César Franck began composing for the organ only in his advanced thirties, with his early works including Trios Op. 1 for piano, violin, and cello, and the oratorio "Ruth."
Composer Biography
Franck's father had an ambition for César's piano talent to be fruitful for the family, and César was oppressed by his father's will through his early twenties.
Composer's Artistic Vision
César Franck, the composer, once described his new organ as "an orchestra," highlighting his symphonic approach to the instrument.
Critical Reception
Franz Liszt, a renowned composer and pianist, openly compared César Franck to J.S. Bach after hearing Franck perform his "Six Pièces" for the first time.
Composer Biography
César Franck, though often considered a "French" composer, was born in Liège to a father of uncertain stock and a German mother.
Composition History
The organ at Ste. Clotilde, where César Franck was organist for 32 years, became his inspiration for the first set of his organ works, the Six Pièces.
Instruments
The organ in the Katarina Church in Stockholm, built in 1975-76, incorporates parts from earlier organs dating back to 1751 and 1863.
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