Joseph Boulnois (28 January 1884 – 20 October 1918) 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 ...

and composer.

Biography

Boulnois attended 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 ...

, where he studied counterpoint with

Georges Caussade Georges Paul Alphonse Emilien Caussade (20 November 1873 – 5 August 1936) was a French composer, music theorist, and music educator. Biography Born in Port Louis, Mauritius, he joined the faculty of the Conservatoire de Paris in 1905 as a teac ...

and organ with

Louis Vierne Louis Victor Jules Vierne (8 October 1870 – 2 June 1937) was a French organist and composer. As the organist of Notre-Dame de Paris from 1900 until his death, he focused on organ music, including six organ symphonies and a '' Messe solennelle ...

. In 1906, he married the pianist Jane Chevalier, and they had a son the following year, Michel Boulnois, who also became a composer and organist. In 1908, he was appointed to the organ of the , in the

3rd arrondissement of Paris The 3rd arrondissement of Paris (''IIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements (districts) of the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is colloquially referred to as the ''"troisième"'' meaning "third" in F ...

. He stayed there a short time and was appointed to the organ of the in the 9th arrondissement. In 1909, he was singing conductor at the Opéra-Comique. He remained very active as a soloist, notably as co-founder with

Marc de Ranse François-Marie Dieudonné Marc, Baron de Ranse (20 April 1881 – 12 February 1951) was a French pianist, organist, maître de chapelle, choral conductor and composer. Biographie Born in Aiguillon in Aquitaine, Ranse was a student of Vincen ...

, of the Concerts spirituels de Saint-Louis d'Antin. He also played in the Opéra-Comique and performed in the church in the 14th arrondissement. After the beginning of the First World War, Boulnois was mobilised at the Février Hospital of Châlons-sur-Marne, where he was a nurse from 1 January 1915. Appointed a corporal on 26 March 1915, he became a sergeant on 19 October 1916. During this period, Boulnois produced his most important works: the ''Sonate pour piano'', the ''Suite en 5 parties'' for cello and piano, and the ''Trio for violin, cello and piano''. Having contracted the

1918 flu pandemic The 1918–1920 influenza pandemic, commonly known by the misnomer Spanish flu or as the Great Influenza epidemic, was an exceptionally deadly global influenza pandemic caused by the H1N1 influenza A virus. The earliest documented case was ...

, Boulnois was hospitalised on 15 October 1918. He died five days later, three weeks before the

Armistice of 11 November 1918 The Armistice of 11 November 1918 was the armistice signed at Le Francport near Compiègne that ended fighting on land, sea, and air in World War I between the Entente and their last remaining opponent, Germany. Previous armistices ...

Prizes

* 1901: 1st merit certificate in harmony (class of

Antoine Taudou Antoine-Barthélémy Taudou (24 August 1846 – 6 July 1925) was a French music educator, violinist and composer. Life Born in Perpignan, Taudou studied at the Conservatoire de Paris and won the Premier Grand Prix de Rome in 1869 with the cantata ...

) * 1905: First Prize of organ (class of

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 ...

) * 1908: Second Prize in fugue (class of Charles Lenepveu) * 1910: First Prize of accompaniment for piano (class of

Paul Vidal Paul Antonin Vidal (16 June 1863 – 9 April 1931) was a French composer, conductor and music teacher mainly active in Paris.Charlton D. Paul Vidal. In: ''The New Grove Dictionary of Opera.'' Macmillan, London and New York, 1997. Life and caree ...

)

Principal works

Orchestra

* ''Sonate pour piano et petit orchestre'' * ''Rhapsodie'' * ''Marine'' * ''Symphonie funèbre'' (unfinished) * ''La Toussaint'' (1903), orchestration by

Édouard Mignan Édouard Charles Octave Mignan (17 March 1884 - 17 September 1969) was a French organist and composer. He was born in Orléans and 14 years old he became the organist of église Saint Paterne. He studied organ in Paris with Alexandre Guilmant a ...

(1919)

Piano

* ''Menuet pastoral'' * ''Choral en fa dièse mineur'' * ''La Toussaint'' (1903) * ''Madrigal'' * ''Pavane'' * ''Scherzino'' * ''Gigue'' * ''Toccata'', dedicated to his wife Jane Chevalier * ''La Basilique'' (1918) * ''Sonate'' (1918) * ''Sainte Cécile au milieu d'un grand concert des anges'' (1918)

Organ

* ''Quatre pièces brèves en ré'' (1912)

Chamber music

* ''Quatuor à cordes'' (1916) * ''Sonate pour violon et piano'' * ''Sonate pour violoncelle piano'', dedicated to Gérard Hekking (1917) * ''Suite en cinq parties'' for piano and cello (1918) * ''Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle'' (1918) * ''Noël'', pour violon et piano * ''Hiver, Neige, Noël'', suite for cello and piano * ''Hymne à Bacchus'', for cello * ''Jeux'', for cello and piano * ''Musette et Bidon'', suite for cello * ''Perdus dans un rêve'', for cello and piano

Mélodies

* ''Pastorale'', on a poem by

Maurice Rollinat Maurice Rollinat (December 29, 1846 in Châteauroux, Indre – October 26, 1903 in Ivry-sur-Seine) was a French poet and musician. Early works His father represented Indre in the National Assembly of 1848, and was a friend of George Sand, whose i ...

(1908) * ''Accompagnement'', poem by A. Samoin (1912) * ', poem by

Marceline Desbordes-Valmore Marceline Desbordes-Valmore (20 June 1786 – 23 July 1859) was a French poet and novelist. She was born in Douai. Following the French Revolution, her father's business was ruined, and she traveled with her mother to Guadeloupe in search of fi ...

(1915) * ''Nous n'irons plus au bois'', poem by

Théodore de Banville Théodore Faullain de Banville (14 March 1823 – 13 March 1891) was a French poet and writer. His work was influential on the Symbolist movement in French literature in the late 19th century. Biography Banville was born in Moulins in Allier, A ...

(1915) * ''Souvenir'', poem by

André Chénier André Marie Chénier (; 30 October 176225 July 1794) was a French poet of Greek and Franco-Levantine origin, associated with the events of the French Revolution of which he was a victim. His sensual, emotive poetry marks him as one of the precur ...

(1916) * ''La Flûte'', poem by André Chénier (1916) * ''Recueillement'', poem by

Charles Baudelaire Charles Pierre Baudelaire (, ; ; 9 April 1821 – 31 August 1867) was a French poet who also produced notable work as an essayist and art critic. His poems exhibit mastery in the handling of rhyme and rhythm, contain an exoticism inherited ...

(1916) * ''Trois sonnets'', poem by Charles-Augustin Sainte-Beuve (1917) * ''L'Ascension'', poem by Sainte-Beuve (1917) * ''La Mort des Amants'', poem by

* ''La Biche'', poem by Maurice Rollinat, (Senart, 1923) * ''L’Angelus'', poem by P. Courrière, 1912 (Senart, 1923) * ''La Cornemuse'', poem by Maurice Rollinat, (1910), (Senart, 1923)

Stage music

* ''L'Anneau d'Isis'', lyrical drama in 5 acts (1912)

References

External links

Joseph Boulnois on ''Musica et Memoria''
detailed biography.
Joseph Boulnois
on

France Musique France Musique is a French national public radio channel owned and operated by Radio France. It is devoted to the broadcasting of music, both live and recorded, with particular emphasis on classical music and jazz. History The channel was launch ...

*
Joseph Boulnois on Gallica

Joseph Boulnois, ''Paraphrase symphonique sur l'Alleluia de la dédicace de Saint Michel'' (1914)
on YouTube {{DEFAULTSORT:Boulnois, Joseph 1884 births 1918 deaths 19th-century French male musicians 20th-century French male musicians 20th-century organists Conservatoire de Paris alumni Deaths from the Spanish flu pandemic in France French classical organists French Romantic composers People from Oise French military personnel killed in World War I French Army soldiers French male classical organists