Hymnes pour les huit tons: Fugues

Guillaume Lasceux (1740 - 1831)

I've been treasure hunting on imslp again.

You can find out more about Lasceux here: https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillaume_Lasceux

It seems he moved around as an organist and wasn't really too much of note.

The scores can be found here:
http://imslp.org/wiki/Annuaire_de_l’Organiste_(Lasceux,_Guillaume)

They come from a collection of masses, magnificats and a few other bits. These fugues are 1 - 6 of Hymnes pour les huit tons (hymns for the eight tones). Eight fugues with a couple of shorter works after each (not included). I've recorded fugues 1 - 6 only, because to be honest by that time it was getting a bit repetitive. Style wise, they're not full on romantic that you'd find in later French works (though chromaticism is found) and they are still close to baroque in my opinion.

The last piece is the fugue from Te Deum in the same book. There are lots of various works in book to fill services with.

Registration wise, Swell full to Mixtures and Trumpet. Choir 8's and 4's. Great full to Harmonics III. Octave couplers and everything coupled together. The six fugues use the same registration but played on different manuals and shutters may be open or shut. I didn't have any registration suggestions to go on so I used what sounded best to me.

The Te Deum adds 16' to the Swell and Tromba to the Great.

These fugues are pretty easy, they seem to be for manuals only. Played in a block like this though they get repetitive. They aren't up to Bach standards but they are still nice little couple of minute fugues.

1. Hymn for the 1st tone
2. Hymn for the 2nd tone (1:51)
3. Hymn for the 3rd tone (4:12)
4. Hymn for the 4th tone (6:33)
5. Hymn for the 5th tone (8:45)
6. Hymn for the 6th tone (11:01)
7. Te Deum - Fugue (13:22)

Hope you enjoy.

John