Suite du 1er ton

I have been given the privilege and opportunity of playing and reviewing the sample set of the great Stahluth/Jann organ in Luxembourg. This is my first "demo" recording, to be used a "musical illustration" in my review, which I hope will be both enjoyable for listening and helpful in contemplating purchase of the set.

Jean-Baptiste Nôtre (4 September 1732 – 20 February 1807) was a French composer and organist. He was initially a choirboy in the cathedral at Toul, and probably received his first organ lessons from the organists Noirel et Martelet. In 1754, the canons awarded him a scholarship to train for six months in Paris by Guillaume-Antoine Calvière (1695–1755), one of the organists of the Chapelle Royale and titular at Notre-Dame de Paris. When he returned, they named him organist of the Toul Cathedral, which had a magnificent instrument built by Nicolas Dupont between 1751 and 1755. In 1793, he was commissioned to estimate the organs of all the churches in Toul, which became national property. Even though the French Revolution suspended his activities for a while, he remained organist of the cathedral until his death.

In 1757, he married Nancy Françoise Mangin, daughter of an innkeeper, who gave him five children. Their daughter Marguerite Nôtre (1759–1837) was an organist in the Lunéville parish of Saint-Jacques.

This attractive suite, while certainly not at the elevated level of the French baroque masters, still serves to demonstrate this instrument in a most attractive and colorful manner.

I'll give the timings of the individual movements in the First Comment, as well as some performance notes, and some details as to the registrations that I used.

The score is attached below, as well as several photos of the magnificent cathedral at Toul where the composer was a choirboy and later organist.

There is also a photo of the modern organ... :-(

MORE COMING SOON!