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Cathedral
Incarnation
of the
The Diocese of Nashville
A.D. 1914
ABOUT THE MUSIC
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Professor of Organ at the Paris Conservatory for thirty years and Organist of the church of Saint-Sulpice from 1934 until his death, Marcel Dupré (1886-1971) dominated the French organ world for much of the 20th century; as performer, teacher, improviser and composer, he devoted his whole life to the organ, touring the world from the USA to Australia, and training all the leading French organists of two generations.
His Chemin de la Croix (The Way of the Cross) originated in an imaginative collaboration between Professors of Literature and Music at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels in February 1931. Interspersed with the recitation of 14 poems by the Catholic dramatist, poet and diplomat Paul Claudel Dupré, Dupré improvised a musical commentary or illustration for each Station; the following year he created a written score for the pieces.
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Dupré’s own detailed program notes make it clear that his inspiration came not from the poems alone, but from the Bible, the rich heritage of Passiontide music, and traditional Catholic iconography. He described the work as ‘a … symphonic poem in which several leading themes recur, but each station has its own musical conception… All the themes are not only symbolic, but also traditional. Certain intervals, certain melodic shapes are part of the patrimony of music. I researched how the Masters have agreed on certain formulas, such as the double leap of a fourth for the Cross; we find it in Bach, Handel, Schütz. The theme of Redemption, formed of four conjunct notes, is found in Handel, Bach, Franck and Wagner. The theme of the Virgin, forming the major triad, is the idea of ‘Genetrix’. The theme of Suffering, composed of a descending chromatic phrase, is found in Bach. These are all themes of traditional symbolism…’
For the performance here at the Cathedral of the Incarnation, instead of the original poetry our Pastor-Rector Fr. Hammond will offer a brief reflection before each of the musical movements. The performance will last approximately 75 minutes.
THE ARTIST
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Dr. Philip Brisson has been Director of Music and Organist at the Catholic Cathedral of the Assumption in downtown Louisville since 2001. Originally from New York City, Philip received his BM in Organ Performance from the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College, CUNY, where he studied organ and conducting with Paul Maynard. Having been accepted into graduate organ performance programs at Juilliard, Indiana, and Michigan, Philip decided to attend Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey, where he earned a Masters in Sacred Music. While at Westminster he studied organ with Robert Carwithen and choral conducting with Allen Crowell.
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In 2005 Philip earned a Doctorate in Organ Performance from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York, where he studied organ with David Higgs and received a choral conducting minor under William Weinert.
As an organ soloist, he has given recitals in all 50 states. He has appeared with the Lexington Philharmonic, the Oratorio Society of Queens, and with the Louisville Orchestra as guest soloist performing the Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony with Raymond Leppard conducting. In the summer of 2011 Philip was a featured performer for the Region V AGO Convention in Lexington, KY, and the NPM National Convention in Louisville, KY.
In addition to his involvement in the Organ and Sacred Music disciplines, Dr. Brisson has an active career in concert music and opera, having directed and prepared a number of important ensembles for choral/orchestral and operatic performances. He has taught organ and choral music at such institutions as Bellarmine University and Indiana University Southeast.
Philip is active in the American Guild of Organists, has served on the Louisville Chapter’s Executive Committee and has held both the Sub-Dean and Dean positions for the Guild. He is also the National Association of Pastoral Musicians Organist Liaison for the Louisville Archdiocese, has served as Membership Chairman of the Roman Catholic Conference of Cathedral Musicians, and is a member of The Honorable Order of Kentucky Colonels. Dr. Brisson also founded the concert artist cooperative EastWestOrganists.com, which represents several prominent young American organists in the United States.