Huw Watkins
read his biography

Pièce d’orgue (2005)

The organist David Graham, a colleague of mine at the Royal College of Music, asked me to write a new piece for him to perform at his Notre Dame recital in 2005. I wanted to write a piece full of huge, colourful chords which would fill the cathedral with sound. In fact, the piece begins quietly, with descending chords in a lilting rhythm, although this idea is soon interrupted by two very loud, seven-note chords. The music proceeds by juxtaposing these two different types of chordal material before a contrasting contrapuntal section in three parts – a slowly unfolding melody in the right hand, a repeated descending figure in the left hand and longer notes in the pedals. The piece then extensively develops the opening chordal ideas making use of extreme dynamic contrasts (fff followed by p) as the music becomes increasingly climactic. There follows a second statement of the contrapuntal section. This time however, the melody is played by the left hand, while the right hand has a repeated ascending figure. The music gradually builds in volume and intensity until the piece ends with five pairs of stark, thick chords. The first performance was given by David Graham in Paris on 16 October 2005.

Listen to Liam Cartwright performing the Pièce d’orgue on 20th October 2007 at St John the Evangelist Islington

Duration: 5mins
Available from: Schott (order number ED 12972)
Price: £4.50