César-Auguste-Jean-Guillaume-Hubert Franck (1822 –
1890) was a composer, pianist, organist, and music
teacher who worked in Paris during his adult life. He
was born at Liège, in what is now Belgium (though at
the time of his birth it was part of the United Kingdom
of the Netherlands). He gave his first concerts there
in 1834 and studied privately in Paris from 1835, where
his teachers included Anton Reicha. After a brief
return to Belgium, and a disastrous reception to an
early oratorio Ruth, he moved to Paris, where he
married and embarked on a career as teacher and
organist. He gained a reputation as a formidable
improviser, and travelled widely in France to
demonstrate new instruments built by Aristide
Cavaillé-Coll.
When César Franck’s son, Georges Franck, offered to
Enoch the unknown collection of his father’s
manuscripts, he described, that these pieces were
composed „by the request of Franck’s friend, a village
organist, who asked Franck to compose some nice, but
simple pieces suitable for the village church
service”.
Indeed, Auguste Sanches was an organ amateur in Azille,
where Franck with his family spent the vacations.
Franck composed his „simple pieces” mostly during
August and September 1859, but also there are some
older (1858) and later (up to 1866) additions, not
necessary understood in the close connection with the
pieces of 08-09 1859. Some of other pieces are
extremely difficult and weren’t probably composed for
the amateur organist.
This collection is extremally important for Franck’s
legacy and art-work-understanding. This is main link
between the early organ pieces (such as [Pieces] in E
flat major or in A major, or Andantino in g minor, and
"Six Pieces” published in 1868.
Only part of the pieces has signed the dates of
composition, what is helpful in the way, that we know
about quite long period of composition (9 years), and
about the fact, that the Collection hasn’t
chronological order. Moreover, the collection hasn’t
quite no order at all, so, it is not a "collection” or
a "cycle”, but just unordered set of more or less
separate pieces.
Source: Ars Polonica
(http://arspolonica.ocross.net/muzyka/cesar-franck-1822
-1890/cesar-franck-1822-1890-the-pieces-posthumes-or-44
-petites-pieces-or-lorganiste-ii/ ).
Although originally created for Pipe Organ, I created
this Interpretation of the Allegro Moderato from 30
Pièces pour Orgue (FWV 24 Vol 2 No 29) for String
Quartet (2 Violins, Viola & Cello). |
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