César Franck

From Organ Playing Wiki
Jump to navigationJump to search

Synopsis

Born in Liège, Belgium, December 10, 1822; died in Paris, November 8, 1890.

The Belgian-born French composer and organist César Franck received an excellent music education. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liège with Daussoigne, then moved to Paris in 1835 and studied with Anton Reicha. In 1837 Franck entered the Paris Conservatory studying piano with Zimmerman and organ with Benoist. After his schooling, Franck chose to settle in Paris. He was made organist of St. Jean­St. François in 1853, and in 1858 he became organist of Saint Clothilde, a post he held until his death. He succeeded his teacher, Benoist, at the Paris Conservatory in 1872, teaching such illustrious students as Vincent d'Indy, Duparc, Chapuis, and Louis Vierne.

At this time France's musical front was torn between intense nationalism and a love for the romanticism of the Germans. Franck sought to bridge that gap, unlocking a new era in French organ music. He based his counterpoint on that of Bach, always striving for the ideal of Absolute Music. His melodies are generally small in range, but are accompanied by thick harmonies. Many of his pieces evolved from improvisations on the organ at St. Clothilde, yet they are clearly form-oriented and beautifully poetic. These characteristics pertain particularly to his Three Chorales. These works, each of which includes a chorale-like section, are mainstays in the repertoire of modern organists.

Points of Interest:

  • Franck received the "grand prix d'honneur" in his college days by transposing a fugue a third lower on sight.
  • Franck was hit by a horse-omnibus in 1890, from which he never fully recovered. He died from pleurisy later that year.

For details, see the as listed in Wikipedia article?.

List of Organ Works

Click to sort by opus number, title, or year of composition or publication
Opus Title Year
Op. ?? Title year
Op. ?? Title year
Op. ?? Title year
Op. ?? Title year
Op. ?? Title year
Op. ?? Title year
Op. ?? Title year

Background and General Perspectives on Performing These Organ Works

Replace this text with any general perspectives that do not fit under the categories listed below. (For comments on a specific piece or genre, use the list of pieces above to navigate to that page.)

Registration and Organs

Replace this text with information on registration and organs that might be applicable to the whole set of pieces

See the footnote in the "Notes" section at the bottom of the page[1]

Fingering and Pedaling

Replace this text with information on fingering and pedaling that might be applicable to the whole set of pieces

Articulation and Phrasing

Replace this text with information on articulation and phrasing that might be applicable to the whole set of pieces

Ornamentation

Replace this text with information on ornamentation that might be applicable to the whole set of pieces

Tempo and Meter

Replace this text with information on tempo and meter that might be applicable to the whole set of pieces

Scores and Editions

Replace this text with information on scores and editions that might be applicable to the whole set of pieces

Recordings

Replace this text with information on recordings

Free Online

C. Franck: Chorale no. 3 in A minor, performed by Marie-Claire Alain

C. Franck: Prelude, fugue et variation, performed by Marie-Claire Alain

Pay to Listen

Replace this text with information on online recordings that are available for a fee

Other Resources

Replace this text with information on other resources that might be pertinent to performing these pieces

Notes

  1. 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.