Widor, Charles-Marie : Symphonie n° 1, Opus 16

Felix-Alexandre Guilmant-Amédée (Boulogne-sur-Mer March 12 1837 - Meudon March 29 1911) was a French composer and organist. Like many other composers he was very talented on a young age he was 12 years when he was playing organ smoothly. He studied with Lemmens with Charles-Marie Widor and Gigout. Between 1871 and 1901 he the leading man in the Paris organ scenery along with his fellow students later on he teached at the Paris Conservatoire National Superieur de Musique inter alia Joseph Bonnet and Marcel Dupre. Known are his organ sonatas which are equivalent to the famous organ symphonies of Widor. His work was very popular. Also knownunder the title Morceau Symphonique Opus 88.

Charles-Marie Widor 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. This is his work Troisieme Sonate from Opus 56 for Organ Solo.