Jean-Charles Ablitzer
Encyclopedia
Jean-Charles Ablitzer (b. Grandvillars, August 5, 1946) is a French
organist
and organ teacher, whose main interest is in music and organs of the renaissance and baroque periods.
in the Territoire de Belfort
, in which department he has lived almost all his life. At first self-taught, he later studied with Pierre Vidal at the Strasbourg
conservatory. Since 1971 he has been the organist of Belfort Cathedral, with its historical Valtrin/Callinet/Schwenkedel organ officially classed as a Monument historique
. From 1971 until 2007 he was also professor of organ at the Belfort conservatory. He initiated the construction of an Italian baroque type organ by Gérald Guillemin (1979) and of a Northern baroque type instrument by Marc Garnier (1985), so that Belfort, which already had romantic instruments, became an ideal place to teach the organ.
His interest in historical instruments of the northern type, which led him to Germany (including East Germany before die Wende
, which he regularly visited between 1976 and 1984), culminated in his efforts on behalf of the reconstruction of the organ David Beck built for the chapel of Gröningen
castle in 1596 and on behalf of the restoration of its case; at present this organ is in Saint Martin's in Halberstadt
. It was he who alerted the authorities to the deplorable state of this famous instrument, described by its one-time organist Michael Praetorius
in his Syntagma Musicum. He is still among the driving forces behind "Organum Gruningense Redivivum", the action group campaigning for the restoration of the Beck organ, although he is now its honorary president.
The music of Praetorius is particularly important for Jean-Charles Ablitzer. In 2005 he recorded Praetorius's complete organ works on the Hans Scherer organ in St Stephen's in Tangermünde
(published by Alpha in 2008). On the Compenius organ in the Frederiksborg Palace
, he also recorded a cd entitled Auch auff Orgeln with transcriptions for organ (by himself as well as by others) of vocal and instrumental music by Praetorius (Musique et mémoire productions). He often plays Praetorius in his recitals, and in 2006 he even made a slide show of a trip he made that took him In the Footsteps of Michael Praetorius to Wolfenbüttel
, Halberstadt, Gröningen and Creuzburg
, Praetorius's native city.
In addition to Praetorius, Ablitzer's discography includes the complete organ works of Buxtehude
(Harmonic Records) and Brahms
(Harmonic Records), as well as works by Bach
, Georg Böhm
, François Couperin
, Jean-François Dandrieu
, and others.
He has performed as a soloist all over France, where festivals like the Festival d'Avignon
, Toulouse
les Orgues, Musique et mémoire, and the Festival international de piano de La Roque-d'Anthéron
(which accommodates organists and harpsichordists besides pianists) have invited him. He has also played in numerous European countries, including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Italy; in Denmark he participated in the celebrations around the 400th anniversary of the Compenius organ (1610–2010) in Frederiksborg
. His concert tours have also taken him to Japan.
Besides playing solo recitals, he likes to work with singers, notably with the Catalan baritone Josep Cabré, and with ensembles like Gérard Lesne
's Il Seminario Musicale
, in which he played continuo for fifteen years. Among the numerous radio and television broadcasts featuring Jean-Charles Ablitzer, his regular invitations to France Musique
's Organo pleno programs deserve special mention.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
organist
Organist
An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists...
and organ teacher, whose main interest is in music and organs of the renaissance and baroque periods.
Biography
Ablitzer was born in GrandvillarsGrandvillars
Grandvillars is a commune in the Territoire de Belfort department in Franche-Comté in northeastern France.-References:*...
in the Territoire de Belfort
Territoire de Belfort
The Territoire de Belfort is a department in the Franche-Comté region of eastern France.-Administration:Its departmental code is 90, and its prefecture is Belfort...
, in which department he has lived almost all his life. At first self-taught, he later studied with Pierre Vidal at the Strasbourg
Strasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
conservatory. Since 1971 he has been the organist of Belfort Cathedral, with its historical Valtrin/Callinet/Schwenkedel organ officially classed as a Monument historique
Monument historique
A monument historique is a National Heritage Site of France. It also refers to a state procedure in France by which national heritage protection is extended to a building or a specific part of a building, a collection of buildings, or gardens, bridges, and other structures, because of their...
. From 1971 until 2007 he was also professor of organ at the Belfort conservatory. He initiated the construction of an Italian baroque type organ by Gérald Guillemin (1979) and of a Northern baroque type instrument by Marc Garnier (1985), so that Belfort, which already had romantic instruments, became an ideal place to teach the organ.
His interest in historical instruments of the northern type, which led him to Germany (including East Germany before die Wende
Die Wende
marks the complete process of the change from socialism and planned economy to market economy and capitalism in East Germany around the years 1989 and 1990. It encompasses several processes and events which later have become synonymous with the overall process...
, which he regularly visited between 1976 and 1984), culminated in his efforts on behalf of the reconstruction of the organ David Beck built for the chapel of Gröningen
Gröningen
Gröningen is a town in the Börde district in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It lies approx. 40 km south-west of Magdeburg, and 10 km east of Halberstadt. It has 4,180 inhabitants . Gröningen is part of the Verbandsgemeinde Westliche Börde....
castle in 1596 and on behalf of the restoration of its case; at present this organ is in Saint Martin's in Halberstadt
Halberstadt
Halberstadt is a town in the German state of Saxony-Anhalt and the capital of the district of Harz. It is located on the German Half-Timbered House Road and the Magdeburg–Thale railway....
. It was he who alerted the authorities to the deplorable state of this famous instrument, described by its one-time organist Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius
Michael Praetorius was a German composer, organist, and music theorist. He was one of the most versatile composers of his age, being particularly significant in the development of musical forms based on Protestant hymns, many of which reflect an effort to make better the relationship between...
in his Syntagma Musicum. He is still among the driving forces behind "Organum Gruningense Redivivum", the action group campaigning for the restoration of the Beck organ, although he is now its honorary president.
The music of Praetorius is particularly important for Jean-Charles Ablitzer. In 2005 he recorded Praetorius's complete organ works on the Hans Scherer organ in St Stephen's in Tangermünde
Tangermünde
Tangermünde is a town in the district of Stendal, in the northeastern part of Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. It is situated on the Elbe river in the Altmark region.-History:Tangermünde can look back at an 1000-year history...
(published by Alpha in 2008). On the Compenius organ in the Frederiksborg Palace
Frederiksborg Palace
Frederiksborg castle is a castle in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV, and is now known as The Museum of National History. The current building replaced a previous castle erected by Frederick II, and is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia...
, he also recorded a cd entitled Auch auff Orgeln with transcriptions for organ (by himself as well as by others) of vocal and instrumental music by Praetorius (Musique et mémoire productions). He often plays Praetorius in his recitals, and in 2006 he even made a slide show of a trip he made that took him In the Footsteps of Michael Praetorius to Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel
Wolfenbüttel is a town in Lower Saxony, Germany, located on the Oker river about 13 kilometres south of Brunswick. It is the seat of the District of Wolfenbüttel and of the bishop of the Protestant Lutheran State Church of Brunswick...
, Halberstadt, Gröningen and Creuzburg
Creuzburg
Creuzburg is a town on the Werra river in the Wartburgkreis in Thuringia, Germany.-Geography:Creuzburg is in the area known as the Muschelkalk...
, Praetorius's native city.
In addition to Praetorius, Ablitzer's discography includes the complete organ works of Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude
Dieterich Buxtehude was a German-Danish organist and composer of the Baroque period. His organ works represent a central part of the standard organ repertoire and are frequently performed at recitals and in church services...
(Harmonic Records) and Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
(Harmonic Records), as well as works by Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach
Johann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, Georg Böhm
Georg Böhm
Georg Böhm was a German Baroque organist and composer. He is notable for his development of the chorale partita and for his influence on the young J. S. Bach.-Life:Böhm was born in 1661 in Hohenkirchen, near Ohrdruf...
, François Couperin
François Couperin
François Couperin was a French Baroque composer, organist and harpsichordist. He was known as Couperin le Grand to distinguish him from other members of the musically talented Couperin family.-Life:Couperin was born in Paris...
, Jean-François Dandrieu
Jean-François Dandrieu
Jean-François Dandrieu was a French Baroque composer, harpsichordist and organist.He was born in Paris into a family of artists and musicians. A gifted and precocious child, he gave his first public performances when he was 5 years old, playing the harpsichord for Louis XIV, King of France, and...
, and others.
He has performed as a soloist all over France, where festivals like the Festival d'Avignon
Festival d'Avignon
The Festival d'Avignon, or Avignon Festival, is an annual arts festival held in the French city of Avignon. Founded in 1947 by Jean Vilar, it is the oldest extant festival in France and one of the world's greatest...
, Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
les Orgues, Musique et mémoire, and the Festival international de piano de La Roque-d'Anthéron
La Roque-d'Anthéron
La Roque-d'Anthéron is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France. Silvacane Abbey, a former Cistercian monastery, is located near La Roque-d'Anthéron.-Population:-References:*...
(which accommodates organists and harpsichordists besides pianists) have invited him. He has also played in numerous European countries, including Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Austria, Spain, and Italy; in Denmark he participated in the celebrations around the 400th anniversary of the Compenius organ (1610–2010) in Frederiksborg
Frederiksborg Palace
Frederiksborg castle is a castle in Hillerød, Denmark. It was built as a royal residence for King Christian IV, and is now known as The Museum of National History. The current building replaced a previous castle erected by Frederick II, and is the largest Renaissance palace in Scandinavia...
. His concert tours have also taken him to Japan.
Besides playing solo recitals, he likes to work with singers, notably with the Catalan baritone Josep Cabré, and with ensembles like Gérard Lesne
Gérard Lesne
Gérard Lesne is a French countertenor. He also the founder and artistic director of the baroque music ensemble, Il Seminario Musicale...
's Il Seminario Musicale
Il Seminario Musicale
Il Seminario Musicale is a baroque music ensemble founded in 1985 by the French countertenor, Gérard Lesne who is also its artistic director. Considered to be one of the leading French baroque music ensembles, it has been resident since 1990 at the Fondation de l'abbaye de Royaumont, thirty...
, in which he played continuo for fifteen years. Among the numerous radio and television broadcasts featuring Jean-Charles Ablitzer, his regular invitations to France Musique
France Musique
France Musique is a French public radio station devoted to music, including classical music and jazz. France Musique was created in 1954 as Chaîne Haute-Fidélité then renamed 1958 as France IV Haute Fidélité, then RTF Haute Fidélité in 1963, and finally France Musique in same year...
's Organo pleno programs deserve special mention.
Honors
- In 2000 Jean-Charles Ablitzer was made a Chevalier in the Ordre des Arts et des LettresOrdre des Arts et des LettresThe Ordre des Arts et des Lettres is an Order of France, established on 2 May 1957 by the Minister of Culture, and confirmed as part of the Ordre national du Mérite by President Charles de Gaulle in 1963...
by the French ministry of culture and communicationMinister of Culture (France)The Minister of Culture is, in the Government of France, the cabinet member in charge of national museums and monuments; promoting and protecting the arts in France and abroad; and managing the national archives and regional "maisons de culture"...
. - A decree of the President of France dated November 11, 2010, conferred upon him the title of Chevalier in the Ordre national du MériteOrdre National du MériteThe Ordre national du Mérite is an Order of State awarded by the President of the French Republic. It was founded on 3 December 1963 by President Charles de Gaulle...
, citing his "43 years of cultural activities and military service".
Sources
- Program notes on J.-Ch. Ablitzer in Organa Saint-Rémy-de-Provence: 35ème Festival d'Orgue: Juillet/Août/Septembre 2010, published by the Association des Amis de l'Orgue de Saint-Rémy-de-Provence. In French.
- Organum Gruningense Redivivum, a trilingual (German, French, English) brochure, edited and published by Jean-Charles Ablitzer on behalf of the eponymous action group in Halberstadt, with the support of the Territoire de Belfort; available here (retrieved October 2010). Its main article, "The David Beck organ in the chapel of Gröningen castle was transferred in 1770 to St Martin's church, Halberstadt", is by Ablitzer.
- "Jean-Charles Ablitzer, organiste", an article on the website of the 17th edition of the Festival Musique et mémoire (retrieved October 2010). In French.
- Personal website of Jean-Charles Ablitzer (retrieved October 2010). In French; contains his complete discography.