Léon Boëllmann [1862-1897] - French Romantic

[Scion7]

I've recently 'discovered' this composer (dodges rocks and bears the hisses from the informed) and noticed no section on him here to date.

Strongly in the Franck/Brahms school of composers, he also admired Saint-Saens. In his short period of composing (his life cut short by some pulmonary illness - possibly TB - at 35), he left appx. 160 pieces consisting of orchestral, chamber, solo piano, sacred and secular vocal music, and works for organ, several of which are well-known.

-born in Alsace in a family of 14 children
-left after the German Empire annexed the territory following the Franco-Prussian war
-c. 1871, studied with Eugène Gigout in Paris, who virtually adopted Boelmann as a son
-1881 became organist at St Vincent-de-Paul church in Paris
-1885 married Louise Lefèvre, Gigout's niece
-taught at the Gigout school
-plagued by illness during the last ten years of his life

The New Grove:  In his short professional life, Boëllmann became known as a dedicated teacher, trenchant critic, gifted composer and successful performer – a talented improviser as well as a sensitive executant who coaxed pleasing sounds out of recalcitrant instruments.

While a significant portion of his music has been issued on record, the piano pieces are mostly (sadly) missing to date.  The massive organ work Suite gothique has been issued many times and is probably his best known piece.

Orchestral
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Fantaisie sur des airs hongrois, vn solo, orch, op.7 (c1890);
Variations symphoniques, vc solo, orch, op.23 (?1893), arr. vc, pf;
Sym., op.24 (?1894), arr. pf 4 hands;
Fantaisie dialoguée, org solo, orch, op.35 (?1897), arr. org solo,
E. Gigout;
4 pièces brèves, str orch;
Scènes du moyen âge

Chamber
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Suite, vc, pf, op.6 (c1890);
Pf qt, op.10 (c1890);
Pf trio, op.19 (c1895);
Prière à Notre Dame [movt of Suite gothique, op.25], arr. vn/vc, pf;
2 morceaux, vc, pf, op.31 (?1896);
Cello sonata, op.40 (?1897)

Organ
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12 pièces, org/pedal pf, op.16 (c1890);
Suite gothique, op.25 (1895);
Deuxième suite, op.27 (1896);
Heures mystiques, org/hmn [2 staves], opp.29, 30 (1896);
Offertoire sur des noëls (1898);
Fantaisie (1906);
Carillon;
Choral;
others

Piano
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Etude (1885);
Intermezzo (1885);
3 pièces (?c1885);
Prélude et fugue (?c1885);
Valse, op.8 (c1890);
Deuxième valse, op.14 (c1890);
Valse: Carillon, op.20 (c1893);
10 Improvisations, op.28 (?1895);
Nocturne, op.36 (1896);
Ronde française, op.37 (1896);
Sur la mer, op.38 (1897);
Scherzo caprice;
Valse alsacienne;
Berceuse, pf 4 hands;
pf transcrs. of works by Fauré, Saint-Saëns

Vocal pieces
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Sacred pieces - 6 motets (?1887), nos.1–3, 1v, org, nos.4, 5, 2vv, org, no.6, 2vv, vn, org, hp/pf;
Tantum ergo, motet, S/T, 4vv ad lib, org/hmn, vn ad lib, hp ad lib (c1900);
Laudate Dominum, S, A, T, B, org (1900);
Veni Creator, T, Bar, 4vv, vn, vc, hp, org, db ad lib (c1900)
Songs - Berceuse; Chanson mauresque; Conte d'amour (A. de Villiers de l'Isle-Adam), op.26 (?1896);
L'étoile (P. Gille);
Hymne;
Je ne fay rien que requérir (C. Marot) (?1895);
Le calme (A. Dorchain), op.39 (?1897)
many others

-

On the occasion of the centenary of the death of the composer Léon Boilmann, several cultural events were organized in France in the course of 1997: Festival Boilmann in Paris; exhibition Léon Boilmann at the Bibliothèque Nationale, Music Department, 2 rue Louvois, from 2 May to 31 October.
etc.

[Scion7]

Some releases:

[Scion7]

and these:

[Symphonic Addict]

I remember that Marco Polo CD being very good, albeit perhaps this MDG CD features better playing and recording (?):