Variations sur "Il est né le divin Enfant"

There are two versions :
The first one with Laurenskerk Marcussen
The second one (at 4’15’’) at St-Eucaire

Around 1948-1949, Dupré’s daughter had to play the Midnight service for Christmas in the village (Cheviré-le-Rouge) where she lived and where the church had a small Cavaillé-style organ of roughly 12 stops .

She asked her father a Noel « in the style of Daquin », and Dupré sent her these variations. They are quite in the style of Dupré’s improvisations, in a language less modern than his written music at this period (Vision, Psaume 18, etc.). There is :
At 0’’ The theme strictly harmonized
At 40’’ A trio with two voices at the right hand and the theme at the left hand
At 1’35’’ An adagio, gently rollicking with the theme at the pedale
At 2’20 ‘’ A playful mini-scherzo
At 2’50’’ A fugue followed by the theme exposed « en fanfare » and ended by a mini-mini toccata.

I first felt the need to use the clean and bright colors of the Marcussen. But it took me very far from Dupré’s registrations which were especially conceived for the Cheviré organ. So, I added a second version at St-Eucaire which seems the closest sampleset from Cheviré organ, using Dupré’s registrations or what seemed their closest equivalent. This second version,much more intimate, is surely more conform to the tone that Cheviré’s parishioners could hear at 1948 Christmas night with the acoustics of a small church (I say « the tone », NOT « the playing » ! ☺).
So, you can compare...