Jean Langlais

Jean Langlais
(b La Fontenelle, 15 Feb 1907; d Paris, 8 May 1991). French organist and composer. He studied at the Institution des Jeunes Aveugles in Paris with Blazy (piano), Mahaut (harmony) Marchal (organ).

Marchal prepared him for Dupré's class at the Conservatoire, where he was, with Messiaen, one of Dukas' last composition pupils; he took a premier prix in organ (1930) and a second prix in composition (1934). Lessons with Tournemire during this period were decisive. In 1932 he was appointed organist of St Pierre-de-Montrouge; he also joined the staff at the blind school where he had studied, teaching composition and organ, and conducting the choir in Palestrina, Bach and Josquin. In 1945 he followed in the line of Franck and Tournemire as organist of Ste Clotilde, a position he held until 1987.

He made his first visit to the USA in 1952, and repeatedly returned for concerts (including more than 300 recitals) and teaching engagements until 1981. Many of his works have been written for America. His Solemn Mass ‘Orbis factor’ had its first performance in 1969 at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, DC, before an audience of around 7000. His earlier Mass ‘Salve regina’, though, was first sung in Notre Dame, Paris, at Christmas 1954.

As an organ composer, Langlais followed the tradition of Tournemire. A quarter of his works are based on Gregorian melodies, treated with great inventiveness and enhanced by rich polymodal harmonies. Almost all his music was intended to express his religious faith. From 1962 to 1975 he taught at the Schola Cantorum in Paris, and gained a reputation as one of the best teachers of improvisation in the world, drawing pupils from many countries.