In collaboration with the International César Franck Society, Bärenreiter are publishing a new complete edition of Franck’s organ works. It takes into account not only all accessible sources but also previously neglected manuscripts. A fastidious comparison of these sources enables reliable readings of the musical texts to be made. Text variants, cases of doubt and editorial decisions are recorded in a comprehensive Critical Commentary.

The Foreword offers a detailed account of the “Six Pièces”, especially with regard to their chronology and previous editions. Besides an introduction to each piece the reader will find a description of Franck’s Cavaillé-Coll organ at Sainte-Clotilde and a discussion of the historically documented metronome markings.

Rounding off the edition are facsimiles and detailed information on the relevant organ specifications, thereby drawing a rich portrait of Franck the organist, whose impact on French symphonic organ music can hardly be overstated.