Adolphe Alexandre Silvain Marty (29 September 1865 – 28 October 1942) was a 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 ...

improviser Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...

, composer and

music educator Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as elementary or secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a research area in which scholars do original ...

who was blind for most of his life.

Early life and education

Born in

Albi Albi (; oc, Albi ) is a commune in southern France. It is the prefecture of the Tarn department, on the river Tarn, 85 km northeast of Toulouse. Its inhabitants are called ''Albigensians'' (french: Albigeois, Albigeoise(s), oc, albig� ...

in the

Tarn department Tarn ( or ; ) is a department in the Occitania region in Southern France. Named after the river Tarn, it had a population of 389,844 as of 2019.

in the south of France, Marty became blind at the age of two and a half years. He entered the

Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (''National Institute for Blind Children'' or ''Royal Institution for Blind Youth''), in Paris, was the first special school for blind students in the world, and served as a model for many subsequent schools ...

in Paris in 1874 and worked the organ with Louis Lebel (1831–1888). From 1884 to 1886 he studied

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 c ...

with

Ernest Guiraud Ernest is a given name derived from Germanic word ''ernst'', meaning "serious". Notable people and fictional characters with the name include: People *Archduke Ernest of Austria (1553–1595), son of Maximilian II, Holy Roman Emperor * Ernest, ...

and

pipe organ The pipe organ is a musical instrument that produces sound by driving pressurized air (called ''wind'') through the organ pipes selected from a keyboard. Because each pipe produces a single pitch, the pipes are provided in sets called ''ranks ...

with

César Franck César-Auguste Jean-Guillaume Hubert Franck (; 10 December 1822 – 8 November 1890) was a French Romantic composer, pianist, organist, and music teacher born in modern-day Belgium. He was born in Liège (which at the time of his birth was p ...

at the

Conservatoire de Paris The Conservatoire de Paris (), also known as 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 ...

, winning the first prize for organ in 1886, the first blind person to do so.

Career

In 1888 Marty succeeded Louis Lebel as organ teacher at the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles, where he taught until 1930. His students included

Louis Vierne Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. As the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death, he focused on organ music, including six organ symphonies and a '' Messe solennelle ...

Augustin Barié Augustin Charles Barié (15 November 1883 – 22 August 1915) was a French composer and organist. Biography Barié was born in Paris as the only son of architect Charles-Maximin Henri Barié and Victorine Eugénie Petit and was blind from birth; ...

, Paul Allix,

André Marchal André Louis Marchal (6 February 1894 – 27 August 1980) was a French organist and organ teacher. He was one of the great initiators of the twentieth-century organ revival in France and one of the cofounders of the ''Association des amis de l'orgu ...

Jean Langlais Jean François-Hyacinthe Langlais III (15 February 1907 – 8 May 1991) was a French composer of modern classical music, organist, and improviser. He described himself as "" ("Breton, of Catholic faith"). Biography Langlais was born in L ...

and

Gaston Litaize Gaston Gilbert Litaize (11 August 1909 - 5 August 1991) was a French organist and composer. Considered one of the 20th century masters of the French organ, he toured, recorded, worked at churches, and taught students in and around Paris. Blind ...

Léonce de Saint-Martin Léonce Marie-Joseph, Comte de Saint-Martin-de-Paylha (31 October 1886 - 10 June 1954), shortened to and more well known by Léonce de Saint-Martin, was a French organist and composer. Biography He was born in Albi (Tarn). As the successor of ...

also worked with him privately. Marty served as organist of Saint-Paul d'Orléans church from 1887 to 1888. In 1891 he succeed Albert Renaud as organist of Saint-François-Xavier church in Paris, a position he held until 1941. He was closely linked to the

organ builder Organ building is the profession of designing, building, restoring and maintaining pipe organs. The Organ builders , organ builder usually receives a commission to design an organ with a particular disposition of Organ stop, stops, Manual (mu ...

Puget, inaugurating a number of their instruments, including the organ of

Albi Cathedral The Cathedral Basilica of Saint Cecilia ( French: ''Basilique Cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d'Albi''), also known as Albi Cathedral, is the seat of the Catholic Archbishop of Albi. First built in the aftermath of the Albigensian Crusade, the grim ex ...

on 20 November 1904. Marty died in

Valence-d'Albigeois Valence-d'Albigeois (; oc, Valença) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. See also *Communes of the Tarn department The following is a list of the 314 communes of the Tarn department of France. The communes cooperate i ...

in the Tarn department on 28 October 1942.

Compositions

Organ

* ''L’Orgue triomphal'', 12 pieces in two books (A. Noël, Paris, 1898), including the famous ''Carillon de Saint-Paul d’Orléans'' (on the program of Vierne's 1927 North American tour). **1. Entrée pour l’Assomption "Triomphez, Reine des Cieux" - 2. Marche - 3. Entrée pour Noël (noël breton varié) - 4. Fugue brève - 5. Sortie pour le jour de Pâques ''Ite missa est'' - 6. Le Carillon de Saint-Paul d’Orléans - 7. Marche - 8. Grand Chœur pour l’Ascension sur la prose ''Solemnis haec festivitas'' - 9. Sortie pour une

fête patronale A patronal feast or patronal festival ( es, fiesta patronal; pt, festa patronal; ca, festa patronal; it, festa patronale; french: fête patronale) is a yearly celebration dedicated, in countries influenced by Christianity, to the "heavenly advoc ...

- 10. Pour la Fête-Dieu. Entrée ou marche de procession "Lauda Sion" - 11. Pour la fête de Noël. Sortie sur un noël ancien - 12. Fantaisie *''10 Pièces en style libre pour grand orgue'', in 2 books (A. Noël, 1900) : **1. ''À ton autel, incomparable reine, Offertoire pour les fêtes de la Sainte Vierge'' - 2. ''À vos genoux l’Église se prosterne, Offertoire pour les fêtes de la Sainte Vierge'' – 3. ''Communion'' – 4. ''Nous consacrons tout à Marie, thème varié'' – 5. ''Pièce symphonique'' – 6. ''Fantaisie sur deux cantiques'' – 7. ''Andante et Fugue'' – 8. ''Thème varié'' – 9. ''Magnificat pour le jour de Noël, variations sur le cantique Le Fils du Roi de gloire'' - 10. ''Sion, de ta mélodie cesse les divins accords, Caprice''. * ''5 Pièces pour Grand Orgue'' (A. Noël, Paris) : 1. Caprice - 2. Angelus du Soir (Méditation) - 3. Canzona - 4. Pastorale - 5. Marche Funèbre * ''6 Pièces pour les différentes fêtes de l’année'' (A. Noël, Paris) * ''6 Pièces pour orgue avec pédale ad libitum'', Op. 23 (Biton) *'' Sonate no 1 "La Pentecôte"'' * ''Sonate héroïque "Sainte Cécile"'' (1904) : I. ''Extase'' – II. ''Chant d’Hyménée'' – III. ''Entretien et conversion'' – IV. ''Triomphe et Apothéose''. Composée pour l’inauguration de l’orgue Puget de la cathédrale Sainte-Cécile d’Albi. * ''L’Art de la Pédale du Grand Orgue''.''L’Art de la Pédale du Grand Orgue''
/ref> (Combre, Paris) * ''Offertoire'', ''Grand chœur pour la Pentecôte'', in ''Les

Maîtres contemporains de l'orgue Maîtres contemporains de l'orgue is an eight-volume collection edited by abbot Joseph Joubert published by Éditions Maurice Senart; the first three volumes appeared in 1912. The first six volumes are "for organ or harmonium", so the pieces in th ...

'', vol. 2, by abbott

Joseph Joubert Joseph Joubert (; 6 May 1754 in Montignac, Périgord – 4 May 1824 in Paris) was a French moralist and essayist, remembered today largely for his ''Pensées'' (''Thoughts''), which were published posthumously. Biography From the age of f ...

, 1912.

Motets

* ''Regina Mundi'' for tenor and organ, violin and harp ''ad lib.'' Op. 28 (Combre) * ''Tu es Petrus'', No 3 du Salut, for 4 men's voices and organ, Op. 31 (Combre) *'' Angeli et Pastores'' (Christmas), for mixed choir, oboe, harp and organ (A. Noël, 1902)

Chamber music

* ''Fantaisie no 1'' for clarinet and piano (Leduc, Paris)

Discography

* ''Adolphe Marty, Œuvres choisies'', by Marie-Thérèse Jehan, on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the abbey church of

Saint-Sever Saint-Sever (, Gascon ''Sent Sever'' ) is a commune in the Landes department in Nouvelle-Aquitaine in southwestern France. History and geography Saint-Sever stands on an eminence. It is south of Mont-de-Marsan, on the left bank of the ...

(

Landes ''Landes'', or ''Lanas'' in Gascon, means moorland or heath. ''Landes'' and ''Lanas'' come from the Latin ''plānus'' meaning “‘flat, even, level, plain’”. They are therefore cognate with the English plain (and plane), the Spanish word '' ...

) ; Éditions Lade EL CD 025.

References

Sources

Dermogloste
Biographical notes and photo; creation of the ''Sonate héroïque Sainte Cécile'' à Albi.
France Orgue
Discographie established by Alain Cartayrade

Le grand orgue de l’église Saint-François-Xavier, Paris.

External links

YouTube
''L'Orgue triomphal'', no 8. Grand Choeur pour l'Ascension on the ''Solemnis haec festivitas'' prose. Laurent-Cyprien Giraud, orgue Kern de la Basilique Notre-Dame de l'Assomption à Nice.
YouTube
Caprice, No. 1 of 5 Pieces for Grand Orgue, by Santeri Siimes on the organ of the Old Church of

Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...

.
L’orgue de la Collégiale
of Saint-Salvi {{DEFAULTSORT:Marty, Adolphe 1865 births 1942 deaths People from Albi 19th-century French musicians French classical organists French male organists French composers of sacred music Conservatoire de Paris alumni Blind musicians French music educators French choral conductors French male conductors (music) 20th-century French conductors (music) 20th-century French male musicians 19th-century French male musicians Blind people from France Male classical organists