Description

The Nobel Peace Prize winner Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965) is known for his many facets: theologian and pastor, philosopher and founder of “respect for life”, pioneer of humanitarian medicine with his hospital founded in 1913 in Lambaréné, Gabon.

He was also a famous musician, with a passion for organs and their restoration. A pupil of Eugène Münch, Charles Marie-Widor, Marie Jaëll and Isidore Philipp, he became a great interpreter of Johann Sebastian Bach, to whom he dedicated a major monograph in French and later in German. His repertoire also includes works by César Franck and Felix Mendelssohn.

He gave almost 500 organ concerts throughout Europe to finance his hospital.

Until then, it was common knowledge that Albert Schweitzer had never composed music. In fact, nothing had ever been published, but thanks to the work carried out at his home in Gunsbach at the end of 2018, we found an old notebook belonging to the pupil Schweitzer in the archives, on which is written in his own handwriting: “Albert Schweitzer. My youth. Compositions and composition sketches 1893”.

This notebook, comprising 46 pages of handwritten scores, was given to the internationally renowned pianist and organist Thierry Mechler, Professor at the Musikhochschule in Cologne and organist at the Cologne Philharmonic. He was able to extract a Berceuse (1893) and a Lied (1895) for piano, which he performs on this CD and which we are delighted to share with you.