Léon Boëllmann

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Léon Boëllmann (born September 25, 1862 in Ensisheim ( Département Haut-Rhin ), † October 11, 1897 in Paris ) was a French organist and composer .

Léon Boëllmann

Life

Léon Boëllmann showed an extraordinary musical talent as a child and was accepted into the École Niedermeyer in Paris in 1875 . His teachers there included Eugène Gigout and Gustave Lefèvre . He received excellent grades in all subjects and finally a diploma as organist and cantor , which earned him his first job as organist of the choir organ in St. Vincent de Paul in Paris (1881).

Six years later he was appointed cantor and titular organist of the main organ of St. Vincent de Paul . This instrument was an award-winning organ by the Parisian organ builder Aristide Cavaillé-Coll from 1855. After the death of his parents, his uncle and teacher Eugène Gigout became his adoptive father, whom he helped in the following years in his newly founded school for organ, improvisation and Gregorian chant stood by the side. Boëllmann wrote under a pseudonym for Art Musical magazine . As a pianist and organist he was heard not only in France, but also in the rest of Europe.

In 1885 he married Louise Lefèvre, the niece of Eugène Gigout. The couple had three children. Leon Boëllmann was only 35 years old. He died in Paris in 1897 after a lung disease; tuberculosis probably led to his early and extremely tragic death. His wife couldn't get over it, she died a year later. Gigout took care of the three orphans and raised them.

plant

Boëllmann created 160 compositions in his short life. They include works for organ , harmonium and piano , as well as symphonic music, chamber music , songs , choral works and an opera. The organ works are composed in the late romantic style by César Franck and Camille Saint-Saëns . From 1882 to 1884 his compositions were awarded several prizes.

His best-known work is the Gothic Suite op.25 . Boëllmann deliberately designed the work as a hymn and retro perspective. The Gothic Suite was created two years before his death for the inauguration of the new organ in the Notre-Dame Cathedral (Dijon) . The toccata it contains is part of the repertoire of every organ virtuoso. It is one of the most popular and most played toccatas ever. With the appropriate registration and phrasing by the organist, very effective and varied interpretations are possible. The toccata begins a little cautiously with two rhythmic motifs, one of them in the bass. Using the full sound possibilities of the romantic organ, the sound conquers the space more and more, the toccata ends in a furious finale.

The Heures Mystiques op. 29-30 emerged from Boëllmann's little sketchbooks that accompanied him on trips to his home country, to Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands and Belgium. In 1896 Boëllmann brought out the Heures Mystiques , whereby the pieces are primarily intended for the harmonium, but also have their place on the organ. The compositions are characterized by their elegant voice guidance and poetry. They contain titles such as Entrée, Offertoire, Elevation, Communion, Sortie or Verset.

Organ works

  • Douze Pièces op.16
  • Gothic suite Op. 25 (with the famous toccata)
  • Deuxième Suite Op. 27
  • Heures Mystiques Op. 29, 30
  • 26 Versetten
  • 5 verses about the Magnificat in the 5th tone
  • Fantasy dialogée for organ and orchestra Op. 35

Web links

Commons : Léon Boëllmann  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Leon Boëllmann's biographical entry at http://www.classiccat.net/boellmann__l/biography.php , accessed on October 19, 2016
  2. ↑ Denis Havard de la Montagne, Léon Boëllmann , accessed on October 19, 2016 at http://www.musimem.com/boellmann.htm
personal data
SURNAME Boëllmann, Léon
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French organist and composer
DATE OF BIRTH September 25, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH Ensisheim , Haut-Rhin department
DATE OF DEATH October 11, 1897
Place of death Paris