Louis Vierne Filmed at Notre Dame de Paris

A very rare “short“ film of Louis Vierne performing JS Bach’s In Dir Ist Freude (In Thee is Joy, BWV 615) on the Grandes Orgues of Notre Dame de Paris. This is perhaps the only known film of Vierne performing. It was part of a 1934 newsreel entitled “Les Mains de Paris“ about artists in Paris. Vierne likely welcomed this video since it is also around this time that he was trying to raise money to repair the organ. What is very apparent is Master Vierne’s complete lack of extraneous movement during the performance -- a characteristic of the French organ tradition. Although the sound is not well synchronized, it seems that he is indeed playing the In Dir Ist Freude, although some viewers may disagree. Nevertheless, the sound of the organ and performance do indicate that Vierne at Notre Dame is heard in the audio track.