Le Plein-jeu de l'orgue français à l'époque classique

By Léon Souberbielle

Subjects: Mixture stops, Organ (musical instrument), Organ (Musical instrument)

Description: Self-published in 1977, Le Plein-jeu de l’orgue français à l’époque classique gained immediately considerable prestige and aura within the organ building interested organists community, by the quality of its content as well as by the beauty of its layout. The basis of the book is the first reprint of Joseph Saint-Sauveur’s memoir, published in 1704, on the application of harmonic sounds to the composition of organ stops. Encouraged by Norbert Dufourcq and Olivier Messiaen, Léon Souberbielle decided to write this work which he completed by a series of very detailed technical articles together with his exquisite handmade drawings and plates. Messiaen had for this book - and its author- such esteem that he dedicated to him the libretto of the opera Saint François d’Assise bearing on the front page the following sentence: “To Léon Souberbielle, the marvellous author of a great book”. The collectible book proposed herewith is the original issue of 1977, bound in cardboard and cloth, including Souberbielle’s admirable drawings and plates. This issue has been enlarged by a portrait-statement of the violinist Alexis Galpérine, a nephew of Léon Souberbielle. Undoubtedly, this scarce and precious book will arouse the vivid interest of amateurs of organ building and of fine books alike.