Fugue sur l'hymne de la Vierge - Ave Maris Stella

About this work

In Jean-François Dandrieu’s Fugue on Ave maris stella, the subject draws its profile from the Marian hymn. It passes from one voice to another with a clarity that requires more flexibility than solemnity. The piece is brief: every entrance matters, and an excessively thick registration would quickly obscure the answers.

First sing the subject, then play each appearance while naming the voice that carries it. Add the other lines without changing the articulation of the principal motif. On the organ, a clear foundation registration is often sufficient; the pedal should support the polyphony without sounding like a separate plane. Pay particular attention to releases at cadences.

The reference to plainchant does not require every phrase ending to slow down. Keep a regular pulse and allow the dissonances to create their own tension. When entries draw closer together, slightly reduce the weight of each voice to preserve the whole. The fugue will then present the hymn as living material rather than a fixed quotation.

What the document containsthe Fugue on Ave maris stella for organ;a 2-page PDF;an accompanying MIDI file for listening reference.The document gives the complete piece in a compact presentation.