Wow. I adore the organ music of Alain. So to discover he also wrote piano music is awesome. The 1st is an more lively version of his Berceuse sur 2 notes qui cornent (Basicly his old home organ had 2 notes that stuck and played an organpoint) sweet piece
Truly unique, and PROFOUNDLY so indeed, not just odd as some might think, and not just for the piano. Nearly all I know of his works are those for organ, yet I've heard SOME for other instruments, hearing his intriguing, beguiling, captivating, personal trademark sonorities in each, though I'm far too incompetent musically to express their comprehension in formal, standard, recognizable music theory terminology, just aural recognition. Music publishing being driven largely by profit I suppose it would be too much to hope someone would be devoted to recording ALL of his works for ALL instruments for such a niche market (being human, he has a few seeming duds, as even Mt. Everest Johann Sebastian Bach did, no matter), especially now that his champion sister Marie-Claire is passed, but one can hope. As with other prophetic geniuses, the world continually shows it was and is not worthy of him in view of its massive squalor, not just in music, but certainly there hugely too. Sigh. I wonder what paths his children have followed, if any took up his music mantle, a challenging path in view of the world-wide adulation.
Google "jehan alain 3 etudes" (sans quotation marks), click on the third result from IMSLP.org (L'Oeuvre de piano (Alain, Jehan)) and download Tome 1 PDF. Go to page 2. Note the instruction at the bottom of the page for this etude: "The author recommends transposing up one half step." Therefore, per the composer, either in the designated key or one semi-tone above is still perfectly correct, neither is wrong, and everybody should get used to hearing it in both forms as the composer designated. :)