Clément Loret (10 October 1833 – 14 February 1909) was an
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 ...
, music educator, and
composer
A composer is a person who writes music. The term is especially used to indicate composers of Western classical music, or those who are composers by occupation. Many composers are, or were, also skilled performers of music.
Etymology and def ...
of Belgian origin, French naturalized.
Biography
Clément Loret was born in
Dendermonde
Dendermonde (; , ) is a city in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders in Belgium. The Municipalities of Belgium, municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, M ...
(Termonde) in Belgium. His father Hippolyte, organist (at Notre-Dame de Termonde) and organ builder, introduced him to music and the organ at a very young age. He started playing in church when he was 7 years old, and the following year he occasionally replaced his father at the keyboard. In 1846, his father was appointed organist at
Mons
Mons commonly refers to:
* Mons, Belgium, a city in Belgium
* Mons pubis (mons Venus or mons veneris), in mammalian anatomy, the adipose tissue lying above the pubic bone
* Mons (planetary nomenclature), a sizable extraterrestrial mountain
* Batt ...
, and the young Clément continued his musical studies with
Jules Denefve (1814–1877).
Admitted to the
Royal Conservatory of Brussels
The Royal Conservatory of Brussels (, ) is a historic conservatory in Brussels, Belgium. Starting its activities in 1813, it received its official name in 1832. Providing performing music and drama courses, the institution became renowned par ...
in 1851, he was a student of
Lemmens for the organ and
Fétis for the
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 ...
. He won a
First Prize in 1853.
In 1855, Loret came to Paris. Lemmens had written him a letter of introduction to
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll
Aristide Cavaillé-Coll (; 4 February 1811 – 13 October 1899) was a French organ builder. He has the reputation of being the most distinguished organ builder of the 19th century. He pioneered innovations in the art and science of organ build ...
, who was so little impressed by the young man that he dared not present him to his acquaintances. However, he linked up with , an harmonium factor, who decided him to stay. He then held organist positions at
Suresnes
Suresnes () is a commune in the western inner suburbs of Paris, France. Located in Hauts-de-Seine, from the centre of Paris, it had a population of 49,482 as of 2020.
Suresnes borders the Bois de Boulogne in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, ...
and
Notre-Dame des Victoires. Then, he was named titular holder of the new Cavaillé-Coll organ of the National Basilica dedicated to St. Geneviève (now
Panthéon de Paris) during the
Second French Empire
The Second French Empire, officially the French Empire, was the government of France from 1852 to 1870. It was established on 2 December 1852 by Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, president of France under the French Second Republic, who proclaimed hi ...
, from 1855 to 1885, and occupied the gallery of , where Niederermeyer was
maître de chapelle from 1858 to 1866.
Appointed professor of
organ
Organ and organs may refer to:
Biology
* Organ (biology), a group of tissues organized to serve a common function
* Organ system, a collection of organs that function together to carry out specific functions within the body.
Musical instruments
...
at the
Niedermeyer school of Paris in 1858, he trained most of the French organists of the time including
Fauré,
Letocart and
Gigout.
His brother Charles, who died young, was also a musician and composer. His wife, Philippine Colonius, was a talented musician.
Their son,
Victor Loret
Victor Clement Georges Philippe Loret (1 September 1859 – 3 February 1946) was a French Egyptologist.
Biography
His father, Clément Loret, was a professional organist and composer, of Belgian origin, who had been living in Paris since ...
(1 September 1859 – 3 February 1946) was a musician, musicologist and a very famous French Egyptologist. A friend of
Camille Saint-Saëns
Charles-Camille Saint-Saëns (, , 9October 183516 December 1921) was a French composer, organist, conductor and pianist of the Romantic music, Romantic era. His best-known works include Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso (1863), the Piano ...
, he was interested in music and instruments from the Pharaonic period. As ethnomusicologist, he transcribed traditional melodies and dances from the south of the valley.
Clément Loret died in
Colombes
Colombes () is a Communes of France, commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France, from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris. In 2019, Colombes was the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 53rd largest city in France. ...
, near Paris, on 14 February 1909,
Works
Several of his works have been published in Paris by Loret Fils & H. Freytag, his publishing house.
Organ
* ''50 Pièces d’orgue pour messes et vêpres'', Régnier-Canaux, Paris
* ''24 Morceaux pour orgue sans pédale'', Régnier-Canaux, Paris
* ''Le Service divin'', 6 Entrées, 6 Offertoires, 6 Élévations, 6 Communions, 6 Sorties, morceaux faciles,
Heugel, Paris (1899)
* ''Première Sonate'' in B flat minor for organ, Op. 25 (1889)
* ''Offertoire pour Pâques'' on ''O Filii et filiœ''
* ''Postlude "Alleluia!"'' in E flat major for organ
* ''Fantaisie pastorale''
* ''8 Morceaux d'orgue expressif'' : 1. Rêverie (Mazurka) - 2. Absence - 3. Pastorale - 4. Mélancolie - 5. Prise de voile - 6. Boléro - 7. Rêverie - 8. Romance sans paroles (Les Concerts de famille)
* ''Bénédiction nuptiale'' in L major.
* ''Pièce à double expression en forme de canon''
* ''Variations sur des noëls'' for organ (1890)
* ''6 Concertos pour orgue et orchestre de G. F. Hændel'', (Op. 4) arranged for organ only, with fermatas (cadences)
* ''6 Concertos pour orgue et orchestre de G. F. Hændel'', (Op. 7) arranged for organ only, with fermatas (cadences)
* ''Cours d’orgue'' Op. 19: I. Orgue sans pédale, II. Orgue avec pédale, III. Les combinaisons sur les orgues modernes et l’improvisation, IV. Le plain-chant et son accompagnement. (1858–80)
* ''Exercices d’orgue'', 3 issues, in La Maîtrise, Paris, 1859
* ''24 Études pour orgue'', 12 without pedal, 12 with pédal, Heugel, Paris
* Pièces de genre : ''Sur les ondes'' – ''La Flûte enchantée'' (Mozart) – ''Enivrement'' – ''Cantilène'' – ''Souvenir'' – ''Les pifferari'' – ''Alceste'' (Gluck)
Twelve Pieces for Organ (1898)
*1. ''Allegro maestoso'' in G minor
*2. ''Prière'' in E flat major
*3. ''Chacone'' in B flat major
*4. ''Offertoire'' in D major
*5. ''Prélude et fugue'' in B flat major
*6. ''Pièce légère'' in G major
*7. ''Grand-Chœur'' in B flat major
*8. ''Élévation'' in E flat major
*9. ''Scherzo'' in B minor
*10. ''Communion'' in L major
*11. ''Cantilène'' in F major
*12. ''Final'' in D minor
Six Pieces for Organ (v. 1900)
* ''Marche nuptiale'' in B flat major, Op. 40
* ''Cantabile'' in B minor, Op. 41
* ''Prière'' in D flat major, Op. 42
* ''Andante religioso'' in G major, Op. 43
* ''Canzone'' in B minor, Op. 44
* ''Scherzo-Fanfare'' in G major, Op. 45
Others
* ''12 Morceaux'' for harmonium
* ''12 Morceaux'' for harmonium and piano
* ''Deuxième nocturne'', for piano and organ
* ''Boléro'', for piano and organ
* ''Symphonie'' in D for large orchestra (unpublished)
* ''Le Calvaire'', oratorio (unpublished)
* ''Concerto'' for piano and orchestra (unpublished)
Mélodies
''Glisse ô ma barque'' (barcarolle) - ''Les deux captifs'' - ''Dis-moi je t’aime'' - ''Dormez'' (sérénade) - ''L’enfant de la négresse'' -'' La fleur'' - ''L’oreiller d’un enfant'' - ''Rêver, prier, aimer'' - ''L’été'' - ''Oui, c’est toi que j’aime'' (chez l’auteur à Paris)
Piano
* Studies
* ''12 Morceaux pour piano'' : 1. Marche Nuptiale - 2. Menuet - 3. Romance sans Paroles - 4. Rosée de Printemps (mazurka) - 5. Scherzo - 6. Rêverie-Nocturne - 7. Rondo - 8. Pluie dans le Lac - 9. Andantino - 10. Dors mon Enfant - 11. Caprice-Mazurka - 12. Valse Tyrolienne, chez l’auteur à Paris, s.d.
* Préludes and fugues
* Romances sans paroles
Recordings
A selection of works for organ by Clément Loret has been recorded on the
Cavaillé-Coll organs at
Pezenas and
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a French defensive wall, fortified city in the Departments of France, department of Aude, Regions of France, region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania. It is the prefectures in France, prefecture of the department.
...
by Jean-Luc Salique (2 CD Coriolan, 1998).
References
Sources
* F.-J. Fétis, ''Biographie Universelle des musiciens'', ''Supplément et complément'', t. 2, Paris, Librairie de Firmin Didot, 1880.
*
Jean-Claude Goyon
Jean-Claude Goyon (2 August 1937 – 24 June 2021) was a French Egyptologist, and professor of Egyptology at Lumière University Lyon 2.
Biography
After earning a doctoral degree in literature, Goyon became a research fellow at the French Nationa ...
, ''Victor Loret'', Dictionnaire critique des historiens de l’art, INHA (Institut National de l’Histoire de l’Art)
* Orpha Ochse,
Orpha Ochse
/ref
''Organists and Organ Playing in Nineteenth-Century France and Belgium''
, Bloomington, Indiana University Press, 1994.
External links
Clément Loret
on Musicalics
*
Sibley Library
Partition des 6 Concertos de Hændel Op. 4, arr. by Loret.
Sibley Library
Partition des 6 Concertos de Hændel Op. 7, arr. by Loret.
Étude no.9 Allegretto in D minor
from the ''Cours d'Orgue'', vol. 2; Willem van Twillert
Scherzo en si mineur
No 9 of the ''Douze Pièces'' for organ, by Willem van Twillert
{{DEFAULTSORT:Loret, Clement
French classical organists
French composers of sacred music
Royal Conservatory of Brussels alumni
French music educators
1833 births
People from Dendermonde
1909 deaths
19th-century French male musicians
French male classical organists
19th-century French organists