Early Works and Works with Little or Facultative Pedal Use

Théodore Dubois (1837–1924) was a conductor, organist, teacher, and one of the leading Parisian composers of the 19th century. His contemporaries frequently compared him to Delibes, Widor, and Lalo. Yet, he rarely turned to the musical language of his age, writing instead in a vein that reveals influences from Mendelssohn, Weber, Gounod, and the dramatic style of Berlioz. Our edition is the first to present his organ music in an Urtext performance edition. The first volume contains compositions for one- to two-manual organ with little or no obligato use of the pedals. Written between 1859 and 1877, the pieces are clear in form and modest in their technical demands, reflecting the composer’s basic impulse to write works equally viable for use in church and the concert hall. In addition to a detailed preface and facsimiles, the edition contains a critical report (in German, English, and French) and a catalogue of sources.