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Nicolas de Grigny

1672-1703

Nicolas de Grigny was born in 1672 in Reims in the parish of Saint-Pierre-Le-Vieil into a family of musicians: his father, his grandfather, and his Uncle Robert were organists at the Reims Cathedral, the Basilica of St. Pierre and St. Hilaire, respectively.

Few details about his life are known, nothing at all about his formative years. Between 1693 and 1695 he served as organist of the abbey church of Saint Denis, in Paris (where his brother André de Grigny was sub-prior). It was also during that period that de Grigny studied with Nicolas Lebègue, who was by then one of the most famous French keyboard composers. In 1695 de Grigny married Marie-Magdeleine de France, daughter of a Parisian merchant. Apparently he returned to his hometown soon afterwards: the record of the birth of his first son indicates that de Grigny was already in Reims in 1696. The couple had seven children.
By late 1697 de Grigny was appointed titular organist of Notre-Dame de Reims (the exact date of the appointment is not known), the city's famous cathedral in which French kings were crowned. In 1699 the composer published his Premier livre d'orgue [contenant une messe et les hymnes des principalles festes de l'année] in Paris. De Grigny died prematurely in 1703, aged 31, shortly after accepting a job offer from Saint Symphorien, a parish church in Reims. His Livre d'orgue was reissued in 1711 through the efforts of his widow. The collection became known abroad: it was copied in 1713 by Johann Sebastian Bach, and later by Johann Gottfried Walther.

Works recorded by AEOLUS:

A Solis Ortus D minor
Ave maris stella D minor
Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux D minor
Dialogue sur les Grands Jeux B flat major
Duo D minor
Duo B flat major
Fugue D minor
Fugue F major
Fugue à 5 B flat major
Fugue à 5 E major
Fugue à 5 D minor
Pange Lingua en taille à 4 E major
Point d’Orgue sur les Grands Jeux A minor
Récit de basse de Trompette ou de Cromorne B flat major
Récit de Cromorne B flat major
Récit du Chant de l’Hymne précédent E major
Récit en Dialogue F major
Trio A minor
Veni Creator en taille à 5 B flat major
Verbum Supernum F major
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