Claude Balbastre was a keyboardist disciple of Rameau who found high levels of success in the 18th-century, notably as organist of Notre-Dame de Paris. His major work is a collection of noëls, cheerful organ tunes for the Advent time usually composed as a set of variations after a profane traditional melody. In this collection, Marie-Claire Alain highlights the most popular works of Balbastre on a varied instruments from the cathedrals of Uzès and Albi, the reformed French church of Bern, and the Quinze-Vingts in Paris.
