Guthrie: Quelle est cette odeur agréable? for Organ by James M. Guthrie Organ Accompaniment - Digital Sheet Music

SKU: A0.1742786

Experience the gentle beauty and French elegance of the beloved carol “Quelle est cette odeur agréable?” in this richly crafted organ arrangement that unfolds through a series of imaginative variations. Perfect for Advent and Christmas services, this setting offers both poetic expressiveness and technical variety across eight distinct movements, each exploring the carol’s serene melody in a new harmonic and textural light.

Beginning with a lyrical Theme à4, the music progresses through a refined Bicinium and a luminous Trio in which the cantus tenor sings beneath a perpetual-motion descant. A coloristic Trio with Nazard evokes the shimmer of early French organ timbres, followed by a parallel Trio in the relative minor featuring perpetual motion in the pedal. The atmosphere deepens in a Meno mosso, Strings à4, where progressive harmonies lend warmth and modern resonance. A stately compound triple à4 offers rhythmic contrast before the radiant Finale: Tutti organ à4 brings the cycle to a triumphant close.

From quiet meditations to brilliant resonance, this arrangement provides a complete set of contrasting movements ideal for recital use or inclusion within the liturgy. Designed for intermediate to advanced organists, it celebrates both the subtlety and splendor of the Noël tradition.