Fantasia and Fugue in G minor (BWV 542), J.S. Bach (1685-1750)
Sonatine pour les etoiles, movement II Valery Aubertin b. 1970
Fantaisie in A major (Op. 16), Cesar Franck, (1822-1890)
Roulade (Op. 9), Seth Bingham (1882-1972
Star Wars Medley, John Williams(born 1932), arr. LF Smith (born 2002)
Choral-Improvisation sur Victimae Paschali Laudes, Charles Tournemire (1870-1939), (transc. Maurice Durufle)
Program Notes
Although the Fantasia and Fugue in G minor are among Bach’s most legendary masterworks, relatively little is known about their origin (as no manuscript copies exist), and it is possible that the two were not composed together as a set. The fantasia is a stormy and dramatic showcase that contrasts improvisatory moments of stylus phantasticus with more measured and restrained passages. The fugue, which was first conceived as an improvisation in Hamburg in 1720, is more light-hearted, borrowing its theme from a Dutch folk tune and transforming it into a showcase of virtuosity.
Valery Aubertin (b. 1970) is a French composer whose compositions have been internationally acclaimed. In addition to composing, his career includes work as an organist, choir director, and professor of composition and music theory. This enigmatic movement from Aubertin’s 1994 Sonatine pour les étoiles (“Sonata for the stars”) draws its title from a line of poetry by the French poet Robert Desnos, which translates to “Recall this evening of rain and dew / when the stars became comets and fell down on the earth.”
Cesar Franck was born in Belgium and built his career in Paris, where he is fondly remembered as one of the first French Romantic greats and a hugely influential teacher. Although his organ output is relatively small, Franck holds a treasured space in the organ repertoire for his beautiful melodies and lush harmonization. Fantasie in A is the first in a set of three pieces that was premiered in concert at the
Palais du Trocadero in 1878. Franck introduces several key themes in this semi-improvisatory rumination, exploring and developing each separately before bringing them together in the climax.
The American-born composer Seth Bingham (1882-1972) trained at Yale University and in Paris, where he studied with Alexandre Guilmant and Charles-Marie Widor before returning to the States and settling at Madison Avenue Presbyterian Church in New York City. “Roulade” (1923), one of six pieces dedicated to David McKinley Williams, is one of Bingham’s best-known works and is unique in its blend of technical demand and mischievous fun.
John Williams is widely known as one of the world’s best beloved film composers, and the score to Star Wars is among his most iconic. In this arrangement, I have presented key themes from the original trilogy (Episodes IV, V, and VI): the main title theme, Princess Leia’s theme, “Han Solo and the Princess,” the Imperial March, and the iconic Throne Room sequence that concludes Episode IV.
Charles Tournemire was a French child prodigy who studied with Cesar Franck and Vincent d’Indy and held the titulaire position at Basilique St-Clothilde in Paris for most of his life. Tournemire was intensely Catholic and deeply drawn to mysticism, an interest that is reflected in the character of his organ works, which often incorporate Gregorian chant or other liturgical elements. This fiery improvisation on the Easter Sunday sequence Victimae Paschali Laudes was recorded in 1930 and later transcribed by Maurice Durufle.
Biography of Laura Smith
A native of Wichita, KS, Laura Felicity Smith began her musical studies in kindergarten. A recent graduate of Baylor University, Laura has studied with Dr. Jens Korndoerfer, Dr. Margaret Harper, Dr. Isabelle Demers, and Anna Jeter. While at Baylor, Laura performed as a soloist in the School of Music’s centennial Collage Concert, competed twice as a finalist in the organ division of the Semper Pro Musica competition, organized the annual organ Halloween concert, and performed extensively as an organist, pianist, and vocalist. She also spent three years as organ scholar at St. Alban’s Episcopal Church (Waco, TX).
In addition to performances across the States, Laura has traveled and performed in England, Ireland, and France. This fall, she plans to continue her studies as a graduate student at Rice University. When not practicing, Laura enjoys reading, writing, dancing, and lying in bed with her phone.