Félix Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) was one of the
first of a line of French organists who became
associated with a trend in that country toward large,
versatile symphonic pipe organs.
Alexandre was the son of Jean-Baptiste Guilmant (1794 -
1890), organist of St. Nicolas Church in Boulogne. The
father gave his son his primary instruction in music
and organ playing. The boy was so adept that he was
able to substitute for his father when he was as young
as 12 or 13. By the age of 20, A...(+)
Félix Alexandre Guilmant (1837-1911) was one of the
first of a line of French organists who became
associated with a trend in that country toward large,
versatile symphonic pipe organs.
Alexandre was the son of Jean-Baptiste Guilmant (1794 -
1890), organist of St. Nicolas Church in Boulogne. The
father gave his son his primary instruction in music
and organ playing. The boy was so adept that he was
able to substitute for his father when he was as young
as 12 or 13. By the age of 20, Alexandre was the church
choir director and was teaching in the local
conservatory, despite his near lack of any formal
musical training.
He went to Brussels to polish his technique with the
great organ teacher Nicolas Lemmens and after that, he
went to Paris. He was chosen to play at the inaugural
of the new organ at Saint-Sulpice in Paris in 1862 and
wowed the audience. He began touring, creating an
international vogue for organ recitals, which took him
as far as Russia and the United States. He also
frequently played at the organs of Notre Dame and
Saint-Sulpice.
In an almost symbiotic relationship, Guilmant's initial
appearances popularizing the organ recital coincided
with the period of creation of the greatest
Cavaillé-Coll organs, instruments of remarkable range
and power and very high quality which became the
benchmark of the rich-voiced Romantic organ.
In 1871, Guilmant took the position of organist at the
Trinité Church in Paris, remaining in the post for 30
years. He co-founded the Schola Cantorum in Paris with
Charles Bordes and Vincent d'Indy in 1894, and taught
on its faculty. Two years later, he moved his teaching
to the Conservatoire, taking the position on the organ
faculty vacated by Charles-Marie Widor.
Widor had founded the French form called symphony for
organ, large-scale, academically sonata form works of
great power, often containing a toccata-like
conclusion. Guilmant continued the development of such
works, although he called his eight works in the form
sonatas. They range from three to six sections and are
marked by their use of contrasts of timbres in
emulation of an orchestra. He is also known for his
Symphony for Organ and Orchestra, Op. 42. The rest of
his major works are works with voices, including three
masses, other liturgical settings, and a cantata
Ariane. He published about 40 volumes of organ pieces,
including three major series of 10 to 18 volumes each,
titled Pieces for Organ in Different Styles (1860 -
1875), The Practical Organist (1871 - 1880), and The
Liturgical Organist (after 1884). He also edited a
10-volume set of archives of the masters of the organ
from the sixteenth, seventeenth, and eighteenth
centuries.
Although originally written for Organ, I created this
arrangement for Woodwind Quartet (Flute, Oboe, Bb
Clarinet & English Horn).
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