César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck (1822 – 1890) was a composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life. He was born at Liège, in what is now Belgium (though at the time of his birth it was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands). He gave his first concerts there in 1834 and studied privately in Paris from 1835, where his teachers included Anton Reicha. After a brief return to Belgium, and a disastrous reception to an early oratorio Ruth, he moved to Paris, where he married and embarked on a career as teacher and organist. He gained a reputation as a formidable improviser, and travelled widely in France to demonstrate new instruments built by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll.

When César Franck’s son, Georges Franck, offered to Enoch the unknown collection of his father’s manuscripts, he described, that these pieces were composed „by the request of Franck’s friend, a village organist, who asked Franck to compose some nice, but simple pieces suitable for the village church service”.

Indeed, Auguste Sanches was an organ amateur in Azille, where Franck with his family spent the vacations. Franck composed his „simple pieces” mostly during August and September 1859, but also there are some older (1858) and later (up to 1866) additions, not necessary understood in the close connection with the pieces of 08-09 1859. Some of other pieces are extremely difficult and weren’t probably composed for the amateur organist.

This collection is extremally important for Franck’s legacy and art-work-understanding. This is main link between the early organ pieces (such as [Pieces] in E flat major or in A major, or Andantino in g minor, and "Six Pieces” published in 1868.

Only part of the pieces has signed the dates of composition, what is helpful in the way, that we know about quite long period of composition (9 years), and about the fact, that the Collection hasn’t chronological order. Moreover, the collection hasn’t quite no order at all, so, it is not a "collection” or a "cycle”, but just unordered set of more or less separate pieces.

Source: Ars Polonica (http://arspolonica.ocross.net/muzyka/cesar-franck-1822 -1890/cesar-franck-1822-1890-the-pieces-posthumes-or-44 -petites-pieces-or-lorganiste-ii/ ).

Although originally created for Pipe Organ, I created this Interpretation of the Préludes pour l ’Ave Maris Stella from 30 Pièces pour Orgue (FWV 24 Vol 2 No 28) for Bb Clarinet & Strings (2 Violins, Viola & Cello).