François Benoist

François Benoist was a French organist, pedagogue, and composer.

Life and career

Benoist was born in Nantes on 10 September 1794. He took his first music lessons under Georges Scheuermann. Benoist studied music at the Conservatoire de Paris and won the Prix de Rome in 1815 for his cantata Œnone. In 1819, he became organist and professor of organ at the Conservatoire; he held the latter post for half a century.
His students included César Franck, Camille Saint-Saëns, Charles Lecocq, Georges Bizet, Louis Lefébure-Wely, Léo Delibes, and Adolphe Adam.
As composer, he was comparatively unimportant, but he wrote two operas, four ballets, one Requiem Mass, and numerous works for organ. He died in Paris.

Selected compositions

Léonore et Félix, opéra-comique, 1821Chœur d'adieu, 1836La Gipsy, ballet, 1839Le Diable amoureux, ballet, 1840Bibliothèque de l'organiste, 12 volumes, 1841–1861Messe de Requiem pour trois voix d'homme et une d'enfant, avec accompagnement d'orgue ad libitum, 1842.Othello, opera, 1844L'Apparition, opera, 1848Nisida ou les Amazones des Açores, ballet, 1848Pâquerette, ballet, 1851Deux Préludes, 1860Recueil de quatre morceaux pour orgue : Andante, Fugue sur le "Pange lingua", Marche religieuse, Communion, 1878Messe à 4 voix, orgue et orchestre, 1861Ave Maria pour mezzo-sopranoKyrie à 4 voixO Salutaris à une voix,

''Cantique à la Sainte Vierge''