Georges (Armand Paul) Jacob (19 August 1877 – 28 December 1950) was a French

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

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 ...

and composer.

Biography

Born in Paris, Georges Paul made his first musical studies at the

École Niedermeyer de Paris The École Niedermeyer ( en, Niedermeyer School) is a Paris school for church music. It was founded in 1853 by Louis Niedermeyer as successor to the ''Institution royale de musique classique et religieuse'', which had been established and run by A ...

. After he joined 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 ...

in 1896, he won a First prize in organ in 1900, in

Alexandre Guilmant Félix-Alexandre Guilmant (; 12 March 1837 – 29 March 1911) was a French organist and composer. He was the organist of La Trinité from 1871 until 1901. A noted pedagogue, performer, and improviser, Guilmant helped found the Schola Cantor ...

's class. From 1892 to 1912, G. Jacob gave organ recitals, which were very well attended at the

Schola Cantorum de Paris The Schola Cantorum de Paris is a private conservatory in Paris. It was founded in 1894 by Charles Bordes, Alexandre Guilmant and Vincent d'Indy as a counterbalance to the Paris Conservatoire's emphasis on opera. History La Schola was founded ...

. His aim was to bring out the best of both ancient and modern works of organ literature. As a composer, he has already written and published many works. In addition, he began publishing, with an explanatory commentary, the great works for organ of J.-S. Bach. From 1902 to 1914, he was a piano teacher at the Schola Cantorum. Organist and Kapellmeister of from 1897 to 1903, organist of the great organ of the from 1903 to 1906, he then held the position of organist and Kapellmeister of the , from 1907 to his death in 1950. In 1922, he succeeded

Joseph Bonnet Joseph Élie Georges-Marie Bonnet (17 March 1884 – 2 August 1944) was a French composer and organist. Biography One of the major French pipe organists, Joseph Bonnet was born in Bordeaux. He first studied with his father, an organist at St ...

as organist of the

Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire The Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire was a symphony orchestra established in Paris in 1828. It gave its first concert on 9 March 1828 with music by Beethoven, Rossini, Meifreid, Rode and Cherubini. Administered by the philh ...

. Georges Jacob died in Paris on 28 December 1950 and was buried in the

Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figure ...

(2nd division).Georges Jacob
on appl-lachaise.net

Compositions

Works for organ

* 1906: ''Prélude Funèbre et Variation'' * 1907: ''Symphonie pour grand orgue'' in E minor (Leduc): I. ''Prélude funèbre, Fugue, Variation'' II. ''Andante'' III. ''Scherzo'' IV. ''Final''. * 1909: ''Quatre Morceaux'' for organ (Kistner, Leipzig): 1. ''Invocation'' 2. ''Noël'' 3. ''Au cloître'' 4. ''Dans la lande''. * 1909: ''Douze Pièces pour Grand-orgue'' (Leduc) : 1. ''Pastorale'' (in E flat) 2. ''Offertoire pour Mariage'' 3. ''Noël Bourguignon'' 4. ''Invocation'' 5. ''Duetto'' 6. ''Canzonetta'' 7. ''Prélude Funèbre'' 8. ''Carillon'' 9. ''Magnificat'' (in F) 10. ''Alleluia'' 11.'' Andantino'' 12. ''Sortie''. * 1909: ''Pastorale "Les Heures Bourguignonnes"'', collection of 12 pieces from 12 scenes by

Maurice Léna Maurice Léna (24 December 1859 – 31 March 1928) was a French dramatist and librettist of the Parisian Belle Époque. His opera librettos include Jules Massenet's '' Le jongleur de Notre-Dame'' (1902), Georges Hüe's ''Dans l'ombre de la cath ...

(Leduc): 1. ''Lever de soleil'' 2. ''Le réveil'' 3. ''Le départ du troupeau'' 4.'' Vendanges'' 5. ''La chanson du berger'' 6. ''Midi'' 7. ''La pluie'' 8. ''Sous le noyer'' 9. ''En revenant des vignes'' 10. ''Chanson de pressoir'' 11. ''La ronde'' 12. ''Tombée du soir''. * 1911: ''Entrée de Mariage'' * 1911: ''1re Suite religieuse'' (Schirmer): 1. ''Laudes'' 2. ''Resurrexi'' (Introït du jour de Pâques) 3. ''Méditation'' 4. ''Au Prieuré'' 5. ''Bénédiction''. * 1911: ''2e Suite religieuse'' (Schirmer): 1. ''Invocation'' 2. ''Angelus'' 3. ''Souvenir grégorien'' 4. ''Communion'' 5. ''Prière du soir''. * 1916: ''Impressions dominicales'' (Schirmer): 1. ''Veni Creator'' 2. ''Recueillement'' 3. ''Bergerade mélancolique'' 4. ''Hélas !'' 5. ''Souffrance, Trouble, Triomphe''. * ''Exercices pour grand orgue'' (ou piano pédalier) (United Music Publishers). * ''Livre d’orgue'' (Éditions Ouvrières): 1.'' Invention'' 2. ''Pastorale'' 3. ''Canon'' 4.'' Louange de l’oiseau'' 5. ''Choral'' 6.'' Mouvement''.

Works for harmonium

*1909: ''25 Pièces pour harmonium'' (Leduc). *1911: ''Choral varié''; ''Prise de voile''; ''Andante'' in D major, in ''Parnasse des Organistes du XXe'', vol. 1, Paris *1911: ''14 Pièces pour harmonium'' (Loret). * ''Andantino'' in E flat major, in

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 ...

, ''

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. 1, Paris, 1912. * ''Pastorale'' in F-sharp minor (transcription for harmonium by the author), in J. Joubert, ''Maîtres contemporains de l'orgue'', vol. 1, Paris, 1912.

Works for piano

* ''Nocturne, Légende et Scherzo''.

Other compositions

Several melodies and hymns.

Sources

* Joseph Joubert, Anthology ''Maîtres contemporains de l'orgue'', vol. 1, Paris, Sénart, 1912. * ,
Dictionnaire des organistes français des XIXe et XXe siècles
', Brussel, Mardaga, 2003.