Titular organist

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A titular organist is an honorary title given to an organist by a nationally important church or a city with an outstanding organ because of his great virtuosity . The award is given almost exclusively in Europe and has become known through renowned organist positions at Notre-Dame Cathedral and the large parish churches of Paris.

description

The area of ​​responsibility of a titular organist is not standardized and can be defined differently in each individual case. While in Germany the employment of the churches determines the tasks and the related office of the church musicians (organist and choir director), the organists in most other European countries (apart from Scandinavia) are employed and paid by the municipalities. The title can be awarded honoris causa to a renowned concert organist without obligations and without financial compensation, but depending on the reputation of the position, it can also be reflected in a corresponding payment. In contrast to the full-time organists of church parishes, who are responsible for the regular musical organization of church services , the function of titular organist focuses more on concert activities.

The facility is particularly common in France , where cathedrals with famous organs can have several titular organists. There have been three titular organists at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral since 1985. Yves Castagnet , organist at the choir organ there, is one of the few organists who earn a living from liturgical organ playing. The well-known titular organists earn their income through concerts, CD recordings, compositions and teaching at music schools. They play the Sunday liturgy on a (lower) fee basis or entrust the tasks to amateur organists. In general, the more important the organ and church, the more prestigious the position and the higher the merit. The appointment as titulaire on a well-known organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll is considered a great honor. Unlike in Germany, the combination of choir management and organ service is not common in larger churches, but there are specially employed musicians for both tasks. A position is advertised publicly and awarded through competitions. Contracts are made with the city or municipality, as most of the instruments are publicly owned. In the committee that makes the decision, however, the pastors concerned often have a strong influence. In large churches, both the main organ ( Grand Orgue ) and the choir organ ( Orgue de Chœur ) each have their own titular organists and, if necessary, co-titular organists, and the powers are strictly separated. While employment in Germany can be temporary, in France it is usually for life.

However, the title can also be associated with a full-time organist position in a parish. Contracts regulate rights and obligations that do not differ from a normal position as an organist. He has free access to the instrument for which he is responsible and can use it for concerts and for organ lessons. He is obliged to accompany the organ in church services and at casuals .

history

The award goes back to the Baroque period, when princes or states, occasionally also large churches, employed famous organists. Thus Vincent Lübeck appointed in 1690 by the Swedish Government titular organist of the church budget in Stade. The secularized monastery church of St. Marien served the Swedish government as the government church since 1650. This appointment did not release Lübeck from his duties as organist at St. Cosmae .

In France, some churches appointed titular organists from the late 17th century. Jean-François Dandrieu became titular organist of St-Merry in Paris in 1705 . From 1706 to 1709 Jean-Philippe Rameau worked as titular organist at several Paris churches. Pierre du Mage held the title at Laon Cathedral from 1710 to 1719 .

The honorary designation became more widespread from the second half of the 19th century when, as a result of secularization in France, church life declined sharply and new paths were sought through the virtuosity of concert organists. The number of appointments increased sharply in France, especially in the Paris cathedrals, which were equipped with an organ by Aristide Cavaillé-Coll . Concert virtuosos, who stood out through their talent for improvisation and composition, achieved great popularity here.

While the church musician profession established itself in Germany from around 1950 , the framework conditions have been changing for many years. Permanent employment relationships with a corresponding budget for church music are downgraded or only given as a percentage. Parish churches are sometimes changing into cultural churches. As in France, fee contracts are increasingly being concluded with organ virtuosos who are not members of the community.

distribution

The award is given in many European countries, for example in France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the Benelux countries and Poland, and in some cases outside of Europe.

Among the internationally famous Parisian organist belong to La Trinité Alexandre Guilmant (1871-1901) and Olivier Messiaen (1931-1992), at the organ of Notre-Dame Louis Vierne (1900-1937), Pierre Cochereau (1954-1984) and since 1985 Olivier Latry and Philippe Lefebvre , to St-Sulpice Charles-Marie Widor (1870–1934), Marcel Dupré (1934–1971) and Daniel Roth (since 1985, 1973–1985 at Sacré-Cœur ), to Ste-Clotilde César Franck (1859–1890), Jean Langlais (1945–1987) and Jacques Taddei (1987–2012), to La Madeleine Camille Saint-Saëns (1858–1877), Théodore Dubois (1877–1896) and Gabriel Fauré (1896–1905) , to St-Nicolas-des-Champs Michel Chapuis (1954–1972) and Jean Boyer (1972–1995) and to the Cathedral of Saint-Denis Pierre Pincemaille (1987–2018).

There are now a number of titular organists in Germany, a few since the 1990s and increasingly since the 21st century. From 1997 to 2002 Martin Stephan was titular organist at the Georgenkirche in Eisenach and Werner Jacob worked at St. Sebald in Nuremberg . Franz Raml has been titular organist on the organs of St. Verena in Rot an der Rot since 2000, Thierry Mechler has been with the Cologne Philharmonic since 2002 , Wolfgang Seifen since 2004 at the Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church in Berlin, Arvid has been a guest on the organs since 2005 Jakobikirche in Lübeck , Matthias Eisenberg at St. Jakob in Mitterteich since 2009 and Roland Maria Stangier at the Kreuzeskirche in Essen since 2010 . The titular organist of the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg has been Latvian Iveta Apkalna since 2017 .

The Italian organist Lorenzo Ghielmi holds the title at the Basilica di San Simpliciano in Milan and Ernst Wally at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna . After Gustav Leonhardt , Jacques van Oortmerssen became titular organist at the Waalse Kerk in Amsterdam in 1982 . Ben van Oosten is titular organist at the Grote Kerk in The Hague . The situation at the world-famous Müller organ in St. Bavo's Church in Haarlem is complex . In addition to the church organist, there is a city organist as well as a titular and co-titular organist. The Polish organist Marek Stefański has held the title at St. Mary's Church in Krakow since 2007 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Organists at the Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral ( memento from March 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (French), accessed on May 18, 2019.
  2. ^ Jesse Eschbach, Lawrence Archbold: Aristide Cavaillé-Coll: Master of Masters. In: Kerala J. Snyder (Ed.): The Organ as a Mirror of Its Time. North European Reflections, 1610-2000. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2002, ISBN 0-19-514415-5 , pp. 230-241.
  3. ↑ For example, for five years at the Nikolaikirche in Berlin , see biography Carsten Albrecht , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  4. ↑ See Maurice Duruflé 's biography on requiemsurvey.org , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  5. ↑ See, for example, the official document La nomination d'un organiste titulaire (French) for the diocese in Cambrai in northern France , accessed on May 18, 2019 (PDF file; 905 kB).
  6. ↑ aeolus-music.com: Biography of Vincent Lübeck , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  7. ^ Badische Zeitung of January 10, 2011 , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  8. ↑ Armando Salarza at the Las Piñas bamboo organ , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  9. ↑ orgel-information.de: The organs of the parish church of St. Jakob in Mitterteich , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  10. ↑ forum-kreuzeskirche.de: organist Roland Maria Stangier , accessed on May 18 of 2019.
  11. ↑ Göttinger Tageblatt of December 30, 2016: Listen to this city , accessed on May 18, 2019.
  12. ↑ Konzerthaus Dortmund: Organ Recital Ben van Oosten , accessed on May 18 of 2019.
  13. ^ Organists at Sint Bavo, Haarlem , accessed on May 18, 2019.