About this Piece

In November 1930, Belgian organist and composer Joseph Jongen (1873-1953) premiered his Sonata Eroïca in Brussels. Six years later, it was published as his Op. 94 in Paris, dedicated to Joseph Bonnet, who was the organist of the city’s St. Eustache Church. The grand opening use of pedal points and parallel chromatic chords suggests a combination of fanfares and cadenzas, before a distinct 11-bar melody in C-sharp minor appears, almost as if it were the theme in a set of variations. As such, the theme is repeated two more times, each at a slightly faster tempo. After a thorough development section, the theme occurs in large chords with the full organ, eventually moving into an elaborate fugue.