Albert Paul Alain (1 March 1880 – 15 October 1971) was a 20th-century French

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ (music), organ. An organist may play organ repertoire, solo organ works, play with an musical ensemble, ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumentalist, instrumental ...

and composer.

Biography

Born in

Saint-Germain-en-Laye Saint-Germain-en-Laye () is a Communes of France, commune in the Yvelines Departments of France, department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris, from the Kilometre Zero, centre of Paris. ...

to Clarisse-Alphonsine Fouquet (born 1859) and Paul François Alain (born 1851), he entered in adulthood into the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), or the Paris Conservatory, is a college of music and dance founded in 1795. Officially known as the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris (; CNSMDP), it is situated in the avenue Jean Ja ...

and obtained a first prize for

harmony In music, harmony is the concept of combining different sounds in order to create new, distinct musical ideas. Theories of harmony seek to describe or explain the effects created by distinct pitches or tones coinciding with one another; harm ...

in 1904. He pursued

counterpoint In music theory, counterpoint is the relationship of two or more simultaneous musical lines (also called voices) that are harmonically dependent on each other, yet independent in rhythm and melodic contour. The term originates from the Latin ...

studies with Georges Caussade,

fugue In classical music, a fugue (, from Latin ''fuga'', meaning "flight" or "escape""Fugue, ''n''." ''The Concise Oxford English Dictionary'', eleventh edition, revised, ed. Catherine Soanes and Angus Stevenson (Oxford and New York: Oxford Universit ...

and

music composition Musical composition can refer to an original piece or work of music, either vocal or instrumental, the structure of a musical piece or to the process of creating or writing a new piece of music. People who create new compositions are called ...

with Charles Lenepveu and

Gabriel Fauré Gabriel Urbain Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. ...

, at the same time as he worked on the organ with Guilmant and

Louis Vierne Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death. As a composer, much of his output was Organ (music), organ music, including six ...

. In 1924, succeeding Albert Renaud, he became organist of the church of Saint-Germain-en-Laye, a position he held until his death. Passionate about organ building, he built over the years (1911–1970) an instrument with 4 keyboards and 43 stops in his house. This organ is now installed in Romainmôtier, Switzerland. He married Magdeleine Alberty in 1910, and they became parents of four children with exceptional gifts:

Jehan Jehan is a predominantly male given name. It is the old orthography of Jean in Old French, and is rarely given anymore. It is also a variant of the Persian name Jahan in some South Asian languages. People with the given name Jehan * Jahan (na ...

(1911-1940), Marie-Odile (1914-1937), Olivier (1918-1994) and

Marie-Claire Marie-Claire is a given name. It is a combination of the names Marie and Claire, which are both of French origin. It may refer to: *Marie-Claire Alain (1926–2013), organist and organ teacher * Marie-Claire Baldenweg (born 1954), contemporary a ...

(1926–2013).

Works

As a composer of religious music, he is responsible for 469 pieces, among others:

Organ and harmonium

*'' Final sur le carillon de Luçon'' Op. 324 * ''Scherzo'' pour grand orgue * ''Andante'' pour grand orgue * ''5 Pièces faciles en forme de Messe Basse'' * Pièces pour orgue ou harmonium in Les Maîtres contemporains de l’orgue, by Joseph Joubert (abbot), :vol. 4 : ''Offertoire pour la semaine de Pâques sur l’Antienne ''Vespere'' et la Prose ''O Filii'' ; Marche nuptiale'' (1900) ; :vol. 7 : ''Alla Hændel'', ''Alla Bach'', ''Alla Franck'' pour grand orgue avec pédale (1914). Cf. ''Pièces d'orgue'', 1st series. * ''Pièces d'orgue'', 2nd series, Sénart, Paris (1914) : IV. ''Cortège'' - V. ''Andantino'' - VI. ''Rapsodie sur des Noëls connus''. * ''15 Pièces pour Harmonium ou Orgue sur des Thèmes liturgiques'', L.-J. Biton, St-Laurent-sur-Sèvre (Vendée), 1919. * ''Suite héroïque'' in the 2nd issue of the series ''Les Voix de la douleur chrétienne'' published by abbott Joubert by A. Ledent-Malay in Brussel (1924).

Vocal music

*Motets : ** ''À la Sainte Croix'' (4 mixed or 3 equal voices and organ) ** ''Ave Verum Corpus'' (4 mixed voices) ** ''Choral final: Chantons Jésus'' (4 mixed or 3 equal voices) ** ''Mystères Glorieux'' (soloist and 4 mixed or 3 equal voices and organ ** ''Isti Sunt Agni Novelli'' (4 mixed voices). ** ''Quae es ista'' (duet and choir with two equal voices) - 1903 * ''Messe de Noël sur des thèmes anciens'' (4 mixed voices and organ) *'' Messe en l’honneur de Saint Louis'' (4 mixed/unison or 4 equal voices with accompaniment) * ''Messe Royale du 1° Ton de Henry Du Mont'' (4 mixed voices). * ''Cantate à Sainte Louise de Marillac'' (singing and organ) * ''La Cathédrale Incendiée'' (4 mixed voices, and organ) lyrics by Henri Ghéon.

Sources

Association Jehan Alain
L’orgue de la famille Alain.

Photos d’Albert Alain à son orgue.

by

Gilles Cantagrel Gilles Cantagrel (born 20 November 1937) is a French musicologist, writer, lecturer and music educator. Biography Born in Paris, Cantagrel studied physics, art history and music at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and at the Conservatoi ...

with Aurélie Decourt, historian, Doctor in musicology at Paris Sorbonne, daughter of the organist

Marie-Claire Alain Marie-Claire Geneviève Alain-Gommier (10 August 1926 – 26 February 2013) was a French organist, scholar and teacher best known for her prolific recording career, with 260 recordings, making her the most-recorded classical organist in the worl ...

and niece of the composer Jehan Alain (January 2011). *
Pipedreams
''Alain on Alain''

Bibliography

* Aurélie Decourt. ''Un musicien dans la ville. Albert Alain et Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1880-1971)'', ''Un musicien dans la ville. Albert Alain et Saint-Germain-en-Laye (1880-1971)''
/ref> éditions du Valhermeil, 2001.

Discography

* ''Albert Alain par Marie-Claire Alain'' au grand orgue Cavaillé-Coll/Haerpfer et orgue de chœur Cavaillé-Coll de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Calliope (2007) : Finale op. 429 - Andantino op. 346 - Aria op. 425 - Scherzo op. 423 - Élégie op. 396 - Andantino op. 437 - Toccatina op. 373 - Pas trop lent op. 345 - Assez lent op. 357 - Andantino con moto op. 347 - Berceuse op. 395 - Carillon sur « Lauda Sion » op. 424 - Carillon de Bougival op. 368 - Au temps de Noël op. 360 - Prière op. 427 - Andante op. 306 - Finale sur « Cantemus Domino » op. 323.
Albert Alain
Complete discography by Alain Cartayrade on France Orgue.

References

External links

Alain Albert
on IdRef
Albert Alain : Cantate Domino
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Alain, Albert French classical organists 20th-century French composers French composers of sacred music Conservatoire de Paris alumni 1880 births Musicians from Saint-Germain-en-Laye 1971 deaths 20th-century French organists 20th-century French male musicians French male classical organists

Albert Albert may refer to: Companies * Albert Computers, Inc., a computer manufacturer in the 1980s * Albert Czech Republic, a supermarket chain in the Czech Republic * Albert Heijn, a supermarket chain in the Netherlands * Albert Market, a street mar ...