Première Symphony, op. 20 - mvt 1 - Allegro

Lazare Auguste Maquaire (b. October 25, 1872 in Lyon, d. July 11, 1906 in Grenoble) was a French organist and composer. Maquaire was a student of Charles-Marie Widor at the Conservatoire de Paris, then became his assistant at Saint-Sulpice.

His most important work is this piece, the First Symphony in E-flat major, Op. 20 for organ, written in 1905 and dedicated to Widor. It lasts approximately 22 minutes, is in four movements, and is permeated by a four-note motif present in the themes of all four movements. Despite the title which might suggest otherwise, there is no second symphony, as Maquaire died at the Hôtel de Savoie, Place de la Gare in Grenoble - only 33 years old.

The first movement (Allegro) begins with a joyful staccato statement of the theme, followed by a modified version in legato, which becomes a vehicle for pretty extensive development and modulation. Eventually the theme is in the pedals, accompanied by triplet figurations on the Récit, which builds to a return to the opening staccato, ending in a joyful Coda.

I first uploaded this work in the early days of CB, and always wanted to revisit it - my ideas of interpretation have changed slightly, and also I used a composite instrument I'd made (I called it my "Cavaille-Clone"). It really was a pretty decent sound, but I wanted to try it on a more recent set.