César Franck

Appointed organist at the Sainte-Clotilde Chapel in 1858, Franck inaugurated the great Cavaillé-Coll organ. From 1872 onwards, he was in great demand from his pupils as organ professor at the conservatory. His knowledge of former masters, his innate sense of formal conception and his kindness charmed Duparc, Lekeu, Chausson, Ropartz, Pierne, Vierne, Tournemire and many more. Franck’s influence in the Paris of the Romantic era cannot be denied. He divided his modest and unassuming life between the organ, his pupils and composition.

Totally ignored during his lifetime, Franck did however leave behind a good deal of masterpieces. Magnifying recurrent themes with an incomparable sense of form, the inspired pages of his orchestral works are numerous. His organ pieces are still a reference although appreciation of his chamber music varies. Between the omnipresence of the past and a Romantic thematic inspiration, Franck remains captivating, sometimes conventional, but always visionary. Henry Barraud was to say that his work “foreshadowed the rapid disintegration of the tonal system”. He was not wrong.