César Franck - Biography
Cesar August Franck the great French composer and organist was born in Liege Belgium on December 10th 1822 and died in Paris on November 8th 1890. Though Franck spent his youth in Belgium and is primarily of German heritage he is thought of as the archetypical French composer. As often the case with celebrated musicians he was musically precocious and his father felt he could have a concert career. He was initially sent to the Conservatoire at Liege but his talent was such he entered the world renowned Paris Conservatoire when he was fourteen. His family had moved to Paris three years earlier where he studied with the renowned Anton Reicha. His entrance exam scores were phenomenal and he had a distinguished career at the Conservatoire. Upon graduation at nineteen he returned to Belgium for a year but soon returned to Paris where he was to stay for the balance of his life. He was by this time a virtuoso pianist and was to start his career as the greatest organist of his time.
His first compositions were chamber works primarily four Piano Trios while competent works were not reflective of his mature style His first characteristic piece was the oratorio Ruth completed in 1846. He married in 1848 and was soon to become the organist of church of St. John – St. Francis eventually becoming Master of the Chapel. Franck along with his great Austrian contemporary Anton Bruckner he was a very devout Catholic and much of his musical career was devoted to the church. Eventually Franck was elevated to organist of the famed church St. Clotide a position he would hold to his death. Franck’s most celebrated organ works were written from his mid thirties though the last years of his life. The most celebrated are the Grande Piece Symphonique, Prelude, Fugue and Variations, Pastorale, Fantasie, Piece Heroique and 3 Chorales. In the realm of sacred music he composed a Solemn Mass (1858) a Mass for 3 voices (1860) and the celebrated motet for Tenor Organ and Harp Panis Angelicus. Two more outstanding Oratorios were Les Beatitudes (1870) and Redemption (1875). He attempted three operas Le Valet de Ferme, and the unfinished Hulda and Ghiselle that have found little success.
Franck in 1827 became professor of organ at the Paris Conservatoire where he gathered a group of dedicated students who became his disciples who became distinguished composers they include D’Indy, Chausson,Duparc,Ropartz,Pierne and Vierne.
Franck was a composer like Janacek who actually became greater as he approached old age. A string of masterful works include a Piano Quintet (1877), Violin Sonata (1886),String Quartet (1889) and the Symphonic poems Chasseur Maudit (Accursed Huntsman) 1883, Le Dijins (1885), and Psyche (1888). Also from the period are the two fine solo piano works Prelude, Chorale et Fugue, Prelude, Fugue and Finale and the well known Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra. Franck’s most famous work his Symphony in D minor had a very controversial premiere in 1889. The work was unusual because it was in three movements rather than the usual four, had a very dark organ like orchestral coloring including an English Horn solo, and a cyclic structure where the themes from the first movements where transformed in the last. Many conservative critics like the doyenne of French composers Charles Gounod felt the work was incomprehensible and incompetent. Franck was consoled be his disciples after the reviews but Franck’s genial nature was not upset and felt that the work would be eventually appreciated. Franck life was serene almost devoid of drama or incident. Franck in the early months of 1890 was struck by bus while crossing a boulevard; he initially recovered but died a few months later of complications from the accident.
Cesar Franck’s music was admittedly much more popular in the first half of the twentieth century then it is now. This partly can be attributed to the seriousness and religiosity of the music not matching the times. Even the D minor Symphony that would have been on anybody’s list of top 10 Symphonies in 1950 is not that often performed outside of France. The Organ works are still central parts of the organ repertoire but concert of organ works not by Bach are not that frequent. The same goes for his Choral music. Franck’s music at its best has a combination of spirituality mixed with a sensual beauty. Prime examples would be the second movement of the D minor Symphony and Psyche.
The music once had extraordinary interpreters like Beecham, Monteux,Toscanini, Paray and Munch who breathed life into the music.