n°17 from 24 pieces (as a song without words)

André Fleury was (1903-1995) was a french organist and composer. He had been a pupil of Vierne an was the first student to graduate from Paris’ conservatoire under Dupré’s tenure, in 1926, He became then organist at St Augustin (after Gigout and Huré). Then, having left Paris for health reasons, a became organist at Dijon’s cathedral. In 1971, he became co-titulaire of St Eustache with Jean Guillou, who had been the last student to graduate under Dupré’s tenure at the conservatoire.

All the testimonies describe him as a flawless virtuoso, and also as a very kind man with an unalterable courtesy. I remember having listened to him playing Dupré’s complete Symphonie-Passion in concert when a was roughly 82 ou 83 ; his playing was of a (gifted) young man’s, and electrifying. He left a good deal of organ works, among whose two symphonies – Prélude, andante et toccata – Variations sur un Noel bourguignon….

Ca 1930, shortly after the conservatoire, he composed a set of 24 pieces for organ or harmonium. Here is a bunch of five of them, who together can form as a kind of « mini imaginary symphony » :



- n° 17 Allegretto (as a Song without words) : it is a very fresh an singing piece, which uses perfectly the « ascending voicing » of Cavaillé-Coll flûtes harmoniques ; it has like something of Fauré ;




Here are the first three pieces ; I’ll upload soon the last two ones (an adagio and a typical french toccata)