Guillaume Lasceux

Guillaume Lasceux(b Poissy, 3 Feb 1740; d Paris, 1831): French organist and composer. He began his career as an organist at the church of St Martin in the village of Chevreuse, near Poissy, at the age of 18.

He went to Paris in 1762 and spent five years studying composition with the organist Charles Noblet, who was also harpsichordist of the Opéra. In 1769 he became supernumerary organist to Claude-Nicolas Ingrain at St Etienne-du-Mont and took over the post in 1774. Other positions which he held simultaneously were at the church of the Mathurins (from 1769, succeeding Noblet), St Aure (from 1769), the Minims convent in the Place Royale (from 1779), Collège de Navarre and Séminaire St Magloire. As a result of the Revolution he lost his patronage and most of his organ positions and then, in order to support himself, played for the services of the Theophilanthropists in St Etienne-du-Mont (renamed Temple de la Piété-filiale). When St Etienne-du-Mont was restored to Roman Catholic worship in 1803 he resumed his former duties until he retired on 2 January 1819.

Lasceux was known as a virtuoso organist, and was particularly celebrated for his improvisations depicting the Last Judgment. He composed in many genres, including opéras comiques, accompanied keyboard sonatas, sacred organ pieces and vocal music, and made keyboard arrangements of popular songs. The novelty of his works gained them some success, particularly with amateurs.