François Giroust

François Giroust (born April 10, 1737 in Paris , † April 28, 1799 in Versailles ) was a French composer .

Life

François Giroust received his training as a choirboy at the Notre Dame de Paris cathedral . His teachers were Louis Homet (1691–1767) until 1748, then Antoine Goulet (1714–1782). Giroust's first compositions were performed when he was 14 years old. In 1756 Giroust became Kapellmeister at the Orléans Cathedral . In 1771 he married the soprano Marie Françoise Avantois de Beaumont, with whom he had nine children. In 1775 he had a successful appearance in the Concerts spirituels , which made him well known. From 1782 to 1792 he was surintendent de musique of the royal chapel under Louis XVI , also the last to hold this post due to the revolution.

The “Grands Motets” by Giroust are the last compositions of this genre that was once so popular in France. Despite his employment at court, he composed some revolutionary music, such as the hymn of the "Versaillais". His Masonic music , which he wrote for his Le Patriotsme Lodge , has been lost. His works were generally performed at charity events or in the theater des Hôtel des Cheveau-Légers in Versailles. The style of his works is comparable to that of Gossec or Grétry . Giroust died in 1799 in the Palace of Versailles, where he was employed as a caretaker after the revolution. On February 13, 1796, he became a member of the Institut de France with his fellow musicians Gossec, Grétry and Étienne-Nicolas Méhul .

Works (selection)

• Télèphe (Opera)
• 14 oratorios
• 90 Grands Motets
• 11 Magnificat
• The chant for the Fondation de la République
• L'Apothéose de Marat et Le Pelletier

Web links

• Sheet music and audio files by François Giroust in the International Music Score Library Project

literature

• Jack D. Eby: François Giroust (1737-1799): Composer for Church, King and Commune: Life and Thematic Catalog . ISBN 978-3487155296

source

• Giroust, François: Biography in Grove Music Online