where a quintuplet in the right hand is set against a four-note pattern and a sex- tuplet (two triplets) pattern in the man- ual and pedal, which makes perfor- mance extremely difficult (Ex. 8).


Performance Debout sur le soleil is a challenging


piece for organists. Some parts of the score may need to be modified to play, in part because this music was com- posed for the organ of Saint-Eustache in Paris, which had a 32-note pedalboard. For instance, fromthe third sextuplet in m. 34 to the third sextuplet inm. 38, the left hand and pedal parts might be ex- changed due to the limitation of the or- gan (Ex. 9). Some organs do not have the note of F on the pedalboard; thus the exchanged score is more playable. In the note from the composer,10 an


alternative method is suggested for use with 30-note pedalboards (CC–f1). In m. 19, Florentz recommends the addition of G in the left hand, then he suggests playing pedal sextuplets as f1 e1 f1 e1 f1 e1 f1 e1 f1 e1 f1 e1 (Ex. 10). A similar case is found in the second pedal sextuplet in m. 24. In m. 27, at the second pedal sextuplet, a player can add f1 and f1 eighth notes in the left hand and play e1 d1 e1 d1 f1 e1 in the pedal (Ex. 11).


Conclusion In Debout sur le soleil, Florentz uses


the Holy Trinity as the main theme, si- multaneously emphasizing the Passion of Christ. He compares human distress with Jesus’ flagellation and focuses on the manner in which Jesus solved hu- man problems through his death on the cross. He utilizes symbolic numbers re- vealed in the Bible to construct the ma- jor and minor structures of this music. He also combines African elements— Ethiopian liturgy, bird songs, and dance rhythms—in this music. Finally, he em- ployes the unusual technique of using Morse code to translate the religious meaning to musical expression. Florentz’s Christian faith and love of


music and nature shaped his life and compositions. His deep respect for non- European cultures helped him create music that is at a crossroads of Euro- pean andMiddle Easternmusical tradi- tions. He described hismusic as “in be- tween purely formal creation and delivery of a message.” Florentz, in his own words, says, “Art for art does not interest me much. Not even the music as a simple vehicle of something it’s not. I try to hold myself on a fine line, very delicate, where I hope to touch my contemporaries.”11 In Revelation 19:17, the Apostle John


saw an angel standing on the sun, who proclaimed an invitation to the fowls of heaven for the great supper of God, which symbolizes the final battle at Ar- mageddon. This battle was initiated by the beast and the kings of the earth and


AUGUST 2013 37


Ex. 7: Irregular quintuplets effect by adding a tenuto on the 4th note (mm. 54–55)


Ex. 8: Quintuplets, quadruplets, and sextuplets in mm. 279–281


Ex. 9: Exchanging left hand and pedal in m. 34


Ex. 10: mm. 18–19 in the first Invitatoire


Ex. 11: mm. 26–27 in the first Invitatoire


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