César Franck
Romantic · 1822–1890
César Franck was born in Liège, in what is now Belgium, in 1822, pushed onto the concert stage as a boy pianist by an ambitious father. He escaped that life by settling in Paris and becoming a church musician. From 1858 until his death he was organist at the church of Sainte-Clotilde, where his Sunday improvisations drew listeners, and he later taught organ at the Paris Conservatoire, gathering a circle of devoted students.
The strange thing about his career is its shape: nearly everything he is remembered for was written in his sixties. The Symphony in D minor, the Violin Sonata he gave to the violinist Eugène Ysaÿe as a wedding present, the late chamber and piano works, all came in a final burst before his death in 1890.
Start with the Violin Sonata in A major, one of the warmest pieces in the chamber repertoire, then the Symphony in D minor.
71 works in the catalog, across 5 genres. Log what you listen to with Opus, the classical music journal for iPhone.
Chamber
- Piano Quintet in F minor, M.7
- String Quartet in D major, M.9
- Violin Sonata in A major, M.8
- Andantino quietoso in E flat major, for violin and piano, op. 6, M.5
- Duo concertant in B flat major, for violin and piano, op. 14, M.6
- Piano Trio no. 1 in F sharp minor, op. 1, M.1
- Piano Trio no. 2 in B flat major, op. 1, M.2
- Piano Trio no. 3 in B minor, op. 1, M.3
- Piano Trio no. 4 in B minor, op. 2, M.4
Keyboard
- 3 Chorales, M.38-40
- Prélude, choral et fugue, M.21
- 3 Pieces, M.35-37
- 4 Melodies de Francois Schubert, for piano, op. 8, M.15
- 5 Pieces, for harmonium, M.26
- 6 Pieces, M.28-33
- Andantino in G minor, for organ, M.25
- Ballade, for piano, op. 9
- Danse lente, M.22
- Entrée, for harmonium
- Fantaisie in A major, for organ
- Fantaisie sur 2 airs polonaise, op. 15
- Fantasy in C major, op. 16, M.28
- Final, for organ, op. 21
- Grand Caprice no. 1, op. 5, M.13
- Grande fantaisie, op. 19
- Grande fantasie sur des motifs de Gulistan de Dalayrac, op. 11
- Grande pièce symphonique in F sharp minor, op. 17, M.29
- L'Organiste Vol.1, M.41
- L'organiste Vol.1, M.41
- L'Organiste Vol.2, M.24
- Les plaintes d'une poupée, M.20
- Offertoire in A major, for harmonium
- Offertoire sur un Noël bréton, for harmonium
- Pastorale, for organ in E major, op. 19, M.31
- Petit offertoire, for harmonium
- Piece, for harmonium
- Piece in E flat major, for organ or harmonium
- Piece pour grand orgue in A
- Pièce héroïque, for organ
- Posthumous pieces, 44 pieces for organ or harmonium
- Prière, for organ in C sharp minor, op. 20, M.32
- Prélude, aria, et final, M.23
- Prélude, Fugue et Variation, op. 18
- Quasi marcia, for harmonium, op. 22, M.34
- Souvenir d'Aix-la-Chapelle, for piano, op. 7, M.14
- Églogue, op. 3, M.11
Orchestral
- Le Chasseur maudit, M.44
- Les Eolides, symphonic poem, M.43
- Symphony in D minor, M.48
- Variations symphoniques For piano and orchestra
- Ce qu'on entend sur la montagne, symphonic poem
- Les Djinns, symphonic poem for piano and orchestra, M.45
- Piano Concerto no. 2 in B minor, op. 11
- Psyche, M. 47
- Psyché Suite
- Redemption
Stage
- Hulda,, M.49 Opera
Vocal
- 3 Offertories, M.63-65
- 6 Duos, M.89
- Ave Maria, for soprano, tenor, bass and organ, M.62
- Domine non secundum, for offertory for 3 voices and organ, M.66
- La procession: Dieu s'avance à travers les champs!, for voice, and orchestra, M.88
- Les béatitudes, oratorio for soloists, chorus and orchestra, M.53
- Messe solennelle, for 3 voices, chorus, organ, harp, cello and double bass, op. 12, M.61
- Nocturne, song for voice and piano, M.85
- Panis angelicus for tenor, organ, harp, cello, and bass
- Premiere sourire de mai, for female chorus and piano, M.90
- Psalm 150, for clarinet, chorus, organ, and orchestra, M.69
- Psyché, symphonic poem for chorus and orchestra, M.47
- Rédemption, for soprano, female chorus, speaker and orchestra, M.52
- Seven Words of Christ at the Cross, for soloists and chorus
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