Carillon de Westminster, Op. 54 No. 6
by Louis Vierne
The sixth and final piece from Vierne's Pièces de fantaisie Suite No. 3 (1927), Carillon de Westminster is the most celebrated single organ piece of the French Romantic school. Built on the four-note Westminster chime motif, it unfolds through a series of increasingly radiant variations before arriving at a thunderous climax in full organ. Vierne composed it on the Cathedral organ at Notre-Dame de Paris, where he served as titular organist for nearly four decades.
Editions
Alphonse Leduc
Louis Vierne, 1927
Original edition published by the composer. The primary source text, still widely used in performance.
Durand
David Goode, 2005
Revised edition with updated registration suggestions for modern French and German tracker organs.
Bärenreiter
Helga Schauerte-Maubouet, 2011
Critical Urtext edition collating the autograph and first print, with full performance notes.