Nicolas de Grigny’s Premier livre d’orgue (Paris 1699) represents the summit of musical achievement in organ composition during the French Baroque period. This is revealed by de Grigny’s command of large-scale structures, the prevalence of five-part fugues using the most beautiful tonal colours of the organ, his harmonic language and modulatory schemes that make full use of meantone temperament, the successful incorporation of the latest instrumental and vocal styles into the established genres,...