Tournemire Charles Arnould, *22 January 1870 Bordeaux, †4 November 1939 Arcachon, French composer and organist. He studied at the Paris Conservatory from 1886–1891, including under Ch. Widor (organ, first prize diploma) and C. Franck (composition). In 1898 he took the position of titular organist of the Ste-Clotilde church in Paris after G. Pierné. He became known as an outstanding improviser; his artistry was recognised by M. Duruflé and O. Messiaen, among others. In 1903, he was awarded the top prize in the music competition of the City of Paris for his cantata Le sang de la sirène. He obtained the position of Professor of Chamber Music at the Paris Conservatoire in 1919 after twice unsuccessfully applying for a professorship in the organ class at the conservatoire. Tournemire spent a lot of time on the island of Ouessant in Brittany, where he found inspiration for many of his pieces.
In Tournemire’s extensive compositional oeuvre, consisting of 73 opuses and diverse in genre, the evolution of musical language is evident. The early works are characterised by eclecticism, combining influences from the heritage of late Romanticism with the music of Debussy and Franck. Tournemire’s individual style, developed in the mid-1920s, is characterised by extensive use of modal scales (including oriental scales in recent works), logical construction, variation in sound and a mystical, meditative atmosphere, stemming from a search for inspiration in the Bible and the Christian tradition as a whole. Tournemire’s best-known work is the L’orgue mystique, a cycle of 51 organ suites intended — following the example of J.S. Bach — for individual Sundays of the church year and based on Gregorian chant melodies.
Literatura: J.-M. Fauquet Catalogue de l’oeuvre de Charles Tournemire, Geneva 1979; M. Duruflé Mes souvenirs sur Tournemire et Vierne, “L’Orgue” 1977 No. 162; D. Connolly, Charles Tournemire and L’Orgue Mystique: A Study, Maynooth 2006.
Compositions:
Instrumental music:
orchestral works:
Symphony No. 1 “Romantique” Op. 18, 1900
Symphony No. 2 “Ouessant” Op. 36, 1909
Symphony No. 3 “Moscow” (1913)” Op. 43, 1913
Symphony No. 4 “Pages symphoniques” Op. 44, 1913
Symphony No. 5 “De la montagne” Op. 47, 1914
Symphony No. 7 “Les danses de la vie” Op. 49, 1922
Symphony No. 8 “La symphonie du triomphe de la mort” Op. 51, 1924
chamber music:
Piano Quartet Op. 15, 1898
Piano Trio Op. 22, 1901
Musique orante Op. 61 for string quartet, 1933
Sonate-poème Op. 65 for violin and piano, 1935
for a solo instrument:
Pièce symphonique Op. 16 for organ, 1899
Poème mystique Op. 33 for piano, 1908
Triple choral Op. 41 for organ, 1910
L’orgue mystique Op. 55–57 for organ, 1927–1932
12 Préludes-poèmes Op. 58 for piano, 1932
Symphonie-choral Op. 69 for organ, 1935
Symphonie sacrée Op. 71 for organ, 1936
Vocal and instrumental music:
several songs for voice and piano, among others to the texts by V. Hugo, P. Verlaine, and A. Samain
Le sang de la sirène Op. 27 for 4 solo voices, choir and orchestra, text by M. Brennure after A. Le Braza, 1903
Faust – Don Quichotte – St François d’Assise Op. 52, cantata, trilogy for solo voices, choir and orchestra, words by the composer according to Ch. Marlowe and M. de Cervantes, 1916–1929
Symphony No. 6 Op. 48 for tenor, choir, organ and orchestra, texts from the Bible, 1918
Apocalypse de St Jean Op. 63, cantata, for tenor, choir, organ and orchestra, text by the composer based on the Apocalypse of St. John, 1936
La douloureuse Passion du Xrist Op. 72, cantata, for 3 solo voices, choir, organ and orchestra, text by the composer according to A.C. Emmerich, 1937
Stage music:
Les Dieux sont morts Op. 42, opera, libretto by E. Berteaux, 1912, premiered in Paris 1924
La légende de Tristan Op. 53, opera, libretto by A. Pauphilet, 1926
Il poverello di Assisi Op. 73, opera, libretto by J. Péladan, 1938
Writings:
C. Franck, Paris 1931
Précis d’exécution, de registration et d’improvisation à l’orgue, Paris 1936
Petite méthode d’orgue, Paris 1949
