The rise in popularity of the harmonium in the second half of the nineteenth century brought with it
a large repertoire of chamber music, especially in France, where the instrument had been developed
and refined.

The combination of harmonium with piano was an especially popular one. As well as original
compositions, the harmonium attracted composers making arrangements for reduced forces. The
accordion, taking the role of the harmonium on these recordings, produces sound in a near identical
way – air passes over vibrating free reeds made of metal. Dr David Jones

The individual voices of these composers – even in the relatively early pieces by Saint-Saëns and Franck
– are distinctive. Franck, the father-figure (he was affectionately known by his students as ‘père Franck’)
to so many French organists and composers during his time as professor at the Paris Conservatoire,
explores a gently melancholic vein that was to recur, sometimes in a more anguished form, in his later,
mature works.

Saint-Saëns repeatedly displays his Classical credentials – particularly the influence of Beethoven – whilst subverting tradition and confounding expectations with harmonic quirkiness and unexpected phrase structures.

Guilmant is an unashamed melodist whose models include Gounod and Mendelssohn, with an occasional nod towards Russia.

All, however, share a level of craftsmanship that must surely be related to their improvisatory skills.