François-Henri Houbart

The Madeleine in Paris

François-Henri Houbart (born December 26, 1952 in Orléans ) is a French organist . He works as titular organist at the Madeleine in Paris .

literature

François-Henri Houbart received piano lessons at the age of seven and organ lessons at the age of eleven on a grant from the Dominicans of Sorèze . In Paris he became a student of Pierre Lantier (harmony and counterpoint) and Suzanne Chaisemartin , Michel Chapuis and Pierre Cochereau (organ and improvisation). In 1971 he completed the master class with Jean Guillou at the Vevey International Organ Academy. In 1978 he received the second prize in the Concours international d'improvisation de Lyon .

After taking up the position of organist at the Saint-Paterne church in Orleans, the town of his birth, which he had held since 1968, he began his career as an organist in Paris in 1974. He became an assistant at the Grand Orgue of the Saint-Séverin church . In 1975 he was appointed principal organist of the organ of the Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs church with Jean Boyer , and, the following year, titular organist of the Grand Orgue of the Sainte-Élisabeth church . In 1977 he made his first record with Xavier Darasse (Transcriptions de Liszt à l'orgue Cavaillé-Coll de Grenade-sur-Garonne from the series "Orgues Historiques" at Harmonia Mundi).

In 1979 he was appointed titular organist at the Madeleine , succeeding, among others, Camille Saint-Saëns , Théodore Dubois and Gabriel Fauré .

From 1980 to 2000, François-Henri Houbart worked as a music teacher at the École Nationale de Musique d'Orléans. He then became a professor at the Conservatoire National de Région de Rueil-Malmaison , alongside Marie-Claire Alain and Susan Landale.

As an organist, he has played over 1200 concerts across Europe, the United States, Canada and Japan. He is recognized as one of the greatest improvisers on the organ. His musical preferences include composers of the Nordic school as well as 19th century organ music. He has now published more than 70 recordings.

He works as a soloist with Radio-France.

He is a jury member of the Concours international d'orgue de Chartres.

His publications include a treatise on the organs of Orleans Cathedral.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ A ce titre il a tenu les orgues aux obsèques de nombreuses personnalités du monde du spectacle dont Tino Rossi , Gilbert Bécaud , Charles Trenet , Dalida , Marlene Dietrich , Henri Salvador etc. (voir le quotidien orléanais La République du Center , February 18 2008, p. 4)

predecessor	Office	successor
Odile Pierre	Titular organist of the La Madeleine organ since 1979	-