René Guillou

René-Alfred-Octave Guillou (8 October 1903 in Rennes – 14 December 1958 in Paris) was a French composer.

After several years at the conservatory of his native city, Guillou studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Marcel Samuel-Rousseau, Charles-Marie Widor and Henri Busser. In his third participation in the competition for the Prix de Rome, he won the Premier Grand Prix in 1926 with the cantata L'Autre mère.

Besides, since 1920, Guillou was the successor of Jacques de La Presle, organist at the great organ of the Church of Notre-Dame, Versailles, restored by Merklin. In 1923 he played the organ part here in a performance of the oratorio Marie-Madeleine by Jules Massenet. In 1926 he handed over the post to Madeleine Heurtel, a niece of Léon Boëllmann and daughter of the director of the École Niedermeyer, in order to begin his stay in the Villa Medici in Rome, associated with the Prix de Rome.

During his stay in Rome until 1930, Guillou composed his Habenera for violin and orchestra; in addition, he composed two symphonies and other orchestral works, chamber music and songs. His brother Ernest Guillou became known as a conductor and composer.

Guillou died in Paris in 1956.

Works

• Les Amants de Vérone, cantata, 1924
• L’Autre mère, cantata, 1926
• Élégie for viola (or English horn) and piano, 1927
• Habanera for violin and orchestra, 1927 with the Concerts Lamoureux
• Pièces for piano, 1927
• Assise for piano, 1928
• Puisque j'ai mis ma lèvre after a poem by Victor Hugo, 1928 at the Académie de France à Rome
• Mezzogiorno - Midi sur Rome 1929 at the Lyceum Romano
• Andante symphonique for pipe organ, 1929
• Cortège de nonnes for organ, 1929
• Loetitia Pia for organ, 1929
• Nocturne mystique for organ, 1929
• Diurnes for piano, 1929
• Plein air for piano, 1929
• Quatre pièces for piano, 1929
• Suite des motifs de terroir for piano, 1929
• Trois pièces for violin and piano, 1931
• Adagio et Suite for piano and cello, 1934
• Ballade for bassoon and piano, 1936
• Hymne de la Bretagne à Paris, for the Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in Paris, 1937
• Hymne funèbre, with the Concerts Colonne 1938
• Sonatine for alto saxophone, English horn or French horn and piano, 1946
• Symphonie en la mineur, 1948
• Mon nom est Rolande, Legend for French horn and piano, 1950
• Seconde Symphonie en ut majeur, 1956 Pierre-Michel Le Conte conducting