24 Pièces de fantaisie, Opp.51, 53-55

Historical context

Vierne’s 24 Pièces de fantaisie are four suites of six character-pieces each - Opp. 51, 53, 54 and 55 - composed in 1926-27 around the time of his celebrated North American tour. Many of the pieces carry dedications to the American and English organists and organ-builders who had championed him; the First Suite was first heard on the colossal Wanamaker organ in New York on 4 February 1927.

The set holds the two best-loved miniatures Vierne ever wrote. Clair de lune (Suite No. 2, Op. 53) is a hushed nocturne in D-flat, dedicated to his friend Ernest Skinner, the organ-builder of Boston. And the Carillon de Westminster (Suite No. 3, Op. 54), dedicated to the London builder Henry Willis, spins a whole movement out of the Westminster Quarters - the chimes of Big Ben - climbing from a single distant phrase to a full-organ peal that has rung out from countless recital encores since.

Drawn from public reference sources (Wikipedia, standard organ-repertoire references).