François Xavier Darasse (3 September 1934 – 24 November 1992) 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 ...

musicologist Musicology (from Greek μουσική ''mousikē'' 'music' and -λογια ''-logia'', 'domain of study') is the scholarly analysis and research-based study of music. Musicology departments traditionally belong to the humanities, although some mu ...

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 Defi ...

, and

pedagogue Pedagogy (), most commonly understood as the approach to teaching, is the theory and practice of learning, and how this process influences, and is influenced by, the social, political and psychological development of learners. Pedagogy, taken as ...

. The (Organs of Toulouse) festival organise the ''International Xavier Darasse Organ Competition'' every three years in his honour. He was titular organist of the

Basilica of Saint-Sernin The Basilica of Saint-Sernin (Occitan: ''Basilica de Sant Sarnin'') is a church in Toulouse, France, the former abbey church of the Abbey of Saint-Sernin or St Saturnin. Apart from the church, none of the abbey buildings remain. The current churc ...

in his hometown,

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...

Life

Darasse was born in Toulouse (

Haute-Garonne Haute-Garonne (; oc, Nauta Garona, ; en, Upper Garonne) is a department in the Occitanie region of Southwestern France. Named after the river Garonne, which flows through the department. Its prefecture and main city is Toulouse, the country's ...

) into a family of musicians (his mother, Renée-Marie Darasse-Laroyenne, was an organist) in 1964 and is a namesake of Saint

Francis Xavier Francis Xavier (born Francisco de Jasso y Azpilicueta; Latin: ''Franciscus Xaverius''; Basque: ''Frantzisko Xabierkoa''; French: ''François Xavier''; Spanish: ''Francisco Javier''; Portuguese: ''Francisco Xavier''; 7 April 15063 December 1 ...

. He was a student of

Maurice Duruflé Maurice Gustave Duruflé (; 11 January 1902 – 16 June 1986) was a French composer, organist, musicologist, and teacher. Life and career Duruflé was born in Louviers, Eure in 1902. He became a chorister at the Rouen Cathedral Choir School fro ...

Rolande Falcinelli Rolande Roberte Ginabat-Falcinelli (18 February 1920 – 11 June 2006) was a French organist, pianist, composer, and music educator. Biography Rolande Falcinelli (born Ginabat), the grandniece of Marcel Falcinelli and granddaughter of Louis N ...

Jean Rivier Alexis Fernand Félix Jean Rivier (21 July 1896 – 6 November 1987) was a French composer of classical music in the neoclassical style. The son of Henri Rivier, a co-inventor of Armenian paper, he composed over two hundred works, including musi ...

and

Olivier Messiaen Olivier Eugène Prosper Charles Messiaen (, ; ; 10 December 1908 – 27 April 1992) was a French composer, organist, and ornithologist who was one of the major composers of the 20th century. His music is rhythmically complex; harmonically ...

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 ...

. In parallel with his career as a concert organist, he was a professor at the and then at the

Conservatoire de Lyon A music school is an educational institution specialized in the study, training, and research of music. Such an institution can also be known as a school of music, music academy, music faculty, college of music, music department (of a larger ins ...

, the organ class of the latter being "relocated" to Toulouse. His repertoire extended from

early music Early music generally comprises Medieval music (500–1400) and Renaissance music (1400–1600), but can also include Baroque music (1600–1750). Originating in Europe, early music is a broad musical era for the beginning of Western classical m ...

to contemporary repertoire. In 1976, after a serious road accident, during which he lost his right arm (which he was successfully transplanted without being able to regain his motor skills), he had to put an end to his career as a concert performer. He then devoted himself to teaching the organ, as well as composition, with among other things "Instants éclatés" in 1983 for the

Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse The Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse is a French orchestra based in Toulouse. It acts as both a symphony orchestra whose main residence is Toulouse's Halle aux Grains, and the permanent orchestra of the Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse. ...

. He was appointed director of the

in 1991, succeeding Alain Louvier. He died prematurely of cancer in 1992 in Toulouse, leaving an opera adapted from Oscar Wilde's ''

the Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' unfinished.

Marc-Olivier Dupin Marc-Olivier is a masculine given name and may refer to: *Marc-Olivier Brouillette (born 1986), Canadian football player *Marc-Olivier Fogiel (born 1969), French television and radio host *Marc-Olivier Vallerand Marc-Olivier Vallerand (born Apri ...

succeeded him as the director of the Conservatoire de Paris and

Michel Bouvard Michel Bouvard (born 17 March 1955 in Argenteuil, Val-d'Oise) is a member of the National Assembly of France. He represents the Savoie department and is a member of the Union for a Popular Movement The Union for a Popular Movement (frenc ...

succeeded him as organist of Saint-Sernin. In his memory, a Toulousain street was renamed to ''Rue Xavier Darasse''.

Musical ideas

Darasse carried and invented an organological perspective different from that of his contemporaries. He favored the breath (continuous or interrupted), the articulated discourse (the importance of touch and digital articulation), and registers and colours (the heritage of his professor of

musical analysis Musical analysis is the study of musical structure in either compositions or performances. According to music theorist Ian Bent, music analysis "is the means of answering directly the question 'How does it work?'". The method employed to answer ...

). During his short career, Darasse was one of the most eclectic organists of his generation, sensitive as much to early music, whose mysteries he knew, as to contemporary organ music, of which he was one of the great promoters. On the Robert Boisseau organ of the , he recorded one of the first disks of "contemporary" organ music in the very late 1960s (works by

Luis de Pablo Luis de Pablo Costales (28 January 1930 – 10 October 2021) was a Spanish composer belonging to the generation that Cristóbal Halffter named ''the Generación del 51''. Mostly self-taught as a composer and influenced by Maurice Ohana and Max ...

and himself). Darasse had close friendships with Antoine Tisné and

Iannis Xenakis Giannis Klearchou Xenakis (also spelled for professional purposes as Yannis or Iannis Xenakis; el, Γιάννης "Ιωάννης" Κλέαρχου Ξενάκης, ; 29 May 1922 – 4 February 2001) was a Romanian-born Greek-French avant-garde ...

, and he gave the French and German premieres of the latter's only organ work ''Gmeeoorh'' (1974).

Compositions

Organ

* ''Organum I'' for organ (1970), commission of the Festival de Royan * ''Organum II'' for organ (1978), commission of the CNSM de Paris * ''Organum III'' for organ (1979), commande pour le concours d’orgue de Chartres * ''Organum IV'' for organ and three percussions (1981) * ''Organum V'' for organ (1983), State commission * ''Organum VI'' for organ (1986), a series of 6 short and easy pieces for a classical organ * ''Organum VII'' for soprano and organ (1989), for the Saint-Bertrand-de-Comminges festival * ''Organum VIII'' for organ and

brass quintet A brass quintet is a five-piece musical ensemble composed of Brass instrument, brass instruments. The instrumentation for a brass quintet typically includes two Trumpet, trumpets or Cornet, cornets, one French horn, one trombone or euphonium/barito ...

(1972), commission of the festival de Metz, ''in memoriam

Jean-Pierre Guézec Jean-Pierre Guézec (19 August 1934 – 9 March 1971) was a French composer. Life Born in Dijon, Guézec studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris with Darius Milhaud, Jean Rivier and Olivier Messiaen. He also worked with Iannis Xenakis. His ...

'' * ''Pedal-Exercitium'' for organ (1988) commission of the Éditions Universal.

Choral

* ''Notre Père'', in the style of the ''Messe pour Montserrat'' for four mixed voices (

soprano A soprano () is a type of classical female singing voice and has the highest vocal range of all voice types. The soprano's vocal range (using scientific pitch notation) is from approximately middle C (C4) = 261 Hz to "high A" (A5) = 880&n ...

alto The musical term alto, meaning "high" in Italian (Latin: ''altus''), historically refers to the contrapuntal part higher than the tenor and its associated vocal range. In 4-part voice leading alto is the second-highest part, sung in choruses by ...

tenor A tenor is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the countertenor and baritone voice types. It is the highest male chest voice type. The tenor's vocal range extends up to C5. The lo ...

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

)

Opera

* ''

The Picture of Dorian Gray ''The Picture of Dorian Gray'' is a philosophical fiction, philosophical novel by Irish writer Oscar Wilde. A shorter novella-length version was published in the July 1890 issue of the American periodical ''Lippincott's Monthly Magazine''.''Th ...

'' (1990-1992), libretto by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

- unfinished upon death

References

External links

*
Ch-M. Widor by Xavier Darasse at Saint-Sernin de Toulouse
(YouTube) {{DEFAULTSORT:Darasse, Xavier 1934 births 1992 deaths Musicians from Toulouse French classical organists French male organists Conservatoire de Paris alumni Directors of the Conservatoire de Paris Academic staff of the Conservatoire de Paris Deaths from cancer in France 20th-century organists 20th-century French male musicians French classical composers French male classical composers Male classical organists