Alexis de Castillon


Alexis-Marie de Castillon de Saint-Victor was a French composer.

Life and career

Castillon was born in Chartres into an old aristocratic family from Languedoc. His parents initially intended him to pursue a military career, but Castillon gave up plans for professional soldiering in favour of music, which he learned first in his birthplace and then in Paris, where he studied piano and composition, initially with Charles Delioux. For composition, he attended the classes of Victor Massé and, from 1869, of César Franck at the Paris Conservatoire. Before his studies with Franck, he had completed his Opus 1, a piano quintet, probably inspired by the earlier example of his friend Camille Saint-Saëns. Both the quintet and the later piano quartet Op. 7 follow Schumann's model. He disavowed earlier efforts, including a symphony in F major, which he had written in 1865.
In fragile health at the best of times, he died of complications from fever in 1873 at age 34. His works include pieces for piano, chamber music, mélodies, a piano concerto, and other orchestral music. He was also active in Parisian musical life, in particular helping to create, in 1871, the Société Nationale de Musique, of which he was the first secretary.

List of compositions

Piano solo

  • Fugue in G minor
  • Fugues dans le style libre, Op. 2
  • Suite No. 1, Op. 5
  • 5 Pièces dans le style ancien, Op. 9
  • Suite No. 2, Op. 10
  • 6 Valses humoristiques, Op. 11
  • ''24 Pensées fugitives''

    Chamber

  • Piano Quintet, Op. 1
  • String Quartet No. 1, Op. 3, No. 1
  • String Quartet No. 2, Op. 3, No. 2
  • Piano Trio No. 1, Op. 4
  • Sonata for violin and piano, Op. 6
  • Piano Quartet, Op. 7
  • Piano Trio No. 2, Op. 17

    Concertante

  • Piano Concerto, Op. 12

    Orchestra

  • Robert Schumann: Trois morceaux, arr. for orchestra
  • Marche Scandinave
  • Symphony No. 1
  • 5 Airs de Danse, suite for orchestra
  • Esquisses symphoniques, Op. 15
  • Symphony No. 2
  • Franz Schubert: Impromptu, Op. 90, No. 1, arr. for orchestra
  • 3 Pièces dans le style ancien
  • Torquato Tasso, Ouverture

    Songs

  • 6 Poésies d'Armand Silvestre, Op. 8

    Choral

  • Paraphrase du Psaume 84, for soloists, choir, and orchestra, on a text by Louis Gallet, Op. 16
  • Mass