Adolphe Marty

Adolphe Marty (born September 29, 1865 in Albi , Tarn , France , † October 28, 1942 in Valence-d'Albigeois , Tarn , France) was a blind French organist , composer and music teacher .

biography

Home in the south of France

Marty was born in Albi ( Tarn ) in 1865 and died in Valence-d'Albigeois (Tarn) in 1942. His hometown Albi (today approx. 50,000 inhabitants) is the capital of the French department Tarn in the Midi-Pyrénées region. The Tarn River flows through the village . Albi is located around 80 kilometers northeast of Toulouse in the middle of southern France. The city is the seat of a Catholic archbishop. The important cathedral and the buildings of the Episcopal Quarter were added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2010 .

Training in Paris

Marty went blind as a child at the age of 2. He was trained from 1874 in Paris at the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (for young blind people). In a comprehensive and systematic musical education, the special affinity to music that blind people can develop was promoted there. Marty was trained as an organist by the blind organ teacher Louis Lebel (1831–1888) over the course of ten years (until 1884) . A short postgraduate course of 2 years took him to the Paris Conservatory (1884 to 1886). There he received composition lessons from Ernest Guiraud , his organ teacher was César Franck . Marty graduated with the best rating “Premier prix d'orgue”. He is the first blind man to achieve this success at the Paris Conservatoire. In the following two years he worked as organist at Saint-Paul d'Orléans.

Artist and important teacher

In 1888 he himself became a music and organ teacher for the blind at his former school, Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles. He taught there until 1930 and wrote a school of pedal playing for the organ (L'Art de la Pédale du Grand Orgue) for his lessons. Louis Lebel and Adolphe Marty did the pedagogical groundwork for a series of blind French organ virtuosos. During Marty's teaching era, some of the a. Louis Vierne , Augustin Barié , Paul Allix , André Marchal , Jean Langlais and Gaston Litaize emerged from the Institut National. Like Marty, his blind pupils were mostly composer-organists who recorded their own works in order to leave a compositional legacy for their instrument.

The extensive edited oeuvre of Marty's organs is unfortunately out of print and is currently not being reissued. In addition to his numerous organ works, he also composed a few motets, songs, chamber music, the drama "Marthe la folle" and the oratorio "L'immolation du Christ" (The Sacrifice of Christ).

The organ virtuoso

In addition to composition and teaching, from 1891 Marty was titular organist at a large parish church in Paris, Saint-François-Xavier (12, place du Président-Mithouard, Paris; 7 ème). Here he worked for 50 years until 1941. His organ student Gaston Litaize was later organist at this point in Saint-François-Xavier for almost as long, namely 45 years from 1946 to 1991. The three-manual Fermis organ there was changed or changed three times during this period newly planned, each in the condition of the organ builder Fermis (1878) - Gonzalès (1923) - Müller (1957) - Dargassies (completed in 1993).

The photo of Marty at the organ shows a special playing technique for which you need at least three manuals for both hands: the right thumb plays longer holding tones on a manual, while the four free fingers on the manual move over it (in contrasting timbre). This playing technique was u. a. Described by Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens (1823–1881) and composed into works (Cantabile B minor).

Symphonic organ work as program music

Marty had a special relationship with his hometown Albi and the great organ there by Jean-Baptiste Puget in the Sainte Cécile cathedral. He played at the inauguration of the four-manual organ in 1904. For the occasion he composed a large organ- symphonic poem , the Sonata héroïque de Sainte-Cécile. The composer adds a detailed description of the progression to each of the four movements of program music, which is onomatopoeic with the musical sequence of the movement. Marty describes the legend of the saints of Cäcilia (abbreviated here): 1. Extase : The patrician Cäcilia is seized by faith and the desire to be baptized. Ecstatic longing for heaven, an angel appears and promises support. 2.Chant d'Hyménée : The parents select the fiancé Valerian, wedding scenario , singers and instruments languidly play a song in the Mixolydian mode, but Cecilia is captured by a heavenly apparition, her guardian angel is on the watch. 3. Entretien et conversion : Cäcilia in conflict with Valerian, in the end the young couple professes their Christian faith together and thanks God for redeeming grace. 4.Triomphe et Apothéose : Cecilia suffers martyrdom, is persecuted and killed for her faith. She has achieved deification, the crown of life in eternal bliss. (Side note: knowledge of the legend of the saints, which says that Cäcilia walked into death triumphant and proudly singing, and is therefore venerated as the patroness of church music, is a prerequisite.)

Works

Organ compositions

• L'Orgue triomphal, 12 pieces en deux livres (A. Noël, Paris, 1898); First booklet: 1. Entry for l'Assomtion Triomphez, Reine des Cieux - 2. Marche - 3. Entry for Noel (Noel Breton, grand chour varié) - 4. Fugue Brève - 5. Collection for the Jour de Paques - 6. Le Carillon de Saint-Paul d'Orléans, second issue: 7th March - 8th Grand Choeur pour L'Ascension sur la prose: Solemnis haec festivitas - 9th Sortie pour une fete Patronale - 10th Pour la fete-Dieu, Entrée ou Marche de Procession Lauda Sion - 11th Pourla fete de Noel, Sortie sur un Noel ancien - 12th Fantaisie
• 10 pieces en style libre pour grand orgue, en deux livres (A. Noël, 1900); first issue: 1. À ton autel, incomparable pure, Offertoire pour les fêtes de la Sainte Vierge - 2. À vos genoux l'Église se prosterne, Offertoire pour les fêtes de la Sainte Vierge - 3. Communion - 4. Nous consacrons tout à Marie, thème varié - 5th Piece symphonique, second volume: 6th Fantaisie sur deux cantiques - 7th Andante et Fugue - 8th Thème varié - 9th Magnificat pour le jour de Noël, variations on le cantique "Le Fils du Roi de gloire »- 10th sion, de ta melody cesse les divins accords, Caprice.
• 5 Pieces pour Grand Orgue, 1892 (A. Noël, Paris); 1st Caprice - 2nd Angelus du Soir (Méditation) - 3rd Canzona - 4th Pastoral - 5th Marche Funèbre
• 6 Pieces pour Grand Orgue, 1897 (A. Noël, Paris); 1.Offertoire sur un Noël Provencal - 2.Audi benigne conditor, Offertoire pour le temps de Carême - 3.Stabat mater dolorosa, Offertoire pour la fête de Notre Dame des sept Douleurs - 4.Parce Domine, Offertoire pour le dimancḥe de la Quinquagesime - 5. Is confessor, Offertoire pour la fête d'un Confesseur pendant les mois consacrés à la Sainte Vierge or pendant l'octave de ses fêtes - 6.Veŗilla regis prodeunt, Offertoire pour les fêtes de la Sainte Croiŗ
• 6 Pièces Op.23, for harmonium or organ, manualiter or pedal ad libitum; 1. Entreé Carillon - 2. Offertoire - 3. Elévation - 4. Communion - 5. Sortie en forme canonique - 6. Entrée pour vêpres, pièce brève en septiemo mode
• Sonata no 1 "La Pentecôte"
• Sonata herroïque “Sainte Cécile” (1904) Composée pour l'inauguration de l'orgue Puget de la cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi; 1.Extase - 2.Chant d'Hyménée - 3.Entretien et conversion - 4.Triomphe et Apothéose.
• School of the organ pedal: L'Art de la Pédale du Grand Orgue (Combre, Paris)
• Offertoire, Grand chœur pour la Pentecôte, published in an anthology by Joubert: Les Maîtres contemporains de l'orgue, vol. 2, par l'abbé Joseph Joubert, 1912.
• Offertoire pour l'Immaculeé-Conception, 1914.

Well-known other compositions

• Regina Mundi for tenor and organ, violon and harp ad lib. op. 28 (Combre).
• Do it Petrus, No 3 du Salut, for 4 male voices and organ, op. 31 (Combre).
• Angeli et Pastores (Noël), for mixed choir, oboe, harp and organ (A. Noël, 1902).
• Fantaisie no 1 for clarinet and piano (Leduc, Paris)
• Drame Lyrique: Marthe la folle.
• Oratorio “L'immolation du Christ” (The Sacrifice of Christ).

swell

• Riemann Musiklexikon Personal Part 1975 (Schott);
• Article L'orgue 1947, No.44;
• Literature in Marty's various edited sheet music editions;
• Article Marty in frz.wikipedia;
• French press articles and French publications on organ programs;
• Petrucci Music Library;
• MusicSack Directory;

Web links

• Sheet music and audio files by Adolphe Marty in the International Music Score Library Project