René-Alfred-Octave Guillou (8 October 1903 in Rennes – 14 December 1958 in Paris) was a French composer. After several years at the conservatory of his native city, Guillou studied 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 ...

with Marcel Samuel-Rousseau,

Charles-Marie Widor Charles-Marie-Jean-Albert Widor (21 February 1844 – 12 March 1937) was a French organist, composer and teacher of the mid-Romantic era, most notable for his ten organ symphonies. His Toccata from the fifth organ symphony has become one of th ...

and

Henri Busser Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the 'List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Montm ...

. In his third participation in the competition for the

Prix de Rome The Prix de Rome () or Grand Prix de Rome was a French scholarship for arts students, initially for painters and sculptors, that was established in 1663 during the reign of Louis XIV of France. Winners were awarded a bursary that allowed them t ...

, he won the Premier Grand Prix in 1926 with the cantata ''L'Autre mère''. Besides, since 1920, Guillou was the successor of Jacques de La Presle, organist at the great organ of the Church of Notre-Dame, Versailles, restored by Merklin. In 1923 he played the organ part here in a performance of the oratorio ''Marie-Madeleine'' by Jules Massenet. In 1926 he handed over the post to Madeleine Heurtel, a niece of

Léon Boëllmann Léon Boëllmann (; 25 September 1862 – 11 October 1897) was a French composer, known for a small number of compositions for organ. His best-known composition is '' Suite gothique'' (1895), which is a staple of the organ repertoire, especially i ...

and daughter of the director of the ''École Niedermeyer'', in order to begin his stay in the

Villa Medici The Villa Medici () is a Mannerist villa and an architectural complex with a garden contiguous with the larger Borghese gardens, on the Pincian Hill next to Trinità dei Monti in Rome, Italy. The Villa Medici, founded by Ferdinando I de' Medici, ...

in Rome, associated with the Prix de Rome. During his stay in Rome until 1930, Guillou composed his ''Habenera'' for violin and orchestra; in addition, he composed two symphonies and other orchestral works, chamber music and songs. His brother Ernest GuillouErnest Guillou
on BNF became known as a conductor and composer. Guillou died in Paris in 1956.

Works

*''Les Amants de Vérone'', cantata, 1924 *''L’Autre mère'', cantata, 1926 *''Élégie'' for viola (or English horn) and piano, 1927 *''Habanera'' for violin and orchestra, 1927 with the Concerts Lamoureux *''Pièces'' for piano, 1927 *''Assise'' for piano, 1928 *''Puisque j'ai mis ma lèvre'' after a poem by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romantic writer and politician. During a literary career that spanned more than sixty years, he wrote in a variety of genres and forms. He is considered to be one of the great ...

, 1928 at the ''Académie de France à Rome'' *''Mezzogiorno - Midi sur Rome'' 1929 at the ''Lyceum Romano'' *''Andante symphonique'' for pipe organ, 1929 *''Cortège de nonnes'' for organ, 1929 *''Loetitia Pia'' for organ, 1929 *''Nocturne mystique'' for organ, 1929 *''Diurnes'' for piano, 1929 *''Plein air'' for piano, 1929 *''Quatre pièces'' for piano, 1929 *''Suite des motifs de terroir'' for piano, 1929 *''Trois pièces'' for violin and piano, 1931 *''Adagio et Suite'' for piano and cello, 1934 *''Ballade'' for bassoon and piano, 1936 *''Hymne de la Bretagne à Paris'', for the

Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne The ''Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne'' (International Exposition of Art and Technology in Modern Life) was held from 25 May to 25 November 1937 in Paris, France. Both the Palais de Chaillot, housing the Mus ...

in Paris, 1937 *''Hymne funèbre'', with the

Concerts Colonne The Colonne Orchestra is a French symphony orchestra, founded in 1873 by the violinist and conductor Édouard Colonne. History While leader of the Opéra de Paris orchestra, Édouard Colonne was engaged by the publisher Georges Hartmann to lead ...

1938 *''Sonatine'' for alto saxophone, English horn or

French horn The French horn (since the 1930s known simply as the horn in professional music circles) is a brass instrument made of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. The double horn in F/B (technically a variety of German horn) is the horn most ...

and piano, 1946 *''Symphonie en la mineur'', 1948 *''Mon nom est Rolande'', Legend for French horn and piano, 1950 *''Seconde Symphonie en ut majeur'', 1956 Pierre-Michel Le Conte conducting

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guillou, Rene 1903 births 1958 deaths Musicians from Rennes Conservatoire de Paris alumni French classical organists French male organists French classical composers French male classical composers 20th-century French composers Prix de Rome for composition 20th-century organists 20th-century French male musicians Male classical organists