumbs-down people do not agree with the composer, and therefore think they know better. They don't. This is magnificent.
@rickcomer84974 жыл бұрын
01:15 OMG that pedal work is amazing! At this slower speed it's like he's conjuring up a new world out of the bellows of the earth.
@Video7Rose3 жыл бұрын
I agree with you. BTW, I think you meant "bowels" of the earth; people used to use bellows to pump air into organs for the organist. 😊
@KevinTheCaravanner3 жыл бұрын
We are so privileged this recording exists. It’s a magnificent piece played by the master. I don’t understand why anyone would want to play it faster as it loses some of its majesty. This is perfect.
@MarkAnthonyNicholson9 жыл бұрын
Thank you Mr Widor for an amazing masterpiece. At first I thought it slightly too slow -- I like it played slow. But by the end, I got it -- musically that is; this was your intention and it is majestic and beautiful.
@craigsoaries33407 жыл бұрын
One cannot refute the manner and tempo set by the composer himself. I have played this piece for 45 years, since high school, and love this pace allowing the organist to really bring the grandeur and beauty out of the composition!!
@richardhennessy58273 ай бұрын
I mastered this piece (the opinion of my extraordinary teacher who I almost drove crazy) at age 18 along with the Bach Toccata in D minor. I then went off to college and pretty much never returned to the keyboard. It was the recessional played at our wedding in 1971. It's interesting that my feet still know where to go when listening to the Widor. I think the tempo here is perfect. All too many musicians make the music about themselves instead of the work.
@Retrographer9 жыл бұрын
After many years of listening this is still the right tempo. Firm, expressive and right on....
@2kfowler9 жыл бұрын
Listening to the master playing this is like a little piece of heaven.
@organbuilder2725 жыл бұрын
More Likely a lot of Notre Dame or St. Sulpice.
@philippemarquet261510 ай бұрын
Sublime!!!.... de la grande musique eternelle qui donne des frissons de la tête au pied... merci mr Widor!!!❤
@poultonmichel943 ай бұрын
En effet et à 88 ans....quelle leçons pour ceux qui jouent cela à 100 à l'heure sur des orgues criards! Et la reprise de la pédale à faire trembler les murs, qui peut nier que c'est le vrai tempo!
@OneEyePI6 жыл бұрын
Diane Bish plays this like she has just realised she left the iron on before coming out.
@organbuilder2725 жыл бұрын
Nah, He pants are on fire and she can't pee until she gets off the bench.
@barbaralennahightower90415 жыл бұрын
What a funny and lovely way to express it.
@Lucky49914 жыл бұрын
OneEyePI she fucks a lot of songs up that way! It comes of harsh!
@Kewlpipes4 жыл бұрын
She doesn't iron, all her clothes are plastic sequins.
@mountainsong1004 жыл бұрын
Or that she had the last bus from the church...or train...
@BonfiglioSergio9 жыл бұрын
This recording slams the face of all those performers who play the Toccata at some speed of light, only to show their virtuoso. The great master is saying here how this piece must be played. Nothing more and nothing less. DO RESPECT THE MUSIC AND THE COMPOSER WHO WROTE IT.
@djmotise6 жыл бұрын
Sergio Bonfiglio There is simply zero evidence that the reason he plays this tempo is NOT because of his advanced age. Stop with your speculation and confidence in what may be a false assertion.
@pbrower2a16 жыл бұрын
As a stand-alone piece, likely an encore following a concert of other composers' (well, usually one composer, and we all know who) works. it tempts an organist to play it fast because it is not in the context of the organ symphony, an interesting work in its own right.
@MaxLuetgendorff6 жыл бұрын
Couldnt agree more!
@cromorno87496 жыл бұрын
Condivido a pieno.
@georgefieldsjr.6406 жыл бұрын
YES ! SO TRUE !
@thomfaircloth364210 жыл бұрын
What amazing fidelity for a recording done in the 1930s when Hi Fi had never been heard of.
@paulofaustralia39658 жыл бұрын
it doesnt get any better than this seven absolute minutes of widor magic.
@phillharris20422 жыл бұрын
Widor plays this at exactly the right tempo. It has more impact, I have heard it played at ridiculous speeds. I play this everyday, it lifts me spiritually and gives me strength since my wife died. Played faster, it wouldn't be the same. God bless Monsieur Widor. What a legacy you left us all. Phill
@GentianAly12 жыл бұрын
My father used to play this piece and this is exactly how he played it with majesty and such colour. I have listened to many recordings of this wonderful work before, in all it's many interpretations, but I have never heard anyone play it like Dad did.This is so so special to find this and to hear that he played it just like the composer would have wished. A special and wonderful moment, thank you so much for posting this. Truly amazing !
@Knappa2210 жыл бұрын
Wow the piece has a whole other dimension somehow - I really like the slower tempo, it sounds stately and monumental, and not just like an agility showcase. He puts real feeling into it as well and varies the tempo. Thank goodness this recording of the master himself exists :)
@BruceCox7 жыл бұрын
One important aspect of rhythm for an organ, in my opinion, is the hall in which it is situated. A piece may sound garbled if played too quickly or too slowly with respect to a hall's reverberation period. The perfect rhythm for a piece like this is, to some degree, dependent on the hall and the skill of the performer in exploiting it. In this performance, Widor nails it. I feel that this is what makes it so very moving and majestic as compared to other performances.
@clarifaco7 ай бұрын
Yes, the accoustic environment is the fundamental aspect that sets the Pace/Tempo
@20a10v7 ай бұрын
This has made me see slow performances differently. Given that, is probably one of the best performances of the Toccata I’ve heard (I know he’s the composer, but still) especially at his age of 88.
@TheBaritoneCrooner10 жыл бұрын
You listen to the maestro himself play his own work and the first question that comes to mind is: why does every organist since Widor have to play this at the speed of an express train running late? This is great at this tempo. It adds to the suspense of the work. And WOW, I was unaware of an actual recording by the master himself. Bravo!
@NJFordPops080055 жыл бұрын
It depends on the acoustic. In a very reverberant acoustic, this tempo is awesome. But in very dry rooms, faster may work better.
@richardwhitehouse87623 жыл бұрын
This was one of those marvelously random KZbin finds that was new to me. When this started I thought "blimey this is slow". But as you listen it becomes a different piece to the one you think you know. It's not the sound track to some fairground attraction, it has scope and majesty, hardly surprising given the instrument and the setting. It also interesting that the tempo stays absolutely rock steady. There are no sudden rits or lurches. Thank you for sharing.
@ivittdickinson75168 жыл бұрын
Thank you Mr Widor for shpwing us the way
@socialite1283 Жыл бұрын
The remarkable thing is that recording technology was sufficiently advanced enough, altho' still relatively primitive, to be able to capture the tonal scope of a pipe organ that size in a building that large. It also sounded like he didn't cross hands like so many organists do - he let the chords and arpeggios move between hands on the one manual.
@Telemaker14 жыл бұрын
The best played i ever heard! Widor on his own organ. That is the right way to play! What a Genius!!! Widor is one of the best organ player thar ever lived!
@Retrographer11 жыл бұрын
Quote: "without feeling, but with ridiculously fast tempos" And this is so right, and what you so often hear.. In this masterpiece tempo is evrything.....
@hartleymartin9 жыл бұрын
The arguments over tempos will never cease. I like it at this speed because you get to hear more of the music. Some organists play it so fast they might as well be mashing their fists into the manuals because the sound doesn't get to blossom from the organ.
@CLASSICALFAN1006 жыл бұрын
And I thought Tempe was in Arizona...lol
@mountainsong1005 жыл бұрын
often think of Irving Berlin's comment..."where's the melody" here one gets it all, manuals accompanying the grand Pedal theme as it comes and goes...
@leonietaylor70543 жыл бұрын
Yall better stop shading my girl Diane Bish😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
@thomasmausbach87338 жыл бұрын
I must say that hearing the Organ in St Sulpice in Paris was a highlight of my life. Widor was a genius.
@gregreynolds569810 ай бұрын
Agreed! Sophie Veronique Choplin played it for me!! "por vous, for you" she said to me at the console. An experience I shall never forget
@locke1121613 жыл бұрын
this is one of the most beautiful and moving pieces of organ music i have ever been blessed to experience.
@rednekokie11 ай бұрын
It is so good to hear this piece as the composer wrote it. So many people treat it as if it were a South American Samba, which obliterates the message the composition sets forth. Thank you.
@750VFRRules12 жыл бұрын
It must be now, over a year ago that i first commented on the people who are critical of this work.Here we are over a year on and it is still happening !! How can you be critical of the composer playing his own work.I don't care how old he was,or if his fingers were stiff with age,and i don't care how good anyone else thinks they are as an organist.HE, was the composer,and i am certain that if he was unable to play this piece as he wished to,or as he composed it, he would not have recorded it.
@poppyrowland13852 жыл бұрын
People critical of this are total boneheads. It’s otherworldly fabulous!
@pauldufour30722 ай бұрын
Now, to hear the composer play it is very real and interesting. What is perfection anyway.
@dieselheart00114 жыл бұрын
I'm just happy to hear this work performed by its creator. Widor performing Widor. This is the "ne plus ultra" interpretation of the Toccata. Thank you for sharing this musical treasure with the world.
@madameschnupperfein3 жыл бұрын
I’m really touched by this: hearing the maestro himself play his milestone piece in organ literature 🤩 I wish I will be able to play the organ like this when I’m 88 😳 Hats off to Mr. Widor for this composition and rendition.
@rmeyer765 жыл бұрын
I love how this tempo allows Mr. Widor to nuance and shape the LH part. WOW!
@davidholmes9756 Жыл бұрын
The speed allows the articulation to breathe that speed merchants miss. The classic recording of Jeanne Demessieux at Liverpool RC Cathedral where the strong accents were in the wrong places demonstrates it.
@georgefieldsjr.6408 жыл бұрын
The Professional Him self... Playing his Magnificent master peice !
@littlefaith80639 ай бұрын
I simply love the beginning and then afterwards the introduction of the bass part. It’s gorgeous!! It gives me goose bumps every time I hear it. Just treated to it today by the young organist at the conclusion of Easter High Mass- truly a small reflection of the Majesty of Almighty God.
@kentallyn28803 жыл бұрын
I have made comment during a previous visit; nonetheless, I am moved at each visit to bring attention to the perfection wrought in this performance. Each nuance is micro-managed like a surgeon with a scalpel. I can hear the emphasized quarter note of the left hand renewed each beat leading to the pedal entrance, amongst myriad others. This is, without doubt, THE BEST tempo, (actually played with perfect allegro...go figure).
@dominionlad8468 Жыл бұрын
Wow! Had no idea he intended it to be played "adagio". If only the recording fidelity of the 1930s had been better. However, this recording is simply amazing!!!
@kyotokid45 жыл бұрын
...I have an old stereo recording from the 1960s of this work performed on the Cavaille Coll organ at St Sernin where the organist (Xavier Darasse) performed it much closer to Mr. Widor's tempo and phrasing. Makes a tremendous difference as the work takes on a totally grand and stately character and hearing a clean recording of it in a large cathedral with that lovely reed chorus is incredibly moving. I took to performing it at the same tempo and once even used it as a recessional.
@Patriciad509 жыл бұрын
This is an absolutely wonderful recording from 1932
@warrenpugh78449 жыл бұрын
Patricia Davidson Come on Madam. You are aging this old chap. This piece blinds us to other works of his. His quads and triplets blend too much for me, but that beautiful man wrote it and I am eternally grateful.. WASP
@Iczerman-hl2zt Жыл бұрын
The Organist at My church who agrees with the above tempo quipped " People think you can't play it if you don't play it fast."
@scottguy545210 ай бұрын
Imagine living from 1844 to 1937. Such changes!
@MaxLuetgendorff6 жыл бұрын
And this is living proof that you mustn’t rush this piece like some do. That’s awesome!
@kasha193210 жыл бұрын
Oh , how I really love the tempo the compose takes on his marvelous Toccata!!!! I am hearing ALL of the notes!!! And, BTW...I do not think that He is trying to "show-off" this GREAT piece of music that will live FOREVER!!! HOW WONDERFUL!! Thanks to all who make this possible for me to hear!!!
@Ant-ls2pr9 жыл бұрын
Yes, it is rather slower than what one would hear nowadays. But imagine the master himself performing his own work! and we have a recording here on youtube 2016 !
@anonymusum8 жыл бұрын
You can´t take musical performances out of the general circumstances of life. Our whole life is way faster than in those days and so is our sensibility in general. To me it´s not a coincidence that almost all old recordings are slower than today´s performances.
@austinshackles5498 жыл бұрын
That's not necessarily a good thing, though.
@anonymusum8 жыл бұрын
Ah - and by the way: He´s making a lot of mistakes. But due to his age that´s understandable of course.
@TrackerAction8 жыл бұрын
Widor had had a lesson with Lemmens in which he was admonished that the true excitement in playing isn't in tempo, but rhythm. Widor recalls: "It is nothing," Lemmens said mechanically, "without will." What did he mean by "will?" I did not dare to ask him. I finally understood: it is the art of the orator, its authority manifested by the calm, the order and just proportions of the discourse. To musicians, the will shows itself above all through rhythm."
@smileallthetime2997 жыл бұрын
Anonymusum+ Lets see what you can do at 88 years old, and see if you are authorized to talk about his mistakes. So i suggest you keep this point to yourself.
@dianathomas47884 жыл бұрын
I LOVED hearing him play it. WONDERFUL.
@caliscribe12 жыл бұрын
We had this piece as the postlude for my father-in-law's memorial service when he died in 2010; it was his absolute favorite piece (whenever we had a new organist he'd pester them to play this). To hear it from the master himself is outstanding.
@claranimmer73496 жыл бұрын
When I was still a singer I sat near to the organ when our Organist played this piece and I had never heard such music. I felt like flying above the clouds and it has been a lasting memory to me. One can almost see the giant wings.
@Leighmarie3312 жыл бұрын
i agree with you 100 percent. hearing this clip with the man himself, performing at age 88 (an age that, in that era, many couldn't walk anymore let alone have all four limbs moving at the same time but with different tasks)gives me goose bumps as if I'm actually being a part of his performance at that time. i only wish I could have really been there in person. I love this piece of work and it tickles my brain receptors through my ears :)
@Organistcomposer2115 жыл бұрын
I think that this is by far one of the very BEST recordings of this piece. At this slow tempo, we can feel the "grandeur" and the majesty of this great toccata. Thank you Widor!
@ractenor9 жыл бұрын
I have always said that the lightning fast speeds lost so much of the intent of the harmonic progressions. This version lets you hear every nuance. And yes, he is 88 years old, but he wrote the damn thing!
@harriwiggins60377 жыл бұрын
Richard Crossman well said id say!!!! :-)
@djmotise6 жыл бұрын
Richard Crossman Composer or not, you try playing this piece on a tracker organ at age 88 and see what tempo you muster. Don't be so sure of your opinions.
@organbuilder2725 жыл бұрын
@@djmotise This organ uses Barker Levers. Sure it is all operated by trackers but the keyboards are NOT directly connected to the wind chests.
@cromorno87492 жыл бұрын
@@djmotise believe me, the tempo has nothing to do with his age
@organboi Жыл бұрын
@@cromorno8749 And why should I believe you? You can hear him struggling with it. He's old and can't play it the way he conceived it. No crime.
@GaryGP402 жыл бұрын
I was just reading about this recording in The American Organist and I was eager to find a recording of this by the man himself, this does not disappoint, despite the age. Great recording and thanks for sharing!! I know how particular Widor was about how his music was performed and to hear the composer performing it *as he wished it to be played* is amazing. So few recordings exist of the masters performing their own works as they wished them to be heard and played. And he was 88 when this was recorded! Sources also say he was playing this from memory and doing his own registrations also while it was being recorded (he didn't even want to record it, but thankfully changed his mind and it was preserved). Thanks again for sharing this, it brought a lot of sense of completion to the extensive article on the Toccata in TAO (Sept. 2022 edition)
@bernardcromarty4853 жыл бұрын
Every time I here this version I hear things I haven't noticed before. Widor's articulation - most importantly, the SPACES between notes, is a revelation. As many have commented, HE knows how he intenteded the piece to be played!!
@chipsanders08223 жыл бұрын
This performance of the masterpiece by the composer himself gave me chills. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I’m grateful to have found it here on KZbin.
@ChristineBrown-r3m Жыл бұрын
I am a professional violinist and although my instrument should be the most sacred to me, it isn't... The organ is the closest that we will come to touching Heaven... Widor brought Heaven to Earth!
@wanorman20072 жыл бұрын
Amazing how he is able to play that whole piece without taking his hands out of his lap. 😉
@richardgrant70552 жыл бұрын
Probably the first sensible comment I've read................
@rotunda572 жыл бұрын
It's all played on the pedals
@lukereilly207 Жыл бұрын
in know right?! such a cool video
@anthonyfountain5316 Жыл бұрын
Organists were better instructed then.
@LACAarchitect Жыл бұрын
the first rule of organ playing - economy of movement
@samko5910 жыл бұрын
This is just magnificent! I didn't know a recording existed of the Master himself playing his own great piece. I completely agree that this is the tempo it should be played at, especially in such a vast venue as St. Sulpice. Thank you so much for this, for this has been and will be continually an opportunity to hear the composer speak to me!
@darleneweil615810 жыл бұрын
I love and play this piece and believe me at his tempo it is much harder to control the music and get in time faster is easier but not better.
@engepufu5 жыл бұрын
This is the first time I heard the piece played by Widor himself. It sounds so different. I can hear each note, differentiate when is forte and when it is piano. It sounds amazing!!!! Thanks for posting it! Much appreciated!
@johannsebastian4229 ай бұрын
A privilege to hear him play his work!
@kylebnjmnross11 жыл бұрын
I completely agree. I prefer this rendition to all others. Not only is the composer himself the one performing it, but the deliberate way it is performed allows the listener to appreciate each and every note.
@zachuram10 ай бұрын
FULL POWER! THANK YOU MAESTRO!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@JBNemeth10 жыл бұрын
It is a majestic piece piece for the soul to soar........... Just goes to show you age is not necessarily a factor in creating beauty and wonder!
@reeblesnarfle54435 жыл бұрын
Joan Nemeth Bless you, sister, for your observation.
@kasha193214 жыл бұрын
BRAVO.BRAVO!!!!! MR. Widor! Thank you for not only writing this marvelous work, but for playing for us as well! And, I say that if you wrote it, you can play it any way you want the world to hear it! At 88, you are miraculous! I wish I could run up to you and give you a big hug!!!! What an inspiration you are here! BRAVO!
@lewisjenkin94579 жыл бұрын
Beautifully performed. An inspiration!
@gaylepassan796510 ай бұрын
Highly agree! He is a Master ❤❤🎉🎉
@ddoyle115 жыл бұрын
This is the tempo at which this piece should be played! Where all of the notes are paraded out in majesty and perfect formation, not rushed through like patrons fleeing a burning theater.
@lynseyross72234 ай бұрын
Bliss. My favourite piece on my instrument. Pure joy.
@Iloerk9 жыл бұрын
FINALLY a recording with good tempo
@JUB66912 жыл бұрын
....it´s very unusual to listen to a composer playing his own music - this is a very, very special moment for me to listen to my favourite organ piece....well done, Mr. Wdor! .....RIP.....!!!
@Paulsouthward11 жыл бұрын
Unbelievable. Brilliant - fascinating. How music should be played.
@rosemarybaxter91209 ай бұрын
This is one of the first EPs I owned as a teenager in the 60s. The other side was Parry’s ‘I was glad.’