César Franck

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César Franck

César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert Franck (born December 10, 1822 in Liège , † November 8, 1890 in Paris ) was a French composer and organist of German - Belgian descent. Today he is considered one of the most important French composers, teachers and organists of the second half of the 19th century.

Life

César Franck's mother came from Aachen , his father from the Belgian border village of Gemmenich , located at the border triangle . After their marriage in Aachen, his parents moved to Liège, 40 kilometers away, where César Franck was born shortly afterwards. After the first musical education in Belgium and first appearances with his brother Joseph Franck , the family moved to Paris. There he first took lessons with Anton Reicha and Pierre Zimmermann and was admitted to the Paris Conservatory in 1837 , which he attended until 1842.

From 1846 Franck worked as an organist at various Paris churches. In 1858 he became titular organist of the Ste-Clotilde Church in Paris, a position he held until his death. In 1871 he was co-founder of the Société Nationale de Musique , later its president. In 1872 he was appointed professor of organ at the Paris Conservatory. His students there included Vincent d'Indy , Ernest Chausson , Louis Vierne , Charles Tournemire , Henri Duparc and Guillaume Lekeu .

Franck's Symphony in D minor was premiered in 1889. A year later he suffered a serious accident in which he was hit from the side by a horse-drawn bus . He didn't recover. A few months later he died of pleurisy in his apartment at 95 Boulevard Saint-Michel , where he had lived for the last 25 years of his life. César Franck is buried in the Montparnasse cemetery .

In 1885 he became a Knight of the Legion of Honor .

plant

César Franck at the Ste-Clotilde organ

During his studies at the Paris Conservatory, César Franck managed to impress the professors with his piano playing, but he was initially denied success as a composer. It was only at the age of about 30 that he turned to the organ and when he took up his position at the church of Ste-Clotilde , he began to write independent music for the organ. He founded a new French school, which was characterized by its polyphonic style. As an organist, César Franck also had the “simple organists” in mind, who had to organize the service Sunday after Sunday. He composed shorter pieces for her, most of which are available in the two L'Organiste collections . These compositions often have worship-related titles such as Prière, Offertoire or Communion .

Franck wrote his most famous works, such as the symphony in D minor, the symphonic variations for piano and orchestra, and the violin sonata, only in the last decade of his life. These compositions only became popular after his death.

Catalog of works (selection)

Franck's grave, Paris
Monument to Franck, Paris
  • Stage works
    • Stradella (Opera in 3 acts, CFF 229), around 1841
    • Le Valet de ferme (Opera in 3 acts, CFF 230), 1851–53
    • Hulda (opera in 4 acts and 1 epilogue, CFF 231), 1879–85
    • Ghiselle (Opera in 4 acts, CFF 232), 1888–90
  • Oratorios
    • Ruth FWV No. 51, 1843–46
    • Les Béatitudes (The Beatitudes), FWV 53, 1879
    • Rebecca FWV 54, 1881
    • Les sept dernières paroles du Christ en croix (The seven last words of Christ on the cross), 1859
  • Spiritual works
    • Messe solennelle , (Solemn Mass), FWV 59, 1858
    • Mass à trois voix (Mass for three voices) op 12, FWV 61, 1860, (organ and orchestral version; with the well-known aria Panis angelicus )
    • Quare Fremduerunt gentes (Why rage the heathen), Motette, FWV 67, 1871
      • 1st version: soprano, tenor and bass with organ and double bass
      • 2nd version: bass, choir (SATB), strings (2 violins, viola, violoncello, double bass) and organ
    • Psalm 150
  • Orchestral works
    • Variations symphoniques pour piano et orchester (Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra), FWV 46, 1885
    • Symphonie en ré mineur (Symphony in D minor) , FWV 48, 1886–1888
    • Symphonic poems :
      • Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne (What you hear on the mountain), around 1847 (first documented performance in 1987)
      • Rédemption (Redemption), FWV 51, 1871
      • Les Éolides (The Aeolids), 1877 (based on a poem by Leconte de Lisle - first performed 13 May 1877 in the Salle Erard in Paris)
      • Le chasseur maudit (The Cursed Hunter), FWV 44, 1882
      • Les Djinns (Die Dschinns), 1884 (for piano and orchestra - based on a poem by Victor Hugo )
      • Psyché (Psyche) for solos, choir and orchestra, 1888
  • Chamber music
    • Grand trio for violin, violoncello and piano op.6 (1834)
    • 3 trios concertants for violin, violoncello and piano in F sharp minor, B flat major, B minor op. 1 (1839–42)
    • Quatrième trio concertant for violin, violoncello and piano in B minor op. 2 (1842) [orig. the finale of op. 1 no. 3]
    • Duo for violin and piano op.14 (1844)
    • Piano quintet in F minor (1879)
    • Sonata for violin and piano in A major op.120 (1886)
    • String Quartet in D major (1889)
  • Organ works
    • Six pièces pour grand orgue (Six Organ Pieces), 1860–1863:
      • Fantaisie in C major op.16 FWV 28, 1860
      • Grande pièce symphonique in F sharp minor (large symphonic piece), op. 17 FWV 29, 1860–1862
      • Prelude, fugue, variation in B minor op.18 FWV 30, 1862
      • Prière (prayer) in C sharp minor op.20 FWV 32, 1860
      • Final in B flat major op. 21 FWV 33, 1862
      • Pastoral in E major op.19 FWV 31, 1863
    • Trois pièces pour grand orgue (Three Organ Pieces), 1878:
      • Fantaisie in A major
      • Cantabile B major
      • Pièce héroïque (Heroic Piece) in B minor
    • Trois chorals pour grand orgue (Three chorales for organ) (1890) (E major, B minor, A minor)
    • Offertoire (Offertory) in G minor (op.post.)
  • Works for harmonium or organ
    • L'Organiste
    • L'Organiste 2 (44 Petites Pieces pour orgue ou harmonium)
    • 5 pieces for harmonium
    • Posthumous pieces for Harmonium or Organ (FWV 24), 1858-63
  • Piano works
    • Eglogue (shepherd's song) op.3
    • Premier Grand Caprice (First Great Capriccio) op.5
    • Souvenirs d'Aix-la-Chapelle (Memories of Aachen) op.7
    • Prelude, choral et fugue
    • Prelude, aria et final
  • Songs
    • Souvenance FWV 70
    • Ninon FWV 71
    • L'émir de Bengador FWV 72
    • Le sylphe FWV 73
    • Robin Gray FWV 74
    • L'ange et l'enfant (Angel and Child) FWV 75
    • Aimer (love) FWV 76
    • Les trois exilés (The Three Expelled) FWV 77
    • S'il est un charming gazon (If it's a lovely lawn) FWV 78
    • Paris FWV 79
    • Le mariage des roses (The Marriage of Roses) FWV 80
    • Roses et papillons (roses and butterflies) FWV 81
    • Passez, passez toujours FWV 82
    • Chant (song) FWV 83
    • Le vase brisé (The Broken Vase) FWV 84
    • Nocturne FWV 85
    • Pour les victimes (For the victims) FWV 86
    • Les cloches du soir (The Evening Bells) FWV 87
    • La procession (pageant) FWV 88
    • Premier sourire de mai (First Smile of May) FWV 90

Honors

The following were named after César Franck:

Recordings (selection)

  • César Franck: Complete Organ Works Vol. 1 - From Prodigy to Composer. 2004, Audite aud 91.518 , 2 SACD ( Hans-Eberhard Roß ).
  • César Franck: Complete Organ Works Vol. 2 - Unrecognized Greatness. 2004, Audite aud 91.519 , 2 SACD (Hans-Eberhard Roß).
  • César Franck: Complete Organ Works Vol. 3 - Fulfillment and Farewell. 2004, Audite aud 91.520 , 2 SACD (Hans-Eberhard Roß).

literature

  • Klauspeter Bungert: César Franck - the music and the thinking The complete work, re-viewed for listeners, scientists and performing musicians. With a general discussion of the interlocking of form and sounding sentence. Lang, Frankfurt am Main 1996, ISBN 3-631-30354-8 .
  • Klauspeter Bungert: César Franck - An analytical and interpretative approach to his work. Canticus, Hamburg 2019, ISBN 978-3-948435-00-4 .
  • Joël-Marie Fauquet: César Franck. Fayard, Paris 1999, ISBN 2-213-60167-4 .
  • Peter Jost (Ed.): César Franck - work and reception. Steiner, Stuttgart 2004, ISBN 3-515-08265-4 .
  • Eric Lebrun: "César Franck". collection horizons, Paris 2012, ISBN 978-2-35884-021-7 .
  • Christiane Strucken-Paland: Cyclical principles in the instrumental works of César Franck. Bosse, Kassel 2009, ISBN 978-3-7649-2707-3 .
  • Christiane Strucken-Paland, Ralph Paland (ed.): César Franck in context - epoch, work and effect. Dohr, Cologne 2009, ISBN 978-3-936655-70-4 .

Web links

Commons : César Franck  - collection of images, videos and audio files

notes

  1. ^ Evidence in the " Base Léonore " of the French Ministry of Culture, accessed on November 17, 2012
  2. ↑ Recording: Maya Traikova, piano; Vratza Philharmonic Orchestra Sofia, conductor Valeri Vatchev. Arcobaleno, Brussels 2006 EAN 5021364943920
  3. ↑ Mark Seto: César Franck - César Franck. Symphony en ré mineur; Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne . Nineteenth-Century Music Review, 12 (1), 2015, 184-186
  4. ↑ German translation The Aeolids
predecessor Office successor
- Titular organist of the Sainte-Clotilde Church
1859–1890 		Gabriel Pierné
personal data
SURNAME Franck, César
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Franck, César Auguste Jean Guillaume Hubert (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION French composer and organist of German-Belgian descent
DATE OF BIRTH December 10, 1822
PLACE OF BIRTH Liege
DATE OF DEATH November 8, 1890
Place of death Paris