Francis Chapelet

Francis Chapelet
(b Paris, 3 March 1934). French organist. He studied the organ with Duruflé and improvisation with Rolande Falcinelli at the Paris Conservatoire, where he won premiers prix for harmony in 1958 and for organ and improvisation in 1962.

In 1954 he was appointed to Notre Dame du Liban and in 1964 to St Séverin, both in Paris. As an expert on early French and especially Spanish organ music, Chapelet is well suited for this post, particularly as it offers one of the most beautiful-sounding historic organs, and he is regarded as one of the greatest authorities on the restoration of historic organs in this geographic and stylistic sphere. The majority of his recordings have been made on organs in Spain and Portugal. He contributed articles on tonal problems with Spanish organs to the series of publications entitled Orgues Historiques. Chapelet is a standing member of the Real Academia de Bellas Artes in Madrid, and in 1979 founded an academy devoted to Iberian music at Paredes de Nava in Castile. In 1980 he was appointed professor of organ at the Bordeaux Conservatoire. He has a marked interest in geology and has written music for a number of films about volcanoes; hence the title of his composition Etna 71 for organ, first performed in Notre Dame in 1972.