Marcel Lanquetuit (1894–1985) was born in Rouen, and after studying there with Albert Dupré, and later with Dupré’s son Marcel, he entered the Paris Conservatoire and worked with Gigout. He eventually returned to Rouen and became organist of the cathedral, a post he held until his death. His
Toccata in D major, which dates from 1927, is dedicated to the elder Dupré, but its staccato repeated chords seem like a nod in the direction of the final pages of the younger Dupré’s
Variations sur un Noël, which appeared some four years earlier. This is not a derivative work, though, and the incessant chords—and the memorable sustained melody which emerges from them—create an exhilarating toccata quite unlike any other.
from notes by Relf Clark © 2010
