François Giroust (10 April 1737 – 28 April 1799) was a French composer. He was born in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
Notre-Dame de Paris
Notre-Dame de Paris ( ; meaning "Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris"), often referred to simply as Notre-Dame, is a Medieval architecture, medieval Catholic cathedral on the Île de la Cité (an island in the River Seine), in the 4th arrondissemen ...
with Louis Homet (1691-1767) until 1748 and afterwards with Antoine Goulet, Giroust got appointed as ''maître de musique'' (
Kapellmeister
( , , ), from German (chapel) and (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 has evolved considerably in i ...
) at the cathedral of
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
The Concert Spirituel () was one of the first public concert series in existence. The concerts began in Paris in 1725 and ended in 1790. Later, concerts or series of concerts with the same name occurred in multiple places including Paris, Vienna ...
, 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 ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
, replacing . This took place under
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
's reign. During his time in this position, he composed the Coronation Mass for
Louis XVI
Louis XVI (Louis-Auguste; ; 23 August 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
, and the ''Missa pro defunctis'' for
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), 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 reached maturity (then defi ...
.
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 ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...
, 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 language, Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal music, vocal Musical composition, composition with an musical instrument, instrumental accompaniment, ty ...
''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
The Conservatoire de Paris (), or 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 Jean Ja ...
.
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
KU Leuven (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Leuven, Belgium. Founded in 1425, it is the oldest university in Belgium and the oldest university in the Low Countries.
In addition to its mai ...
.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 1754 – 21 January 1793) was the last king of France before the fall of the monarchy during the French Revolution. The son of Louis, Dauphin of France (1729–1765), Louis, Dauphin of France (son and heir- ...
(31 June 1776) and the Missa pro defunctis for
Louis XV
Louis XV (15 February 1710 – 10 May 1774), known as Louis the Beloved (), 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 reached maturity (then defi ...
.
* 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.
Recordings of works by Giroust
Incomplete list of recordings:
* La Psalette d'Orléans, dir. Jean Turellier '': Giroust - Prose des Morts (Dies Irae), from Musiques et musiciens d'Orléans,'' Merjitur, CL 84102, 1984
* Choeur de Chambre de Namur, Musica Polyphonica, dir. Louis Devos: ''Giroust - Messe Du Sacre De Louis XVI, Super Flumina Babylonis, Prose de Morts (Dies Irae),'' Erato–2292-45024-2, 1990
* Chœur de Chambre de Namur'','' Les Agrémens, dir. Jean-Claude Malgoire: ''Grands Motets'' / '' Grétry'' ''- Confitebor, Gossec - Terribilis est locus site, Giroust'' - Benedic anima mea, K617181-HM90, 2006