Jean Victor Arthur Guillou (born April 18, 1930 in Angers) is a French composer, organist, pianist, and pedagogue.

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Life

Following autodidactic studies in piano and organ performance, Guillou became organist at the church St. Serge in Angers at age 12. From 1945-1955, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire under Marcel Dupré, Maurice Duruflé, and Olivier Messiaen. In 1955, he accepted a position as professor of organ and composition at the Institute of Sacred Music in Lisbon. For health reasons, he left Lisbon in 1958 and moved to Berlin, where he lived for the following five years. In 1963, Guillou was appointed as titular organist at l'Église Saint-Eustache in Paris.

He has a worldwide reputation as a brilliant concert organist and improviser. Additionally he often performs as pianist; for example, he gave the English and French premieres of Julius Reubke's long-forgotten piano sonata.

Guillou's engagement in organ building lead to collaborations with several organ builders and the construction or renovation of instruments in l'Alpe d'Huez, the Chant d'Oiseau church in Brussels, the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Conservatory in Naples, St. Eustache (as mentioned above), and, most recently, the Auditorio de Tenerife in Santa Cruz (Canary Islands).

As a composer, he has written numerous works for organ, as well as chamber music, orchestral music, and transcriptions for organ. In addition, Guillou has issued numerous organ recordings, including the complete organ works of Johann Sebastian Bach and César Franck, numerous improvisations (e.g., Visions cosmiques (1969), or Jeux d'orgue (1970)),as well as most of his own organ compositions, on a series of 7 CDs for the Philips label.

From 1970-2005, Guillou taught organ performance and improvisation at the annual Züricher Meisterkurse . Since 2007, these masterclasses are held at St. Eustache in Paris, France.

Compositions

Organ solo

• Fantaisie op. 1 (composed in 1954. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• 18 Variations op. 3 (composed in 1956. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Sinfonietta op. 4 (composed in 1958/revised 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Ballade Ossianique No. 1 ("Temora") op. 8 (composed in 1962/revised 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Toccata op. 9 (composed in 1962. Mainz: Schott, 2004)
• 6 Sagas op. 20 (composed in 1970. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Ballade Ossianique No. 2 ("Les Chants de Selma") op. 23 (composed in 1971/revised 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• La chapelle des abîmes op. 26 (composed in 1973. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Scènes d'enfants op. 28 (composed in 1974. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Jeux d'Orgue op. 34 (composed in 1978. Vienna: Universal Edition, 1984)
• Suite pour Rameau op. 36 (composed in 1979. Boston, MA: Wayne Leupold Editions, 1994)
• Saga No. 7 op. 38 (composed in 1983. Vienna: Universal Edition, 1984)
• Sonate en trio op. 40 (composed in 1984):
• * Version in two movements (Paris: Durand, 1985)
• * Version in four movements (Unpublished.)
• Chamades op. 41 (composed in 1984. USA: H. T. FitzSimons, 1984)
• Impromptu for pedal solo op. 42 (composed in 1985. Vienna: Universal Edition, 1988)
• Hypérion ou la Rhétorique du Feu op. 45 (composed in 1988. Boston, MA: Wayne Leupold Editions, 1996)
• Säya ou l'Oiseau Bleu op. 50 (composed in 1993. Mainz: Schott, 2004)
• Éloge op. 52 (composed in 1994. Boston, MA: Wayne Leupold Editions, 1995)
• Alice au pays de l'orgue for organ and narrator op. 53 (composed in 1995. Mainz: Schott, 1998)
• Pensieri pour Jean Langlais op. 54 (composed in 1995. USA: H. T. FitzSimons, 1996)
• Instants op. 57 (composed in 1998. Unpublished.)
• Pièces furtives op. 58 (composed in 1998. Mainz: Schott, 2000)
• Hymne, in memoriam P. Jaap Reuten op. 72 (Unpublished.)
• Pièces brèves pour l'émission "Échappée par le ciel" (without Opus. Unpublished.)
• Pensieri pour Claude Bernard (without Opus. Unpublished.)
• Enfantine (without Opus. Unpublished.)
• Cadenza for the first movement from Organ Symphony No. 6 by Charles-Marie Widor (Unpublished.)

Organ with other instruments

• Inventions for organ and chamber orchestra (organ concerto No. 1) op. 7 (composed in 1960. Mainz: Schott)
• Concerto héroïque for organ and orchestra (organ concerto No. 2) op. 10 (composed in 1963/revised 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Colloque No. 2 for organ and piano op. 11 (composed in 1964/revised 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• L'Infinito for bass and organ op. 13 (composed in 1965. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Organ Concerto No. 3 for organ and string orchestra op. 14 (composed in 1965. Mainz: Schott)
• Colloque No. 4 for organ, piano and two percussionists op. 15 (composed in 1966. Mainz: Schott, 2006)
• Intermezzo for flute and organ op. 17 (composed in 1969. Mainz: Schott, 2008)
• Symphonie Initiatique op. 18:
• * First Version for three organs (composed in 1969. Unpublished.)
• * Second Version for two organs (composed in 1990. Unpublished.)
• * Third Version for four hands and feet (composed in 2009. Unpublished.)
• Colloque No. 5 for organ and piano op. 19 (composed in 1969/revised 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Organ Concerto No. 4 for organ and orchestra op. 31 (composed in 1978. Withdrawn by the composer.)
• Organ Concerto No. 5 ("Roi Arthur") for organ and brass quintet op. 35 (composed in 1979. Mainz: Schott)
• Concerto for violin and organ op. 37 (composed in 1982. Unpublished.)
• Andromède for soprano and organ op. 39 (composed in 1984. Mainz: Schott, 2007)
• Peace for mixed choir (8 voices) and organ op. 43 (composed in 1985. Unpublished.)
• Aube for mixed choir (12 voices) and organ op. 46 (composed in 1988. Unpublished.)
• Colloque No. 6 for organ and two percussionists op. 47 (composed in 1989. Unpublished.)
• Fantaisie concertante for violoncello and organ op. 49 (composed in 1991. Mainz: Schott)
• Missa Interrupta for soprano, organ, brass quintet, percussion and choir op. 51 (composed in 1995. Mainz: Schott)
• Fête for clarinet and organ op. 55 (composed in 1995. Mainz: Schott, 2008)
• Écho for flute, clarinet, string quintet, choir, piano and organ op. 60 (composed in 1999. Mainz: Schott)
• Concerto 2000 for organ and orchestra op. 62 (composed in 2000. Mainz: Schott)
• Concerto for trumpet and organ ("L'Ébauche d'un souffle") op. 64 (composed in 1985. Unpublished.)
• Colloque No. 7 (concerto for piano and organ) op. 66 (composed in 1998. Mainz: Schott, in preparation.)
• Colloque No. 8 for marimba and organ op. 67 (composed in 2002. Mainz: Schott, in preparation.)
• Organ Concerto No. 6 for organ and orchestra op. 68 (composed in 2002. Mainz: Schott)
• La Révolte des Orgues for eight portative organs, great organ, and percussion op. 69 (composed in 2005. Mainz: Schott, 2007)
• Organ Concerto No. 7 for organ and orchestra op. 70 (composed in 2006. Mainz: Schott, in preparation.)
• Colloque No. 9 for organ and pan flute op. 71 (composed in 2008. Unpublished.)

Orchestra

• Piano Concerto No. 1 for piano and orchestra op. 16 (1969. Paris: Leduc)
• Judith Symphonie for mezzo soprano and orchestra op. 21 (1970. Unpublished.)
• Symphony No. 2 for string orchestra op. 27 (1974. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Symphony No. 3 ("La Foule") for large orchestra and two guitars op. 30 (1977. Unpublished.)
• Concerto Grosso for orchestra op. 32 (1978/2008. Unpublished.)
• Piano Concerto No. 2 for piano and orchestra op. 44 (1986. Unpublished.)
• Trombone Concerto for trombone (solo), 4 trumpets, 3 trombones, 3 tubas and two percussionists op. 48 (1990. Mainz: Schott)
• Fête for clarinet and orchestra op. 55 (1995. Unpublished.)

Chamber Music

• Colloque No. 1 for flute, oboe, violin and piano op. 2 (composed in 1956. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Sonate No. 1 for piano op. 5 (composed in 1958. Paris: Éditions Musicales Amphion, 1974)
• Cantilia for piano, harp, timpani and 4 celli op. 6 (composed in 1960. Mainz: Schott)
• Toccata (piano version) op. 9b (composed in 1962. Mainz: Schott)
• Colloque No. 3 for oboe, harp, celesta, percussion, 4 celli and 2 double basses op. 12 (composed in 1964. Mainz: Schott)
• Quatuor for oboe and string quartet op. 22 (composed in 1971. Unpublished.)
• Cantiliana for flute and piano op. 24 (composed in 1972. Unpublished.)
• Sonate for trumpet op. 25 (composed in 1972. Unpublished.)
• Poème de la Main for lyric soprano and piano op. 29 (composed in 1975. Unpublished.)
• Sonate No. 2 for piano op. 33 (composed in 1978. Unpublished.)
• Trio for 3 Violoncelli (excerpt from Diderot à corps perdu ) op. 59 (composed in 1999. Unpublished.)
• Augure for piano op. 61 (composed in 1999. Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Co-incidence for violin solo op. 63 (composed in 1996. Unpublished.)
• Epitases op. 65:
• * First Version for pedal piano ("Double Piano Borgato") (composed in 2002. Unpublished.)
• * Second Version for two pianos (Unpublished.)
• Chronique for percussion trio op. 74 (composed in 2009. Unpublished.)
• Triptyque for strings (without Opus. Paris: Leduc)
• Nocturne for harp or piano (without Opus. Le Rideau Rouge Éditions)
• Impromptu for piano (without Opus. Le Rideau Rouge Éditions)

Theater Music/Oratorio

• Le Jugement Dernier : Oratorio for choir, soloists, organ and orchestra (composed in 1965. Withdrawn by the composer.)
• Diderot à corps perdu (composed in 1973. Unpublished.)

Transcriptions for Organ

• Johann Sebastian Bach: Musical Offering BWV 1079 (Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations BWV 988 (Unpublished.)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor BWV 903 (Unpublished.)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Sinfonia from Cantata BWV 29 "Wir danken dir, Gott" (Unpublished.)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Badinerie from the orchestra suite no. 2 BWV 1067 (Unpublished.)
• Johann Sebastian Bach: Sarabande BWV 977 (Unpublished.)
• Georg Friedrich Händel: 16 Concertos for organ and orchestra (with cadenzas) (Unpublished.)
• Georg Friedrich Händel: Hornpipe from "Water Music" (Unpublished.)
• Franz Liszt: Fantaisie et fugue sur le nom de BACH (syncretic version) (Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Franz Liszt: Orpheus (Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Franz Liszt: Prometheus (Mainz: Schott, 2008)
• Franz Liszt: Valse oubliée No. 1 (Mainz: Schott, 2007)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Adagio and Fugue in C minor K. 546 (Paris: Éditions Musicales Amphion)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sonata in B-flat major K. 333 (Unpublished.)
• Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Adagio and Rondo in C minor K. 617 (Paris: Éditions Musicales Amphion)
• Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition (Mainz: Schott, 2005)
• Sergei Prokofiev: March from the opera "The Love for three oranges" (Bonn: Robert Forberg)
• Sergei Prokofiev: ''Toccata'" op. 11 (Bonn: Robert Forberg)
• Sergei Rachmaninoff: Danses Symphoniques op. 45:
• * First Version for two organs (Unpublished.)
• * Second Versions for four hands and feet (Unpublished.)
• Igor Stravinsky: Three dances from "Petrouchka" (Unpublished.)
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: "Scherzo" from Symphony No. 6 ("Pathétique") (Mainz: Schott, 2006)
• Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky: Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy from the Nutcracker Suite (Unpublished.)
• Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in D major (Paris: Éditions Musicales Amphion)
• Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in D minor (Unpublished.)

Bibliography

• Abbing, Jörg. Jean Guillou - Colloques - Biografie und Texte. St. Augustin, Germany: Dr. Josef Butz Musikverlag, 2006. ISBN 3-928412-02-7.
• Cantagrel, Gilles. "Jean Guillou", in Guide de la musique d’orgue , edited by Gilles Cantagrel. Paris, France: Fayard, 1991: 424-428.
• Cook, Mary Jean. "Errata in the published organ works of Jean Guillou," in The Diapason 67 (May 1967): 4-5.
• Guillou, Jean. Die Orgel: Erinnerung und Zukunft. St. Augustin, Germany: Dr. Josef Butz Musikverlag, 2005. ISBN 3-928412-01-9.
• Hodant, Jean-Philippe. "Rhétorique et Dramaturgie dans l'œuvre musicale de Jean Guillou." Paris, France: Université Sorbonne, 1993.
• Orengia, Jean-Louis. Jean Guillou, interprète, compositeur et improvisateur." Mémoire de maîtrise de musicologie. Paris: Université Sorbonne, 1981/1982.
• Rhodes, Cherry. "Introducing Jean Guillou," in ''The A.G.O. R.C.C.O. Magazine" (March 1974): 29 and 53.
• Terry, Mickey Thomas. "An Interview with Jean Guillou," in The American Organist 28 No. 4 (April 1994): 56-59.