Franck, César 1822 - 1890
Author: Kikuchi, Tomoko
Last updated：January 1, 2010
Author: Kikuchi, Tomoko
Born in Belgium, he was active mainly in France, but experienced being denied admission to school due to nationality issues. It is also said that the young Franck was caught up in the prevailing trend of sensationalizing and celebrating child prodigies, and that such complex cultural background and parental interference delayed the blossoming of Franck's rich talent. He finally became independent from his parents after the age of 20, and his appointment as organist of Sainte-Clotilde Church at the age of 36 became a turning point, enabling him to enrich his creative activities thereafter.
In his sacred and organ works, he left many liturgical pieces employing masterful counterpoint. In instrumental and chamber music, he achieved particularly outstanding results, blending classical forms with Franck's unique emotional phrasing. His method of transforming and intricately incorporating a single theme was greatly influenced by Liszt, and he left masterpieces of single-movement piano works. He also became a professor at the Paris Conservatoire, attracting many pupils and leading to the formation of the "Franck School." Franck was admired by many of his pupils not only for his teaching methods but also for his flexible understanding of new sounds, such as those of Wagner, and his earnest willingness to incorporate them.
Works(42)
Concerto (1)
Works with orchestral accompaniment (2)
Piano Solo (10)
pieces (6)
fantasy (6)
Fantaisie No.2 sur l'air et le vireley de 'Gulistan' de Dalayrac Op.12 M.17
Composed in: 1844 Playing time: 9 min 10 sec
variation (2)
character pieces (2)
Piano Ensemble (2)
Reduction/Arrangement (5)
Poème symphonique ''Les Djinns'' (arranged for 2 pianos by the composer) CFF 136; FWV 45
Composed in: 1884 Playing time: 12 min 30 sec
Various works (2)
Chamber Music (3)
Various works (2)
etc (2)
pieces (4)