Jean Langlais facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jean Langlais
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| Born |
Jean François-Hyacinthe Langlais III
February 15, 1907 La Fontenelle, Ille-et-Vilaine
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| Died | May 8, 1991 (aged 84) |
| Occupation | Composer |
| Style | Classical music |
Jean Langlais (born February 15, 1907 – died May 8, 1991) was a famous French composer, organist, and improviser. He wrote many pieces of modern classical music. Langlais often said he was "Breton, of Catholic faith," showing how proud he was of his heritage from the Brittany region of France.
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His Life Story
Jean Langlais was born in La Fontenelle, a small village in Brittany, France. His father was a blacksmith and his mother was a seamstress. When Jean was just two years old, he became blind because of a condition called glaucoma.
Because of his blindness, Jean was sent to a special school in Paris called the Institut National des Jeunes Aveugles (National Institute for Blind Children). There, he started learning to play the organ with a teacher named André Marchal. Later, he went to the famous Paris Conservatoire. He won awards for his organ playing and studied how to write music (called musical composition) with great teachers like Marcel Dupré and Paul Dukas. He also learned how to improvise music on the spot from Charles Tournemire.
After finishing his studies, Langlais went back to teach at the National Institute for Blind Children. He also taught at the Schola Cantorum in Paris for many years. Many of his students became important musicians, including organists and composers.
A book about Langlais's life, called Jean Langlais the Man and His Music, was written by his former student and friend, Ann Labounsky. Langlais was a very proud person, especially about his Breton background, and this was reflected in how he saw his own story.
Jean Langlais became very well-known as an organist. In 1945, he became the main organist at the Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde in Paris, following in the footsteps of other famous musicians like César Franck. He held this important job until 1988. People all over Europe and the United States wanted him to play concerts, and he toured widely. For example, he visited North America from January to March in 1956, playing concerts on both coasts.
Jean Langlais passed away in Paris when he was 84 years old. He left behind his second wife, Marie-Louise Jaquet-Langlais, and his three children, Janine, Claude, and Caroline. After he retired, Jacques Taddei took over as the organist at Sainte-Clotilde.
His Music
Langlais was a very busy composer. He wrote an amazing 254 pieces of music! His first piece was a Prelude and Fugue for organ in 1927, and his last was a Trio for organ in 1990. While he is most famous for his organ music and sacred (religious) choir music, he also wrote pieces for other instruments, orchestras, and even some non-religious songs.
Langlais's music has a very unique and special sound. It combines different styles, sometimes sounding like older music and sometimes very modern. His music often has rich and complex harmonies. You can also hear influences from his Breton heritage, giving his music an earthy, folk-like feel.
Because Langlais was blind, he had a special way of composing. He would think about every detail of a piece in his mind for a long time. Then, he would write it down using Braille, which is a system of raised dots that blind people read with their fingers. After that, he would tell each note and its rhythm to another person, often his first wife Jeannette, who would then write out the full music score.
Some of his most famous works include:
- His four-part masses, like Messe solennelle and Missa Salve Regina.
- Missa in simplicitate for a single voice and organ.
- Many organ pieces, such as:
* Hymne d'actions de grâces (from Three Gregorian Paraphrases) * La nativité (The Nativity) and Les rameaux (The Palms) * Chant héroïque (Heroic Song) and Chant de paix (Song of Peace) * Incantation pour un jour saint (Incantation for a Holy Day) * Suite médiévale (Medieval Suite) * Folkloric Suite
Recordings
Many of Jean Langlais's performances and compositions have been recorded so people can still listen to them today.
Albums
- Langlais joue Langlais (Langlais plays Langlais), 1976
- Missa Salve Regina; Messe solennelle, 1988
- Jean Langlais Live, St. Augustin, Wien, 1993
- Organ works (Kevin Bowyer), 1994
- Messe solennelle - Missa in Simplicitate - Missa Misericordiae Domini, 1996
- Suite Médiévale / Cinq Méditations sur l'Apocalypse, 1996
- The complete organ works of César Franck on the organ of the Basilica of Sainte Clotilde, Paris (1963) [2 CD], 1996
- Chants de Bretagne (Songs of Brittany), 1997
- Musique de chambre avec piano (Chamber Music with Piano), 2001
- Un centenaire (A Centenary) (George Baker, organ), 2007
DVDs
- Life and Music of Jean Langlais, 2007, made by the Los Angeles chapter of the American Guild of Organists.
