The Performance Practice of Organ-Playing in 17th Century France According to the Anonymous Manuscript Manière de toucher l’orgue (c.1670-1685)

Abstract

This article concerns the performance practice of organ-playing in 17^th century France. The starting point is the anonymous manuscript Manière de toucher l’orgue dans toute la propreté et la délicatesse qui est en usage aujourd’hui à Paris (Organ performance manners regarding the style and its nuances currently practised in Paris), written probably between 1670 and 1685. The greatest value of this manuscript is that it provides important information about the new trends in liturgical organ-playing introduced during the late 17^th century in Paris. This article is a development of the ideas sketched by William Pruitt (1986). His analysis, however, was limited to factual aspects and an overall description of the source. This article, using the hermeneutic research method, takes a broader look at the practical issues that may be useful for music historians and for organists who want to deepen their historical knowledge about early French organ music.