Guy Morançon

Guy Morançon (born 5 December 1927) is a French composer and organist.

Biography
Born in Marseille, Guy Morançon studied music at the Marseille conservatory, then at the Accademia Musicale Chigiana, the Gregorian Institute of Paris and the Conservatoire de Paris. His main masters were Marcel Prévot in organ, Alexandre Eugène Cellier, Marcel Dupré, in orchestra direction, Louis Fourestier, Paul van Kempen, Carl Schuricht, in chorus direction, Élisabeth Brasseur, and Pierre Revel, Louis Saguer and Olivier Messiaen in writing and music composition.

First appointed as the maître de chapelle of the Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Paris, he then became the titular organist, whose casing, for Cavaillé-Coll, was one of the most beautiful in France. A soloist at Radio France, he also performed with the Orchestre de Paris, and La Chapelle Royale; he performed under the direction of conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Semyon Bychkov, Emmanuel Krivine, André Girard (conductor) and Philippe Herreweghe.

Several countries welcome him for concerts and tours, in particular the United States of America, Finland, Germany... His very vast repertoire, extends from the music of the Middle Ages to today, and gives a lot of space to the French authors, Couperin, but also Lefébure-Wély, Bonnal, Messiaen.

In 1962, he founded the Jean-Baptiste Lully choruses, which he conducted until 1977, and with which he gave the great works of the sacred repertoire, from Roland de Lassus to Olivier Messiaen, with the collaboration of international soloists such as Maria Stader, Aldo Ciccolini, Jacques Villisech, Yvonne Loriod, Yi-Kwei Sze, Elizabeth Harwood, Rita Streich. The main Parisian orchestras participated in these concerts.

One example is the complete creation in France of the oratorio Elijah by Mendelssohn in the presence of a descendant of the German composer. Only excerpts had previously been given, mainly by the 19th century Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire.

As a composer, among an important and varied catalogue, are Œnochoé, choreographic symphony, Tropes, for great organ and 6 percussions, Solstices, for flute and piano, La Messe des Bergers de Provence, for traditional men's voices and instruments, Music for organ and strings, Suite Latine, Sirventès, Petit Livre pour la guitare, La Messe de Verlaine, for women's voices, piano, percussion and ondes Martenot, Enneagone for trio of reeds and string orchestra, Dix Noëls de Provence, old-fashioned treatises for organ, Sept Pastorales for wind quintet, Salicornesfor viola and piano.

His latest creation took place at the Val-de-Grâce in 2009. Several of these works were state commissions and were recorded on discs by performers from other countries, particularly in Great Britain. For the most part, his Noëls de Provence use traditional themes that neither Nicolas Saboly nor others after him had ever transcribed for organ or chorus. Their success has been considerable, both in France and abroad. Most recently, in Quebec City, twelve organists played twelve of his christmas parts.

From 1982 to 1991, he was Director of the Nadia Boulanger conservatory then Inspector and Chargé de mission to the Inspecteur général de la Musique for the Ville de Paris. He presides the "Musique au Val-de-Grâce" association.

A chevalier of the Ordre des Arts et Lettres and silver medalist of the city of Paris, Guy Morançon has thus seen his musical activities unfold over the years in various directions, namely those of the concert organ, the liturgical organ, the conducting of choirs and orchestras, private and public education and composition, to which must be added numerous organ inaugurations. In addition, he regularly transcribes for organ pages by Liszt or Mozart, Beethoven and Bach. Guy Morançon recorded at Iramac (the world premiere of Mendelssohn's complete world of his organ works), Arion, Inédits-ORTF, Elyon, Jade, Mandala, Pathé-Marconi/EMI.

Works

 * Dix noëls de Provence, for organ
 * Quatre autres noëls de Provence, for organ
 * Three pieces for grand organ
 * Three studies for string orchestra, after Paolo Uccello
 * Sirventès, for guitar
 * Music for organ and strings
 * Fantasy on a theme by Heinrich Schütz, for lute with 8 choruses
 * Messe de Verlaine, for female vocal chorus (1 to 4 parts) and three instruments: piano, percussion and ondes Martenot
 * Enneagone, for reed trio (oboe, clarinet, bassoon) and string orchestra
 * Différenciations, for four bass trombones
 * Divertissement, for flute, oboe, cello and harpsichord
 * Divertissement, version for flute, clarinet, violin, cello and harpsichord
 * Sept pastorales, for wind quintet
 * Salicornes, for viola and piano
 * Prélude à l'Ile mystérieuse, in tribute to Jules Verne, for ten stringed instruments
 * Ballade Le page tremblant, lyrics by Paul Fort, for choir a cappella
 * String quartet
 * Linéaires, for mixed choir, on lyrics by Albert Ginet
 * Le navire qui chante dans l'arbre, for choir, on lyrics by Paul Fort

These pieces are the perfect expression of the composer's roots and language. Pastorales for wind instruments after traditional Provencal Christmas, pieces for strings not seeking an illusory modernity, but of a great sincerity of writing. A concerto for three wind instruments soloists and string orchestra, in which the soloists compete with each other as well as with the orchestra, a magnificent page with a flexible and virtuoso writing. Voice pieces that show an intimate knowledge of the voice. The shadow of his master Messiaen passes fugitively on some pages, as if to underline better that of these influences has forged an indisputable personality. The great French tradition, the colors of Provence as well as a subtle contemporary harmony, and the rigour of writing.

Discography

 * Integral of the organ work of Mendelssohn, by Guy Morançon at the organ of the Church of St. Ouen, Rouen, Iramac
 * Noëls de Provence, by Guy Morançon, by the composer at the great organ of the Basilica of Notre-Dame-des-Victoires, Paris, Mandala
 * Enneagone for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and string orchestra, Seven Pastorals for wind quintet, Three studies for string orchestra, after to Paolo Uccello, by various soloists, Moscow Contemporary Music Ensemble and Russian National Orchestra String Orchestra, conducted by Jean Thorel, Le Chant du Monde
 * Musique pour orgue et cordes, by Hervé Désarbre, on the Cavaillé-Coll organ of the église du Val-de-Grâce, and the orchestral Ensemble Stringendo directed by Jean Thorel, Mandala
 * Messe des bergers de Provence, by the Baladins de la Chanson choir, directed by Henri Bouteille
 * Schubert, Schumann, Rabaud, Fauré, Morançon, by Guy Deplus, clarinet, and Guy Morançon at the Grand Organ of the Basilica N.-D. des Victoires, Jade
 * Mozart, works for organ (Sonatas, Choral, March, Variations) by Guy Morançon at the Grand Organ of the Basilica N.-D. des Victoires, Mandala
 * Claude Balbastre, La Marche des Marseillais, by Guy Morançon, Teldec
 * Guy Morançon, noëls de Provence, by Rupert Gough, on the Royal Holloway organ, London University, Regent