| The Premier Livre d'Orgue (1699) of Nicolas de Grigny (1672-1702) represents the art of French classical organ composition at its zenith. No other pieces in the French Baroque organ repertoire achieve the mastery, both in artistry and complexity, of those contained in Grigny's only publication. However, the original 1699 edition is fraught with challenges for the scholar and performer. Numerous errors were made in the engraving of the music and period music notation practices contribute to the potential misreading of the score. These problems are enumerated and discussed.;The relationship between the original Premier Livre d'Orgue, and the copies made by J.S. Bach (1685-1750) and Johann Gottfried Walther (1684-1748) during the first and second decades of the 18th century will also be thoroughly examined. While they raise a myriad of different questions, these copies place the Premier Livre d'Orgue within a wider historical context. They contain many changes and corrections, which can serve as a starting point in the re-evaluation of the music in the original publication. Important commonalities and differences between the copies and the original edition are explored in detail.;A new performing edition, which closes the volume, is the result of this in-depth examination of Grigny's compositions as contained in the 1699 publication and in the copies of Johann Gottfried Walther and J.S. Bach. It presents the Premier Livre d'Orgue through the prism of their copies. The Critical Notes detail the variant readings between the three volumes and are cross-referenced in the score. |
