Manuel Rodrigues Coelho - L'encyclopédie de l'orgue (Antoine Sibertin-Blanc)

Information

Composer: Manuel Rodrigues Coelho

1. Flores de música: No. 51, Primeiro Kyrio do sexto tom por F fá ut
2. Flores de música: No. 53, Primeiro Kyrio do terceiro tom por E lá mi ré
3. Flores de música: No. 5, Segundo tento do mesmo tom
4. Flores de música: No. 52, Primeiro Kyrio do oitavo tom por G sol ré ut
5. Flores de música: No. 4, Tento do segundo tom por bemol
6. Flores de música: Nos. 30 & 31, Versos sobre "Ave maris stella" (Excerpt)
7. Flores de música: No. 19, Tento do sétimo tom natural

Antoine Sibertin-Blanc, organ

Date: 1970 / 2026

Label: Warner Classics

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This 1970 Erato digital release, part of L’Encyclopédie de l’orgue, spotlights early Iberian keyboard music by contextualizing 17th-century Portuguese composer Manuel Rodrigues Coelho alongside contemporaries like Correa de Arauxo and Girolamo Frescobaldi. Performed by Antoine Sibertin-Blanc—a distinguished professor and titular organist who instrumentalized the revival of classical Portuguese organ music—the album features liturgical excerpts from Coelho’s seminal 1620 collection, Flores de música. Utilizing the historic Flentrop grand organ at the Lisbon Cathedral, Sibertin-Blanc delivers masterful interpretations of Coelho's distinctive tentos, Ave maris stella, and various Kyrie settings, breathing new life into a long-neglected musical tradition.

Manuel Rodrigues Coelho (ca. 1555–1635) was a pioneering Portuguese composer and court organist in Lisbon, recognized as the first major Iberian keyboard figure after Cabezón. His musical legacy is preserved in the landmark 1620 anthology Flores de musica, the earliest surviving Portuguese keyboard publication. Dedicated to Philip II, this extensive compilation features liturgical versets and his signature tientos—expansive, multi-sectional works averaging up to 300 bars. Characterized by clear harmonic language and progressive Baroque ornamentation rather than strict imitative counterpoint, Coelho’s innovative style aligned with Sweelinck’s techniques, bridging Renaissance traditions and early Baroque innovation.

Antoine Sibertin-Blanc (1930–2012) was a distinguished Parisian-trained organist and educator who played a pivotal role in reviving Portugal’s classical organ heritage. Formed by masters like Édouard Souberbielle and Maurice Duruflé, he left early posts in Paris and Luxembourg to teach at Lisbon's Centre of Gregorian Studies in 1961. Appointed titular organist of the Lisbon Cathedral’s historic Flentrop organ in 1695, he catalyzed a national movement of instrument restoration and repertoire expansion. A globally acclaimed touring and recording artist for labels like Erato, his immense contributions to Portuguese culture earned him the prestigious Order of St. James of the Sword in 1999.

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