Musical contribution - July 2015

Première Romance Sans Paroles (A. Guilmant 1837-1911)

We have long known that Guilmant left us a large number of compositions. And we were also aware that there are many jewels among the 94 opus numbers. Yet still, every now and then we discover pieces of unequalled beauty. Take Opus 67, for example. It includes two Romances without lyrics for piano and cello or violin. This month, we will take a closer look at the first of the two. It needed a few adaptations to make it suitable for organ, but a lovely solo stop makes it is a very nice piece to play.

Naturally, the first thing that comes to mind is an oboe on the récit, but other options are also possible. We do not know whether Alexandre’s brother Armand played the cello or violin. But after reading the title and listening to this beautiful piece, it seems clear that they had a close relationship.

Enjoy! And if one of you ever dedicates a composition to a brother, sister or other family member or friend, then we would greatly appreciate you sharing it with us.

Musical regards,

André van Vliet