A year ago, we were saddened to learn of the passing of Odile Bailleux at the age of 84. A student of Helmut Walcha, whom she remembered fondly, Odile Bailleux was an organist and harpsichordist with a passion for early music who, following in the footsteps of Chapuis, Chapelet and Saint-Arroman, helped to revive many organ works from the 16th and 17th centuries through her sensitive interpretations based on what was then new musicological research. Organist at St-Germain-des-Prés, she was a sought-after teacher, attracting a whole generation of young musicians who discovered with her a new way of interpreting Baroque music.
It is regrettable that, like Jean Boyer, Odile Bailleux left us with only a few recordings.
Below is a tribute to Odile Bailleux by Frédéric Muñoz, as well as an excerpt from the double CD Nicolas de Grigny recorded in 1983, which could not be released at the time. It was Frédéric Muñoz’s persistence that finally led to its release in 2008 on the Gueul’Ard label (Mouzon).
Nicolas de Grigny, Récit de tierce en taille, excerpt from the Mass – Odile Bailleux at the organ of St. Cecilia’s Cathedral in Albi (1983), sound recording and photo: Frédéric Muñoz (whom we thank)
Frédéric Muñoz pays tribute to Odile Bailleux
I first met Odile Bailleux in 1978 thanks to Jacques Bétoulières, organist in Montpellier, following the release of her first LP dedicated to Antony van Noordt. In the early 1980s, she was invited to perform in concerts in Saint-Guilhem le Désert and at the Summer Academy on the Moitessier organ in Sète. I attended her classes with great enthusiasm, discovering the music of Frescobaldi and Correa de Arauxo under her expert fingers. In 1983, the Occitan publisher Ventadorn asked Odile to record the recently restored grand organ of Albi Cathedral. Seduced by this sumptuous instrument, she then considered recording Nicolas de Grigny’s “Livre d’orgue”. This album took shape during long nights of recording, and for me, her student, it was an incredible experience to do the sound recording for her and assist her musically, which was a great mark of confidence for me. She subsequently returned regularly to play at Saint-Guilhem, even inaugurating Alain Sals’s positive organ in 1984. She was also heard on the harpsichord in a Bach recital with gambist Marie-Françoise Bloch.
Her lessons revealed an aspect of early music that particularly emphasised dynamics, touch and expression on the keyboard. I also met her again in Aubenas for other lessons and a memorable concert featuring Hassler, Reincken, Correa and Bach. A friend of harpsichordist Scott Ross, he brought her to the Erato label, which enabled her to release a memorable CD dedicated to her beloved Correa de Arauxo. With her unfailing intuition, she knew how to recognise various musical qualities in her students, sometimes complimenting them on, for example, ‘a good left hand’ or simply telling them that they were experiencing a beautiful love affair with music.
From the early 1960s onwards, Odile was very much part of this magnificent generation of re-discoverers of early music, particularly organ music associated with historical instruments restored according to the principles and techniques of the old regime. Odile was deeply passionate and uncompromising in her views on music. In addition to a few rare official recordings that have become benchmarks, a number of memorable concerts were recorded and remain precious testimonies to her art. Through her teaching, she was able to pass on and spread the knowledge she acquired from her teachers Edouard Souberbielle and Helmut Walcha, which is now being perpetuated by her students. Through her many talents, she greatly honoured the world of Baroque music for more than sixty years and was unanimously recognised as one of the greatest representatives of the French organ.
Frédéric Muñoz (Souvignargues 21 November 2024)
Titular organist of the historic organ of Saint-Guilhem-le Désert
