Henri Mulet

Henri Mulet (1936)

Henri Mulet was a French organist and composer. He was born on 17 October 1878 in Paris, France, and died on 20 September 1967 in Draguignan, France. Mulet came of age assisting his father, the maître de-chapelle of the neo-Byzantine Basilica of the Sacré-Cœur, by playing harmonium at the church. He was an enigmatic character, and somewhat eccentric. Because of his lack of correspondence, few friends, and solitary lifestyle, information regarding his life is limited. Although he lived for 88 years, he composed music only during about 15 of them.

Most of his published compositions were for the organ. His works for organ have been called "expressive in a post-Romantic manner."

He won first prize for cello in Delsart's class in 1893. He won second prize for organ in 1897. He studied organ with Guilmant and Widor. He served as an organist in several churches in Paris(choirmaster of the basilica of Sacré-Coeur, Paris and titular organist at St Pierre-de-Montrouge (until 1901), St Eustache, Ste Marie des Batignolles (1910), St Roch (1912), and finally St Philippe du Roule in Paris). He was a professor at the Ecole Niedermeyer and at the Schola Cantorum.

In 1937 Mulet burnt his manuscripts (giving some of his orchestral manuscripts to Félix Raugel), and left Paris for Draguignan in Provence. He also owned a house overlooking Frejus. Most of his surviving music is largely unknown.

He served as organist at the cathedral in Draguignan until 1958, and entrusted himself to the care of the nuns at the abbey there (Les Petites Soeurs des Pauvres). He was married but had no children. He spent the last 30 of his 89 years in seclusion. By the time of his death, he had been completely forgotten, and not one French newspaper printed his obituary.

Original source of this article is the Henri Mulet page at the Classical Composers Database (from January 2004), which was written by Ioannis Dimitroulis.

Works

Organ

• Méditation religieuse, 1896?
• Prière, 1902?
• Carillon-Sortie, 1912?
• Esquisses Byzantines (10 pieces), 1914–19. This group of pieces was inspired by "elements" of the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Paris. (Mulet was born in Montmartre under the shadow of Sacré-Coeur). They are inscribed "En mémoire de la Basilique du Sacré-Coeur de Montmartre, 1914-1919". They were published in 1920.
• Offertoire funèbre
• Petit offertoire
• Sortie douce
• Offertoire sur un Alléluia grégorien, pour la fête du Très-Saint-Rosaire

Harmonium

• Angelus; Offertoire; Sortie

Orchestral

• Dans la vallée du tombeau (Souvenir de Lombardie), symphonic poem, 1908
• La Toussaint, symphonic poem, 1909
• Fantaisie pastorale, 1911
• Paysage d’hiver
• Paysages crépusculaires
• Scherzo-Marche
• Petite suite sur des airs populaires français
• Souvenirs de Lombardie

Vocal

• O mon Jésus (hymn), 1900
• L’aigu bruissement, voice and piano, 1904
• Laudate dominum, four voices and organ, 1904
• Soleils couchants, voice and piano, 1904
• Ave Maria, three voices & organ, 1910
• Les deux étoiles, voice and piano, 1910
• Le dernier des Maourys, voice and piano, 1911
• Le talion, voice and orchestra, 1912

Chamber and instrumental

• Danse afghane, piano, 1904
• 2 noëls, oboe or clarinet & piano, 1904
• Danse persane, piano, 1910
• Petit lied très facile, harpsichord or piano, 1910

Principal publishers: Leduc, Senart

Sources

• Michel Duchesneau. L'avant-garde musicale et ses sociétés à Paris de 1871 à 1939. Sprimont: Editions Mardaga, 1997
• F. Sabatier: ‘Henri Mulet’, Guide de la musique d’orgue, ed. G. Cantagrel (Paris, 1991), 605–6

External links

• Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/351113691115/