Fantasy on Cortége et Litanie of Marcel Dupré

By James F. Hopkins

Item Number: MN.12-110

The Fantasy on 'Cortege et Litanie' of Marcel Dupre, was composed in 1986 as a solo piece for concert organist Cherry Rhodes and first performed by her in October, 1989, at Grace Cathedral, San Francisco. Because of the very orchestral nature of the writing, the composer decided in 1994 to recast the work in a second version for small orchestra. The Fantasy is based on the two main themes of the well-known work 'Cortege et Litanie' of Dupre. Even though one or both of these themes is almost always present in some form, there is in fact no direct quotation from the original work. The harmonic style, while incorporating some fairly dissonant combinations, nevertheless retains Dupre's original E major tonal framework. The first part of the Fantasy consists of several short sections that evoke a vague, dream-like atmosphere. After a brief cadenza, the rhythmically driving central portion of the work is heard. A short recapitulation of earlier material and a final triumphant outburst bring the Fantasy to a joyous conclusion. Hopkins' Fantasy won first prize in an international composition contest sponsored by the Los Angeles Chapter of the AGO.