plein jeu
French composer
Definition
Full organ — all stops drawn including principals, mixtures, and reeds. The maximum sonority of the instrument, used for climactic moments and fugue subjects in Franck.
Interpretive Guidance
Plein jeu in Franck is not noise but architecture. The fugue subjects in the Op. 18 and the Choral No. 3 require full organ because the counterpoint must be heard clearly at maximum volume. Articulate fugue subjects with a slight detachment between notes so each entry is intelligible — legato in plein jeu blurs the polyphony into an undifferentiated mass.