Prélude sur l’Introit de l’Épiphanie, Op. 13 – Maurice Duruflé | Secrets of Organ Playing Contest Week 52

This is my entry for the Secrets of Organ Playing Contest Week 52. I'm playing Prélude sur l’Introit de l’Épiphanie, Op. 13 by Maurice Duruflé. Before I continue with a spiel about the work, I'd like to congratulate @organduo and @laputis for reaching one year of hosting the organ playing contest! All the best for the New Year and I hope we continue to grow with more participants.

Prélude sur l’Introit de l’Épiphanie translated means "Prelude for the Introit of Epiphany". Epiphany, of course, is the season following Christmas which mainly highlights the visit of the Three Wise Men to the child Jesus. In this piece, we hear Duruflé's fascination with Gregorian plainchant based on the Epiphany Introit.

^Source

You will notice that Duruflé highlights the chant usinga a solo registration on the Trompette. The moving quaver accompaniment is on the plenum (except I lack a Mixture on this Grand Orgue). As chant does not have a strict time signature, Duruflé's time signature is constantly shifting between 5/8, 6/8 and 8/8 time in an effort to put the chant motif in modern notation.

This was recorded on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of St. Eucaire in Metz, France, using the Hauptwerk VPO software.

Yours truly,
@contrabourdon