My first pieces of “real” organ repertoire were, in fact, French baroque pieces. My first organ teacher really loved music that pre-dated Bach and so I was naturally exposed to this kind of repertoire first. I think that Clerambeault always comes to mind within organist circles and that’s exactly what I played first. Unfortunately, I didn’t have Hauptwerk at the time or access to an instrument that had the desired tonal resources. You could imagine my elation when I could finally play this stunning repertoire with the correct registrations! I’m so blessed to have access to Hauptwerk and a local instrument here in Albury which can handle a wide range of repertoire. Oh, by the way, I encourage you to listen to my student, Thomas Summerfield, play the Clerambeault Suite du deuxieme ton on the Letourneau here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MrMxlslfsSM
Whilst this piece isn’t Clerambeault or Couperin, Jean-François Dandrieu still firmly places his mark on the French baroque era. He started playing the organ at the Saint-Merri church in Paris (a post previously occupied by Nicolas Lebègue) and became its titular organist in 1705. This Offertoire comes from Pièces d’orgue, Livre 1—a collection of 63 Pieces divided into 6 Suites, each containing an Offertoire, various pieces and a complete Magnificat.
Score: https://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/first-book-of-organ-pieces-sheet-music/5962756?aff_id=478282
Organ specification: https://www.ohta.org.au/organs/organs/AlburyStMatts.html
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