orgue tenu
French composer
Definition
Sustained organ tone. Franck spent his career as an organist and his piano writing frequently imitates the sustained, layered sonority of the instrument — long pedal tones, overlapping harmonies, and registration-like dynamic shifts.
Interpretive Guidance
Orgue tenu means holding notes longer than strictly notated, allowing harmonies to blend as they would on an organ. Use the sustain pedal generously by Romantic standards, but change it with each new harmonic area. The bass notes should feel anchored and immovable, the upper voices floating above like pipes of different registers.