Hi folks,

I have a week free next week so was thinking about learning this piece as I have always wanted to play it but never got round to it. How difficult is it?

Also there is often talk of the sections with the L.H quaver chords and whether you should actually play the right notes or whether "if you are playing the right notes then it is too slow!" What are peoples opinions on this?

Thanks,

Andy

You are exactly right. The two series of LH quaver chords are challenging. Other than that, the piece is not too hard.

Work out a good fingering for those passages, memorise the notes and watch your LH as you play. Keep the wrist loose and flexible. Don't bounce the hand but let the fingers stay close to the keys. You should strive to get all the notes right, but don't panic if you miss a few notes.

The effect of this piece should be of a prayer becoming more and more intense and fevered and lifting up to heaven. Don't forget Alain was influenced by dance and by Middle Eastern tonalities when interpreting this work.

As for the chords, Alain himself said you can splash them out, so aim for the spirit of the passage rather than be hindered by the actual notes...

I'm in exactly the same position as abennett, love the piece and always wanted to play it.
It has been set for Grade 8, so shouldn't be too difficult. Now Ive seen this thread, Im inspired to get a copy too. Thanks for advice.

Fantastic piece

Here's a video of his sister playing it Litanies

It is/was on the LRSM list, so beware that a successful performance of the piece lies beyond the actual notes...

Oh, and you need a decent 3M organ with a prompt action - as a minimum - to make it 'work'...

Phew!

I was intrigued enough to consider purchasing it; now I can leave it for another time without feeling like a wimp.

I think this perhaps gives the wrong impression of what Alain sanctioned. The crucial point here is that Alain could and did play the notes correctly himself. His sister Marie-Claire is on record as saying that those left-hand notes are meant to be played as written and that Jehan had a phenomenal left-hand technique. However, he accepted that not everyone might be up to that standard and that in the last resort the spirit of the piece came first.

According to Marie-Claire, this is actually what Jehan said:

"Bernard Gavoty recalls the way Jehan told him the piece should be played:

...When you play this piece, you must create the impression of an ardent conjuration. Prayer is not a lament, but an overpowering tornado flattening everything in its way. It's also an obsession: you must fill men's ears with it - and God's ears too! If at the end you don't feel wrung out, it means you've neither understood it nor played it as I want it played. Keep to a tempo as fast as clarity will permit. Don't worry about the rapid chords in the left hand near the end. At the right speed that passage is unplayable. But rubato isn't out of the question, and it's really better to "botch" it a bit than play at a speed which would deform my Litanies."

The notion (which seems to be quite prevalent out there) that Jehan originally thought about notating those chords merely as clusters is quite erroneous and is note borne out by his reported comments above, which allow only that the notes may not be 100% accurate.

Yes, that would be my problem, I have a decent 2M but a lot of the French repertoire needs a decent 3M.

Edit - Just seen the Marie-Claire video, absolutely wonderful - she uses all 5 manuals! What chance have I!
I was nearly in tears , it was really from the heart !

Well I have a pretty good 4M organ but the action is terrible, well it may be not that bad, but not good! It should work though.

Thanks for the tips!

Unfortunately, a prompt action would be of better assistance than 4 manuals!

And some general pistons would be useful.

Yea quite right too.

And some French reeds....