Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens
Synopsis
Belgian organist and organ composer
- 3 January 1823 born in Zoerle-Paarwijs, Antwerp, Belgium
- 1839-1846 studied with Christian Girschner and François-Joseph Fétis at the Brussels Conservatory.
- 1842 won the first prize for piano at the Brussels Conservatory.
- 1846 won the first prizes for organ and for composition at the Brussels Conservatory. He commenced his career as an organist at Diest.
- 1846 travelled to Breslau on a government grant to complete his studies with Adolf Hesse, who could trace his teachers back through Kittel to Bach. Lemmens was considered by some to have inherited the tradition of Bach and passed it on to his students. He certainly did introduce and promote the music of Bach in Belgium and France.
- 1847 won second prize in the Prix de Rome composition competition for his cantata, Le Roi Lear (King Lear).
- 1848 began publishing his organ compositions.
- 1849 appointed organ professor at the Brussels Conservatory, at only 26 years old. There he taught Widor and Guilmant, who in turn influenced Loret and Dupre. Lemmens was one of the best organists of his time, and was highly regarded as a teacher.
- 1852 gave organ recitals in Saint Vincent de Paul, La Madeleine and Saint Eustache churches in Paris, where he stunned audiences with his technique. This recital was witnessed by and influence the French organists Boëly, Benoist, Franck, Alkan, Lefébure-Wély and Fessy.
- 1857 married the English soprano, Helen Sherrington. He began traveling frequently to London.
- 1869 moved to London.
- 1878 returned to Belgium and founded the Ecole de Musique Religieuse at Mechelen.
- 1879 the Ecole de Musique Religieuse changed its name to the Lemmens Institute, which still exists today.
- 30 January 1881 died in Zemst, near Mechelen, Belgium
For details, see the Jacques-Nicolas Lemmens article on Wikipedia.
Also refer to the article at Oxford Music Online: http://www.oxfordmusiconline.com.erl.lib.byu.edu/subscriber/article/grove/music/16384?q=jacques-nicolas+lemmens&search=quick&pos=1&_start=1#firsthit
List of Organ Works
| Opus | Title | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Op. ?? | 10 Improvisations | 1848 |
| Op. ?? | École d'Orgue, basée sur le plain-chant romain (Orgelschule) | 1862 |
| Op. ?? | Four Organ Pieces in the Free Style | 1866 |
| Op. ?? | Sonata No. 1 in D Minor, "Pontificale" | 1876 |
| Op. ?? | Sonata No. 2 in E Minor, "O Filii" | 1876 |
| Op. ?? | Sonata No. 3 in A Minor, "Pascale" | 1876 |
| Op. ?? | Musique d'Orgue (Douze Pieces d'Orgue) | 1883 |
| Op. ?? | 19 pieces pour orgue | 1883-1887 |
| Op. ?? | Leichte Orgelstücke | 1883-1887 |
Background and General Perspectives on Performing Lemmens Organ Works
According to Oxford Music Online, "Lemmens wrote for the taste of his time. His organ music was sometimes meditative (among his early organ pieces are several entitled Prière) and sometimes more demonstrative (his Fanfare), and his fugues derived from the revival of interest in the music of Bach (an example followed by his pupil Guilmant). His tendency to base many of his works on Catholic plainsong ...may have influenced Widor."
Registration and Organs
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See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page[1]
Fingering and Pedaling
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Articulation and Phrasing
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Ornamentation
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Tempo and Meter
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Scores and Editions
"Fanfare" from "Ecole d'Orgue" on imslp: http://petrucci.mus.auth.gr/imglnks/usimg/5/52/IMSLP241067-SIBLEY1802.22401.d73e-39087012432136Fanfare.pdf
Organ Sonata no. 1, "Pontificale," on imslp: http://imslp.org/wiki/3_Organ_Sonatas_(Lemmens,_Jacques-Nicolas)
"Finale" in D major from "Ecole d'Orgue" on imslp: http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/d/df/IMSLP130934-WIMA.df04-Lemmens_29_Final.pdf
"Musique d'Orgue (Douze Pieces d'Orgue)" (44 pieces) on imslp: http://imslp.org/wiki/Organ_Music_(Lemmens,_Jacques-Nicolas)
Recordings
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Free Online
Scherzo Symphonique, "Fanfare," from "Ecole d'Orgue," played by Diane Bish on the organ at the Bern Cathedral, Bern, Switzerland: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ubHhEkmiZX8
March Pontificale, from Sontata no. 1 in D minor, "Pontificale," played by Diane Bish: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-rt46EcIvfs
Finale D-dur in Trier, from "Ecole d'Orgue," played by Josef Still: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yix_ijmItH4
Offertiore from "Musique d'Orgue (Douze Pieces d'Orgue)": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUl3_m0xk1Q&list=PLROTauPEt84tXg72hedxXr1l7o92zgoFI
Pay to Listen
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Other Resources
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Notes
- ↑ This footnote was entered in the "Registration and Organs" section
This space is for automatic insertion of footnotes. To enter a footnote from anywhere in the article, start by typing the tag <ref> and then enter the text, and type the tag </ref> to end the footnote. The footnote will then appear in this "Notes" section automatically.
