Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

Notre-Dame de Paris Notre-Dame de Paris (; meaning "Our Lady of Paris"), referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the Seine River), in the 4th arrondissement of Paris. The cathedral, dedicated to the ...

Kapellmeister (, also , ) from German ''Kapelle'' (chapel) and ''Meister'' (master)'','' literally "master of the chapel choir" designates the leader of an ensemble of musicians. Originally used to refer to somebody in charge of music in a chapel, the term ha ...

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Roger Cotte, ''François Giroust, a Versaille musician of the Revolutionary period'', in Malcolm Boyd (ed.), Music and the French Revolution, Cambridge 1992, p. 93-106. Two of his works won both 1st and 2nd place in a contest for composers of the Concert Spirituel, organised by the Tuileries in Paris, 1768. Because of this, he was appointed as kapellmeister at the church of the Saint-Innocents in Paris. On the 17th of February 1775, Giroust became ''sous maître de chapelle'' at the Chapelle Royale at

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...

, replacing

Charles Gauzargues Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was "f ...

. This took place under

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

's reign. During his time in this position, he composed the Coronation Mass for

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

, and the ''Missa pro defunctis'' for

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

. In 1780, Giroust was appointed as surintendant of the same chapel, a post he kept until 1792. After some financial hardships, he became a concierge at the

Palace of Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 19 ...

, where he died on 28 April 1799. Giroust is well known for his many revolutionary pieces, among which the Hymne des Versaillais is the most famous. He joined the revolutionaries after the fall of the monarchy in 1792. Most of his masonic works have been lost, with the exception of the

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

''Le Déluge''. The majority of his other compositions have been saved by his widow Marie-Françoise de Beaumont d'Avantois, who was a singer at the same court. They are now conserved by the Paris Conservatory. A previously unknown notebook by Giroust titled ''Regles de composition'' was recovered in 2015. The manuscript is of educational nature, and explains the basics of composing music. It dates back to 1778. It is currently conserved by KU Leuven.Lora-Elly Vannieuwenhuysen, François Girousts ''Regles de composition'', Ex Officina, KU Leuven, p. 7.

Works

* 6 masses, including the Coronation Mass for

Louis XVI Louis XVI (''Louis-Auguste''; ; 23 August 175421 January 1793) was the last King of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. He was referred to as ''Citizen Louis Capet'' during the four months just before he was ...

(31 June 1776) and the Missa pro defunctis for

Louis XV Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (french: le Bien-Aimé), was King of France from 1 September 1715 until his death in 1774. He succeeded his great-grandfather Louis XIV at the age of five. Until he reache ...

. * 70 grands motets. * Rituel Maçonnique Funèbre "Le Déluge" (1784). * 14 oratorio's (partly lost). * 12 Magnificat settings for the cathedral at Orléans. * Télèphe (opera, lost except for the overture). * Regles de composition (a notebook on music theory). * Various revolutionary songs.

References

*USA recording of his Motets and Missa Brevis on Westminster Hi-Fi XWN 18544, circa 1960. {{DEFAULTSORT:Giroust, Francois Musicians from Paris 1737 births 1799 deaths 18th-century French composers 18th-century male musicians

Biography

Works

References